PeachBlossomGoddess

Through Sick and Sin

Vanished Name is a suspenseful story about women who have had their identities stolen or hidden for reasons not entirely within their control. The story opens with an infuriated and vengeful Ren Xiaoming, whose husband—acclaimed novelist Liu Xiaoran—has stolen and published her diary as his new coming-of-age novel. She is not amused by this gross violation of not only her privacy but also that of everyone she grew up with. Her cold fury, the way her eyes scrunch up vindictively, is more chilling than any tears or yelling. But this very foolish man thinks that the royalties from book sales will heal all wounds. The diary, along with the discovery of a long-hidden corpse, pulls Xiaoming back into old relationships and a past she long left behind.

The core themes of the narrative are women's struggles and friendships spanning two generations over 36 years (1987–2023). It mostly alternates between Xiaoming's coming-of-age years around 2004 and the present (2023). Xiaoming was a difficult child—brilliant, prickly, selfish, and judgmental. Her mother, Ren Meiyan, whose life's mission seemed to be marrying her way down the list of 100 surnames, was my favorite character. Her ability to smile through her many struggles as if "the sky falls down to be used as her blanket" (天跌落嚟当被冚) moved me unaccountably. It baffled me how such a ditzy, optimistic, and joyful character could have produced such a pompous and narrow-minded daughter. The number of times I itched to smack Xiaoming for judging her and giving her such a hard time!

The narrative alternates between two timelines that reveal the ties binding two generations of women and their complex entanglements. This is one of those dramas I couldn't stop watching because so many questions popped up from the get-go. What on earth possessed Xiaoming to marry such a turd as Liu Xiaoran? How did the bright, mischievous sparkle in Bai Shu's eyes fade into such a dull, cold, and colorless person? I don't particularly like Liu Yase's acting, but her appearance as the grown-up Bai Shu screams that something soul-destroying must have happened to her—and it broke me. I needed to know what happened to her, to all of them.

The young actors got a huge amount of screen time, and they carried this drama. Wang Shengdi, of The Bad Kids fame (Pu Pu), is riveting as the adolescent Ren Xiaoming lashing out at the world (mostly her mom) with her frustration. Her natural and unique chemistry with Bai Shu, and how they came to understand and change each other's worlds for the better, made me smile. Na Yi is another young actor to watch—her transitions from careless joie de vivre to off-the-charts tension in her quiet, passive-aggressive rebellion against Ge Wenjun are flawless. The young He Yuqiong is the unsung hero of the group: generous to a fault and always there for Xiaoming.

The drama's biggest problem is that it was difficult to really see the child in the adults. Even though it's hard to find fault with Ni Ni or Zhou You's performances, I just couldn't see the young Xiaoming or Yuqiong in either of them. As for Zhang Fang, this role was completely miscast and took me out of the drama. I am usually a huge fan of Liu Mintao, but I found her acting a bit over the top here. Among the adult roles, Yan Ni (Ren Meiyan) and Dong Jie (Zhou Yun) delivered the most convincing performances. But by the time the adults took over the narrative, the kids had already gotten me too invested in the story.

The most laughable part of this drama is the suspense plot—it is a giant nothing burger. So if you are here for the mystery, best give it a skip. From the nameless corpse that remains genderless for the longest time to the dumb cop who refuses to read the book, this is far from a fast-paced crime thriller. Instead, it is a sober coming-of-age story about friendships that survive through sick and sin—the kind that get you through all the things you can't change in life. Yes, there is closure at the end, but twenty years later is just too late. So late that all the unlimited potential of youth had passed them all by.

I rate the main plot arc about women's struggles and friendship an 8.5/10, but the mystery and ending barely a 6.0/10—for an overall 7.5/10.

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You only live twice.

Fan Xian is back!!! There are no words to describe the pure joy I felt after what was for me, a three year wait. I never expected S2 to be as strong as S1 and as much as I enjoyed it, it is not quite at the same level. To begin with, killing a character onscreen is never easy to unwind and their walk back of the S1 cliffhanger was long winded, cumbersome and comically farcical. What saves it is that most audiences are so grateful to see the whole gang, villains and all, back together again they willingly suspend disbelief.

The most noticeable difference with S2 is the visible shift in the narrative from plot driven to largely character driven. After narrowly cheating death, an introspective Fan Xian who realizes you only live twice, returns to the capital. During S1, Teng Zijing showed Fan Xian that some things are worth dying to protect. This season explores what those things are for Fan Xian. He reflects upon his mother's ideals and begins to see the injustices that made her want to change the world. The plight of the common people resonates with him as he comes to understand that he is also but a pawn in a high powered chess game. He embraces his mother's legacy with a sense of purpose and a clear vision of what he means to do with it. The most exhilarating moments of this season are not action packed or full of intricate twists but pivotal moments in Fan Xian's character journey. It is less exciting if you are an action junkie but this is the season that reveals who Fan Xian really is and more importantly, who he wants to be.

With the signature Joy of Life verve and wit, important plot points or character motives are conveyed indirectly with humor. As the laughter abates, the manifold implications, often dark and diabolical start to sink in. The most chilling aspect of S2 is Fan Xian's complex, multi-dimensional chess game with the emperor, who is the grandmaster firmly in control of the board and all the chess pieces. It is not even clear that Chen Pingping is really on Fan Xian's side; after his "miscalculation", he seems just as dangerous as friend or foe. It is from such a disadvantaged position that Fan Xian plays to win even though winning could also cost him his head. While the emperor's end game remains murky, he reveals a guarded, almost resentful affection for Fan Xian that has me hopeful and fearful at the same time. Some of the emperor's schemes and motives are too intricate and have to be explained via dialogue, which is something I am not a fan of.

Inasmuch as I quite miss the rounder and carefree Fan Xian, Zhang Ruoyun's lean and mean new look lends a sense of maturity and gravitas to the role. My mouth goes dry at the layer upon layer of divine masculinity that comprise Fan Xian, the man. His scenes with the emperor where they both test and measure each other are mesmerising until the tension is broken by at times offbeat humor that has me yodelling with laughter. Every dysfunctional Li family gathering is a hilarious parody of a feast at Swan Goose Gate (Hongmen banquet/鸿门宴). There are many insanely well acted emperors in c-drama yet Chen Daoming still manages to stand out with his complex, differentiated, infuriating and utterly unpredictable portrayal. Just when I am sure I loathe him, he blindsides me with an unexpectedly moving expression of almost regret. Fan Xian has yet to get the better of this sociopath but at least he still manages to run circles around "Mini Me". The moment he scared the living daylights out of the second prince is one of the highlights of the season.

