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Word of Honor Summary & Study Guide

Word of Honor Summary & Study Guide Description

Ben Tyson is on a train bound for his work when a book being read by a fellow commuter catches his eye. The book, "Hue: Death of a City," describes the actions of Tyson's platoon on a particular day during a battle in Hue, a Vietnamese city. The author, Andrew Picard, cites two unnamed members of Tyson's platoon and an unnamed nun as his sources of information. Tyson immediately realizes that the story is the account of the murders of several civilians by American troops under his command, and knows that under military law he can be held accountable for those crimes. The problem is that he can't be tried as a civilian for military crimes and so he is soon recalled to the Army and assigned to Fort Hamilton where he's placed under restriction to remain on post.

Tyson, who has established a rapport with the military investigator, hires an attorney named Vincent Corva. Corva, though seeming to be operating off-the-cuff, pours his heart into Tyson's defense even when Tyson himself seems despondent and willing to give in without a fight. Through the attention on Tyson, the media soon zeroes in on the fact that his wife, Marcy, is famous for her role in protesting the Vietnam War and that a nude photo of her had been printed during that era. The Tyson's son, David, catches abuse at school from those who read - and believe - the tabloids.

Tyson never really proclaims his own innocence. The situation was that his platoon had taken heavy casualties and was without effective leadership because Tyson was the only man among them with a leader's rank and experience. As they approach a hospital on the outskirts of Hue, the men effectively mutiny, killing civilians and holding Tyson at gunpoint. Tyson himself shoots one of his own men in the heart to stop his random killing but can't stop the massacre that follows. As Tyson continues to fear for his life and his men continue to mumble about killing the only commander on hand, Tyson files false radio reports and the men all eventually come to an understanding, each memorizing and offering details of a firefight that never happened.

Picard's book opens the way for a trial against Tyson. A medic who hated Tyson for taking a strong stand when the medic was caught raping a young girl testifies that Tyson gave the order to kill the unarmed people in the hospital. He's backed up by one soldier's testimony. Tyson doesn't call any of the men who had pledged to tell the story they'd all concocted and is found guilty of murder. Before he's sentenced, his former radio operator tells the entire story - as it really happened - and the jury panel of military officials decide that Tyson's only punishment will be to strip him of his rank and any pay due him.

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Word of Honor

Published on November 11, 1985

Debuted on The New York Times Best Sellers list!

He is a good man, a brilliant corporate executive, an honest, handsome family man admired by men and desired by women. But a lifetime ago Ben Tyson was a lieutenant in Vietnam. There the men under his command committed a murderous atrocity - and together swore never to tell the world what they had done. Now the press, army justice, and the events he tried to forget have caught up with Ben Tyson. His family, his career, and his personal sense of honor hang in the balance. And only one woman can reveal the truth of his past - and set him free.

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A TNT television movie Premiered December 6, 2003 Producers: Michael Jaffe, Howard Braunstein, Lance Robbins, Leslie Grief and Wendy Hill-Tout Director: Robert Markowitz Teleplay: Tom Topor with Leslie Greif and Jacob Epstein Starring Don Johnson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Sharon Lawrence

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© 2024 Nelson DeMille. All Rights Reserved.

• Literature & Fiction
• Genre Fiction

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Word of Honor Kindle Edition

• Print length 884 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date April 1, 2001
• File size 3046 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• See all details

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From publishers weekly, from library journal, from the back cover.

There the men under his command committed a murderous atrocity -- and together swore never to tell the world what they had done. Now the press, army justice, and the events he tried to forget have caught up with Ben Tyson. His family, his career, and his personal sense of honor hang in the balance. And only one woman can reveal the truth of his past -- and set him free.

About the Author

Product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000Q9EWYU
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (April 1, 2001)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2001
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 3046 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 884 pages
• #382 in Political Thrillers & Suspense
• #392 in Military Historical Fiction
• #538 in Military Thrillers (Kindle Store)

About the author

Nelson demille.

Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille, then moved with his parents to Long Island. He graduated from Elmont Memorial High School, where he played football and ran track.

DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army where he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69). He saw action in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division and was decorated with the Air Medal, Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

After his discharge, DeMille returned to Hofstra University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History. He has three children, Lauren, Alexander, and James, and resides on Long Island.

