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ariesmoonwildin · 2 months

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Female Power Done Right: A closer look at Pian Ran from TTEOTM

The seductress: regulating sexual morality

Female characters have always been stereotyped in popular media. While this isn't limited to the portrayal of women, it has affected them disproportionately and usually in a negative way. There are a number of common stereotypes of how women are portrayed, such as the virtuous woman, the seductress/femme fatale, the Mary Sue and more. While I don't want to say that TTOETM doesn't rely on these kinds of stereotypes to tell its story, the show does get some things right when it comes to its female characters. Pian Ran is the best example of this.

Most temptress are villains, because female sexuality is often framed as something negative, something dangerous. Sexual morality serves to regulate gender relations, for example through various sexual taboos and prohibitions on premarital and extramarital sexuality or homosexuality. In the major religions and many cultures, sexuality is traditionally placed in the service of procreation. In the ascetic-monastic traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, which are characterized by sexual renunciation, sexuality is equated with ignorance, desire, attachment or sin and is considered an obstacle to salvation. As women are identified more strongly with physicality than men, sexuality and instinctually in all the religions mentioned, the widely received stereotype of the sexual seductress emerges, which has been used to justify a wide range of discrimination.

Therefore, seductresses are not about female sexuality, they are (through the male gaze) objects of sexual desire for men, while also being a negation point of sexual morality. Virtuous women, especially protagonists, are often sexualised, but not portrayed as sexual beings. In contrast, sexual women are often the competition of the main character. They tend to use their physical attractiveness to attack or steal the main character's love interest, or to overpower the hero with their evil tricks. For this reason, they are often associated with animals that are seen as deceitful, cunning, poisonous or dangerous (e.g. snakes, scorpions, foxes).

At the first glance, Pian Ran fits this archetype well. She is a fox demon, who feeds on the life energy of men. She seduces them, using their sexuality for her own gain and entertainment. Pian Ran also dresses "provocatively" and doesn't conform to social conventions. When we first meet her, she is playing the historical version of strip poker, not just for the money, but because the desperate men amuse her. In the same episode, she forces Ye Qingyu to accompany her to the market and uses her sensuality to throw him off balance.

However, Pianran also subverts this trope. Her sexuality isn't portrayed as something negative, it's accepted by the people around her. Ye Qingyu never judges her for it, even though he is the polar opposite. Ye Xiwu never looks down on her either, instead she comes to him for advice and even flirts with her.

Sun Zhenni's performance deserves a lot of praise. Her sexiness doesn't feel "sticky" or "creepy" to me, like many other characters of similar type do. She has a natural sensuality that isn't over the top, more sassy than naughty. You can tell that she studied her character a lot and tried to portray her as nuanced as possible.

Pian Ran is also much more than just another fox demon and seductress. She is a complex character. But her main theme isn't really seduction - it's working life.

Pian Ran vs. work life

This theme runs throughout the drama, from Li Susu offering her a letter of recommendation for a particular sect when they first meet, to Pianran's work for Tantai Jin - and her resentment of it.

She has to work to survive - literally, as Tantai Jin tricks her into believing she has swallowed a pill that will give him control over her life. "Take the pill", which will change your life and take away your freedom, is also a reminder of how certain drugs and their side effects work. While she's not without a certain amount of freedom and has her own command within the Jing Kingdom, she's tied to Tantai Jin's command and rigorous work schedule.

Our girl is a for sure a regular on r/antiwork...

This theme makes her a relatable and likeable character. It also shows how her character is a comment on current social issues, beyond gender roles. This is one of the strengths of TTOETM, it’s strong social and moral message that goes beyond the plot of the drama.

Pian Ran vs. love life

As a character, Ye Qingyu is the opposite of Pian Ran: Virtuous, very righteous and rigid. But he never judges her for her behaviour, he always understands her and gives her space. And most importantly, neither of them changes who they are as their relationship progresses. She doesn't suddenly become a modest woman, he doesn't turn away from his ideals - except maybe in that cut arc in Jing Kingdom in the 3rd arc.

