Overdo

So much more could have been done with the story

I mainly started this drama because of the two leads. I genuinely enjoy watching their work. I first became familiar with Zhang Ling He through "The Princess Royal" and thought his acting was excellent, so I wanted to see more of his projects. Wang Chu Ran caught my attention in "Are You the One", where I really enjoyed her performance and the way she conveys emotions on screen — especially impressive considering how many dramas I’ve seen with weak acting.
The supporting cast was also strong, and overall I felt the acting and casting were one of the drama’s biggest strengths. The chemistry between the two leads was amazing, and I truly hope they reunite in another project.

However, despite the great cast, the drama fell short in several major areas, which unfortunately led to the actors receiving unfair hate. These are the main issues I felt held the drama back:

1. The Sad and Confusing Ending -
From what I understand, the original author is known for tragic stories, but I really wish the drama had chosen a different direction. The ending killed almost every character, and I would have preferred a happy ending for the main couple in the actual timeline we followed from the beginning — not just in a parallel universe.
The parallel universe concept was a nice touch, but it didn’t make up for how unclear the real ending was. For example, I didn’t even realize Qing Yi died until I went online and read an article explaining it. The emotional impact was lost because the storytelling was confusing, and the execution of the tragedy felt messy rather than meaningful.
2. Killing Off Everyone / Rushed Pacing -
After Qing Yi’s return, the drama suddenly became extremely fast‑paced, as if it was rushing to wrap up every remaining plot point. It would have been much better if the story had taken its time early on to set things up properly, then slowly addressed the conflicts instead of cramming everything into the end. And honestly — they killed off EVERYONE!! I get that Republican‑era dramas tend to be more dramatic, but this was excessive. Almost every character the audience becomes attached to ends up dead. One or two deaths can make sense, maybe even three, but wiping out nearly the entire cast just leaves a bitter taste. Some deaths, like Qing Yi’s subordinate, felt completely unnecessary.
3. Lack of Emotional Bond With the Child / Family Issues -
From the beginning, many family members — especially Qing Yi’s biological mother — were written as one‑dimensional, which explains why both leads grew up the way they did. I accepted that. But because they experienced so much neglect, I expected the story to show them building a healthier relationship with their own child, Le’an.
After Qing Yi’s return, I wanted to see him spend more time with his son and try to win his heart. It’s unrealistic for an adult to suddenly say, “I’m not your uncle, I’m your father,” and have the child accept it instantly. The drama missed a huge opportunity to show a meaningful father‑son bond developing.
As for Susu, her constant emotional push‑and‑pull and her revenge-driven choices were frustrating, even though I understand what the story was trying to portray. Still, after Qing Yi returned, I wish she had shown more affection and finally told him she loved him — something he had been longing to hear since the beginning.
Conclusion -
The story was clearly meant to be a tragedy, but it fell short in many areas. The hate the actors are receiving is unfair, because the issues came from the writing and production choices, not their performances. If the script had allowed it, the cast could have delivered much stronger romantic and emotional moments.
As someone unfamiliar with the original novel, I found the drama disappointing despite its beautiful visuals, strong acting, and even some great OSTs. I truly hope the main couple reunites in a future project where they can fully showcase their talent — something this drama didn’t allow them to do.

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Soapy!!!

This show is like Young and Restless meets Bold and Beautiful - Chinese version. This is a soap Opera !!! Que the dramatic songs 😩 If you are looking for poj or similar, this ain’t it. This show is packed with lots of twist and turns and most of all DRAMA!!!! If you are not into messy situations and drama, then don’t watch this . Now for those of you who like a drama with lots of tea 🍵, sit back and enjoy!

First let me say, the acting is great. I definitely can not stand Ren Susu. For an actor/actress to invoke an emotion from you like a a strong like or hate, then they are the character they have become. So let’s get into the spoilers!!