DeMille's first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978, and is still in print as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of American Mensa, The Authors Guild, and is past president of the Mystery Writers of America. He is also a member of International Thriller Writers and was chosen as ThrillerMaster of the Year 2015. He holds three honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University, Doctor of Literature from Long Island University, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Dowling College.

Nelson DeMille is the author of: By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General's Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion's Game, Up Country, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Gate House, The Lion, The Panther, The Quest, Radiant Angel, The Cuban Affair and The Deserter. He also co-authored Mayday with Thomas Block and has contributed short stories to anthologies, and book reviews and articles to magazines and newspapers.

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• Title: Word of Honor
• Also Known as: 山河令, Tian Ya Ke, Faraway Wanderers, Shen Ha Ling, A Tale of the Wanderers
• Director: Gary Sing, Jones Ma, Li Hong Yu
• Screenwriter: Xiao Chu
• Genres: Wuxia, Mystery, Fantasy, Political
• Country: China
• Type: Drama
• Number of Episodes: 36+1
• Original Network: Youku
• Where to Watch: Viki , Netflix , Youku
• Adapted from the novel Faraway Wanderers by Priest

Table of Contents

Word Of Honor Synopsis

Word of Honor is a Chinese drama released in 2021. The story is about Zhou Zi Shu is the leader of Windows of Heaven, an assassin organization that pledges loyalty to Prince Jin. As a loyal member of the Windows of Heaven, he must obey every order given to him, including killing the member of his sect, the Four Season Manor. Hence, he killed all the 81 members of his sect, including his master.

Silently drowned in sorrow and remorse, Zhou Zi Shu decided to leave the organization. He made a plan to leave the organization. But the plan required a sacrifice. Zhou Zi Su administered the cruelest torture of Windows of Heaven to himself, The 7 Nails of Torment. He managed to prevent himself from death, but he would still suffer from pain and his body would gradually become weak before death came, 3 years later.

To hide from the organization, the former prestigious Zhou Zi Shu, the leader of Windows of Heaven, transforms himself into a drunkard beggar and lives a worry-free life.

But his plan was for naught, the jianghu (martial arts world) was in turmoil because of the Glazed Armour. Zi Shu was dragged into it.

The Story Goes

On his journey, he crossed paths with Wen Ke Xing. A mysterious person who was attracted to him. Ke Xing helped him every time Zi Shu was in danger. But his motives remained hidden.

Fate brought them together. Therefore, accompanied by Zi Shu’s little disciple Zhang Cheng Lin and Ke Xing’s maid Gu Xiang, they wander around Jianghu. Each of them carried a secret and their own motives.

Will Zi Shu be able to fulfill his dream of living a worry-free life with his soulmate Ke Xing?

Word Of Honor Review

It’s a bit hard for me to understand this drama since it was a straight wuxia that involved many sects and loads of characters. I keep on writing the wrong name in this review and I should check it more than twice just to make sure that everything was right. Aahh.. my aging brain is suffering.. 😆

Word of Honor tells you the story of Zhou Zi Shu (played by Zhang Zhe Han) and Wen Ke Xing (played by Gong Jun). A pair of soulmates who wander around the jianghu. Usually, I don’t watch the danmei genre. But Word of Honor was soooo famous, and everybody was making comments about it. Hence, I decided to watch it.

The relationship between Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing was stated as a soulmate. It was a smart way to avoid Chinese censorship without losing the excitement. Even though they made it a friendship between the two, it’s impossible to miss the cue. Subtle hints of romance were displayed blatantly. You will see it through many small gestures such as eye glances, smiles, lingering eye contact, hugs, and, of course, a romantic getaway under the moonlight.

The perfect presentation of Word of Honor was borne from the hard work of our directors, Gary Sing, Jones Ma, and Li Yong Hu. All of them were veteran directors with an impressive filmography list.

Word of Honor was adapted from a danmei (Boys Love or BL) genre novel, Faraway Wanderers, written by Priest, the same author that wrote Guardian and Legend of Fei. Her works have also been adapted into manhua and donghua formats.

The Word of Honor script was written solely by scriptwriter Xiao Chu. She was the only scriptwriter for this drama.

The Casts & Characters

My first impression of Word of Honor was…. WOOHOO! I can’t believe that Gong Jun would be looking dashing in this drama. Especially when he was wearing the green robe. My jaw instantly dropped at the sight of him. Although  Zhang Zhe Han was handsome as he always did, just like in Nirvana In Fire drama. But this time, I chose Gong Jun.