In many ways, Ye Qingyu and Pian Ran embody the classic trope of the seductive and virtuous hero: she affects men in a certain way that causes them to stray from the straight and narrow or interferes with their domestic arrangements. For example, when he spends the first night with her and thus neglects his duties as head of the family, or when she contributes to his changing sides and joining Tantai Jin. In short, she is disruptive.

When she advises Ye Xiwu/Li Susu on how to seduce Tantai Jin, she suggests various manipulation tactics to gain his attention and favour, but Pian Ran also gives genuine advice - to both of them, actually (although sometimes it's my accident).

One could make the argument, that they were aiming to frame her initial strong sexuality as a coping mechanism due to the loss of her husband and love threads. The absence of her love threads manifests quite different to Tantai Jin, mainly in form of attachment issues.

However, the show doesn't try to make a point about female sexuality by emphasizing a change in Pianran's behavior based on finding the right man. If anything, it's Ye Qingyue who meets her halfway by having a premarital affair. What I like most about their relationship is that they are each other's equals. They both have high ranks in Tantai Jin's kingdom and army, and he listens to their advice and treats them equally. Moreover, Pian Ran is never a damsel in distress. Even when Ye Qingyue dies for her, it is because she was blindsided by the attack while she was winning her own duel. In the end, she shares the fate of most seductresses who disrupt the social order - she dies (if they don't join a convent). The difference is that her death is a tragedy and not framed as a regulation of sexual morality and gender relations.

Female Friendship

Before I dive into the relationship of Li Susu and Pianran, I want to comment on the common dualism of the sensuous vs. the virtuous woman. Li Susu (or Ye Xiwu) is not the virtuous heroine, it’s (again) Ye Bingchang mirroring Pian Ran. This is something that subverts the whole trope! It's the virtuous woman who become disruptive and falls from grace, while Pianran becomes a righteous heroine. However, while Pianran doesn't become virtuous, Ye Bingchang tries and fails to use seduction to manipulate Tantai Jin. She also has an additional set of love threads that make her seductive to men without using her sensuality or sexuality. It's a fascinating dynamic. As I said, TTEOTM is not a perfect show with a feminist message, but it certainly tries to subvert gender stereotypes - and not just with its women, but that's another issue.

Pian Ran's third important role in TTOETM is that of Li Susu's friend, who supports and guides her. What makes their dynamic so interesting is that while Pian Ran looks younger than Li Susu, she is considerably older (well, if you count age by years lived, not by date of birth). They are flirtatious, they share a horse and a bed, and they pass the Bechtel test! Li Susu even risks her health to cure Pian Ran of Tantai Jin's blood curse.

Both subvert gender expectations in their own way. They are strong characters without abandoning their femininity. The empowerment and the feminist ideas, they are embodying, also come natural to the storyline and are not just tropes. Therefore, they are relatable characters for a modern audience (except when they are not).

Edit: Got rid of some spelling mistakes!

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ariesmoonwildin · 2 months

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such good words but downplaying bai lu was not it

TTEOTM vs. the Industry: Or Why it's much more than a TV show 📺

A very interesting Zhihu article from an anonymous industry insider responding to the question "is Till the End of the Moon worth watching?"

TL;DR SUMMARY:

The author believes that we're at the crossroads of a new era of TV production. Otters Studio (TTEOTM's production company, a new player) is trying to make waves beyond the show itself by making big budget bets on innovative but risky content.

TTEOTM is full of production flaws, but Otter understands how to excite viewers, something that's been taken for granted. A team that would produce a perfect drama would never dare to touch TTEOTM and make it work.