REN Susu dated Qingyi back in the days and she ends up getting shot and is presumed “dead”. Qingyi hasn’t let go of his first love who is Susu. Fast forward 3 years later, his brother is getting married and so is he. But guess who his brother is marrying, REN FREAKING Susu, his dead lover. 😱 yes and from there it’s been nothing but drama and more drama. Now I have to give it to qingyi, because it could not have been me. At the engagement ceremony, everyone would have to know about my past with her especially my brother. He would have known that night. Cause what you mean , you marrying my brother?!!🤨 clearly he is still hung up on her and this carries on throughout the show. The moment we think they may get together , then boom she got other plans that don’t include qingyi . Like girl , why are you still around??! Yall it’s a lot of unnecessary necessary drama that keeps you frustrated and delusional and other emotions I can’t quite think of now. Please don’t have any expectations of having sensible reasons of why this or that happens because again this is soap opera drama. Nothing need to be understood except MORE DRAMA🫩 This is their recipe and I’m here for it. Now what I can say is that I felt like they should of at least draw us into the backstory of ren susu and qingyi before they hit us with the return of dead susu . That way we would of been fond of their relationship and hoping for them to get together. Right now, I wish she would disappear and I can’t stand how so devoted qingyi is to her and he neglect his own feelings and life for her. While she disregards his without batting an eye 🙄 Like if I could snatch her a** up in the tv, I would of done it since 1st episode. Now mind you mid-way, qingyi and susu , end up going to one of their special place that only the two of them know about, and this is after she is being chased and wanted. They end up spending the night together and get this, she gets pregnant. Mind you, she don’t know it yet but she still insists on marrying his brother😩 after smashing😩
I can’t spoil too much, because then there would be no point in watching the show. His older brother , is one of the only one out of the family that is redeemable and the other brother who was accidentally switched with qingyi. His mom and sister, can kick rocks.
So to sum it up, if you like soap opera and drama filled episodes, then join the clan. It’s a nice change of pace . Think of it as a palate cleanser after eating good sushi. This show is suppose to keep you on your toes with lots of angst and frustration. If that was their angle, then baby they delivered🤌. If I’m grading it on that level, the show is 9/10. It’s better production than days of our lives. But overall I’ll give it a 8. Yall lost that point because of Susu. I want to smack the 💩 out of her. Hope this help some of you Zhang Linghe fans understand the assignment in this show and see his performance differently here. You can tell that he has come a long way from his previous performances. He captures Qingyi character beautifully in this drama. And Wang Churan as Susu is such a great actress. I think she is starting to become my favorite. I can’t wait to see more of her work.

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Good story

Congratulations to everyone who was part of this project! I genuinely looked forward to every new episode and enjoyed the journey from beginning to end.
Of course, nothing is ever perfect, but when you have a good story and great chemistry between the actors, a little imagination can fill in the gaps and make you overlook the flaws.
I actually think the ending was a good one. After everything these characters went through, and after so many deaths, simply surviving doesn’t necessarily mean getting a happy ending. Sometimes, surviving is just the beginning of learning how to live again.
And as a fan of the multiverse concept, I like to believe that there is always another world somewhere out there — one where things turned out differently, and perhaps a little better. ❤️

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It's worth. Not what people expected but emotionally a strong drama

I know many people didn't like it but it's time to be objective. Overdo was and is supposed to be melodramatic, and it really carry its name because everything was Overdose, overdoing😂 but on a serious aspect, the drama started with my bad impression but I kept watching and it's worth, the story took time to develop. I give credit to actors because their acting individuallly were amazing, they embodied their characters and emotionally delivered. So far Linghe has done an incredible job with his emotion delivery, micro expressions, one of his pest portrayal as an actor in my eyes after his drama Our Generation. I was in a rollercoaster of emotions watching it, mad, sad, crying, happiness for a moment but the story kept the viewers invested. The supporting cast hats off to them because I went mad 🤣🤣 I was invested into their nonsense but sense haha. Don't listen to others review, watch and make your own opinion

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Poorly executed

Overdo Review: Wasted Potential

This drama could have been explosive if it had been properly directed. The ingredients for a gripping story were already there: human trafficking, dark romance, mystery, and morally complex characters. It had the potential to be intense, thrilling, and emotionally captivating, but unfortunately, the execution fell flat.

The biggest issue is the lack of suspense and thrill. For a plot dealing with such dark and serious themes, the drama rarely creates a sense of urgency or tension. Instead, it feels overly focused on visuals, often prioritizing beautiful cinematography over meaningful storytelling. While the drama is undeniably visually appealing, aesthetics alone cannot carry a story that needs stronger emotional and narrative impact.

The pacing also feels disconnected from episode to episode, making it difficult to stay fully immersed. Some scenes feel abrupt, while others drag on without adding much to the overall story. The music score does not help either—it lacks the intensity needed to elevate the darker and more dramatic moments.

Perhaps the most disappointing part is that this feels like such a waste of Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan's potential. Both have the visuals and acting ability to bring a dark, intense romance to life, and their pairing had all the ingredients to be memorable. But with weak direction and an inconsistent execution, their talents feel underutilized.