It is no small feat that they managed to reunite such a large and sought after cast and practically all the roles are well conveyed. Ye Lingér however was obviously abducted by aliens and replaced with a bot. Hopefully Si Lili rescues her offscreen and returns with the real Ye Lingér just in time for S3. I won't deny that I basked in every moment of this reunion of my favorite characters, good and evil. That said, outside of Fan Sizhe, no one really gets to do anything consequential. Many new characters including the first prince, the Beiqi princess and Fan Xian's scholars are introduced with unclear purpose. Everyone is being teed up but the punchline is put on hold until S3. This unbalanced focus on introducing and fleshing out characters and relationships comes at the cost of plot movement. This makes me worry that this leaves too many open plot arcs to be closed in S3. While I wouldn't dare to explicitly wish anyone's bestie villain dead, I think they should have closed at least one of the villain arcs instead of pushing everything into S3.

The character arc of S2 closes triumphantly with Fan Xian reclaiming his power and free will by choosing what family means to him and in doing so, he changes the game. I expect S3 to be once again more plot driven like S1. While I savored S2 and appreciate that they took the time to flesh out the characters and key relationships, there are just too many open plot threads for me to rate this the 9.5 I gave S1. Thus this is a 9.0/10.0 for me for now. If everything comes together well in S3, the series overall will easily be 9.5 or a 10.0.

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Imposter

Qin Wan, the Qin family’s Ninth Lady, returns to Jingzhou after years in the Valley of the Medicine King—now a gifted healer with a most unladylike interest in forensics. The Qins greet her with frosty disdain, but Qin Wan has more important things on her mind to be fazed by it. For she is an imposter and not the kind that is trying to live someone else's best life. Her true mission? Reopening the Prince Jin case that destroyed her real father’s name. A macabre headless bride case throws her into the orbit of Yan Chi, the emperor’s shrewd nephew. He’s fascinated by her forensic brilliance but suspects she’s hiding more than corpses. Still, her skills prove too useful to ignore, and soon they’re entangled in high-profile cases—and a shared agenda to expose a conspiracy at the heart of imperial power.

Make no mistake, this is a romance first, elevated by Li Landi and Ao Ruipeng’s electric chemistry. Yan Chi’s unwavering support and smoldering gazes melt Qin Wan’s defenses with delicious speed, forging a partnership that’s refreshingly free of miscommunication or love triangles. Their connection simmers in glances and quiet gestures—mature, supportive, and almost too perfectly harmonious. The lack of real obstacles or tests to their bond leaves it feeling more like a fairytale than a romance mystery drama.

Between swoons, Qin Wan tackles eight suspenseful cases (including the finale’s melodramatic conspiracy). The whodunits are predictable, but the why delivers poignant social critique—exposing how women are crushed by inequity, corruption, and imperial privilege. The how, though? Pure forensic fantasy. Qin Wan’s deductions often defy logic, leaning on exaggerated techniques and leaps in reasoning. Yet Li Landi sells it with such poised conviction that my skepticism crumbles every time. Still, mystery purists will groan at the plot holes, coincidences, and Qin Wan’s Teflon-grade plot armor—Yan Chi always arrives just in time to save her from any real consequence for her actions.

Li Landi shines with her radiant and hypnotic portrayal of quiet competence, though her roles in The Starry Love and Love of Nirvana offered more nuance. Ao Ruipeng nails the green-flag hero archetype, but Yan Chi’s righteousness lacks layers. Thankfully, side characters—Yan Li, Yue Ning, and Yan Chi’s formidable grandmothers (the Grand Princess and Empress Dowager)—inject needed complexity and humour. Yan Chi’s relationship with his father Prince Rui is undercooked and should have been better explored.

The final arcs pivot to palace intrigue, trading forensic puzzles for murderous princes, scheming women and a dog's blood stab-happy finale. The end twist is clever but collapses under scrutiny—riddled with contrivances and a villain who is aided and abetted by all of the women’s inexplicable silence. This dulls the story’s initial feminist edge into a parade of bloodthirsty and wicked harpies, betraying its own ethos. And Qin Wan’s victory rings hollow: she solves her father’s case but fails to truly clear his name. If the message was “No man is above the law, and no one below it,” it lands with a thud.

Verdict? A bingeable, romance-driven romp with enough charm to gloss over its flaws. 8.0/10.0—generous, but deserved for sheer entertainment.

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The abyss looks into you.

Escape from the Trilateral Slopes 边水往事 is a thrilling survival adventure drama adapted from Shen Xingxing's autobiographical account of his year in The Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is a large mountainous terrain at the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak rivers and is comprised of northeastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand and northern Laos, bordering Yunnan. Despite multiple coordinated crackdown efforts, The Golden Triangle has long been the world's largest drug producing area; initially of opium and subsequently synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamines. It is also a hot bed of related illegal activities from timbering to gambling and is a lawless place where local warlords control different territories and businesses. Names of places and people have been changed to protect the guilty so for the purposes of this drama, the Golden Triangle is Sanbianpo and the story opens in Monung, in the fictional Republic of Bomo. Meticulous research and attention to detail is evident in the world building, to the point of inventing local dialects and written languages. As impressive as this effort is, I would have preferred they staged it in the real respective Southeast Asian countries. However, unlike Hollywood, Chinese productions shy away excessively from portraying other countries and nationalities in an unflattering way. @Frost_edelweiss has meticulously documented this production and the setting in the discussion section for those interested in more details.

Shen Xing decides to skip college to join his uncle's construction company and shows up unannounced in Monung, to his uncle's dismay. He quickly discovers that Sanbianpo is no tropical paradise but a complicated, sunny place for shady people. To collect on bad debts, his uncle ventures into a conflict zone and disappears, leaving Shen Xing to hold the fort. Facing a liquidity crunch, Shen Xing borrows money from loan sharks at usurious rates to make payroll. Things snowball as desperate to find his uncle, he gets involved with counterfeiters and finds himself framed for murder. Before he knows it, he is a fugitive fleeing many different forces. He ends up indebted to Uncle Cai, a wheeler-dealer businessman who juggles the various competing forces in Sanbianpo. Thus Shen Xing becomes the patsy that Uncle Cai nonchalantly sends off on increasingly perilous missions. Before long, he is finds himself embroiled in all aspects of the Sanbianpo economy; sending provisions to drug dealers, smuggling gems, cattle farming; timbering, gambling; everything short of drug trafficking. That is Uncle Cai and his men's bottom line; the one they vowed not to cross. The story highlights how divisive the drug trade is; with some forced into it by poverty or conscription while others doggedly avoid it after losing loved ones to its trade or use.

