Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 To The West (唐朝诡事录·西行) is a continuation of the first season with more cases lined up for viewers’ enjoyment. I have been putting this off for a few weeks as I’m a little wary of sequels. More often than not, sequels can’t match the success of their earlier versions. But after catching up with all the recent releases on my list, I decided to watch this over Love’s Rebellion. I guess I needed a break from historical romances and this happened to be the most obvious choice since I did watch Season 1. So, how did it go in comparison to the prequel? My Strange Tales Of The Tang Dynasty 2 To The West review below will have more.
My rating: 8/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Mystery, Crime
Aired: July 2024
Images Credit: Douban Movie
The Cast Of Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2
- Yang Xu Wen as Lu Ling Feng
- Yang Zhi Gang as Su Wu Ming
- Gao Si Wen as Pei Xi Jun
- Chen Chuang as Fei Ji Shi / Chicken Fei
- Anson Shi Yue An Xin as Xue Huan
- Sun Xue Ning as Ying Tao
- Liu Zhi Yang as Crown Prince
- Yue Li Na as Royal Princess
Main Characters
Lu Ling Feng
Lu Ling Feng starts off as the Deputy President of the Court of Judicial Review. Then, he is demoted to become the Sheriff of Yunding which is a town in the far west. With his experience, he has become an astute investigator with an ability to think more holistically on a case. However, Lu Ling Feng is still the prideful man that he is on the surface but cares a great deal for those closest to him in his heart.
Su Wu Ming
Su Wu Ming is a registrar at the Royal Mausoleum before being recalled back to be the acting Deputy President of the Court of Judicial Review to investigate a case in Chang’an. He is still as sharp and witty as before and is good at using pretensions to fool others into getting what he wants. Su Wu Ming retains a brilliant investigative mind with a penchant for details.
Supporting Characters
Pei Xi Jun
Xi Jun remains devoted to Lu Ling Feng and has matured into an able assistant to the team. She has a photogenic memory and can recall details. This is tied to her talent in drawing and reproducing artwork for things and places that she has seen.
Fei Ji Shi / Chicken Fei
Chicken Fei has proven himself to be a talented doctor. His healing skill is not only crucial for the team members but also necessary for investigative input into certain cases. He is a chicken and wine lover who is always on the lookout for a feast and a drink.
Xue Huan
Xue Huan is Lu Ling Feng’s disciple. He is a young lad who has taken on his master’s righteous and principled behavior.
Ying Tao
Ying Tao is a skilled martial artist who cares about justice and righteousness. She is Su Wu Ming’s companion and cares about him. She will often come to Su Wu Ming’s defense when he is under attack by villains. Ying Tao and Xi Jun share a sisterly friendship.
Crown Prince
The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne in Chang’an. He did succeed his father to become the Emperor and has a selfish motive to ensure the security of his interest and position.
Royal Princess
The Royal Princess is the Crown Prince’s aunt. She is also Lu Ling Feng’s mother. She is a powerful princess who yields a lot of influence in the palace and government administration.
Synopsis
Su Wu Ming is contented to be a registrar in the Royal Mausoleum where he has been sent to at the end of the first season. But a mysterious case in Chang’an sees him being recalled back by the Crown Prince. Together with Lu Ling Feng, they continue where they left off as a brilliant investigative team to solve the case.
However, the power struggle between the Crown Prince who has been newly crowned as the Emperor and the Royal Princess who happens to be Lu Ling Feng’s mother, results in Lu Ling Feng being demoted. He is sent to the western town of Yunding to be its new Sheriff. Su Wu Ming who hates the politics in Chang’an also maneuvers his way to get out of the capital after the solving the case. In the journey to the west, they meet each other again and encounter various murder cases along the way that appear strange on the surface. Together, Lu Ling Feng and Su Wu Ming try to expose the perpetrators and ensure justice for the victims.
Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)
Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 To The West ends with a decree for Lu Ling Feng to return to Chang’an. This is amidst a power tussle between the new Emperor and Lu Ling Feng’s mother. It is a journey that the team is reluctant to take as they are weary of the palace politics. After all, their interest lies in serving the people. But they are prepared to make their way back and the drama ends with them starting on their journey from the western desert. It certainly leaves room for another season as the journey back to Chang’an is positioned to be just as challenging and dangerous given the political undertones.
The Cases
There are 8 cases altogether in Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 To The West. However, 2 of the cases are related to each other.
