cosmicinflation

First of all, the cinematography is so beautiful. Especially the night shots are so aesthetically pleasing. The drama makes a lot of clever use of still shots which look otherworldly and add a rich character to the visual effects.
First of, I felt like the falling in love phase was too fast. Like by episode 5 they make out, and the episode before that he is calling her a douchebag. Like I felt that the attraction came out of nowhere. He was so cold to her in the beginning, and wanted her to resign because he felt as if she did not belong to the world of advertising, then how did he change his opinion? That part is not showcased at all. We can atleast see that Shang Zhitao has a bit of a crush ever since she saw Luan Nian because of his demeanor and because she respects him and his authority, but how does Luke like Flora in the first place? Also the whole plot of Luke saving Flora and thus developing feelings in my opinion is bullshit. It is too sudden and not executed well, the pace of the “saving damsel in distress” felt rushed and out of the place. Or maybe they had a physical attraction which I may have not comprehended which led them to starting this.

I also loved the portrayal of what love or relationships can mean different things to different people in different stages in life. At the starting, Shang Zhitao wants Luan Nian to confess to her after the one night stand, and she thinks that he too wants to be with her. But then she realises he doesn’t want that and worries that he would think she is the type of girl who clings onto men to get their attention, and she backs off. Shang Zhitao has a lot of insecurities, and its natural because she has just finished college and is a freshman in the industry, her view of herself is not as matured and she hasn’t experienced the world to build an opinion of herself.

We can clearly see both of them struggling to express their feelings towards each other in a way the other feels comfortable. Shang Zhitao clearly struggles with the imbalance of their dynamics- not only the boss/ employee one but also the financial imbalance (as we can see in her hesitation to accept the designer bag Luke gives her). I also like that she takes on work and may at times be seen as a pushover, but she has a strong presence of mind and moves smartly at work. The drama portrayed the ups and downs of a corporate job, how they will chew out easy targets like Shang Zhitao, and how she copes up well with all that.

Another thing I love about this drama is the portrayal of how to survive in a city like Beijing. The struggles of ambitious people in finding their place amongst a city bigger than themselves.

Lets discuss our red flag Luke. First off, a lot of times his intentions were in the right place, but he is in the mindset of work can his tone an actions leak into the relationship. He is also possessive, which can be a lot (if you are talking about reality lol). Also why he always act like he got a stick up his ass.

The drama did a excellent job showing Shang Zhitao’s journey in terms of career and self improvement, but when it comes to showcasing the relationship progression, I felt lost a lot of times. Like why would she randomly end up going to Luke’s house when they were in a employer-employee relationship? Also why did Flora even end the relationship at first? Like yeah she was jealous and all but isn’t that a vague reason? Or is it just to me?

I am proud that Shang Zhitao choses to speak up when required and stand up for whats right and wrong, because I am very much like Shang Zhitao in many cases, the difference is that I would not have spoken half of the things she had, so kudos to her. Standing up against harassment is also such a sensitive topic, and filled with stigma and hopelessness. The way she handled it shows that she has immense courage. The drama realistically portrayed the issue of workplace harassment. The company tried to suppress the matter because of profits and market image. Flora was exhausted and tried protecting Luke’s position from danger. Whereas to Luke, Flora’s safety came first, and he couldn’t help but blame himself for that, resulting in not seeing Flora’s point of view and another miscommunication.

This is a recurring theme in the drama I feel, which is why its so different. The drama is so realistic, Flora and Luke are one of the most realistically portrayed couple with issues and how they are handled also very realistic.