I am pleased to see Guo Qilin step out of his comfort zone to take on this role of Shen Xing. And he delivers an acceptable portrayal overall but one that is lacking on several notable fronts. For starters, he doesn't look the part so it is a stretch to imagine he is hardy or athletic enough to survive numerous life endangering encounters. To make matters worse, it is absurd to pair him up romantically with a lanky actress like Qi Xi; even though she pulls off her role well, I cringed through that entire arc. He does a credible job humorously portraying the bewildered, naive young man who looks into the abyss and only manages to survive by sheer luck. His critical fail is in conveying what happens when the abyss looks into you. His character stays largely the same throughout and in moments of trauma, dumbfounded tends to be his default expression. This stands at sharp contrast with young actor Zhao Runnan's compelling portrayal of Guo Limin's shattering darkening and psychological downfall. What saves the day is there is fantastic rapport between the entire cast and Shen Xing's relationships with Uncle Cai, Dan Tuo, Wang Anquan, Lan Bo and even the hapless Justin seem authentic and moving enough to make me root for all of them. His enemies into besties relationship with Dan Tuo and how Dan Tuo silently looks out for him is one of the highlights of the story. Jiang Qilin is a fantastic actor and his Dan Tuo stole the show for me and is the unsung hero of the story. I also thoroughly enjoyed Jiang Qiming's hilarious portrayal of jack-of-all trades in the middle of all scams Wang Anquan as well. The villains are satisfyingly nasty and heinous; from the duplicitous Ang Tan to the viciously scary and hateful Mao Pan. While I wish they had cast a stronger character actor like a Liu Haoran as Shen Xing, the entire cast is so exceptional that their riveting portrayals paper over most of Guo Qilin's shortcomings.

The enigmatic, utterly ruthless and diabolically charismatic Uncle Cai is the lynchpin of this story. He is the most fascinating, multi-faceted character in the story. At surface, he is pragmatic, reasonable, an incredibly devout Buddhist and loyal to his wife's memory; a ruthless businessman when he needs to be but one with a bottom line. Thus he is not a villain for the sake of villainy but only when it serves his purpose; there is a utilitarian calculus involved in every action and decision. He doesn't hide who he is or what he is about but this is masked by his devoutness and humble persona and how he disarmingly switches between Cantonese, Mandarin and local dialects to best convey his sincerity. Only a highly skilled veteran actor like Francis Ng can deliver such a mesmerising portrayal. Like Shen Xing, Dan Tuo and his many followers, I was so dazzled, almost spellbound by his personal charisma that I didn't look too hard at his actions. He callously sends Shen Xing out on missions without full information but seems so wholeheartedly delighted that he survives time and again that I forget that he is the guy that tossed him in the frying pan and turned on the fire at the same time. Uncle Cai holds his cards close to the chest and never explains himself unless he has to. The drama respects audience intelligence and leaves it to the viewer to figure out how he manipulates situations and outcomes. This is a character that keeps you guessing until the end that can only be fully understood upon (multiple) rewatches.

The narrative builds to a shocking and thrilling climax and the ending is chilling and realistic. This drama has fantastic production values and movie like cinematography. It is riveting, thrilling and unpredictable from start to finish and sets a high bar future Chinese suspense and adventure thrillers. A must-watch that I am happy to rate 8.5/10.0. I knocked off 0.5 to be fair because as much as I like Guo Qilin, it is impossible to deny that the key role of Shen Xing is mis-cast. It is the dramas only real flaw.

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Gangsta's Paradise

I bounced off walls with joy and excitement when I came across this movie. It has been too long since we have seen a hard core Hong Kong style triad martial arts movie like this. Not to mention the cast - Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Raymond Lam; literally a Who's Who of veteran Hong Kong action super stars. Adapted from Andy Seto's manhua "City of Darkness," this movie is set in the 1980s in the Kowloon Walled City, or Hak Nam/黑暗 as it was known to locals. Dismantled in 1993, this was once the most crowded place on earth, packing 35,000 people within 6.4 acres. This infamous den of iniquity was a gangsta's paradise; a dystopian, lawless enclave of mostly refugees where crime proliferated and triads kept the peace with their own brand of street justice. The replica of the Walled City is viscerally authentic down to the chaotic claustrophobia of structure piled precariously upon structure and the stench of overflowing humanity permeating the dank, narrow corridors.

This fast-paced action-packed movie that pays tribute to the golden age of Hong Kong cinema exploits tried and true themes of loyalty, brotherhood and vigilante justice. Chan Lok-Kwun (Raymond Lam) is a mainland refugee that sneaks into HK in the 1980s. He runs afoul of triad boss Mr Big (Sammo Hung) and in a thrilling chase, jumps from the frying pan into the fire of the Walled City. Through blood, sweat and bone-crunching fights, he earns the grudging respect of Typhoon and his underlings, who keep the peace within the Walled City. The narrative rushes through not that well fleshed out subplots involving past grudges and shady business deals but who cares? They are simply excuses to stage one innovative, physics defying action scene after another featuring fighters dressed to kill at 1980s comic-con. While Typhoon and his rival Mr Big anchor the narrative, the younger crew really hold their own up against the intimidating cast. I laughed out loud at their moments of dark humor and brash camaraderie.

One of this movie's top highlights is the the gritty, awe-inspiring recreation of the dystopian underworld within the Walled City; a place that spawned countless video games and works of fiction. The action scenes pay tribute to the manhua with outlandish cartoon-like combatants and the death proof brawls featuring wildly exaggerated superpowers. The fight scenes got more fantastical as the movie progresses and climaxes in a crazy, all-out extended take down of an almost invincible villain. I was on the edge of my seat with excitement and anxiety the entire time; thinking more than once that the bad guy was gonna win. Nonetheless I felt the best fights were early on, where despite the astounding athleticism, they were still grounded in some semblance of reality. I had my heart in my mouth watching Chan Lok-Kwun's opening shattered glass skirmish, the way he fights his way out of tight spaces on the bus and his parkour like first foray into the Walled City. This is how real martial arts action scenes should be choreographed and filmed. Later on, while still inventive and gripping, the action strays a bit too far into the realm of the fantastical.

