KafeNook

With so many dramas to choose from, why watch A Dream Within a Dream? Maybe you watched the first couple of episodes and thought “I’ve seen all of this before”. Well stick around because all is not as it seems. Using those standard stereotypes, tropes, and iconic scenes found in other dramas as a starting point, the series gradually pushes these familiar elements in a direction that forces not only the characters but the audience to question everything. In the process, the characters grow and change in unexpected ways, the story shifts to create new situations, and those iconic scenes gain depth. The execution may not always be perfect but as the traditional layers are peeled away, this is one drama that only gets better with each episode.

Liu Yuning, no matter which of his three (wink wink) characters he is portraying, fills his scenes with a heady dose of emotion and heart. It’s no wonder Song Li Meng (the adorable Li Yi Tong) falls for every iteration of him – despite trying so hard not to! The performances of Riley Wang as Shangguan He, and second male lead turned v#*$!!, Wang You Shuo as Chu Gui Hong, also stand out. Like many of the supporting characters, they strive to become something other than the “paper people” they are written to be.

By the time I finished episode 40, I didn’t want A Dream Within a Dream to end. Fortunately, I can go back and rewatch my favorite parts or listen to the original soundtrack featuring not one but two amazing songs by OST King Liu Yuning: the opening theme, Ballad of the Long Wind, and the emotional, Paper Person!