Main Roles Just Superb

I watched Gong Jun for the first time in Unique Lady. He was handsome, but in my view, his acting was just right. But in this cdrama, he was striking and his acting was waaaay more natural. Wen Ke Xing was a complicated character. He was a two-faced person. As the leader of the Ghost Valley, he was crafty, shrewish, and cruel. As Philanthropist Wen, he was a kind, helpful, patient, righteous person, and passionate person. Ke Xing’s flirtatious manners somehow remind me of Zhangsun Wuji from The Legend of Fuyao .

It was amusing to watch Gong Jun change his expressions as Wen Ke Xing. His emotion was displayed openly on his face. He could manipulate his microexpressions at high speed. I also find it entertaining to guess the meaning behind his expressions, such as the half smile, the eye roll, or the head tilt. My favorite one is when Ke Xing raises his eyebrow. And don’t forget the jealous expressions. He was sooo adorable… 😍

Zhou Zi Shu was the exact opposite of Wen Ke Xing. If we look from the outside, he was a cold, cruel, and clever person. He hides his feelings very deeply. But underneath the cold demeanor, Zi Shu was a gentle and loving person, he took good care of the people he loved. We can all see the loving gaze every time he looks at Ke Xing.

I was astonished to see Zhang Zhe Han as Zhou Zi Shu. You can see that his expression changed swiftly. From the cold and cruel Zi Shu, the leader of The Window of Heaven, into the gentle and loving Zi Shu after he meets Ke Xing. And although I’m not fond of his bang, I had to admit that Zhe Han looked super handsome 🥰.

Good Supporting Roles

This is the first time I took a good look at Sun Xi Lun. He used to act in A Love So Beautiful as a supporting role. But I have no impression of him. But in Word of Honor, I was annoyed by him because Zhang Cheng Ling was such a crybaby. He shed tears now and then. I wouldn’t say much about him because I wanted to smack his head, every time he start to cry. And as I always say, if a character piqued my emotion, it means that the actor was doing a great job. Hence, I might watch Sun Xi Lun’s upcoming work.

And the last one is my favorite couple. Gu Xiang and Cao Wei Ning. They were so lovable. The bubbly Gu Xiang was performed by Zhou Ye and Wei Ning was performed by Ma Wen Yuan. This is the first time I watched their drama. Their acting was quite good. Gu Xiang was a rude, brash, and very straightforward person. As a person who lived a hard childhood, her intuition was sharp compared to the naïve Wei Ning. He was the exact opposite of Gu Xiang, but he fell in love at first sight with her.

The Cinematography

I found it hard not to be pleased by the scenery in this drama. The directors did a great job of choosing a place with a striking environment. Since the story is mainly about our handsome wanderers, they often go places. I wasn’t a fan of simple background drama, therefore, Word of Honor sets are truly a feast for the eye.

The lighting and the filming angle were my favorite. Our directors were able to catch the expression and the mood from a perfect angle. Especially in Ke Xing and Zi Shu’s romantic scenes.

The costumes were enjoyable. Since there was the unrestrained Ghost Valley sect, their costume was more flamboyant. My favorite is Tragicomic ghost’s costumes. It was as grand as a wedding dress. But her hair was a no-no for me. I found it refreshing to see Zhe Han wearing a light-colored robe and loose hair. His character as the lord in The Blooms at Ruyi Pavillion and The Legend of Yunxi made him always wear a high bun. It turns out he was also stunning with a side bang.

The Fascinating Word of Honor Story

Word of Honor is a fast-paced drama. But for a slow-paced viewer like me, this was a problem. There were many characters introduced swiftly. I find it hard to remember, and sometimes I need to look back to certain episodes, to make sure about their identity. Some facts were also hidden to keep the story intriguing and build up the suspense. Word of Honor was a revenge drama with a touch of romance between our main roles. The theme was simple yet the story was written fascinatingly.

The main story was built on layers of conflict. There were many ups and downs and all of them swiftly flowed just like a river. Once you are hooked, you’ll easily get carried away by the stream…

From the beginning of this drama, I was guessing who would be the biggest villain of all. As the leader of an assassin organization, Zi Shu has a lot of enemies waiting for him. It was the same situation with Ke Xing as the leader of Ghost Valley. Hence, it was hard for me, because there were too many suspects.. 😆

But let me warn you, beware of the plot twist! And there were some surprises for you regarding the long-lost armory.

