Journey With You (Chinese Series)
By about the third episode, I had stopped caring who was scheming against whom. This drama has polished production and plenty of political maneuvering, but its stream of twists and reversals left me too detached to invest in the people caught up in them.
The central romance begins with a death. After three years on the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi is summoned back to the capital by a secret letter. He and his closest companion, Pei Yanzhi, are killed in an ambush on the way. Only as he dies does Yin Qi recognize how deeply he loves Yanzhi. Then he wakes up three years earlier, in a timeline where his mother is still alive.
Given another chance, Yin Qi tries to change what is coming. He works to earn his father’s trust while secretly investigating the Crown Prince’s wrongdoing. But he suspects Yanzhi may be allied with the Crown Prince and sets out to undermine their supposed cooperation. The truth is that Yanzhi is trying to protect Yin Qi, whatever the cost. The Crown Prince has already eliminated his other brothers, leaving Yin Qi as the final obstacle to his power. Meanwhile, Yin Qi’s mother, the ambitious Empress, urges him toward actions he is not comfortable taking.
For all that setup, the time travel barely shapes the larger story, which is fairly simple beneath its layers of court intrigue. The show’s eight episodes run about 50 to 60 minutes each. Its production values are impressive, and the two leads have decent chemistry; the acting is serviceable. Still, I never found much reason to care about the characters.
Unexpectedly, the more compelling chemistry belongs to the villain and his partner. Yin Zhou is openly gay and unashamed, with a whole harem of men around him. He is especially close to Wei Zi Ming, who gives his life to protect Yin Zhou and prevent him from committing more crimes. After Wei dies in his arms, Yin Zhou falls apart and takes his own life. That turn struck me as an odd choice.
I can see why viewers praise the drama online, and anyone drawn to this kind of story may enjoy it. For me, the constant plotting and back-and-forth had already worn thin by episode three. My lack of enthusiasm may also reflect that this particular regional style of historical drama is not usually my thing. It simply did not click for me. (3.5/10)