Drama Digest
Serenade of peaceful joy, previously known as ‘Held in the lonely castle,’ is a historical Chinese costume drama. It depicts early 11th century China which was run by the emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty to reform the society. After learning a shocking lifelong truth, he decides on certain things and the story continues from there.
The Feel-Good Part
The show has laid some tremendous and thought-provoking points through the scenes of discussion in the courts of the kingdom. These solutions can also be applied to modern-day problems, which is one of the biggest plus points of the show. The writing of the show is well-done with all the necessary as well as some unnecessary points.
The Disappointing Factor
The characters of the story don’t have sufficient backstories. When a character is saying something or expressing their opinion on something, one doesn’t come to know the type of person they might be. We never see what shaped them and their thoughts into the person they’re being shown as. This leads to a lot of confusion. The editing of the show is not up-to-the-mark and abrupt.
In-Depth Analysis
Emperor Zhao Zhen of the Song Dynasty is a truthful and assertive leader. Under his reign, the kingdom of Song is blooming and progressing. He now aims to bring reformation to the entire society. He wants to strengthen the local government by increasing administrative efficiency. Though many of his monsters try to bring him down, they’re unsuccessful in the end. After living as the emperor of the Song Dynasty for most of his life, he suddenly discovers an unknown truth about himself. He learns that he’s not the biological child of the Empress dowager, whom he has thought to be his mother all his life. Instead, her maid is his birth mother who was also his father’s concubine. After learning the truth, he’s filled with confusion and guilt, and hence he decides to marry off his daughter, Zhao Hui Rou, to one of the boys of his real mother’s family as payback for giving him life. But this decision of him is frowned upon by his daughter. She does marry her husband but does not find herself having any feelings for him. As a result of this, she starts to be a pain for everyone. As she’s always been a freedom-loving person, she gives everyone a hard time due to her displeasure with her marriage. This becomes a massive challenge for the emperor to bring his daughter into control and also keep the administration running smoothly.
Star Power
Zhao Zhen’s daughter, Zhao Hui Rou, portrayed by the actress, Ren Min, is a good and different character in the series. She’s a badass and a freedom-loving soul. She loves enjoying her freedom in a world where women were kept behind doors. She likes to express her opinion on the matter she thinks are essential and possesses the qualities of a woman from the modern age.
Overall Opinion
The audience is most likely to have a love-hate relationship with this show. Because the good parts are excellent, but the bad parts are really bad, and everything in between is just happening for the sort of existing. As for a drama, it’s a long one comprising sixty-nine episodes which some viewers might not find affordable.
