Sex, drugs, and denial
So I was pulling my hair out of frustration watching Half-Awake, that minidrama has a very solid cast, loved the aesthetic, premise was my catnip (twisted mutual revenge) but the writing is just abysmal, to the point where nothing could save it from being a rage-inducing trainwreck with no reward in sight. Feeling deprived of my hate-love romance crack, my attention was caught by this drama : it has Wang Kai Mu, is made by director of critically acclaimed What a Good Girl and Please Tell Me If You Are Moved, and features a sexy scumbag ML I will inevitably root for (my bar for fictional ML's redemption is very low).
It's not for everyone, but it was certainly for me, I liked every minute of it (and it's not a short vertical at 3:40 hours), it surpassed my expectations, even surprised me at times. I find it so well written, appreciate it didn't shy away from some truly dark places. The hero is the anti-prince charming, he is absolutely two-timing his recovering fiancee and blackmailed mistress, turning both crazy, one with his lies and the other with his hypocrisy and mixed signals, he is caring but distant to his fiancee and abusive but all over the FL in the classic madonna/mistress complex. I find the drama made him feel very human by showing how he's trapped by guilt, self-loathing, and loyalty, until he's finally able to admit he should be more blunt to his fiancee who's spiraling out of control and gentler to his lover who's just trying to survive (I live for the moment these antiheros become sweeter, and the hospital scene ? Amazing) . The FL was also great, first I discovered a new favorite in Ma Le Jie, she's a bombshell and a talented actress, and second the character was truly moving. Yes, it's again a poor girl in a tragic situation where she's alone in the world with no support and a dear sick family member she will sacrifice everything to save, but it's well written and effective : her sister is such a sweetheart you understand why FL wants so desperatly to protect her innocence and save her, even if it means shredding her dignity (the scene where she begs under the rain : oof), the subplot about her reporting job gives her another dimension (and confirms that she does have a savior complex that puts her in very dangerous situations) and, something that too many of these love-hate romances never dare to do : she's not innocent in the deal, she does chase the ML, she wants him to be her support, even if he's clearly not willing, and yes, she weaponizes his sexual attraction to her to get what she wants. Yay for multi-dimensional characters ! The plot starts because of money, and is later moved by the magic pills that cures her sister, but the ML is nothing like your usual sugar daddy who falls head over heels for the FL and pampers her, noooo, their relationship is way more complex (and more interesting IMO) than that. I was glued to my screen to see how it was going to evolve, and the drama over-delivered. SFL was also very well written, not your usual green tea, she herself was dealt an unfair deal, and her excessive codependency to the ML made her more tragic than infuriating.
To be clear : the drama isn't trying to be realistic or feel like big TV, Zhai Shi Fan obviously adores the format's freedom to be over the top and soapy and she's a true master at it, shooting crazy but powerful and memorable scenes. This is an acquired taste obviously, I don't recommend it to anyone who isn't at least a bit into slap & kiss or makjang, and knows what to expect (or, you never know, let the show introduce you to a new type of crack !).
It's not for everyone, but it was certainly for me, I liked every minute of it (and it's not a short vertical at 3:40 hours), it surpassed my expectations, even surprised me at times. I find it so well written, appreciate it didn't shy away from some truly dark places. The hero is the anti-prince charming, he is absolutely two-timing his recovering fiancee and blackmailed mistress, turning both crazy, one with his lies and the other with his hypocrisy and mixed signals, he is caring but distant to his fiancee and abusive but all over the FL in the classic madonna/mistress complex. I find the drama made him feel very human by showing how he's trapped by guilt, self-loathing, and loyalty, until he's finally able to admit he should be more blunt to his fiancee who's spiraling out of control and gentler to his lover who's just trying to survive (I live for the moment these antiheros become sweeter, and the hospital scene ? Amazing) . The FL was also great, first I discovered a new favorite in Ma Le Jie, she's a bombshell and a talented actress, and second the character was truly moving. Yes, it's again a poor girl in a tragic situation where she's alone in the world with no support and a dear sick family member she will sacrifice everything to save, but it's well written and effective : her sister is such a sweetheart you understand why FL wants so desperatly to protect her innocence and save her, even if it means shredding her dignity (the scene where she begs under the rain : oof), the subplot about her reporting job gives her another dimension (and confirms that she does have a savior complex that puts her in very dangerous situations) and, something that too many of these love-hate romances never dare to do : she's not innocent in the deal, she does chase the ML, she wants him to be her support, even if he's clearly not willing, and yes, she weaponizes his sexual attraction to her to get what she wants. Yay for multi-dimensional characters ! The plot starts because of money, and is later moved by the magic pills that cures her sister, but the ML is nothing like your usual sugar daddy who falls head over heels for the FL and pampers her, noooo, their relationship is way more complex (and more interesting IMO) than that. I was glued to my screen to see how it was going to evolve, and the drama over-delivered. SFL was also very well written, not your usual green tea, she herself was dealt an unfair deal, and her excessive codependency to the ML made her more tragic than infuriating.
To be clear : the drama isn't trying to be realistic or feel like big TV, Zhai Shi Fan obviously adores the format's freedom to be over the top and soapy and she's a true master at it, shooting crazy but powerful and memorable scenes. This is an acquired taste obviously, I don't recommend it to anyone who isn't at least a bit into slap & kiss or makjang, and knows what to expect (or, you never know, let the show introduce you to a new type of crack !).
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