Mara’s Defeat
Mara’s Defeat runs from Episode 1 to 6. The case revolves around a renowned painter who has been commissioned by the Royal Princess to paint a mural in a temple. The painting depicts the evil Mara God’s defeat against the Buddha. However, rumors that the mural is causing Mara to come alive and kill people begin to circulate after a few deaths.
The Death Of The Coroner
The Death Of The Coroner is from Episode 7 to 12. The coroner of Shiyang is found dead in his burial goods shop with an apparent sword wound. He is good at making clay statues with concealed weapon mechanisms to guard against tomb raiders. Due to his profession, he is an outcast with a wife who hates him and is known to fool around. He may also be hated by those who feel that his findings on their dead relatives may not be what is expected. Due to the number of people who have various motives to want him dead, the case is complicated by a valuable relic supposedly in his possession and wanted by antique collectors.
Mo’s Inn In The Snowstorm
Mo’s Inn In The Snowstorm covers Episode 13 to 16. It is an inn that the team decided to stay at along their journey to the west during a snowstorm. The whole place and the lady owner give the team a strange vibe. The owner loses a bet of life with a guest and dies in front of everyone. Then, another guest is found dead in the side hall that houses a deity with his valuables missing. What appears to be an obvious case of a lost bet and common thieves becomes a mystery when the body of the dead owner goes missing.
Qianchong Dock
The Qianchong Dock case is from Episode 17 to 18. It is a short one because it is related to the next case in the team’s journey. The case is about a dock with its band of members who set the rules for boarding the ship to journey downstream to the next town. The team is told that they have to leave their horses and donkey behind in order to board the ship. They are also told that the river could swallow them up with a sea creature lurking beneath and a whirlpool.
Tongtian Rhino
Tongtian Rhino runs from Episode 18 to 24. This is related to the Qianchong Dock case that involves a rebel sect. After reaching the next stop, the team found a corpse in their rented residence. The dead man is presumed to be the husband of the house owner. Hence, the wife and the property agency owner are prime suspects. But things are not what they appear to be on the surface once the dead man’s identity is established.
Drunk In Yunding
Drunk In Yunding spans Episode 24 to 30. After arriving in Yunding to take up his new posting, Lu Ling Feng disagrees with the lifting of the night curfew which is standard practice of the Tang Dynasty. This puts him at odds with the sitting magistrate and the outgoing Sheriff who is also a wine merchant. The disappearance of the commercial market supervisor is also linked to his stance against the curfew abolishment. There are also other missing person cases in the town that seem to be linked to a commercial area called the Yunding Immortal Steps.
Letter From Shangxian Hall
Letter From Shangxian Hall runs from Episode 31 to 35. It revolves around the town’s most famous tailoring shop. The owner’s husband spends his time gambling instead of running the business. He is subsequently found dead in a seedy inn after visiting his cousin who is staying there. 3 other women who are also staying at the inn become suspects. One of them looks exactly like a woman who had died 10 years ago which puts a mysterious spin on the case.
The Provider
The Provider is the last case and covers Episode 36 to 40. It is about the Cao family whereby the patriarch is a very wealthy merchant. However, he is slated to die on his 60th birthday as per family custom. But his only son is found murdered and squabbles over inheritance ensues. This means his daughters and sons-in-law naturally become suspects. Hence, Lu Ling Feng and Su Wu Ming have to figure out who killed the boy among the family members. A dirty family secret adds a layer of complexity to the case.
Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 To The West Review – As Good As S1
Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 To The West uses the same formula that contributes to the success of the prequel. Basically, the scriptwriter and producer didn’t care to inject fresh ideas into the drama. They just stuck to things that had worked well. Therefore, you can expect more of the same for the second season in terms of the characters dynamics and plot execution. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it seems to be the right approach with the mainly positive reviews from viewers.
For those who are new to the series, you don’t really have to watch the first season to enjoy the second. This is because each case is like a mini-story that are largely independent of each other unlike Joy Of Life S2 which is one long continuous saga. Hence, if you are just watching Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 for the investigative elements, then there is no necessity to catch the prequel first. Having said that though, there is value in watching the first season before the second because the former is where you will get to know the characters, their background, and how they ended up as a team.
Furthermore, there is an overarching plot of a power tussle in the palace that reverberates down the line to the protagonists which has its roots in S1. While this is not what the drama is all about, it remains in the background and there might be more of this come S3. Thus, you might be lost on this part of the story if you fail to catch the prequel. As such, I would still recommend that you watch S1 first although the palace politics have nothing much to do with the cases except for a few mentions here and there.