Everyone in the industry desperately wants TTEOTM to fail. Because that would prove that sticking to a safe formula works. (For context, there's been a lot of internet activity trying to smear TTEOTM and take it down in China, most recently an email campaign to NRTA to get it censored and off air)

I decided to take the time to translate this because it brings home the point the need to embrace risk-taking and look beyond technical flaws to push the industry forward. It's long and I don't agree with everything said (think he's a bit harsh on the actors and other dramas), but I still think it's worth a read! Bolding is my own.

FULL TRANSLATION:

The decision to produce TTEOTM at such a high budget itself indicates aspirations that are beyond what ordinary viewers can understand. Let's talk about its strengths:

比如长月这种类型的剧非用这么高规格投资创作出来，本身说明了投资方的品味和执念都不是我们这类普通大众可以理解的。先说几点优点:

1. Dare to break through. This drama is not intended by its investors to be just like another xianxia. It contains a lot of innovative elements: character design, world view, values, plot development and logic, costume, special effects, which is refreshing. In the next few years, no matter how the drama performs, there will be continued discussion and comparison to TTEOTM. It is extremely risky to put such a big budget behind a piece of work that's trying to push boundaries in every way. Because it is beyond the comfort zone of viewers today.

On surface, Otter's first drama is a big production (but as you can see, there are issues with quality control). In reality, this production has an even more important mission: proving that an outside investor new to content production can break into the entertainment ecosystem with money, such as by openly inviting everyone to make OSTs, showing off its deep wallets (though you can see what the reception and quality of work has been). Otter's ambition is not to be a vehicle for actors or just another producer. It's also not trying to do what LBFAD did by building its brand with a repeatable IP-to-TV production process. Based on TTEOTM, I'm inclined to believe they are playing with something very new, something more ground-breaking. Right now they're still trying to figure it out, piece by piece, even though TTEOTM's final product is already quite remarkable.

1. 敢于突破。这部剧根本不是为了制作一部流水线仙侠而投资出来的，其中包含了大量的“新”东西:人设、世界观、人物价值观、剧情发展逻辑、服化道、特效使用等，都让人耳目一新。未来几年时间，无论剧播出的怎么样，围绕长月的讨论和比较都不会少。像这样一部方方面面求新的作品，本身用这么高规格投资出来就是极端风险的一件事，因为它压根不在目前经过市场检验的观众舒适区里。獭獭文化打出来的这第一部作品，表面上是在出大制作剧（但是你也看到了，品控有些问题），实际上这部剧恐怕还肩负着更重要的使命（比如一家对内容制作市场还比较小白的外来资本，是不是可以借着高举高打摸一圈影视圈的资源链，像直接全面邀歌做OST，写满了大佬有钱，但是各方什么态度、什么水平也是同步一目了然）獭獭的野心绝不在于捧演员或加入目前的内容制作圈，也不是冲着一开始就像苍兰诀一样用一个可模块化流水线化的模式成品打造自己的品牌，从长月看，我倾向于他在玩一些很新的东西，很大格局的东西。现在他还在一块块摸牌，一块块优化骨骼的阶段（虽然长月的成品其实已经非常了不起）。

2. Great for actors. Today's Chinese drama production has become obviously repetitive and formulaic. It's very difficult to give actors an opportunity to demonstrate their talents. Complex characters not only challenge our actors but risk impacting their reputation. There's massive risk in casting and censorship, so most investors play it safe. TTEOTM is different in this regard: in addition to TTJ, the FL is not silly, dumb, and sweet. She is clear-headed about her mission to kill the ML the entire time, which means there's no CP. The 2nd ML is stuck in a philosophical conflict of who he really is. The 2nd FL coldly announces, I don't love anyone but myself. In order to make these characters come alive, you need very strong character molding and understanding. For example, the FL has to demonstrate commitment to her mission as a character that's bounded by a tragic fate, but also show caution and love towards the ML. Or take the 2nd FL as an example. Even though she appears to be a bad person, she actually has a strong need for love and fear of loss, which is why she self destroys any hope to avoid tragedy in the end - this type of person is full of inner conflict.

