The White Olive Tree

A Young Actor Gave Men with Combat & POW PTSD a Real Voice!

All hail Chen Zhe Yuan as Li Zan! This has been one of my most anticipated dramas since it was filming. I knew it was going to be heavy and deep given the subject matter of PTSD and survivor's guilt. Though the writing was off here and there, his and everyone else's acting more than made up for that. Be cautious however when watching for anyone with PTSD, anxiety, depression or anything else in that sector as you may have your triggers activated.

Pros: I'm in awe of CZY as LZ; this performance deserves an award, recognition of some sort. I have never seen an actor and a young one to boot with zero experience with PTSD and survivor's guilt play one so convincingly that it would send shivers through me. I'm a person who suffers from PTSD among other things though not from combat and it's not something one can just do like acting being angry or sad. PTSD is a complex disorder that has everything from flashbacks to intrusive thoughts to light sensitivity and being unable to eat or sleep without nightmares of the trauma. There are many others but I won't list them here as we saw them on screen being portrayed so realistically by this young man. He gave men with combat and POW (Prisoner of War) PTSD a real voice! Couple that with survivors guilt and by the end of the show a once proud, smiling man was reduced to having basically the mindset for the most part of a small child. And CZY was able to do it all; first time PTSD and survivor's guilt that had just started to get slightly better only to be thrust into a gut churning nightmare from which only by disappearing from everything and everyone to live a quiet life in the countryside, could they be as happy as this new existence afforded them a way from anything that would trigger him.

SR played by Liang Jie was also phenomenally done (the entire cast, let's just give it up to them, awesome acting), though writers diagnosed her with depression right away, she too had PTSD after the first trauma. Later it warped into depression but she played her part right. She was shy but very strong when it came to things and people she believed in. Especially her love at first sight with LZ. She was determined to stand by him until the very end and live out the rest of her life quietly.

The chemistry between the two was on point and probably would have been stronger had they told each other the truth about their health issues earlier; no relationship can be solid when there are secrets swirling around especially health related ones. They were all imperfect, flawed characters, which made things even more realistic. But their love transcended everything else which made it iron strong.

I'll talk about my thoughts on the ending and other things here. As most people know, I never read the source material so I don't really care unless it's an HE that was flipped to an SE for no reason. We've seen that happen too much recently. Here it was obvious that they got traditionally married and then on their wedding night decided to elope just as they spoke about a few times within the series because as their voiceovers spoke to each other about what they wanted to do in their next life and she said to live somewhere peacefully, safely, quietly and he said "why can't we do that in this life?" And that is what they did. She left a note to her mom and his dad to not worry about them and to give the manuscript to the publishers. She didn't want them to be a burden to anyone especially their parents. The sparkly montage at the end is more of perhaps his father's dream of them being healthy watching the trees because there was a wooden carving of them two on the hood of the car which was by his dad's house too. Furthermore, after the credits rolled, the two of them were standing by the olive trees, no longer sparkling but corporeal. And as they closed out characters, JY got another postcard from LZ saying he was on a mission and the postcard was voiced over by LZ. So to me it was a bittersweet/happy ending because of who they lost and if they had not delayed their leaving eastern country by a mere two days to be there for the opening of the orphanage, they wouldn't have been kidnapped and his life changed forever. Ben would still be alive as well. 48 hours changed everything. Just to bring things back into perspective, how precious life is. The story never dragged unless it was the merry-go-round of lying to each other regarding everything being just fine when it wasn't. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that literally had you hanging on for dear life.

The supporting cast was awesome as well so though I won't go into them all, I will mention the ones that were important. JL was such a great brother and WZC played him very well. We lost him far too soon. SB originally was the spoiled little rich girl who wanted LZ but she grew up quick after the deaths and explosion that claimed JL's life and sent LZ on his first PTSD spiral. I wonder if she blamed herself on getting SR and LZ to stay those two days for the opening when they were supposed to leave while she herself left. She could have sent them a picture. But you definitely knew whose side she was on by the mid point which was a good thing.