This movie is a must watch and not just for old times' sake; preferably in Cantonese and on the big screen. It shows that Hong Kong cinema is still alive and well and stands the test of time. I am only rating this an 8.0/10.0 because the plot could have been better but the overall entertainment value vastly exceeds this rating.

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Soul searching.

This is an absorbing sci-fi suspense thriller built around themes relating to the immortality of the soul and its ability to reincarnate after death. The city's top prosecutor Liang Wen Chao (Chang Chen) takes on a high profile, inexplicable and grisly murder of a terminally ill tycoon. As Wen Chao examines the key suspects - the son, the young wife, the deceased ex-wife and the business partner, cutting edge technology and superstitious rituals intersect to further muddy waters already tainted by greed, love, hate, misplaced loyalty, revenge and man's futile quest for immortality.

Without spoiling it, I think the whodunit aspect of it is quite well done from the way the suspicion shifts from one suspect to another until the impossible is eliminated down to what remains as the improbable truth. I did not completely buy into some of the motives of the key suspects and I was irritated by the over-acted supernatural twist that failed to deliver the chiller thriller effect it was striving for. As for the howdunit aspect I will just say it was much more fiction than science but this is the case with most sci-fi thrillers. Since it does deliver an interesting twist, it is very forgivable so just go along with it and suspend disbelief.

This movie's strongest selling point is Chang Chen and Janine Chang's performance as the core investigative team and lead couple. The kind of stoic, desperate soldiering on Chang Chen does as a terminally ill man desperate to do his best for A Bao and their unborn child with what little time he has left is heartbreaking and moving. This is really Chang Chen's best role in terms of how he conveys such deep emotions and soul searching with so few words and how his journey gives him unique insight into the victim. Beyond his incredible weight loss, I was also riveted by how effectively Chang Chen conveyed the impression of a man calling upon the last legs of his energy, whose mind is very much alive as his body fails. This is not a love story but because of amazing acting by the lead couple, I can see the depth and complexity of their unspoken emotions, how well they just fit together, understand and sacrifice for each other. This is the part of the movie that will stay with me.

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A wrinkle in time.

This is a surprisingly enjoyable short love story with a novel premise. He Zhengyu, a hot shot lawyer experiences a series of setbacks that lands him in a modest apartment. Every night, he is "haunted" by rookie reporter Chen Jialan, who occupied the apartment four months ago. A wrinkle in time brings them together each night at 10:06pm for 46 minutes. During this time they must solve a few cases that they were involved in professionally that may have set them on the road to perdition.

The initial encounters between Zhengyu and Jialan are hilarious and intriguing as they both scare the hell out of each other. They had me rooting for them from the get go. But as their relationship progresses, I find Jialan remains too sweet, childish and cutesy. I expect to see their chemistry take on a more mature and adult tone later on but this doesn't quite happen. Nonetheless, I stayed invested in their story throughout and kept going even though the whole Jirong saga bored me to tears. I have not seen such bland and monotonous acting in a long time. It is almost criminal to pair up such an insipid actress with such a hot actor as Dai Gaozheng. The cast overall is not strong and it is Yang Xuwen's convincing and charismatic portrayal of Zhengyu and how he is changed by this wrinkle in time that elevates the main relationship and saves the entire drama.

The biggest plot hole in this story is He Zhengyu's lack of curiosity about who Chen Jialan was and why she vacated the apartment he moved into. You would think his first instinct would be to find out everything about her and to try to track her down. But no, he waits till very late in the game to do this. The cases are only mildly interesting and the villains are quite obvious. While the drama does a good job transitioning between the past and the present, the main characters traverse back and forth too often and too inconsequentially. The plot does become slightly convoluted towards the end, with too many twists. Despite some obvious flaws and plot holes, there are enough fresh and engaging moments that make this an entertaining watch. This is a 7.5/10.0 that will nicely tide over a dry spell.

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A cut above.

This is a wonderfully produced drama that deserves a lot more attention. It is a riveting tale of sibling rivalry that spans a time of rapid change and turbulence in modern Chinese history. Jiang Mosheng and Lu Yuanzhi are both adopted and apprenticed by Master Su Jingan of Sancai (Triple Cut) House, couturier of the Qing Imperial Court. Sancai House routinely outshines other rival houses in the workmanship, symbolism and design of the intricate ornamentation of the Dowager Empress' court robes, allegedly due to their seamless stitch, a tradecraft that is passed down from one generation to another. Master Su's most bitter rival is his former fellow apprentice, Master Bai Henian of Sihe House.

Jiang Mosheng is the older, steady, responsible brother and heir apparent, whose great talent is meaningfully enhanced by his passion and dedication. Lu Yuanzhi is the hot headed, audacious and visionary brother; a rare talent whose brilliance is nothing short of genius. His recklessness however lands him in serious trouble. To save him, Mosheng cuts ties with Sancai House, defects to Sihe House and accepts Master Bai as his foster father. This sets the brothers down a complicated path of reluctant rivalry, conflicting loyalties, mutual friendships, convenient alliances, mistrust, betrayal and forgiveness. The most prominent feature of this drama is the Abel and Cain relationship between the brothers and it is well written, consistent and riveting. Both of them are flawed characters and neither is completely blameless for how things play out between them. Although Yuanzhi learns to rein in his recklessness and temper as he matures, it still manages to get the better of him. His culpability over Mosheng's sacrifice constantly lingers in the air between them. Even though he can be such an ass, I have to sympathise with Mosheng's battle with his own worst instincts in the shadow of someone who is perpetually a cut above. Both Zhang Haowei and Hong Yao delivered excellent, empathetic performances, alternately frustrating, enraging and beguiling me at all the right moments.

