General and I (孤芳不自赏, Gū Fāng Bú Zì Shǎng, roughly "A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated") is a 2016 series based on a novel by Feng Nong. It's set at some unspecified (possibly fictional?) point in China's history. I don't know enough Chinese history to make a guess at when.
I only recognised one actor:
Madina Memet (Lan Shang in Ice Fantasy) as Yang Feng
MyDramaList says Sha Deng (Consort Zhang) was in Ice Fantasy too, but her character was so minor that I still can't remember who she played.
Anyway, on to the plot. There are four kingdoms, all more or less at war with each other. Our heroine, Bai Ping Ting, is from Yan Kingdom. Our hero, Chu Bei Jie, is from Jin Kingdom. Of course they meet and fall in love. But it isn't just a Romeo-and-Juliet-style plot. It has dozens of complicated side plots revolving around politics, revenge, attempted assassinations, and battles. Eventually the main characters get a happy ending. The same can't be said for some other characters.
There are so many characters and subplots that by the time I reached episode forty, I had to keep a list of who was who. Otherwise I'd have been completely lost.
To summarise: we start with He Xia and Bai Ping Ting. He Xia is a prince of Yan Kingdom, and Bai Ping Ting is his maidservant. He Xia goes on the run when he's betrayed and (he thinks) his father is murdered. Bai Ping Ting acts as a diversion and is found by Chu Bei Jie. Chu Bei Jie is a general of Jin Kingdom and the secret half-brother of the king. The aforementioned king is being plotted against by one of his concubines. Meanwhile He Xia has found his way to Bai Lan Kingdom and married Princess Yao Tian, and some of her officials start plotting against him.
And that's just the start of the story. It makes some of Dickens' novels look almost straightforward in comparison.
One of the main problems with the series is how many subplots there are. The resolution of one plot feels very rushed to make way for the next one. I fully expected Consort Zhang to be a major villain for most of the series. Instead her plans are foiled about half-way through and she disappears from the story, with only a brief scene of her death to show what happened to her.
Similarly, the entire subplot of Lady Thirteen and Jiao Yan Casino has very little bearing on the main story. It seems to exist only to show what Chu Bei Jie was doing in the years when he thought Bai Ping Ting was dead (and there are plenty of questions left unanswered about what happened in those years).
I may or may not have shrieked with excitement at the final scene 😊 But after the excitement and delight at the happy ending wore off, it left me with plenty of questions. What happened to Dong Zhuo after He Xia's death? What about Yang Feng, Ze Yin and their people? What will Shuang Er do now that her husband is dead and she isn't empress any more? What will Bai Lan State do now that their entire royal family is dead? And where did Lady Thirteen go? The series ties up some loose ends, but it forgot about others.
Bai Ping Ting's last words to Lady Thirteen makes me think that a sequel is/was planned. If so, it hasn't been made yet. When the last episode ends the viewer is left to wonder about the fates of some characters.
Speaking of characters, now would be a good time to say what I thought about some of them.
Bai Ping Ting
I love how clever Bai Ping Ting is, and how she can usually get herself and her friends out of trouble. To say nothing of how adorable she and Chu Bei Jie are together 😍 Her near-constant smile is slightly off-putting, though, especially in scenes where no one in their right mind would smile. Was that a deliberate acting choice, or is it just the actress's natural resting face?
Chu Bei Jie
At first I really didn't like Chu Bei Jie. He was indirectly responsible for the deaths of He Xia's parents, the incident that starts the main plot and leads to He Xia becoming a villain. But gradually I came to like him more. His interactions with his son are so cute and funny 😄
He Xia (left) and Dong Zhuo (right)
He Xia is one of those characters who I feel sorry for and despise at the same time. At the start of the series he's betrayed, orphaned, and forced to go on the run. By the time he dies, he's usurped a throne, started a war, caused the deaths of his wife and unborn child, and destroyed at least two kingdoms. Yet I still cried at his death 😢
Dong Zhuo, He Xia's servant and really the only person who stays loyal to him the whole time, is less outright villainous and more dragged into this mess through no fault of his own. I feel sorry for him without despising him, though I wish he'd done something to stop He Xia before it was too late.
Yao Tian
I spent most of the series longing to slap some sense into Yao Tian. She marries He Xia and lets him have more and more power, she ignores common sense and people who try to warn her against this, and then she watches her kingdom crumbling as a result of it. What an idiot! But even in spite of her terrible decisions, I kept hoping she would finally wake up and kick He Xia out. She doesn't. Instead she kills herself because of him 😢
The series has its flaws; some of it is drawn out too long and other parts are rushed. I'm disappointed that it ended with the coronation and didn't show anything that happened afterwards. Bei Jie and Ping Ting are now ruling an empire that has just been through several wars, and a neighbouring kingdom is facing a succession crisis that's bound to cause more chaos. Yes, they've got a happy ending, but it's not going to be easy. I'd have liked to see some of that shown.
Overall, though, I enjoyed watching this series! The music is great, the story is mostly great, and the acting is usually good 😊
Is it available online?: Yes, on YouTube with English subtitles.
Rating: 7/10.
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