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From a Promising Thriller to a Boring Soap Opera
Not Yours is one of the biggest disappointments of the year, which is particularly frustrating because the series got off to an incredibly strong start. Compared to the book, Pao Bei's character was made much bolder, tougher, and more cheeky, while Ross Chen (Peng) delivered absolutely brilliant facial expressions and screen presence. The brutal bathtub scene in episode 4, straight out of a psychological thriller, brought the characters' family traumas to the surface and created unbearable tension, promising a dark and hard-hitting psychological drama.
Unfortunately, just when things were getting most interesting, the creators slammed on the brakes and traded all that dark, toxic tension for a boring, overly sentimental picture of domestic bliss. It's completely unbelievable that after the bathtub strangulation scene, Peng suddenly turns into a perfect family man and takes the guy's siblings to an amusement park. It's as if the screenwriters suffered from amnesia and forgot that these characters were supposed to be fighting and clashing with each other, not eating cotton candy on a roller coaster.
The technical execution also takes a lot away from the experience. The Chinese dubbing of the Thai actor is absolutely terrible, and the poor lip-syncing combined with the artificial-sounding voices constantly pulls the viewer out of the scenes. However, the biggest problem is that there is almost no chemistry between the two leads. That particular kissing scene was an absolute joke: we got a stiff, lifeless "fish kiss" reminiscent of K-dramas from the 1980s, which is downright embarrassing in a story that's supposed to be this intense. To make matters worse, the side storyline is dragged out far too much. The other couple's endless hesitation and pointless back-and-forth only make the pacing even worse.
After such a brilliant setup, Not Yours has turned into a flat soap opera completely lacking in conflict. The actors' physical appeal is the only reason it deserves a generous 5.5 out of 10, but the story and all its tension have been completely lost in a sea of syrupy sentimentality.
Unfortunately, just when things were getting most interesting, the creators slammed on the brakes and traded all that dark, toxic tension for a boring, overly sentimental picture of domestic bliss. It's completely unbelievable that after the bathtub strangulation scene, Peng suddenly turns into a perfect family man and takes the guy's siblings to an amusement park. It's as if the screenwriters suffered from amnesia and forgot that these characters were supposed to be fighting and clashing with each other, not eating cotton candy on a roller coaster.
The technical execution also takes a lot away from the experience. The Chinese dubbing of the Thai actor is absolutely terrible, and the poor lip-syncing combined with the artificial-sounding voices constantly pulls the viewer out of the scenes. However, the biggest problem is that there is almost no chemistry between the two leads. That particular kissing scene was an absolute joke: we got a stiff, lifeless "fish kiss" reminiscent of K-dramas from the 1980s, which is downright embarrassing in a story that's supposed to be this intense. To make matters worse, the side storyline is dragged out far too much. The other couple's endless hesitation and pointless back-and-forth only make the pacing even worse.
After such a brilliant setup, Not Yours has turned into a flat soap opera completely lacking in conflict. The actors' physical appeal is the only reason it deserves a generous 5.5 out of 10, but the story and all its tension have been completely lost in a sea of syrupy sentimentality.
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