How the design of the cheongsam or qipao evolves to reflect the changing attitudes of times is the main, fascinating centrepiece of the drama. While not in the same league as the more modern and sophisticated qipaos of Wong Kar Wai's iconic In The Mood for Love, all of the outfits from the Qing court robes to the Western flapper dresses are simply gorgeous and I truly enjoyed the mini history of Chinese costume. How the female characters are dressed is also symbolic of who they are - Yaoyao is a remnant of the past at sharp contrast with Lijun, the ultimate, progressive modern woman. Kang Ning sits in the middle - she embraces change in a way that marries it with tradition; and thus she is truly Yuanzhi's muse. True to character, both Kang Ning and Lijun have a very refreshing attitude towards relationships and love that I truly enjoy and they fight to write their own stories even when events conspire against them. The only character I didn't like is Yaoyao who is your typical c-drama archetype but she is written that way as a foil for the other two. There are enough dimensional, grey and consequential characters in this drama that I am very satisfied with the character aspects of it. Most of these key roles are performed by veteran actors whose acting often surpasses the quality of the dialogue. I laughed my head off at the dynamics between Lijun, Feiyu and her father.

This is largely a character driven drama where the main characters have to cope with the changing times as they transition from the Qing era to the Republican era and Japanese incursion. While the pace is fast with many exciting and unexpected turns along the way, not all of the sub plots and arcs are consistently well written. Some of the stressing events that the main characters face are a bit contrived, can be lazily written and at times defy logic. But between excellent acting and all the interesting character developments, I found the plot holes quite easy to forgive. I do appreciate how all of the characters go through rough times, experience loss, how actions have consequences and justice is often blind. The villains are decent but less interesting than the characters themselves, some of whom are quite grey if not outright vile.

I am happy to recommend this as a very enjoyable watch with some good fresh takes on old tropes. Overall for me this is an 8.0.

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Today is a good day to die.

Xu Tian, the young scion of a wealthy Southeast Asian family, is on his way to Shanghai to meet his fiancee for the first time. Set in 1930, his journey takes him from Guangdong through Jiangxi and Zhejiang; lawless territory controlled by local warlords. This is a road drama where the journey is an analogy for Xu Tian's personal growth and how this perilous trip makes a man of him. He is aided and inspired by five eccentric jianghu characters - a hot-blooded revolutionary, an idealistic warlord in a gilded cage, a romantic gambler, a passive aggressive doctor and a bourgeois wheeler and dealer. As they cut a bloody path to Shanghai, Xu Tian learns that actions have consequences; to live in the moment; that luck can change; that family must be protected and that money can buy access to all sorts of people and things.

This is the fist time I have seen a Chinese drama attempt this kind of bizarre, absurd and violent black comedy where a small event, in this case a purloined wallet spirals out of control and snowballs into a series of violent, unpredictible and bloody encounters. All of Xu Tian's companions along the way have distinctive personalities and temperaments that make them the main character in their own stories. They are wierd, flawed, obssessive characters that are at surface triggered by bizzare and seemingly trivial events that are actually profound and hopelessly romantic upon deeper reflection. When triggered, they become raging bloodthirsty lunatics with a "today is a good day to die" kind of reckless fearlessness and determination. The ethos and irony is captured and diffused by the crisp, darkly comedic dialogue that builds both anticipation and fear as the story careens down a volatile and unpredictible path.

This cast list is like the who's who of top Chinese actors, starting with Liao Fan as Lao Sun. His opening arc is the one that made me experience shock, awe, rage and sorrow at man's reckless, absurd, obstinacy and obsessiveness. This was a tough act to follow and Zhang Luyi fumbles a bit in his portrayal of Yu Yixiu, who is by design a fascinating paradoxically powerful and helpless character. Thus the second arc sags somewhat but gets shored up somewhat by Wu Xiaoliang's short and moving portrayal of the lovestruck gambling addict. The drama gallops on to a thrilling finish when Zhang Yi's obsequious, passive aggresive doctor teams up with Tian Yu's explosive, trigger happy capitalist for the final showdown. I also have much praise for Zhang Jingwei's fanatically dogged Ma Tianfang, Song Hanhuan's mercilessly ambitious Wu Da and Qiu Tian's passionately misguided Jia Ruo Lan.

Unfortunately the cast's impeccable performances all around is weighed down by the leading role, Dong Zijian's Xu Tian. He is an excellent actor but this was a big step down from his other works. Maybe he was simply out classed by the stellar cast but I think more likely, he was just mis-cast in this role. I didn't like his Xu Tian at all and was not moved by and did not empathize with the character. If the journey made him smarter or stronger, it did not come across; he just seemed just as belligerent, more vicious and just as obdurate. I frankly didn't care whether or not he made it to Shanghai and couldn't believe so many risked all to help him along the way. I even cared more for the petty villains and the poor bystanders that were collateral damage than I did for Xu Tian. This drama made me laugh as hard as I cried and I was unbecomingly thrilled by every dark, sick, ironic twist the narrative took. But when I can barely root for the main character over the villain, I must only rate this an 8.5/10.0. That said, it is still a mind-blowing and incredible adventure, especially if you like dark comedy.

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Lightning doesn't strike.

Season 2 picks up where Season 1 left off with Wuxie and Xiao Bai leaving Warehouse 11 and assembling a team to journey on to Thunder City. At this point Wuxie is desperately ill and it is not clear whether he will survive long enough to get closure on what happened to Wu Sansheng and unravel the secrets of the Thunder God. This season is better paced and more tightly written, avoids the digressions characteristic of Season 1 and comes to a satisfying conclusion. In this journey, Wuxie learns to live life in the present moment and appreciate the people around him rather than chasing mirages.

Unlike Season 1, this season is a lot less about the Iron Triangle. Although we see them and their rapport and witty banter remain the most memorable highlights of the drama, this would be more aptly titled Entrourage rather than Reunion. The issue is that too many members of the team that travels to Thunder City only have modestly well developed relationships with Wuxie and/or Xiaobai but are pretty much strangers to each other. So when they are thrown together in suspenseful or dangerous situations, there isn't that very enjoyable natural chemistry or seamless bond that emanates when the Iron Triangle is together. The only execptions are Xiao Bai and Liu Sang and possibly Hei Yanjing so things markedly improved towards the end when all the "extras" get left behind.

