This review may contain spoilers
A Heartfelt Story of Family Bond and Drugs
Welp, before "Eight Hundred" aired for the first time, I'd been banking on it since the story involves drug traffickers and a police papa (a conflicting trope which I love to see). FYI, it's an OG source, meaning that I can't predict too much from the synopsis given. On the other hand, I've turned into Xu Kai's anti (being an anti doesn't mean I'm bashing, criticizing this or that, and whatsoever you call names about, but I just simply have no interest over the actors I dislike, that's all) and reuters' leaked pictures had shown that he would be paired with Ancy Deng as his co-star. Okay, so let's just rock, shall we?
The story takes place in 1990s in Fengyang Town, a little suburban district of 800-radius-meter which houses the coal mines and entertainment sources for the populace there. Chen Hongbing is a very dedicated and upright police officer who vows to dismantle every single crime scene for the sake of justice. He also has a loving family including his fussy wife Ding Yue, his son Chen Hui, his father Grandpa Chen, and Chen Hui's lover Gao Songge. The family always spends their mundane life peacefully in Fengyang until the appearance of Peidun Cough Syrup disrupts the peace in the little town. Through several investigations and raids, Hongbing and his crew manage to secure several downlines of the cough syrup, but they never find out who the mastermind behind these scenes. Unbeknownst to them, it is Chen Hui and Songge who stage the layers of deception to gather money for Songge's kidney transplant. As they are risked of being discovered and arrested by the police, the couple has no choice but to create multiple webs of deception to lure the police away until they earn enough to perform the transplantation. Chen Hui has a golden heart to save Songge's life, but his method is clearly wrong as he was led astray when he encountered Tian Jinhai, the cough syrup's tycoon who coerced Chen Hui to join the underground market of drug traffickers. And I'm guaranteeing 100% that you will see a super duper BE in the end.
First of all, I need to appraise the screenwriter for being able to develop such a heart-breaking story while not being explicit in the process, giving the audiences chances to guess how the story works out and what kind of plot twist will happen in the moment of suspense. "Eight Hundred" also manages to incorporate Hongbing's daily life as a police officer and his mission in tracking down the traffickers (it reminds me of "The Truth" by Gong Jun and Sun Yi, but the former turned out to be a fiasco that I dropped it in ep 7), which I appreciate very much. Another thing, we can see Chen Hui's unhinged personality being unveiled, as he strangles Tian Jinhai to death. When the father and son confront each other, I feel their pain and love simultaneously since they just want to be an ordinary united family who can stand against all odds together.
For the acting, I must say Xu Kai nails Chen Hui character seamlessly as he transforms into an ingenious outlaw yet obedient son. His micro-expressions are always accurate, which helps you feel his emotional impacts whenever he breaks down or just wants the best for his family. Ancy Deng also does well as Songge, though I wish Songge could pry more into Chen Hui's issues instead of letting him settle everything by himself. As a couple, Xu Kai and Ancy Deng complement each other pretty well and the two of them have palpable chemistry, as romance isn't the main focus of the drama. Ding Yongdai captures the essence of Chen Hongbing the police papa too, as his emotional turbulence always takes me drifting into the story. Special mention to Hu Ke (as Ding Yue) and Qu Zhazha (as Liu Na) too because they have a unique sisterly bond although they only meet several times. And don't forget the car crash staged by Huo Kaiming too.
OSTs are not published openly, so I can't comment on that part much further. Sets, backgrounds, and costumes are full of 90s retro vibes, which can make you feel deja vu if you're one of those in that era. However, I wasn't born in 1990s, so I can't make any comparisons with the real 1990s.
Would I rewatch this? Maybe yes, if I'm in a drama slump period again. To date, I'm still waiting for VIP tracks as I have no penny to purchase express package. But, I've seen leaked spoilers of the ending, so I might as well include it here. Overall, a ten out of ten and one of the best crime dramas I've ever seen in these years. Good luck and happy watching!!!
The story takes place in 1990s in Fengyang Town, a little suburban district of 800-radius-meter which houses the coal mines and entertainment sources for the populace there. Chen Hongbing is a very dedicated and upright police officer who vows to dismantle every single crime scene for the sake of justice. He also has a loving family including his fussy wife Ding Yue, his son Chen Hui, his father Grandpa Chen, and Chen Hui's lover Gao Songge. The family always spends their mundane life peacefully in Fengyang until the appearance of Peidun Cough Syrup disrupts the peace in the little town. Through several investigations and raids, Hongbing and his crew manage to secure several downlines of the cough syrup, but they never find out who the mastermind behind these scenes. Unbeknownst to them, it is Chen Hui and Songge who stage the layers of deception to gather money for Songge's kidney transplant. As they are risked of being discovered and arrested by the police, the couple has no choice but to create multiple webs of deception to lure the police away until they earn enough to perform the transplantation. Chen Hui has a golden heart to save Songge's life, but his method is clearly wrong as he was led astray when he encountered Tian Jinhai, the cough syrup's tycoon who coerced Chen Hui to join the underground market of drug traffickers. And I'm guaranteeing 100% that you will see a super duper BE in the end.
First of all, I need to appraise the screenwriter for being able to develop such a heart-breaking story while not being explicit in the process, giving the audiences chances to guess how the story works out and what kind of plot twist will happen in the moment of suspense. "Eight Hundred" also manages to incorporate Hongbing's daily life as a police officer and his mission in tracking down the traffickers (it reminds me of "The Truth" by Gong Jun and Sun Yi, but the former turned out to be a fiasco that I dropped it in ep 7), which I appreciate very much. Another thing, we can see Chen Hui's unhinged personality being unveiled, as he strangles Tian Jinhai to death. When the father and son confront each other, I feel their pain and love simultaneously since they just want to be an ordinary united family who can stand against all odds together.
For the acting, I must say Xu Kai nails Chen Hui character seamlessly as he transforms into an ingenious outlaw yet obedient son. His micro-expressions are always accurate, which helps you feel his emotional impacts whenever he breaks down or just wants the best for his family. Ancy Deng also does well as Songge, though I wish Songge could pry more into Chen Hui's issues instead of letting him settle everything by himself. As a couple, Xu Kai and Ancy Deng complement each other pretty well and the two of them have palpable chemistry, as romance isn't the main focus of the drama. Ding Yongdai captures the essence of Chen Hongbing the police papa too, as his emotional turbulence always takes me drifting into the story. Special mention to Hu Ke (as Ding Yue) and Qu Zhazha (as Liu Na) too because they have a unique sisterly bond although they only meet several times. And don't forget the car crash staged by Huo Kaiming too.
OSTs are not published openly, so I can't comment on that part much further. Sets, backgrounds, and costumes are full of 90s retro vibes, which can make you feel deja vu if you're one of those in that era. However, I wasn't born in 1990s, so I can't make any comparisons with the real 1990s.
Would I rewatch this? Maybe yes, if I'm in a drama slump period again. To date, I'm still waiting for VIP tracks as I have no penny to purchase express package. But, I've seen leaked spoilers of the ending, so I might as well include it here. Overall, a ten out of ten and one of the best crime dramas I've ever seen in these years. Good luck and happy watching!!!
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