The conflicting emotions and subtext are the biggest selling points of this drama, but sadly most actors don't quite deliver except the ML. The willingness to realize a screenplay like this indicates Otter is serious about testing its actors. This type of opportunity is rarer than giant pandas in an industry that prefers vanilla characters. But also because of this, we see that there are still big gaps in the younger generation of actors' ability to interpret the screenplay and perform. Overall, the third female lead's scenes are quite good. The ML's solos are also quite good. But there are issues with transitions (of course the director also has no standards when it comes to cinematography). The second female lead interprets her character well, but has acting issues. Won't comment on the others.

2.对演员加成极大。一个团队渴望摸到娱乐圈上限的时候，可能这个团队还没有那么深厚的业内资源，但一定有其他制作方给不了的助力力度。当目前的国产剧制作已经出现明显的人物刻板化，玄幻作品模式化倾向时，无论是大制作还是小制作，其实现在的作品已经非常难给演员凸显水平的机会了，创作复杂性人物考验演员表现能力，还容易造成艺人负面口碑，有极大的选角风险，还容易被审核掉，目前的其他资本这一块都很保守。獭獭的长月，男主澹台烬自不用说，女主完全不傻白甜，从头到尾头脑清醒就是要杀男主，就是无cp糖可磕。男二执着于他不是我，我不是我的哲学矛盾，女二全程冷漠宣言我谁也不爱我只爱我自己，神挡杀神，佛挡杀佛。这些人物其实真正要演绎得鲜活，都需要极强的角色塑造能力和理解能力。例如女主始终头脑清醒的要杀男主，是因为命运只给了这么一条路，她是被命运裹挟着前进的悲剧人物，但又要体现出她面对自己对男主时的恻隐之心和深沉爱意。又比如女二，她是渴爱之人，恶是她的表象，惶恐失去和自闭是她的内核，每次在希望来临前先动手毁灭希望，不让自己看到悲剧，这种人的心理活动是非常激烈和纠结的。纠结的情绪和人物潜台词是这部剧本身的最大看点（虽然很可惜我发现演员几乎是全员不到位的，勉强男主还行）愿意开发这样的本子，其实意味着獭獭正视图用剧对演员进行一定程度的“大考”，能演出来的，还有这样的机会呈现在行业内，可以说在目前偏向塑造完美人设的制作圈比大熊猫还稀缺，是年轻艺人一次极为难得的水平展示机会。也正因如此，我们在长月里也看到了现在的新生代演员对剧本理解和表现能力确实存在极大问题。整部剧女三部分场景不错，男主的单场不错，但大的跨度衔接有些问题（当然，导演对镜头毫无追求也是问题）女二理解没问题但演技有问题，其他人不评价。

3. Super entertaining and discussion-worthy. Don't underestimate this. In today's TV production circle, most dramas are chasing after low risk, high quality output. Take the recently aired xianxias. These works are all living in comfort zone. You can't say they're bad, but it's also not clear what is good, and viewers are not that enthralled. TTEOTM is the opposite. It knows too well how to excite viewers. Putting aside the logic of the story, I would say this is the most audacious hand played in the last 5 years. It's super entertaining. Viewers definitely won't be able to tell what's good about it, other than that it's thrilling to watch. That's actually a very remarkable skill and one that is lost in today's entertainment industry. Otter can fix their production flaws over time through trial and error or by bringing in new collaborators, but it's not easy to figure out what the audience wants.