Ben and Sa Xin were your typical enemies to brothers story; they had a lot of screen time but as both were ultimately soldiers, they had to build that relationship as many veterans always say "you have to be able to trust the person in the foxhole next to you with your life." And you can't do that when you're barely speaking to each other. As Ben said to LZ in their last normal moments together, "You, Song, and Sa Xin are my family"; coming from an orphan that meant a lot. Both he and Sa Xin made a strong connection around LZ and SR as did JL while still alive. Brothers and sister in combat regardless of the role. They were the perfect addition to showcase the leads. Dr. Pei should have been given more time with Ben and in general. Mr. L as I called him was the best sounding board for LZ with the first trauma. I was very glad that when LZ bottled everything up, he at least had this one friend he opened up to. Lastly, mom of SR and dad of LZ were wonderful. Mom was a bit problematic at first but she evolved. Especially when she challenged SR on why she didn't ask LZ what was going on and by than even SR knew her ridiculous excuse of "I didn't want to pressure him" was just that, a ridiculous excuse. But both parents were 100% supportive of their kids especially at the end when things were so dire.

Give it up for the crew who essentially built an entire "country" on a plot of land. The set was beautiful and intricate and I believe it is still standing there as a tourist attraction. The OSTs were all beautiful though "Ignite Me On Fire" was my favorite as it was the rock anthem of hope the story needed.

Cons: Every issue I had was with the writing and directing of this series; if you're doing a series on PTSD or any illness for that matter make sure your actors playing doctors know what they are talking about. SR had PTSD to start and it warped into MDD or Major Depressive Disorder later. Her immediate diagnosis of depression was incorrect. Furthermore, what doctor in their right mind would give a clean bill of health to someone with PTSD though stable to go back to the place he received that trauma in the first place? That's a malpractice lawsuit right there plus absolute negligence. After a combat mission goes wrong and a soldier or a volunteer is diagnosed with PTSD plus survivor's guilt, they are discharged honorably and returned to inactive duty so they can resume a stable normal life. Stability is meant for a normal life not to return to hell and have something even worse happen. They may require inpatient care at first but once they stabilize, their family needs to be extra vigilant and they themselves need to be given hope, something meaningful to do to help others perhaps in other ways. Plus regular outpatient therapy and medication. That's how most combat PTSD patients live out their lives. At least the doctor admitted her mistake though not before saying that he should be confined to a prehistoric mental hospital. We're in the 21st century with a lot of treatments for this condition at our disposal and even though she was correct that LZ could pose a danger to himself or others, there were ways to treat that so throwing your hands into the air and just locking him up isn't the answer. Maybe in the early 20th century people did that but not now unless the person really did pose a threat. And even then it was to a temporary inpatient hospital for stabilization. Very outdated thinking and poor research on the part of production.

At the end of the series when LZ has an attack at the hospital, where were the doctors and nurses? They were encircled by bystanders as SR kept crying and pleading. Where was security? It looked like a shopping mall with people coming and gawking instead of doctors running to assist; so weird that it didn't seem like a proper hospital setting or how one was operated.

It was very hard to read the subtitles when you had the OSTs going, people speaking, plus voice overs by the characters. You didn't know what to read first. So a lot of pausing and rewinding had to be done. Wish this was all separated. The hiding the truth about their own health issues I think took way too much time. That was the only thing that was dragged for what seemed like forever. Even though to his credit he did try to tell her several times but she always inadvertently thwarted it and than he'd lose his nerve. But I wish it was out in the open sooner as opposed to right before they had the most traumatic situation. She could have helped him so much, just like she did in that tunnel. So writing was shaky there at best.

Ben, oh Ben my dude! You're not Superman; how do you go charging into a place with many rebels to save LZ without anyone as backup? One man against like 10, come on now. When you had a whole platoon that took those rebels out when they actually saved LZ. Screenwriter & director: if you had to kill him off, you could have done it in a way that was convincing! This made zero sense. For a realistic story, this was very poorly written. And where did the whole Abu revenge plot come from? That he remembered LZ and went after him but could go only as far as getting some kid to stab him and then get knocked out by LZ yet again and we never see him actually die. Meanwhile the other bad guys capture LZ through SR with the whole he can make bombs for us and yet they torture him until he's almost dead. How's he supposed to make bombs for you if he's nearly dead? Again suspension of disbelief engaged. And they had to know the special forces guys would find him eventually. It was all very strange and all over the place. Writing could have been way better and cohesive.