The other enjoyable aspect of this season are that we have two very good villains - Boss Jiao and the spy and one excellent grey character Jiang Zisuan. In fact I would say they somewhat stole the limelight in this season. I was particularly impressed by Wu Lipeng's portrayal of Wuxie disguised as Jiang Zisuan. He literally knocks off all of the little mannerisms and micro expressions of Zhu Yilong's Wuxie to a T. However, it goes on for way too long and to the point where it was no longer even logical from a plot point of view. So the season ends with this feeling that Zhu Yilong/Wuxie was missing in action toward the end. This is particularly disappointing because in the final arc, I expect to see the "real" Wuxie cunningly out maneuvre and confront the last villain. Instead, he pretty much just rocks up for the final two "real" episodes. Even though Zhu Yilong/Wuxie returns for that final showdown, it has a hollow and anti-climatic tone to it, as if he is not fully in character.

Although this season progresses at a much better pace without the marked ups and downs of Season 1, I actually still find both Sea King's Tomb arc and Warehouse 11 arc of Season 1 superior to both Thunder City arc and Imperial City arc of Season 2. That is not to say these arcs are not well done, they truly are but they just were not as dangerously thrilling or mythically suspenseful - I did not feel my heart in my throat the way I did in the first arc of Season 1. This is probably because the Iron Triangle is somewhat overshadowed in Season 2 and it is hard to care as much for the entourage cast. I was praying for the Iron Triangle's survival every moment of the Sea King's Tomb arc. That does not happen in any of the Season 2 arcs - in fact if anything it seems a bit too easy. So despite its overall better cadence of storytelling, Season 2 feels like the thunder rolls but lighting doesn't strike. Thus, I rate both seasons a very enjoyable 8.5 for very different reasons. I separately reviewed Season 1 in greater detail.

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Sizzles while it fizzles.

A massive fire devastates Qingzhou on the night Dayan's Weibei army triumphantly reclaims the city from Xiyan. Suspected of razing the city to the ground, the Weibei army is disbanded in shame while their leader, Prince Murong Jinghe is sent to his fief. To Mei Lin whose world collapsed that day, that was not justice; far from it! Rising from the flames, she transforms herself into an elite assassin for the Shadow Works. Her first assignment is to infiltrate Dayan as a Xiyan beauty bride to assassinate the "Butcher General" Murong Jinghe. She must complete her mission with all due haste to obtain the antidote to the deadly toxin the mysterious master of the Shadow Works uses to control her.

The stage is set and Murong Jinghe's entrance made my my jaw drop and my mouth go dry! Sinister and unspeakably handsome, insolent, casually malevolent and utterly unforgettable. When his cold cynical gaze collides with Mei Lin's wild, ferocious one, the screen explodes into flames. I was seated for what promised to be the ultimate revenge drama, a dark, passionate and twisted enemies to lovers story. I can't remember the last time a drama hooked me so completely from the get go. So I hushed my inner voice that protested the fact that they seemed to reveal the entire plot by episode 3. All too soon after, their thrilling dark, combative chemistry and one-upwomanship tit-for-tat turned into a moving unbreakable alliance that made them both so vulnerable I feared for them. Even though the plot falls apart around them, I enjoyed every moment of the torrid, ardent, connection between Jinghe and Mei Lin that was so effortlessly conveyed by Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan. They captivated me with their intense screen presence and the way their chemistry still sizzles while it fizzles through every silly, illogical, emotionally harrowing arc the script made them jump through.

This drama was by a wide margin, my biggest disappointment this year. As someone who read and more or less forgot the novel 春花厌 or Spring Flower Disgusted, I should have known that you can't make a symphony out of one note. There simply was not enough plot to do justice to the exciting concept and delicious character designs. Unfortunately Murong Jinghe, who was a ruthless scumbag for most of the novel, got whitewashed so early in the drama I thought he was body swapped into his adorable little white dog. Nonetheless, I enjoyed watching the enemies become allies and then lovers. Exceptional visuals and the couple's chemistry got me through the boring digression into the romantic filler arc that saw both leads regress into lovey dovey country bumpkins. The all-important revenge arc however disappointed me deeply as Mei Lin was unforgivably short changed of her vengeance so we never really get to see her slay as an assassin nonpareil. The drama should have ended at that arc instead of soldiering on for another mind numbingly boring eight episodes. The entire final Xiyan arc was ridiculously melodramatic and Zigu's love story was yet another filler arc, one that was in poor taste. Jinghe turns into a noble idiot who entrusts a well-meaning but incompetent young idiot with a task that was way over his pay grade. After all the blood and tears, I almost laughed out loud that they were ultimately foiled by a flower chomping, superstitious old fool. The drama comes to a full circle with the novel in that no one gets an ending that they deserve.

I won't lie - even Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan's phenomenal acting and charisma could not save this drama, it just made it barely tolerable. None of the other characters are interesting or well written enough to make me invested in their stories. Baron Chen's Murong Xuanlie is quite well portrayed but is too archetypal and his story and motivations quickly becomes repetitive and boring. Luo Mei's moral code is too mismatched with that of Xuanlie that as a couple, they are completely implausible. And Yue Qin was written to be such a lame character that there really was no room for Bi Wenjun to shine. What promised to be a dark and riveting story about love, revenge and justice turned out to be a sober warning about the ravages of war. Everyone from the common man to the king in the high castle is not safe and lives regretfully ever after.

This was a story that was written by four different writers and it shows. I can easily rate the first 3 episodes of this drama 8.5-9.0. After that, it barely holds an 8.0 for me and after episode 24, it is barely a 6.0. I think a fair rating overall is 7.0 but I throw in 0.5 more for Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan's acting to call it a 7.5. Watch at your own risk and use the FF button liberally.

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My dear, I don't give a damn.

Gone with the Rain is one of the few Chinese dramas out there that has a very apt English title. It is also set in a time of civil war and the design of the four main characters are unmistakably inspired by Margaret Mitchell's epic classic novel Gone with the Wind. It is very much a character drama that is at surface a romance, but the true love story is the one between two women who are almost diametric opposites of one another.

This story takes place in a fictional Jing state but the costumes and background suggests this loosely is late Tang dynasty when the powerful local military governors rebelled. Vast swarths of the country was thrown into civil war during which the central government had little knowledge or control over what was happening. The drama's greatest failing is that it is very sloppy in terms of clearly explain who the different factions and what their agendas are. Events unfold conveniently and not always logically simply to enable character conflict and development.

