72
321
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4
11
1
3
2
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9
1
1
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2
3
2
2
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6
What If and What Is.
August 17, 2012, was the worst day in Zhou Jin's life. It was the day Zhou Chuan, the older brother she adored, was brutally killed in a SWAT operation gone wrong. Her life continues to unravel as her childhood sweetheart, Jiang Cheng, betrays her. Five years later, she is numb and still seeking answers as she advances in the police force. A close call convinces her it is time to get on with her life. She decides to marry longtime admirer Jiang Hansheng, an acclaimed criminal profiler. Together, they unravel the truth behind her brother's death and race to track down Hansheng's nemesis: the Red Dress Killer.
There are two main plot arcs in this story. The first is the tangled triangle between Zhou Jin, Jiang Hansheng, and Jiang Cheng. It is one of the few well-written and complicated triangles where no one is truly to blame, and everyone's point of view is understandable and empathetic. All is fair in love and war, so I appreciate that everyone is slightly selfish and fights for what they want. After all, in matters of the heart, it is best to try and fail rather than give way and live in regret. In the end, there is no real winner or right choice—it all comes down to timing. The narrative skilfully explores Zhou Jin's heart wrenching conflict between what if and what is.
This is an excellent cast all around. As a huge fan of both Jing Boran and Qin Junjie, I was genuinely torn between Jiang Hansheng and Jiang Cheng. But in the end, Jiang Cheng won me over. I found Jiang Hansheng's obsessiveness and subtle manipulation too suffocating, although Jing Boran was masterful at highlighting his stoic loneliness and vulnerability. Qin Junjie floored me with how well he played the bad cop—I never thought he had it in him to pull off such an excellent gangster. Although Cai Wenjing always delivers a credible performance, I didn't like Zhou Jin, and I feel this was not her best role.
The crime plot is well-paced, suspenseful, and fairly well written, but there are enough holes to stop me short of calling it tight. What I really didn't like is how Zhou Jin was allowed to participate in what was clearly a personal investigation. She also recklessly charges into too many situations, and even though she can hold her own, I found her obstinacy and recklessness annoying. She was my least favorite of the three main characters, and she failed to convince me she was worthy of such devotion from the two men.
For me, the romance and character dynamics are worthy of an 8.5, but the crime story is a 7.0/7.5. This works out to be slightly short of an 8.0 from me—but Jing Boran is a sexy beast, so I can round it up to 8/10.
There are two main plot arcs in this story. The first is the tangled triangle between Zhou Jin, Jiang Hansheng, and Jiang Cheng. It is one of the few well-written and complicated triangles where no one is truly to blame, and everyone's point of view is understandable and empathetic. All is fair in love and war, so I appreciate that everyone is slightly selfish and fights for what they want. After all, in matters of the heart, it is best to try and fail rather than give way and live in regret. In the end, there is no real winner or right choice—it all comes down to timing. The narrative skilfully explores Zhou Jin's heart wrenching conflict between what if and what is.
This is an excellent cast all around. As a huge fan of both Jing Boran and Qin Junjie, I was genuinely torn between Jiang Hansheng and Jiang Cheng. But in the end, Jiang Cheng won me over. I found Jiang Hansheng's obsessiveness and subtle manipulation too suffocating, although Jing Boran was masterful at highlighting his stoic loneliness and vulnerability. Qin Junjie floored me with how well he played the bad cop—I never thought he had it in him to pull off such an excellent gangster. Although Cai Wenjing always delivers a credible performance, I didn't like Zhou Jin, and I feel this was not her best role.
The crime plot is well-paced, suspenseful, and fairly well written, but there are enough holes to stop me short of calling it tight. What I really didn't like is how Zhou Jin was allowed to participate in what was clearly a personal investigation. She also recklessly charges into too many situations, and even though she can hold her own, I found her obstinacy and recklessness annoying. She was my least favorite of the three main characters, and she failed to convince me she was worthy of such devotion from the two men.
For me, the romance and character dynamics are worthy of an 8.5, but the crime story is a 7.0/7.5. This works out to be slightly short of an 8.0 from me—but Jing Boran is a sexy beast, so I can round it up to 8/10.
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