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A tsundere office rom-com on the surface, something much deeper underneath
I came into The Early Spring expecting a standard boss-falls-for-junior office romance. What I got was one of those dramas that gets so under your skin you feel a bit empty when it ends. I watched it daily, and I genuinely put off the final episode for three days because I didn't want it to be over.
THE STORY
Set in 2013 at a Beijing advertising agency, it follows Flora, a fresh graduate who ends up working under Luke, a brilliant, arrogant and famously cold creative director who tells her on day one she's "not suitable". What starts as a boss-from-hell dynamic slowly turns into something much more complicated, spanning six years
On the surface it's all the classic tropes. Underneath, it's a surprisingly thoughtful story about communication, pride, class, grief and learning to let love in. It doesn't shy away from heavy themes either, and it handles them with real care.
LEADS
Luke will test your patience. He's not a red flag so much as emotionally unintelligent: a man who shows love through actions and never says a kind word when it would actually help. You'll want to shake him for a good chunk of the drama. But the show never pretends he's perfect, and it lets him grow, which makes the payoff so satisfying.
Flora is the real heart of the show. Her growth from a naive junior into a woman who stands as his equal is the best thing about it. She's not the prize at the end of his story. Her journey IS the story.
THE SUPPORTING CAST
This is where it shines even brighter. Lumi is the ultimate girl's girl and an absolute scene-stealer. Tan Mian is the best friend everyone deserves. And the flatmates carry some of the most emotional storylines in the whole drama. Plus there's a dog, and the dog is iconic.
THE MUSIC
The OST is gorgeous. "Her" by Liu Yuning, the opening theme and Luke's character song, became my cue that something was about to happen between the leads. The second it started, you just KNEW.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK
The constant miscommunication can be maddening (yes, it's the point, but it tests you). Luke's cold moments are sometimes genuinely hard to forgive. And there's a stretch in the middle where Flora's growth stalls before the back half more than makes up for it.
SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?
Yes, if you like a slow burn, a flawed male lead who actually has to earn his happy ending, and a heroine who grows into her own power. The finale sticks the landing, which so many dramas don't. Bring tissues for the back half.
9/10. The bitter winter finally gives way to early spring, and it's worth every episode.
THE STORY
Set in 2013 at a Beijing advertising agency, it follows Flora, a fresh graduate who ends up working under Luke, a brilliant, arrogant and famously cold creative director who tells her on day one she's "not suitable". What starts as a boss-from-hell dynamic slowly turns into something much more complicated, spanning six years
On the surface it's all the classic tropes. Underneath, it's a surprisingly thoughtful story about communication, pride, class, grief and learning to let love in. It doesn't shy away from heavy themes either, and it handles them with real care.
LEADS
Luke will test your patience. He's not a red flag so much as emotionally unintelligent: a man who shows love through actions and never says a kind word when it would actually help. You'll want to shake him for a good chunk of the drama. But the show never pretends he's perfect, and it lets him grow, which makes the payoff so satisfying.
Flora is the real heart of the show. Her growth from a naive junior into a woman who stands as his equal is the best thing about it. She's not the prize at the end of his story. Her journey IS the story.
THE SUPPORTING CAST
This is where it shines even brighter. Lumi is the ultimate girl's girl and an absolute scene-stealer. Tan Mian is the best friend everyone deserves. And the flatmates carry some of the most emotional storylines in the whole drama. Plus there's a dog, and the dog is iconic.
THE MUSIC
The OST is gorgeous. "Her" by Liu Yuning, the opening theme and Luke's character song, became my cue that something was about to happen between the leads. The second it started, you just KNEW.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK
The constant miscommunication can be maddening (yes, it's the point, but it tests you). Luke's cold moments are sometimes genuinely hard to forgive. And there's a stretch in the middle where Flora's growth stalls before the back half more than makes up for it.
SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?
Yes, if you like a slow burn, a flawed male lead who actually has to earn his happy ending, and a heroine who grows into her own power. The finale sticks the landing, which so many dramas don't. Bring tissues for the back half.
9/10. The bitter winter finally gives way to early spring, and it's worth every episode.
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