According to Sina, the drama Rebirth (often referred to as Princess Agents 2) concluded its 40-episode run, but instead of praise, it left viewers furious with its extremely mediocre ending. As a result, its Douban rating dropped from 3.2 to 3.0, making it the lowest-rated drama in the past two years and reflecting widespread audience disappointment.
Aside from the ratings, the drama also recorded disappointing results. All 40 episodes reportedly aired without commercials, while the cast faced constant criticism for their weak performances. The plot attracted controversy for having deviated heavily from the original novel, with the characters poorly adapted and the overall quality much lower than that of the first chapter.
In particular, the ending of Rebirth triggered massive backlash on Weibo due to its confusing and inconsistent narrative choices.
The ending was rushed and presented in three different versions. In one version, almost all the characters die, leaving only Zhuge Yue (played by Li Yunrui) and Yan Xun (played by Zhang Kang Le). The female protagonist Chu Qiao (played by Huang Yang Tiantian) dies in Zhuge Yue’s arms, sparking outrage as she is the central character of the original novel.
In another version, the story shifts to a dream timeline where Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao live happily ever after with two children. However, viewers found it unconvincing, as Huang Yang Tiantian’s youthful appearance – she was only 17-18 years old during filming – made it difficult to accept her performance as a mother of children who were already 7-8 years old.
The drama then takes another bizarre turn, showing Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun as old men with white hair, standing on a frozen lake in a scene that many viewers described as “spooky”. Audiences criticized the poor aging makeup, pointing out that while older people typically have dull, age-worn eyes, the actors’ bright, sharp looks made the prosthetics look fake and unconvincing.
Angry viewers flooded social media with harsh comments:
“The ending is as bad as the plot, and the plot is as bad as the acting. There’s nothing worth praising from start to finish.”
“What were the writers doing? Were they paid to ruin beloved characters?”
“Even longtime fans like me are disappointed. The story and character development are a mess.”
“Everyone dies randomly, as if they ate hallucinatory mushrooms – it’s impossible to tell what’s real.”
“After this drama, Huang Yang Tiantian has become a target of criticism. Her youthful face does not fit a general role, and her acting is questionable.”
“Li Yunrui should reconsider her script choices: this role is damaging her image.”
“This drama successfully ruined the entire main cast.”
“I’ve never seen anything so bad in my life.”
“Even in 1,000 years, no one will do something so terrible again.”
With overwhelming criticism aimed at everything from the script to the performances, Rebirth has become a prime example of how high expectations can fall flat in one of the most criticized dramas of recent times.
Sources: kenh14