(Spoiler Ahead! Beware!!)

The Word of Honor Ending

The ending is far beyond my expectations. I was devastated when I watched the 36th episode. I was so sad because, unbeknownst to Zi Shu, Ke Xing chose to sacrifice himself to save him. Ke Xing’s hair turned white and he slowly closed his eyes. Zi Shu was surprised, and the scene ended. Later, the older Cheng Ling was telling his disciples about the story of Zi Shu and Ke Xing. It was never told whether Ke Xing died and what happened to Zi Shu after that.

The ending can be considered an open ending. That means the interpretation of Zi Shu and Ke Xing’s ending was according to your comprehension. But I thought that Ke Xing was dead and I can’t imagine how Zi Shu would continue his life without his soulmate.

But Youku was kind enough to provide another clip of Word of Honor in an additional episode. It showed us a happier ending for Ke Xing and Zi Shu…😚

The Conclusion

Word of Honor’s strength lies in the story’s plot and the power couple. You might stay for the story, or you might stay for the couple. But I do both. The story fascinates me even though I was having a hard time grasping it. And the character was a sight to behold. It was a feast for my eyes to watch them and their antics.

I was shocked at the idea of rewatching this drama, since I wasn’t such a big fan of wuxia drama . But then I have a thought, maybe if I rewatched Word of Honor, I might have a better understanding of the whole story.

All in all, if you were looking for an intriguing wuxia story, please put this on your watch list. But if you were looking for eye candy to relieve your boring weekend, please put this on your watch list too. And if you were looking for a danmei romance story, please just put this on your watch list. So, whatever you were looking for, this drama is too good to be left outside your watch list. Happy watching!

• Huang You Ming
• Zhang Zhe Han

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Word of Honor

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By Nelson DeMille

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Nelson DeMille

About the author.

Nelson DeMille is a former U.S. Army lieutenant who served in Vietnam and is the author of nineteen acclaimed novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Night Fall, Plum Island, The Gate House, The Lion , The Panther and Radiant Angel . His other New York Times bestsellers include The Charm School, Word of Honor, The Gold Coast, Spencerville, The Lion’s Game, Up Country, Wild Fire , and The General’s Daughter , the last of which was a major motion picture.

Learn more about this author

Reviews – Word Of Honor: A Peter Wake Novel

Professional Praise for Word Of Honor

Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret) 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO Author of Sailing True North & The Leader’s Bookshelf “The latest installment in the brilliant trajectory of Peter Wake’s naval career keeps readers on the edge of the bridge wing. Set just after the Spanish-American war, this volume ushers us into America’s brief flirtation with colonization and the rise of a truly global US Navy. Powerful history told through the lens of deeply compelling characters — another triumph!”

Rear Admiral Tony Cothron, USN (Ret)  62nd Director of Naval Intelligence “Exceptional historical fiction! Robert Macomber’s WORD OF HONOR completes his trilogy of the Spanish-American War and is simply another great book by this master story-teller as he continues his tale of the life and career of Peter Wake, Naval Intelligence Officer.”

Clay Risen The New York Times Deputy Op-Ed Editor Author of The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders and the Dawn of the American Century “With WORD OF HONOR, Robert Macomber has done it again. The Peter Wake novels are more than just gripping stories about life at sea – they offer a carefully rendered, historically accurate imagining of America’s naval history in the second half of the 19th century. This latest book, animated by battles and political intrigue and above all the captivating character, of Wake himself, is no exception.”

Tim Coyle Australian Naval Institute “… WORD OF HONOR is a ‘ripping yarn’ and is an enjoyable way of learning about the Spanish-American war. Readers new to Captain Wake may feel moved to relive his other adventures through the preceding 13 novels!”

Captain Simon Reay Atkinson Royal Australian Navy (Reserve), Royal Navy (Retired), PhD in The Navy magazine of the Australian Navy League “Robert Macomber writes well and inspiringly so–giving voice to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corp and its officers and enlisted men (ratings) now lost to memory….Does Wake work? Yes, in many ways he captures the essential–which is, no doubt, why he has so many followers on both sides of the Pacific, and Atlantic….”

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After three middling suspense behemoths, DeMille has at last hit a home run with a straightforward dramatic novel focusing...