3.娱乐性和话题性极强。不要小看这点，在目前电视剧制作圈，几乎大多数的作品都在追求低风险高品质的“绝对完成品”。比如沉香、星落，甚至苍兰诀。这类作品一大特点就是都在舒适区里做加减法，拍出来你不能说差，没有什么掉链子的地方，但是问有什么好的地方，也不是很明显。观众就很容易精神上提不起劲。长月却刚好相反，它实在是太懂得怎么刺激观众，抛��剧情逻辑不谈，我敢说这是内娱近五年玩过的最大胆的刺激牌，娱乐性直接拉满。一个个画面和剧情的嗨点山呼海啸扑面而来，观众一定说不出长月哪里好，但是看长月确实很爽。这其实是一种很了不起的本事。也是目前的业内非常缺失的一种本事。产业链的短板可以摸索着补，也可以拉拢志同道合的人一起找，但是找到观众爽点的能力确实是要点功夫的。

Actually, TTEOTM's production has so many problems, to the point that anyone in the industry can find an example to prove that it sucks. Screenplay, director, editing, OST, marketing, lighting, lens, makeup, sets, sound, aesthetics. But what you can't deny is this: a team that can produce a perfect drama could never make TTEOTM work.

Because without Otter taking this first step, they would never allow the battle between demons and god to go on for an hour. They'd never allow the ML & FL to not play the CP card. They'd never allow the ML to be a dark, psycho character. They'd never allow the 2nd FL to say she only cares for herself. They'd never embed a big budget fight scene in a fluffy xianxia drama.

On surface it seems that everyone's trying to take down the ML, but that's not it. The industry needs TTEOTM to flop. Because only its failure can prove that their current approach of playing it safe, sticking to the formula works. You can do the same thing over and over again. Suddenly someone tells you you need to push yourself with something new everyday? Well then I'll break your pot and tell everyone Otter has gotten the wrong read on the market. Look, Immortality has been banned. Look at the horrible casting of TTEOTM, your ML is too thin and injured. Every established player in the industry is trying to trip you over. The platform has given you the worst airing slot. Everyone is bashing the drama.

其实长月的缺点非常多，多到每一个业内都能够找到一水的问题来证明它不行。编剧有问题，导演有问题，剪辑有问题，bgm比较平，营销风格与剧不一致，打光不行，滤镜不行，妆发不行，场景太空，音画不同步，三观有大病等等等等等…… 但是不可否认的是，拍出一水很“行”的作品的团队们，永远不会去拍一部可以“行”的长月。因为没有獭獭走这一步，他们根本不敢让神魔大战在仙侠题材里打1个小时，不敢让男女主不炒cp，不敢男主是个腹黑反派疯批，不敢女二说我只爱自己。不敢用这么高规格的特效在一部仙侠“糖水”剧里。表面上是男主的黑太多，其实并非如此。而是他们都需要长月扑街，只有长月扑街，才能证明他们的稳妥打法，吃存量的做法是正确的。明明可以吃大锅饭，你来告诉大家要卷着天天研发新鲜饭？那我砸了你的锅，告诉所有人獭獭对市场判断的眼光不行，你看皓衣行被禁了吧，你看长月选角垃圾，选了个瘦脱相男主吧，你看男主被打开不了剧吧，你看业内合作方没有不给你使绊子的吧，你看平台不看好给你冷档期吧，你看剧做出来市场上骂声一片吧……

TTEOTM has invited so much drama, controversy, criticism outside the show itself, as though who cares if it's just a shitty drama by a small-time investor. The industry can tolerate all crap productions, but it cannot accommodate a new player that comes with sincerity and money.

Therefore, I am bullish on TTEOTM. I don't think this drama is created to promote the ML or to make money. Quite the opposite, I think we're at the crossroads of a new era. Otter is the Wandering Earth of the TV industry. They're both sore-eyed catfish that's making waves beyond the work itself.

所以长月是妖风四起，争议不断，批评不绝，仿佛哪怕是它只是一部小投资的烂作，业内可以宽容所有的粗制滥造制作方，却绝不宽容有钱还有诚意而来的獭獭。所以我认为，我很看好长月烬明。我不认为这部剧之所以做出来，和捧男主或者营销捞钱有关。恰恰相反，我认为我们正站在一个时代的转角口。就好比流浪地球之于电影行业，獭獭之于电视剧行业，其实也是一条过于扎眼的鲶鱼，正激起一些超出作品本身的浪花。

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