Kilometer Zero

Drama: One and Only

Episodes: 24

Aired: Aug 18, 2021 - Aug 27, 2021

Original Network: iQiyi

Genre: Historical Romance

This drama tells a love story of a general, Zhousheng Chen and his disciple who is also a future imperial consort, Cui Shiyi. Chains of traumatic event led to Shiyi being mute, and political turmoil led to Zhousheng Chen to make an oath to not marry and have any descendant in this life.

Even when reading the synopsis or diving into the first few episodes, you can already feel the angst, so I truly advice people who are a fan of these genres to dive into this. There are really quite a lot of angst here and expect yourself to cry many, many times watching this. Not only the main leads are suffering, but many other supporting characters too. And I do want to mention that you need to approach this drama thinking that the main point is romance, not politics, otherwise you’re gonna be disappointed.

But don’t think of this drama is like those 洒狗血 (over exaggerated) plot. With 24 episodes, you can expect this drama to have a concise plot. The main couple’s love story is slow burn, but it is shown in flashbacks. Even so, it doesn’t disturb the pace. It is very steady from the start. Towards the end, I feel like it is a little bit too rushed on the political part, but overall didn’t deter my overall enjoyment of this drama.

Characters

The characterization of the main leads is strong. We have a clear picture of Zhousheng Chen’s and Cui Shiyi’s past, principle, and personality. They are the ultimate protagonists that makes you easily root for them. 

Zhousheng Chen is an upright and loyal man, living the rest of his life protecting Western State. Cui Shiyi is an elegant, calm, and curious daughter of Cui clan. Their love is that of a few words and touch but still can make me believe they truly fall in love with each other just with how they stare at each other.

“女以色授，男以魂与，情投意合，心倾于侧。”

"Beauty is offered, a soul is given in return, and the heart rejoices to be at one another's side." 《上林赋》—— 司马相如

As Shiyi was mute in her early years in Western State, their love can be interpreted as a silent love, embodying the idea of 'beauty is offered, a soul is given in return.' The drama as a whole is incredibly poetic and beautifully portrays a relationship that is selfless and deeply understanding.

As the idea of “beautiful bone” kept repeating throughout the whole drama, the audience will slowly understand why Zhousheng Chen is worthy to bear such reputation. It is such a beautiful and painful reputation to have.

“美人骨，这骨头究竟有什么特别，可以连王室都忌惮，可以天下人传颂。”

“Beautiful bones. What’s so special about these bones? Even royal family fears them and all the people in the land praise them.”

I am extremely satisfied with the performances of the main leads, and I believe the casting for the supporting roles is also quite good. Although it may be difficult to believe that experienced generals would have such flawless and fair skin, once you get past that, there won't be any issue in enjoying their acting.

I don’t have any problem on the characters of the main leads and how they’re told, but I do have some problems with the antagonist characters. When I watched it, I had expected the antagonist to be smart and scheming, but their characters kind of fell apart due to their stupidity. It was something I did not expect, considering how well they built the plot and characters at the beginning. This is where I feel that extending the episode length beyond 24 would have allowed for better development of the side characters, including the antagonists.

I love Liu Zixing and have so much sympathy for him. He is one of the better written villain and his morally grey character makes it easy to relate and understand him. While he has done many evil deeds, but I can understand and sympathize with his every suffering and sadness. Truly a loveable villain.

Cinematography, Costume, and Music

The whole drama from start to end is such a feast to the eye. The director, Guo Hu, really understands the actors’ good angle that he’s able to make everyone looks good on screen. It is no wonder that the iconic umbrella scene is Ren Jialun’s (Zhousheng Chen’s actor) favorite scene.

The war costumes are all very well made and realistic, not plasticky. The Hanfus also look very pretty and suitable for each character. The action scenes are typical wuxia. The choreographies and executions are although not spectacular, but good enough.

I adore all the OSTs and BGM in the drama as well. They skillfully capture the mood and emotions of the characters, complementing the scenes perfectly. Among them, "如故" and "如一" are my personal favorites. You can listen to the OSTs on Spotify and the BGM on YouTube. The music has become an instant classic for me. Whenever I hear the melodies, vivid scenes from the drama instantly replay in my mind, which is a testament to how well-executed the music is.

Besides the pretty cinematography, costumes, and music, do you know what else is pretty? Bai Lu's crying scenes! When her eyebrows furrow, I can feel her pain in that moment. The depth of her frown between her eyebrows looks so elegant and expresses grief and sorrow so well. Her tears are also very contagious, making the scenes emotionally impactful :”)

I don't want to spoil too much here, so I will write a separate post about my favorite scenes from this drama. Many of them include Bai Lu's crying scenes, which have become iconic for this fandom.

Overall

This drama is not perfect. But the imperfections never hindered me from enjoying it from start to end. The emotional impact it had on me is huge, to the point that I still experience withdrawal symptoms even a week after finishing it. The drama has touched my heart and conveyed an important message about loving someone sincerely, being brave and loyal, and believing in the goodness of humanity.

I understand this genre is not for everyone to stomach, but if you are a fan of slow burn and angst, you can definitely give this one a try! Whether you choose to watch it at a leisurely pace or marathon it, you'll still experience the same impact. Just watch at your own pace, and if you feel overwhelmed, remember to take some break :)