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WORD OF HONOR

by Nelson DeMille ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 18, 1985

After three middling suspense behemoths, DeMille has at last hit a home run with a straightforward dramatic novel focusing on an ex-Army officer being tried for a war crime in Vietnam: his platoon's massacre of doctors, nurses and patients in a French Red Cross hospital staffed by Vietnamese Catholic nuns and some Western personnel--a hospital plainly marked Hospital (in Vietnamese), flying a Viet Cong flag (a sign of surrender in that surreal war), a Red Cross flag and supposedly with a white sheet hung from its windows. Former lieutenant Ben Tyson, 41, a family man with a respected wife and teen-age son and now a high echelon executive with a Japanese-owned aviation electronics company in Manhattan, finds himself singled out as a Lt. Calley-styled monster in the new bestseller Hue: City of Death by Andrew Picard, a former Army public-information officer in Hue (pronounced Way). But Tyson's atrocity was 18 years ago--does the Army still have jurisdiction over this crime? Indeed it does, but that is only part of the marvelous legal machinery being put to the test for the first time in DeMille's inventive plot. While Ben and his family's private lives are exposed by the media, we spend nearly 200 pages of this 520-page blockbuster wondering if Ben will be recalled to active duty for a court-martial and whether the Army even has a case to try. Here is a steamily hot potato for the White House, the Army Judge Advocate General, and the Secretary of the Army--all of whom once mucked up the My Lai war crime trial--and the American people want answers. Meanwhile, various veterans groups start up a defense fund for Ben. Wisely, to sustain suspense, DeMille does not make Ben holier-than-thou--he's an evasive guy, guarding his rear from everyone, including his wife and lawyers. As we discover, the surviving members of his platoon have sworn to a pact of secrecy about what really happened in that hospital, and Ben's word of honor is at the heart of the plot. DeMille balances it all, with strong characterizations and a new maturity of storytelling powers. It's not just his mastery of spellbinding legal minutiae that keeps the voltage at a steady high current. One is completely gripped by the question of what will happen to this haunted, guilt-resistant, essentially honorable man as his life and loved ones are massacred. With Word of Honor (whose court-martial drama bears favorable comparison with Herman Wouk's in The Caine Mutiny), DeMille enters a new class as a big-money novelist engaged with deep-running themes. Strong ad push, likely whopping sales.

Pub Date: Nov. 18, 1985

ISBN: 0446674826

Page Count: -

Publisher: Warner

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1985

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ISBN: 044651280X

ISBN13: 9780446512800

Word of Honor

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Word of Honor

by Sneezy · Nov 25, 2021 at 2:00 am · View all 4 comments

Shout out to Aube for luring me up the mountain!!!

Word of Honor (山河令) is a BL/Dānměi Chinese historical fantasy series that was based on the webnovel Faraway Wanderers (天涯客) by Priest, who has had other webnovels adapted into series, too. This one centers around Zhōu Zǐshū and Wēn Kèxīng.

Zhōu Zǐshū led the martial arts sect and intelligence organization “Window of Heaven” until grief, disillusionment, and guilt drove him to quit super dramatically to wander about before fading into the good night. His method of choice is also a potential trigger-more on that later. Wēn Kèxīng leads the much reviled Ghost Valley and is out for epic revenge and for getting with his man. As all the legacies and self interests of the various sects and players churn about the two, they flirt, angst, eat, and child raise their way to greatness and each other’s arms.

This series is one of those stories that isn’t perfect. It gets some things so right, and others so wrong that the phrase ‘mixed feelings’ doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel towards it. Word of Honor is:

• as flamingly gay as a TV/streaming series can be under government censorship
• is incredibly ableist
• shows the shades of grey a family can be
• is needlessly classist
• features sexy bisexuals being messy
• shows how love isn’t enough on its own
• makes very pointed remarks about collateral damage and breaking cycles of violence
• yet supports violent retribution as justice…

The list just goes on!!!

But before we get into all that, let’s go back to that ‘fade into the good night’ bit. First and foremost, the gays are fine. This show absolutely deserves a tragedy tag, but not for burying its gays. While Zhōu Zǐshū’s lifespan is one of the central tensions, this show is a campy romp with beautiful men being badasses and raising their cinnamon roll of a son. Don’t get me wrong, they draw out the angst for sure, but the way they set up this angst cow of a plot point telegraphed that Zhōu Zǐshū is going to live. But like I said, there was a fair amount of knife-in-my-heart angst, too. If any of that would still be triggering for you, fair.

