K-Drama 
1
This review may contain spoilers
Hero's Journey without the Hero's Reward
TLDR:
ATC is not an idol drama and is moreso a serious historical drama (with some fictional aspects). There are no face slapping moments or vindication or revenge, only a series of trials. There is drama and chemistry, but no sweet love story (imo). Its sober theme of resilience and tight plot distinguish it from its peers but also may discourage those who want a lighter rom-com. Rewatch value is low on this one for me because of how depressed it made me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If anyone's watched "To Live" (1994), they would find echoes of the same themes in Against the Current. While the goal is not to compare the two, both have similar answers in the face of adversity: to live and carry on.
ATC is not a true idol drama with fluffy plots and feel-good scenes. While there are tongue-in-cheek moments that act as a break for the audience, it has a very tight plot with plenty of political intrigue and honestly is missing a tragedy tag. Not a moment is lost in the 47 episodes which was a great surprise. Though based on a novel, it doesn't fall prey to being too laggy or having too many extraneous characters and has well defined arcs that the FL and ML go through. ATC is surprisingly female centric and focuses a lot on its female characters. FL is most definitely the MC while ML plays more of an accessory role. The drama follows five main arcs: FL falling to the status of a slave, FL rising as a servant, FL becoming a free woman, FL becoming the Young Madam, and FL as the matriarch. Each arc was well paced in character development and relationship development which gave the drama a sense of authenticity. The scriptwriters (or author) was also very clever in how they used tropes and dramatic irony which gave it a little bit of Shakespearean flair (loosely speaking). FL despises her ex-fiance for breaking the engagement to save his and his family's own skin but ends up as an indentured servant in the family she was to marry into. The fiance she hates is the same person who buries her family and willfully marries her later by imperial decree. For a drama that features plays/operas, the drama itself similarly is structured like a play and carries the audience along with it. The plot is the main character and really does deserve praise for how well adapted it was.
One of my main concerns truthfully were Seven and Liu Xue Yi as the FL and ML. While I don't avoid their dramas, I've started noticing trends in their acting. LXY tends to opt for the cold, ruthless ML characters which uses his sharper features to its advantage. The downside is often times he tends to feel one-dimensional and unable to convey other emotions. To my delight, this was not the case in ATC. LXY successfully portrays a ML who is cunning and ruthless when needed while also conveying loyalty towards good friends and filial piety towards his mother. His scene at his mother's deathbed was quite realistic, not just in the sense that we believe he is mourning his mother but also gives his character realism. As the audience, in this scene, we truly believe LXY/ML as more than just a character. Portraying grief is difficult because it's such a complex emotion. LXY was able to portray finer emotions like reluctance at one's close kin or friends passing which greatly impressed me and was the first time I truly felt that he was fully immersed as a character. This is also the first time I've seen a male character mourn his mother which I think is a healthy depiction of masculinity. When Seven was slotted for the FL, I was concerned because she tends to have a limited range of facial expressions she uses. For a character as complex as FL, I think that it was a little out of Seven's depth because I still noticed the same issue. Like LXY whose sharp features tend to cast him into cold ML roles, Seven has softer features and a girl-next-door vibe which casts her into corresponding roles. Rarely does she play sharp, aloof characters and when she does, it's not very convincing. FL is a walking contradiction. She was raised as a noble lady and should possess the demeanor and grace of one, but having lived as an indentured servant, she needs to be someone capable and flexible. By far, this is Seven's best acting and best drama. But in her portrayal of FL, she makes FL seem like a well learned servant girl rather than a noble lady who turned into a servant girl.
In the grand scheme of things, the acting level across the board was good enough to set the stage for the plot to play out which was to the drama's advantage. The reason why it may lose (in popularity or sensationalism) to other recent historical dramas like POJ is the lack of happiness present. ATC is a series of trials and tribulations brought on by (oftentimes) forces outside of one's control, but the lack of bright spots or happy moments aside from comedic relief brings in almost too much of reality. FL gets engaged and the next day her entire family is dead. FL starts to get back on her feet with her new parents and the next day she is dragged into a new environment where she must fend for herself. FL manages to free herself to live as she wishes and the next day she's set to marry ML. FL gives birth and soon after, ML discovers her identity. FL starts over with ML only for him to be away for extended periods of time or dies. No doubt, it's a result of time skips and cutting down material from the novel, but this edit was definitely an artistic choice by the director or scriptwriter. On the surface, it answers the question of how did ordinary people live under the reign of an emperor and his whims. After all, FL and her family never received exoneration in their lifetime. FL, until her death, had to live as another woman under the identity of an ex-indentured servant and was unable to take revenge or take back her identity. On a deeper level, ATC seemingly tells us that life is tepid and a series of trials. Happiness is rare, even when we fight for it, but what else can we do but live on.