Overall, Overdo had an exciting premise and a visually stunning cast, but poor direction, disconnected pacing, a lack of thrill, and an underwhelming music score turned what could have been an explosive dark romance into a frustrating missed opportunity.

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Dropped

So I initially wanted to watch this drama because of the female lead because I loved her in Fireworks of the Heart.. but unfortunately I was not able to complete this drama, It's name is called overdo and quite frankly, they are infact over doing everything in this show to the point where I just found it to be overbearing to watch. The suffering in this show is crazy....... Male lead and Female lead have never really been happy since Episode 1 go straight up to Episode 25.... Maybe the 3 months in the past when they first met was the only time that they were ever happy!!
I cannot watch a drama where everyone suffering 24/7.... That don't make sense to me..
Personally I didn't even want the main couple to get together anymore.. I feel like she has hurt this man time and time again and he deserves better!! On his path, he needs to stop chasing after a woman who is fine with hurting him.... She is the real Villian in this show at this point.. because no matter what male lead does.. it's never enough for her... And he went through so much pain and suffering for her and yet still she still continues to mistreat him... Push him away.. 😐😐😐
So yeah I'm good on this one... I have a long list of other dramas to watch so I'll get started on those instead...

Would I recommend? No!
Rating... 0 Stars because they started off with a really solid foundation storywise and then completely flopped it... So it gets no stars from me!

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Give it a chance

I know that a lot of viewers were disappointed at the beginning of this show and many dropped it. I forced myself to ignore the negative comments because I love Zhang Le He and Wang Churan. I knew the show had to get better (even though I was never really bothered by the things that people were complaining about). It did!! The chemistry between the two main leads is phenomenal. The costuming is jaw dropping. Cinematography is breathtaking. The music is perfect. The storyline is engaging. This is an original story and if you can get past the green screen effect of the first few episodes sticking with it will pay off. One of the complaints originally was the AI introduction to the show which was changed by the time the sixth episode was airing. Don't listen to other people's feedback. Watch the show knowing that it progressively gets better and better and make a decision for yourself based on what you enjoy.

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Welcome to Intense emotional rollercoaster

Story

Based on the most chaotic era of China.
Explores the sensitive social issues of domestic abuse, human trafficking, slavery, child abuse, childhood trauma, crime, outlaw,power, greed, drug smuggling, biological warfare, wartime, patriotic and martyrdom.

Every characters are flawed, morally grey, extreme love, hatred, obsession and dangerous.

Storytelling style

-Melodramatic dialogue, camera cut, bgm
-Over stylized and extravagant visuals
-Fast paced Plot-driven directing
-No filler scenes and characters,No dragging parts
-**Extreme Sadomasochism**

Acting

Deliver the emotional acting from all the casts.
Highlight
Zhang Linghe -eye emotion,micro-expression and outburst, sadomasochism
Wang Churan - well executed eyes emotion, restraint mannerism

Music
All OSTs are nice and catchy. Deliver the emotion and blend with the scenes.

Overall

Apart from some technological flaws for special effects,

Overdo is a perfect show for

*sadomasochism suckers
*empathetic viewers
*who wants adrenaline rush
*familiar with plot-driven, action movies or melodramatic over-stylized western shows
*who can handle all positive/ negative emotion and dark plot

**It's not for judgmental mind and faint heart**

Have a nice day, everyone 🍂🍀🍀
Love you 😘😍🥰

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Not happy with the ending

I wasn't happy with the story.

At first, everything was good. The drama started with anger, revenge, and separated lovers, which made the story interesting. However, as the story progressed, it became boring. There wasn't a single truly happy moment for anyone.

The drama had three love stories, but not one of them had a happy ending, which was the saddest part of the entire drama. And what was that ending? I wasn't happy with it either.

The story revolved around a family that was assassinated, after which the plot focused on revenge. However, I would like to appreciate the acting of all three couples, especially the second male lead, who was the cousin of the first and third male leads.

There were only a few happy moments between the main leads.

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why is the rating so low?

this isn't as bad as it seems and the rating system on here is deceiving. the story is gripping from the opening. I do think the first half was more gripping but by the time you get to the second part of the story you're already invested. not to say its bad, it could have been wrapped up with one in 20 somethih episodes instead of 33. I'm not sure why they make the ML into a kicked dog in every drama he's supposed to be "wicked" when it comes to women. the FML character is overboard with the pride. Other than that this is pretty good, again the low rating is not accurate and seems biased

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