And now I can talk about the very good things and the very bad things about the show!!! HURRAY!!!!

When I said this show is flamingly gay, I mean it is truly, madly, deeply gay.

While the source material is unambiguously a m/m romance, government censorship will not allow any TV series to show characters as canonically queer. In deference to this limitation, Word of Honor queer coded the ever loving shit out of everything they could.

Like a lot of C-dramas, the character’s voices are dubbed in post. It’s basically an industry standard at this point, and it means they can change the lines of the characters…while leaving the camera riiiight up on their faces. For reasons.

Also for reasons, you can show the character cutting sleeves, which is a reference to an emperor who cut off his sleeve so his lovely lover can keep snoozing. You can show them getting jealous.

You can show a straight-laced grouch vaguely agreeing to meet the sly, sunny, shameless man again, “If the fates allow it”…only to turn around and almost immediately see the same shameless man pulling up in his boat.

And what about referencing romantic poetry all over the place and gifting hairpins the way married couples do? Or how about referencing a specific m/m webnovel trope from a particular decade?

These are just the tip of the iceberg of how lushly romantic this series is, and there’s also other queer couples in the story! Avenue X’s videos on youtube were my main source for learning about all the ways cultural and literary references were used to layer romance in, so definitely check out her videos if you’re interested! Even if you’re not, there’s still sparring as foreplay, gazing starry eyed into each other’s eyes, domestic bliss, loving support, and aaaalll kinds of romantic tropes piled on besides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXK5voXh6fk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix77iJTjtjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvOzbhiiMNA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhBqPOjt1H0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY6BC1_bQUs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXn-5oBcQ7g

Combined with the chemistry between the leading actors, the show served up soooo much squee!!! Among my favourite squee moments are Zhōu Zǐshū and Wēn Kèxīng spending time with Zhāng Chénglǐng, who is effectively their adoptive son. Family is a big theme in the show, and I thought it was handled better in some places than others.

First and foremost, it was mostly a positive representation of two dads and their son. There were really cute moments like Zhāng Chénglǐng going in for hugs when he’s a little nervous to be separated from them for a while or asking for bedtime stories then complaining to Wēn Kèxīng about how Zhōu Zǐshū’s stories are too boring.

What I didn’t appreciate was moments like Zhōu Zǐshū embodying the Stern and Demanding Patriarch and Wēn Kèxīng taking the role of Peacekeeping Mother. There were times when Zhōu Zǐshū was unreasonably harsh to Zhāng Chénglǐng, and Wēn Kèxīng tells the boy Zhōu Zǐshū is only like that, “Because he cares.” It’s an incredibly toxic and dangerous narrative that perpetuates the idea people you love are allowed to, supposed to, disrespect and even abuse you. The scenes of Zhōu Zǐshū pushing Zhāng Chénglǐng to over-train slaps an unsolicited layer of toxic masculinity over it all.

There were many other parts of the show that underscore the importance of emotional intelligence and how demanding that children adhere to certain norms or what the parental figure thinks is right can be disastrous. Being part of the East Asian diaspora, I understand the logic underpinning these different choices, but I’m still very frustrated with them.

How the show handles class is even more haywire. There are indentured servants in the show, and first, why is there a Beggar sect? Just…WHY? Where the show didn’t use indentured servitude as a small, fiddly bit of window dressing, it used indentured servants to prop up the ‘benevolence’ and ‘good heart’ of other characters. In fact, indentured servants were compared with dogs at one point, because their masters must be able to take care of them and protect them… Yuuup. Yup, excuse me, there’s a pillow that needs screaming into.

Similarly patchy was how the show explored redemption.

There’s a throughline that there are ‘types’ of people who innately deserve redemption and people who don’t. It is possible to read it as there are people who are capable of redemption and work towards it, but that interpretation doesn’t work for me. There was no meaningful exploration of one of the most pivotal villainous character’s inner life, which might have allowed for that interpretation.

This also ties in with how the show is mind bogglingly ableist. Two of the characters in the show are Little People, and both were positioned and coded as ‘evil’ and ‘other’ gratuitously. One of them was one of the main villains, and his entire motivation just made no sense.

The conflict took an entire arc of the show, all ending with him choosing a horrible death because he’s not able to walk. Pass me that pillow again.

