Nat

The Gist

Go Ahead is a coming-of-age family drama following three unrelated children — Li Jianjian, Ling Xiao, and He Ziqiu — who are raised by two devoted fathers after being deserted by their mothers. After a nine-year separation caused by external family pressures, they reunite as adults to navigate careers, romance, and the lingering traumas of their childhoods.

My Thoughts

Now that I've finally watched this, I can tell you — I get it. I understand why this drama is so highly rated. And I'll be honest, I'm not typically a family drama person, especially family C-dramas because they can get extremely preachy and the two philosophical in a way where those scenes hog the screen. But Go Ahead earns its reputation. The biggest strength here is its multifaceted characters. Everyone — from the three leads to their fathers to even the gossipy neighbors — has a distinct personality that comes alive on screen. Nobody feels like a filler character or a cardboard cutout, and that's rare.

I'll admit I did skip certain extended dialogue scenes because I wasn't always in the mood for something this emotionally charged, but I watched most of it, and years after its release, the themes still feel extremely relevant. The mental health awareness in particular is something I appreciated, even if I would have liked to see it addressed more directly. Ling Xiao's mother, Chen Ting, is a manipulative narcissist with serious mental health issues who should have actually gotten professional help. She screwed up her child's life so badly that the poor kid was absolutely unstable and emotionally dependent on Li Jianjian to survive. The drama doesn't give the mother and the son, a neat resolution, and honestly? That's the most realistic choice the writers could have made. Sometimes there's nothing you can do. Sometimes the person just goes back to another country and you move on. Life is like that.

He Ziqiu's story with his mother, He Mei, is the opposite — we actually get a redemption arc here. The writers make it clear that unlike Chen Ting, He Mei genuinely had no choice but to leave her son to ensure he'd have a good life she couldn't give him at a time. I would have liked for her to seek him out earlier instead of waiting so many years and pushing him back after they met, but their reconciliation still hit me. Even the arc between her and Li Haichao comes full circle beautifully. And speaking of well-written side characters — Li Jianjian's school friends and later roommates have surprisingly interesting stories that add another perspective on the complicated expectations parents put on their children.

The Romance

Now, let me address the elephant in the room — the romance between Li Jianjian and Ling Xiao. People who said it was unnecessary or claimed they were "surprised" when it developed simply were not paying attention. The romance is clearly foreshadowed from episodes one through three and further while they’re still in high school. When Ling Xiao buys her a bra at sixteen, he's already seeing her as a woman — that's your first hint right there. Or when he indicates that they can’t sleep in one bed anymore. His mother essentially gives him to Li Jianjian. The woman tells Li Jianjian she can "have her son." Additionally, the writers never once place Ling Xiao in Li Haichao's apartment to stay overnight. If you've watched enough romantic C-dramas, you see these signals immediately. They were clearly drawing a line between Ling Xiao romantic interest later on and He Ziqiu being a brother figure. As a matter of fact, they should have not written that small portion about He Ziqiu having feelings for Li Jianjian at all.

That said — I do think the writers fumbled the romance after the separation. It's clear Ling Xiao always liked her, even before leaving for Singapore, but the writers needed to get things moving quickly post-reunion, so his confession came off extremely pushy without him first confirming she felt the same way. A few more episodes of romantic moments or mutual acknowledgment would have helped. I also wouldn't say the leads have explosive chemistry. Song Weilong was really good but Li Jianjian’s character didn’t feel like she actually liked him back. And I think part of it is the acting and directing here. But since this is a family drama, I'm not going to dock points for that. It's meant to be light, family-friendly, easy to digest — not a full-on romance drama. So perhaps that’s why it comes off that way on screen. My overall opinion about the romance is that if its development after the separation had been written a little differently, it would have landed better and probably would have earned a little less criticism. But the romance was central to the drama's final conflict, so it needed to happen when it did. And I actually loved it. I’m always up for a forbidden romance. I did like the fact that nobody judged them or tried to separate them except for mentally unstable and narcissistic Chen Ting.

The Verdict

The real strength of this drama is the acting. It's phenomenal across the board — especially the younger cast and the child actors, who absolutely deliver. The writing is sharp, with no silly clichés or manufactured misunderstandings between characters. It's realistic and very slice of life with great dialogues. The production quality is also impressive considering this was filmed before Covid, and the music complements the emotional beats well.

I recommend Go Ahead to anyone who enjoys family dramas or is a fan of any of the actors involved. It's extremely well written, emotionally rewarding, and still holds up perfectly. I just wish I hadn't waited this long to watch it.

P.S. I wouldn’t even attempt to watch the Korean version of this. Sometimes Korean remakes of Japanese or Chinese dramas are a real upgrade, but with this drama, it is a downgrade.