Challenging the Spectrum of the Status Quo
Beautiful story about the price we pay for being different, and the price we pay for staying the same. Is it more soul crushing to stand out from the crowd, or to fit in at any price? And if we choose peace at any price, but someone else has to pay the price - can we live with ourselves?
A natural mathematical genius with savant autism makes a surprising discovery, upsetting many apple carts along the way. Many people with vested interests of different kinds seek to discredit him so that they will not be inconvenienced by his discovery. They want to stay the same: Same wealth, same hierarchy, same system, same practice models.
Our protagonist has no choice but to be different and he is punished and blamed for it, yet his motivations are honesty and accuracy. In fact, those motivations are seen as so strange, that they are used to discredit his character and ideas.
There are people in this story that want change: Improved quality of life. Improved access to justice. Better outcomes. Feeling heard. Redressing past wrongs. Inevitably there will be conflict between the two camps.
Zhang Ruo Yun is incredible as Shuai Jia Mo, the awkward young man who represents all of us at some point in our lives - not quite getting the picture and not quite fitting in. When I watch him I feel like I have a trustworthy doctor - based on what I have seen, ZRY always shines in his roles and brings the magic.
The other characters are clearly depicted which makes the story and its themes work.
This is not a glamorous idol drama - the point of the matter is to show us every-day conditions and hand-to-mouth living.
There is some humour which helps bring relief to the patterns.
I have been surprised to see a couple of reviews refer to the story as being "dry" and one said the ending was unhappy. Surely not this show - the ending was excellent. It was not a Disney ending, but this is not a Disney story. I happen to enjoy shows about math and science, e.g. A Beautiful Mind, The Enigma Game, Contact, 3 Body etc; but if that is not your thing, this really is a drama about a society on the cusp of change, family dynamics, justice v mercy, and personal integrity v worldly honour.
Of all the C-dramas I have seen, this one has the most satisfying outcome. I've got a new favourite!
A natural mathematical genius with savant autism makes a surprising discovery, upsetting many apple carts along the way. Many people with vested interests of different kinds seek to discredit him so that they will not be inconvenienced by his discovery. They want to stay the same: Same wealth, same hierarchy, same system, same practice models.
Our protagonist has no choice but to be different and he is punished and blamed for it, yet his motivations are honesty and accuracy. In fact, those motivations are seen as so strange, that they are used to discredit his character and ideas.
There are people in this story that want change: Improved quality of life. Improved access to justice. Better outcomes. Feeling heard. Redressing past wrongs. Inevitably there will be conflict between the two camps.
Zhang Ruo Yun is incredible as Shuai Jia Mo, the awkward young man who represents all of us at some point in our lives - not quite getting the picture and not quite fitting in. When I watch him I feel like I have a trustworthy doctor - based on what I have seen, ZRY always shines in his roles and brings the magic.
The other characters are clearly depicted which makes the story and its themes work.
This is not a glamorous idol drama - the point of the matter is to show us every-day conditions and hand-to-mouth living.
There is some humour which helps bring relief to the patterns.
I have been surprised to see a couple of reviews refer to the story as being "dry" and one said the ending was unhappy. Surely not this show - the ending was excellent. It was not a Disney ending, but this is not a Disney story. I happen to enjoy shows about math and science, e.g. A Beautiful Mind, The Enigma Game, Contact, 3 Body etc; but if that is not your thing, this really is a drama about a society on the cusp of change, family dynamics, justice v mercy, and personal integrity v worldly honour.
Of all the C-dramas I have seen, this one has the most satisfying outcome. I've got a new favourite!
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