S1 vs S2
I find both seasons to be just as good. In fact, S2 doesn’t need to spend time to introduce the characters and build up their relationship dynamics which are required in S1. Thus, it is straight into the cases all the way to the end. The 2 male protagonists have established the rapport needed to solve the mysteries and there is no need to go through the typical misunderstandings that are often seen in stories that require 2 partners to work together.
The cases in Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 are not necessarily better than the prequel but the camaraderie among the team members and the teamwork is more satisfying to watch overall. For instance, Xi Jun’s character has evolved into a more matured and valuable member of the team rather than just ending up as a romantic interest of the male lead. I feel that the fighting scenes are also better choreographed in S2 and there are quite a few of those in the drama.
However, if you like a bit more depth on the characters’ background and the palace politics, then S1 would have more to offer than S2. It also sets the stage for the sequel with a clear direction of what to expect. Hence, when you watch S2, you can immediately get acquainted to the characters again and immerse yourself into the story. Both seasons are well-written in that sense as you can easily detect the continuity and consistency in the depiction of the characters.
Case-Focused
If you are expecting progress in the leads’ romance in Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2, then be prepared to be disappointed. There is nothing much going on for the 2 couples and they are more like companions and work partners than lovers. Any hint of romance is limited to indirect expressions and nuances which are also few and far in between.
Personally, retaining the detective elements as the main selling point is a good move to me. There is no necessity to force a romance when none is needed. It will only make the romance out of place in a drama that emphasizes mysteries and investigations. The focus is on the cases and the characters involved in them. The perpetrators, victims, and related characters have their own webs of connections that the protagonists have to unravel to reach the truth. It is this process of resolving the obscurities and intricacies to find the murderer(s) that makes the drama interesting. Therefore, making room for a romance will only hinder the pace and distract it from its laser point focus on the cases.
All of the 8 cases are intriguing although some are arguably better written and presented than others. Some have more fights to nab the villains while others rely more on analyses and connecting the dots to unearth the masterminds behind the scenes. A few also have a supernatural hue to them to make them more engaging. So, it is a good selection and balance on the whole to give us a varied taste of the cases that range from a rebellious plot to a family fight for inheritance.
Acting
The cast reprises their roles in Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2. Yang Xu Wen continues his great performance as Lu Ling Feng from S1. His portrayal of the character has also become a bit more polished in this latter season. Perhaps the character has also grown more matured and less impulsive and the actor’s portrayal reflects that growth. But the essence of the character remains unchanged which Yang Xu Wen could bring out naturally in both serious and funny moments.
I also think no actor can replace Yang Zhi Gang as Su Wu Ming in the drama. Put someone else in his place and the soul of the drama will most probably be lost. He is just perfect for the role with his various expressions that fits character’s personality. He can be brilliant one minute and cowardly the next and expresses all of it well through his facial expressions. The actor can also be comedic and timed it perfectly to make you smile while putting on a straight face. In short, Yang Zhi Gang has made a lasting impression on the viewers in this role that it is hard to picture anyone else as Su Wu Ming.
Both men have forged a great partnership and It is a pleasure watching them again in this sequel. Their banters and pretensions create a unique relationship dynamics that give us their very own brand of humor.
My Verdict – Watch
If you have watched S1 and you liked it, then S2 is definitely recommended. It has the same style and cast to replicate the success of the first season. There are no new core characters to get used to and you can straight away jump into the meat of the story. You know what to expect especially when it comes to the characters and it delivers to fulfill that expectation.
Even if you have not watched S1, this is still worth the time if you are into detective dramas. With 8 cases and 40 episodes in total, it averages about 5 episodes per case. This means each case doesn’t get prolonged unnecessarily and there are few filler scenes. The story will keep moving at an even pace. As a result, there is little room for boredom to set in.
However, being a detective drama, it is conversation-heavy. You are not watching a breezy romance but a drama that requires concentration. So, it will not be ideal for those who just want something light and easy. But the team rapport and sense of humor will help to prevent the drama from being too dry for a story that is reliant on dialogues to make it understandable.
For this review of Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 2 To The West, I would give it a rating of 8/10. The strange cases is interesting enough to keep me engaged. There is logic behind each case and this is what makes it a solid detective drama. The question now is whether the production team can maintain the same quality in the third season. I’m also not sure if the same formula will start to get stale after 2 seasons without new elements being introduced. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
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