Lastly, the smorgasbord of actors as soldiers, rebels, journalists, nurses, etc could have spent more time practicing their English. I gave up reading the subtitles as those never matched up. We know Eastern Country is fictional but it depicts a lot of what has happened in wars past and present so keeping things cohesive is paramount to an otherwise very realistic story.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. Every actor did a great job especially CZY as LZ and it's his best role to date. The White Olive Tree represents hope and that's what we got with the leads living their solitary lives in a place of hope and a better tomorrow. I'm super proud of CZY for this role! He went above and beyond and even though it was hard for me at times to watch it, this is my favorite role of his to date! Again thank you for giving us a voice! Bravo!

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The ship didn't just sink, it imploded under the weight of its own melodrama and bad writing!

The central plot of the drama revolves around trauma and its handling, set against the backdrop of a war zone in Eastern countries. However, it failed to evoke any emotions in me and just felt bland and boring.
The only saving grace, which is why it even gets a 6, is thanks to Benjamin and Saxin, who helped me sail through all 38 episodes of this aesthetically pleasing mess!

For a drama where trauma is the main plot, there was no real sense of warmth, depth or emotional resonance.
At first, it gave off the impression of aiming for something deep and thoughtful, but it quickly lost its way. The plot meandered aimlessly, leaving what should have been powerful moments feeling strangely flat and forgettable.

FL Song Ran was supposed to be a reporter, but she spent more time doing everything except her actual job. It was hard to believe how she was just wandering around and taking pictures in a war zone army base, it just felt completely out of place. Most of the time, all I saw was her trailing behind the male lead.

ML Li Zan's character left me with mixed feelings. I appreciated how the show portrayed his trauma and the denial he was stuck in, it felt raw, real and authentic. However, as time went on, it seemed like his reluctance to open up was more about convenience than anything else. The constant addition of trauma without any real growth or resolution made it feel like there was no light at the end of his tunnel.

I am a fan of both the actors, but I just couldn’t feel any chemistry between them. Maybe it was because their romance developed in so many illogical situations like having a heart to heart conversations on the bomb site before even getting medical aid , that it felt hard to buy into.

Most of the drama was set in a war zone, but the seriousness , urgency and consequences of it were largely missing throughout especially in the first half. The logic was often flawed and there were many instances that could have been fixed if they paid a little attention to detail. For example, why were people moving so freely in the war zone? Why were people just lying down and hugging when there had been a bomb blast only minutes before and why couldn't they do that in hospital to make more sense ?

When it comes to handling PTSD, don’t get me wrong - they did attempt to show the real vulnerabilities, denial and the struggles people face after being in such a traumatic environment. However, the portrayal became a repetitive cycle, with no significant character growth. It doesn’t make sense to me that after 8 episodes of dealing with the issue, there was still no real development.
You would expect them to be open and communicate with each other, especially after everything they’ve been through together. But no, we are still stuck in that non-communicative phase, where life-threatening and life-changing decisions are made without even informing the other person.
In real life, while PTSD can have long-lasting effects, people do tend to make progress over time, whether in small steps or through moments of realization. The drama's absolute refusal to allow characters to experience this type of growth feels unrealistic, as it disregards the possibility of healing and moving forward.

At one point, the hero complex from both of them actually diminished the impact of those serious scenes!

Acting wise both the leads did a good job with what was given to them. Chen Zhe Yuan can act and time and again, he shows that! Liang Jie did a great job too but CZY stole the stage when vulnerable scenes were on the screen!
The emotional scenes were executed well ( the man cries so pretty) but the problem wasn't the acting but the writing!

Now coming to the good part, Benjamin and Saxin ! This was a perfect enemies to lovers trope! The constant bickering , the eye contacts , the jealousy, the unwavering trust and support for each other was just the chef's kiss.If the drama had focused more on them or given them even half the screen time, I would have rated it much higher.
Censorship wants you to think it is brotherhood, but they ain't fooling us. Initially I thought it was me who was on team delusion, but they kept hinting us that we weren't wrong. They know what they are doing ! They know we know what they are doing ! Everything is out there yet still between the lines. We need a masterclass so that we can have those shelved dramas out !

I want to keep this review spoiler free but let's just say the ending was just bizzare and lazy writing. It was as if they ran out of ideas to how to make this mess right which they made, grabbed the nearest piece of paper, scribbled something random, and called it a day.

Overall, this drama was incredibly disappointing and fell flat despite its ambitious premise. It seemed to aim for something grand, but ultimately, it failed to deliver. The plot lacked depth and the pacing dragged, making it hard to stay engaged. It was a slow burn with little payoff, leaving much to be desired and leaving me feeling bored.

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