ATC is not an idol drama and is moreso a serious historical drama (with some fictional aspects). There are no face slapping moments or vindication or revenge, only a series of trials. There is drama and chemistry, but no sweet love story (imo). Its sober theme of resilience and tight plot distinguish it from its peers but also may discourage those who want a lighter rom-com. Rewatch value is low on this one for me because of how depressed it made me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If anyone's watched "To Live" (1994), they would find echoes of the same themes in Against the Current. While the goal is not to compare the two, both have similar answers in the face of adversity: to live and carry on.
ATC is not a true idol drama with fluffy plots and feel-good scenes. While there are tongue-in-cheek moments that act as a break for the audience, it has a very tight plot with plenty of political intrigue and honestly is missing a tragedy tag. Not a moment is lost in the 47 episodes which was a great surprise. Though based on a novel, it doesn't fall prey to being too laggy or having too many extraneous characters and has well defined arcs that the FL and ML go through. ATC is surprisingly female centric and focuses a lot on its female characters. FL is most definitely the MC while ML plays more of an accessory role. The drama follows five main arcs: FL falling to the status of a slave, FL rising as a servant, FL becoming a free woman, FL becoming the Young Madam, and FL as the matriarch. Each arc was well paced in character development and relationship development which gave the drama a sense of authenticity. The scriptwriters (or author) was also very clever in how they used tropes and dramatic irony which gave it a little bit of Shakespearean flair (loosely speaking). FL despises her ex-fiance for breaking the engagement to save his and his family's own skin but ends up as an indentured servant in the family she was to marry into. The fiance she hates is the same person who buries her family and willfully marries her later by imperial decree. For a drama that features plays/operas, the drama itself similarly is structured like a play and carries the audience along with it. The plot is the main character and really does deserve praise for how well adapted it was.
One of my main concerns truthfully were Seven and Liu Xue Yi as the FL and ML. While I don't avoid their dramas, I've started noticing trends in their acting. LXY tends to opt for the cold, ruthless ML characters which uses his sharper features to its advantage. The downside is often times he tends to feel one-dimensional and unable to convey other emotions. To my delight, this was not the case in ATC. LXY successfully portrays a ML who is cunning and ruthless when needed while also conveying loyalty towards good friends and filial piety towards his mother. His scene at his mother's deathbed was quite realistic, not just in the sense that we believe he is mourning his mother but also gives his character realism. As the audience, in this scene, we truly believe LXY/ML as more than just a character. Portraying grief is difficult because it's such a complex emotion. LXY was able to portray finer emotions like reluctance at one's close kin or friends passing which greatly impressed me and was the first time I truly felt that he was fully immersed as a character. This is also the first time I've seen a male character mourn his mother which I think is a healthy depiction of masculinity. When Seven was slotted for the FL, I was concerned because she tends to have a limited range of facial expressions she uses. For a character as complex as FL, I think that it was a little out of Seven's depth because I still noticed the same issue. Like LXY whose sharp features tend to cast him into cold ML roles, Seven has softer features and a girl-next-door vibe which casts her into corresponding roles. Rarely does she play sharp, aloof characters and when she does, it's not very convincing. FL is a walking contradiction. She was raised as a noble lady and should possess the demeanor and grace of one, but having lived as an indentured servant, she needs to be someone capable and flexible. By far, this is Seven's best acting and best drama. But in her portrayal of FL, she makes FL seem like a well learned servant girl rather than a noble lady who turned into a servant girl.
In the grand scheme of things, the acting level across the board was good enough to set the stage for the plot to play out which was to the drama's advantage. The reason why it may lose (in popularity or sensationalism) to other recent historical dramas like POJ is the lack of happiness present. ATC is a series of trials and tribulations brought on by (oftentimes) forces outside of one's control, but the lack of bright spots or happy moments aside from comedic relief brings in almost too much of reality. FL gets engaged and the next day her entire family is dead. FL starts to get back on her feet with her new parents and the next day she is dragged into a new environment where she must fend for herself. FL manages to free herself to live as she wishes and the next day she's set to marry ML. FL gives birth and soon after, ML discovers her identity. FL starts over with ML only for him to be away for extended periods of time or dies. No doubt, it's a result of time skips and cutting down material from the novel, but this edit was definitely an artistic choice by the director or scriptwriter. On the surface, it answers the question of how did ordinary people live under the reign of an emperor and his whims. After all, FL and her family never received exoneration in their lifetime. FL, until her death, had to live as another woman under the identity of an ex-indentured servant and was unable to take revenge or take back her identity. On a deeper level, ATC seemingly tells us that life is tepid and a series of trials. Happiness is rare, even when we fight for it, but what else can we do but live on.
Was this review helpful to you?