The story is told largely from seventeen year old Tang Moxi's perspective. She breaks the fourth wall in the beginning and continues to share her thoughts via very vivid, at times funny and at times silly daydreams. Moxi is illegtimate and orphaned at an early age, she grows up on sufference in the household of her uncle Bai Wentao a scheming mid-level official. Her first cousin Bai Fengyao its the only one that cares for her. The drama opens with the country on the verge of civil unrest. The cousins are colluding to evade their family's efforts to marry them off for advancement. Moxi rescues a dashing wounded soldier Wan Jiagui and falls for him. She also encounters an infuriating general Chen Wende. Through a series of misunderstandings, some self inflicted Moxi finds herself caught between both men while Wan Jiagui finds himself engaged to both women. A tortuous romantic quadrangle between the four plays out as the country slides into chaos. The romances are secondary to how the relationship between the women navigates civil war and a messy love rivalry.

Despite their different personalities and perspectives, Moxi and Fengyao share a touching and unbreakable bond. Moxi is fiesty, selfish, cynical, manipulative and tough as nails beneath her lovely exterior. She is above all a survivor; she has to be as there is only the rather helpless Fengyao in her corner. Fengyao is pretty much everything Moxi is not - selfless, well educated, gentle, sentimental, idealistic,and impractical; in other words quite useless. Their strengths and weaknesess complement and together, they are able to acutally fend quite well for each other. Unfortunately they both fall for the gallant, noble hero in heroes clothing Wan Jiagui who when tested is actually a weak character. Moxi spends most of the drama fighting her devastating attraction to Chen Wende, a rough, uncouth warrior who is more than what he appears to be. He is the only character that remains charismatic and likable throughout the drama. After awhile, it is quite obvious where these four main character blueprints are from.

The first half of the drama is quite enjoyable as Moxi and Fengyao find their strengths and struggle with their flaws in trying times. However, Moxi's wilful blindness and her obstinate pinning for her first love went on for so long it became tedious. I wanted to hurl my remote at her and yell "My dear, I don't give a damn!" Even though all the portrayals are well done and the characters are multi-dimensional, this drama spends too much time rehashing character flaws without a well fleshed out plot to keep things engaging. The conflict and attraction between Chen Wende and Moxi is the only highlight of the second half of the drama which made it less of a struggle. I also enjoyed the casting of an actress in the role of Wu Yin. The second relationship however is not sufficiently developed because all of the men can only have eyes for Moxi. The final arc is rushed and Moxi's ability to transform herself is not well explained and frankly impossible. The story does come to a satisfying ending with the final episodes making up for the sag in the latter half. This is different enough from the usual run-of-the-mill historical Chinese drama that I enjoyed many aspects of it. It is quite well acted and had it been shorter and more tightly written, I'd probably rate it better than 7/10.

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When karma slaps back.

Blossom (九重紫) stands out in a year where too many highly anticipated period costume dramas implode and self destruct pass the mid-point. This is short drama director Zheng Jingjie's debut long form drama where he once again compels with his brand of immersive storytelling. This drama avoids naming the dynasty as the narrative takes liberties with history and is quite critical of the emperor but it should be loosely set in mid-Ming dynasty, during the reign of the Chenghua emperor. The rebirth premise is straightforward and the business and palace conspiracy plot arcs while often done, are transformed by innovative takes on tired themes, a masterful build up in tension, suspense and relief and brisk pacing overall. There is nothing really that special about the plot or the acting, it is once again mostly about this director's captivating camera language and narrative panache that turned multiple low budget short dramas into memorable mini hits that punch above their production values. His foray into long form dramas should hopefully shake up the complacent and lazy storytelling characteristic of the well established long form directors.

Dou Zhao is the capable, long suffering wife of Wei Tingyu, the profligate Marquis of Jining. She chooses the cold and snowy night that vengeful butcher general Song Mo helps Prince Qing depose the crown prince and seize the throne, to dump her husband's sloppy ass. As she flees the capital, she is rescued by an injured Song Mo and they take refuge at the temple of a mysterious monk Yuantong. Cornered and betrayed, they fall into an abyss through time and space, inextricably bound through Yuantong's cryptic book of divination. Dou Zhao wakes up as if from a dream, as a young girl again, clutching the prophetic book like a lifeline. She is immediately thrust into one of the turning points in her life, where she painfully learns that forewarned is not necessarily forearmed. Nonetheless, she determinedly sets out to get it right this time around; to make herself financially independent and to avoid her past disastrous marriage. One of the story's strengths is that when karma slaps back, jeopardy is at play and Dou Zhao's book of riddles is far from a roadmap of the future. As the ripple effects of the changes she makes snowball, her world increasingly deviates from the past and the path ahead is murky and no less treacherous.

As for Song Mo, he has the hero halo and is the total package as far as physical appearances go but that is about it. As it turns out, his impressive muscles extend all the way up between his ears. This is an all bravado, all heart, kind of character that allows his rage and impulses to dictate his actions. As Ji Yong mockingly points out over and over again, he is a mantis with little insight or awareness even of who is moving the chess pieces around him and is easily manipulated into being someone else's pawn. His reckless, selfish and misguided quest for justice for one person, puts the wrong person on the throne and upsets the order of the universe, resulting in injustice for many people. So much so that 閻王/Yanwang the King of Hell himself must have rejected him and sent him back for a reboot. He does not get smarter, he is simply Dou Zhao's pawn the second time around and not the chess player. She is the inner voice of caution he does not possess that saves him time and again from his worst instincts. Dou Zhao's mature styling gives her gravitas as a business woman but it also makes her look visibly older than Song Mo. Leaving a few grey streaks in his hair may have negated this impression somewhat. Needless to say, even though I enjoyed the plot, I am lukewarm about this kind of CP and was not bowled over by their romance or chemistry. In fact, I find Dou Zhao has better chemistry with Ji Yong, who is her intellectual equal and her soul mate and confidante. But yeah, I get it, I'd probably also pick the hot general over the chess grandmaster. Being shallow is so much more fun!