Production wise, this show was nothing short of a miracle. Apparently, it didn’t even have a shoe string for a budget, and while that did affect the quality of the editing, set design, and costumes, somehow it managed to pull everything together. There were many beautiful shots, enjoyable fight choreography, and for all my annoyance at how unevenly the show handled some of its themes, it maintained internal consistency for most of its run.

The highs in Word of Honor make the lows all the more aggravating, in no small part because the highs often demonstrate the show definitely could have taken a different turn. It’s also deeply moving to me that such a romantic, emotionally nuanced piece of queer media, showing more than one queer couple, was made in a place where successive crack downs against LGBTQ spaces and media have been happening barely a month after this show finished airing. At time of writing, a lot of dānměi webnovels are disappearing, and no more shows based on dānměi novels can be made. I adore the love, resilience, and bravery that made this adaptation possible.

But while this series embraced queerness in so many ways, it also reproduced many harmful stereotypes and narratives. Good thing this isn’t a book, because I would have been at a loss how to grade this. I feel really weird for both recommending it and not recommending it.

If you’re looking for a very romantic series with lots of flirting and several queer couples, and many instances of people, most of them queer, choosing who they love, then this series serves that up in spades. But count your spoons before you head in because, again, this series does come with a hefty tragedy tag, is very ableist, and has some other issues too.

Word of Honor is 36 episodes plus epilogue, with each episode being ~45minutes long, and the worst of the ableism lasts an entire arc. And as I said, while it is very romantic and emotional, there are very valid reasons to invest your time in other stories.

Word of Honor is on YouTube, Youku, Rakuten Viki and Netflix. On YouTube, Youku, and Viki, the final bit of the ending is behind a paywall, though I’m not sure about Netflix.

Categorized:

General Bitching...

bisexual protagonist , fantasy , fantasy romance , Netflix , FOOD , wuxia , historical fantasy , m/m , BL , Boys Love , gay

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The epilogue is sadly not available on Netflix. Also, the subtitling is inferior to Viki’s.

Word of Honor cemented my burgeoning love affair with Chinese Drama earlier this year. Well, that and Once Upon a Time on Lingjian Mountain, so two very different ends of the spectrum. Not being part of the East Asian diaspora, I sometimes feel at a loss for cultural context, and Avenue X’s videos were a help in understanding some of the allusions. Though you didn’t always need that. Husband wandered through as I was watching Zhōu Zǐshū and Wēn Kèxīng during one of their early sparring matches and said, “I thought the Chinese Government didn’t allow m/m romances on tv.” He knew nothing else about the show.

Given the timing and what I saw (from culturally outside) of the acceptance this show enjoyed among fans and how many folks seemed to be, “Well, of course they’re together,” I have to wonder if that tipped the government’s hand as to timing slightly. It’s clear some type of cultural crackdown was coming, but I think Word of Honor might have pushed them because of how well it used the tropes and literary allusions.

I want to do a re-watch. but I’m not ready for the angst quite yet. (I’ve got enough of that right now with Marvelous Woman, which I’m following.) But knowing how the story goes makes me want to dig in a little deeper, because as much as I enjoyed the image of Zhāng Chénglǐng and his two dads getting ready for New Year, there are other things I want to watch a little more closely. Your comments have added to that list. (Plus, yeah. Beggar sect? Really?)

The epilogue is unavailable on Amazon Prime, too (I had to watch it with Indonesian subtitles on the web while stopping to cut and paste dialogue into Google Translate every few minutes like a chump)…Moderna booster has hit me hard today and so I’ll need to give this the care it deserves another time, hut I definitely related to the strong mixed feelings…

I have been debating about watching this, and after this review I am still debating.

I need something to follow up the Untamed and I have tried a few other historical or fantasty c-dramas and k-dramas that have not done it for me.

“Word of Honor” is based on a webnovel (“Faraway Wanderers”), but the plot diverges a LOT, including some very major developments and characterizations (DramaPotatoe has a really great discussion of the show as a wuxia drama and as a romance and some of the changes made specifically due to drama censorship; part one is here: https://dramapotatoe.com/word-of-honor-cdrama-final-review-part-1-a-reminder-of-sincerity/ and part two is here: https://dramapotatoe.com/word-of-honor-final-review-part-2-romance-and-the-new-wuxia-tribute-to-the-greats/ ).

The idea of a “Beggar’s sect” is a pretty standard trope in wuxia drama- it’s a martial arts group that comes up a lot in different films and dramas.

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