The cast in this drama are all up and coming actors whose acting skills are still works in progress. Nonetheless, this director is accustomed to working with C-grade actors and adroitly papers over all their flaws with his brilliant visual narrative style. The best decision this production made was to invest in good voice actors that were able to give definition to all the roles that mattered. This is a case study for how in some cases, it is better not to rely on original voice. While I always like the storytelling approach of making certain supporting roles main characters of their own arcs, this was hit or miss in terms of execution. I enjoyed Wei Tingyu and Dou Ming's sub-plot best, but both characters did not get an ending they deserved. This was so that a tropey villain like Wei Xingyue got her own super unoriginal and overly melodramatic arc. It was a race to the bottom with the completely ridiculous and boring Song Han and Miao Ansu arc, which highlights the two most atrociously bad actors in the cast. There are more interesting character stories played by more charismatic actors including Chen Jia and Zhao Zhangru, Gu Yu and Wu Shan that they could be better explored. I really enjoyed Gu Yu and hope to see more of this very humorous and charming young actor Fu Weilun. Unlike Dou Zhao who has Ji Yong, Song Mo doesn't have a really good sidekick and Gu Yu could have been better utilised in this capacity. While there is no shortage of petty and not so original villain archetypes, this story lacks a really good villain with a compelling motive. The only ones that had real mastermind potential got whitewashed in the finale to deliver one twist too many.

Despite a few arcs that could have been better, a few missed opportunities, some sloppy logic and messy edits, the story finishes strongly at the plot climax and ends in a satisfying way. It is a very solid production that made the best of its limited resources. It got noticed and won well deserved praises not only because it is truly quite good but because so many other dramas with superior resources ended up bombing out so badly in 2024. As someone who was long ago bored with the romance genre, I enjoyed this enough to rate it 8.5/10.0

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How a leader of men becomes a follower of a woman.

Li Ni is too good to be true: a brave, patriotic, upstanding and brilliant young general who safeguards the border at the kingdom's farthest reaches with his Zhenxi army. He aspires to live a carefree, adventurous life at his beloved Laolan Pass with his found family of merry men, steering clear of his imperial roots. And no wonder; his royal father and two half-brothers are cowardly, venal, ambitious, duplicitous and so dumb they test the limits of the word. But destiny intervenes when a military governor Sun Jing seizes the capital, holds Li Ni's witless father hostage and the imperial grandson and rightful successor goes missing. As the kingdom descends into civil war, Li Ni leads the intrepid Zhenxi army to try to save the day. He encounters the bold and audacious A Ying, a lieutenant at the helm of the formidable Cui family army. At first glance, A'Ying is an awesome character; strong, independent, daring, ambitious and cunning. While they have different visions of the future, they are aligned in the immediate purpose of defeating Sun Jing. They join hands in an alliance that has each trying to out do the other in terms of being the one to seize victory. Sparks fly between them, suggesting a broader and more permanent union could be in the cards.

The political plot is very loosely based on the history of the founding of the Tang dynasty. The writing reflects a shallow understanding of politics and historical reality and just plain laziness. The writer clearly didn't know what to do with the one interesting and smart villain and thus quickly kills them off. We are then bamboozled with a bunch of very tired one-note villain archetypes who are surprisingly difficult to kill dead despite their limited brain cells. They are so done before too many times villains that they are not worthy of mention. The only good thing about the battle for the throne arcs are the action scenes; they are exciting and bloody. Xu Kai always delivers incredibly agile and powerful fight scenes and with a good action director like this, he really shines. The drama peaks at an epic and consequential battle around episode 32 and that is probably the best place to stop. It took me a long time to get through the final 8 episodes that were unnecessary and as bland as tofu.

In terms of the romance, this drama is anchored by good chemistry and flawless portrayals by Xu Kai and Jing Tian. It errs on the side of being overly generous with the fan service sweet scenes, which I only mildly enjoyed. I may have been more convinced had I not just come off watchingJing Tian beam beatifically up at Feng Shaofeng (Legend of Zhuohua) with that exact same limpid, adoring expressions. The bigger issue is that A Ying as a character is incredibly difficult to like. She is strong willed, reckless and has a most unbecoming need to win all the time and especially when she is wrong. She doesn't even "win" with any great, glorious or brilliant schemes; her kisses are essentially Kryptonite as far as Li Ni is concerned. It is beyond infantile that he would cede an entire city for a kiss! Li Ni's wants are mallaeble as far as she is concerned and she takes it upon herself to meddle in high power politics to achieve the outcomes she wants. When she doesn't like the consequences of her schemes, it is inevitably Li Ni's fault. The "dealbreaker" conflict between them never gets solved; their relationship is bailed out by events, which is an anti-climatic writing cop out that left me convinced they will surely end up divorced. She does not communicate with Li Ni, overestimates her ability to handle problems on her own and is oblivious to the fact that a deranged lunatic is after her even though he captures her many times. To my dismay, each of her near death experiences are just near. We are told this is a smart and independent character but we are shown she is not smart and constantly needs rescuing from her own hubris. Their love story is an utterly soul destroying tale of how a leader of men becomes a follower of a woman. The only love story in this drama that actually moved me was that of Consort Xiao.

This is Xu Kai's best recent drama after a string of disappointments and he does a really good job here playing a character with massive hero complex. As for Jing Tian, I didn't love her character but I am sure a less charming actress would have frustrated me into dropping this. Despite the good acting, the many logic holes, pedestrian sub-plots and cardboard characters make for a smooth but bland cocktail. I can only rate it 7.0. Overall it is not a bad watch for the fantastic fight scenes and squeal-worthy flirty moments.

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Murder is like potato chips: you can't stop with just one.

This drama is not for the faint hearted. It is a graphic and terrifying account of a gang of serial killers that preyed on drinking girls in Harbin, China from 2002 to 2012. Led by the cruel and depraved Deng Ligeng, they victimized women who were alone and would not be missed. A clogged pipe led to a grisly discovery that put them within a hairsbreadth of being captured. They go on the run across the country but murder is like potato chips: you can't stop with just one. With police chief Peng Zhaolin hot on their heels, this gang of four continues to stake out potential victims. Unfortunately this time they tangle with the wrong victim and barely pull off another audacious escape. They manage to disappear without a trace for a decade until a chance encounter sheds some light on their whereabouts.

This drama has been mired in controversy that unfortunately cast a shadow over what a well crafted police procedural it really is. The cinematography and storytelling approach is vividly gory, full of psychological tension and a menacing and increasing sense of dread and mortal peril. Zhao Jinmai truly impresses in her role as Zhen Zhen, a troubled, defiant teenager who discovers an inner strength she didn't know she possessed in her primal struggle for survival. I haven't felt such a raw combination of sheer terror, helplessness and rage in a very long time. Her desperate bid for freedom is the highlight of the story and where the dramatic tension in the plot peaks. While faithful to actual events, the storytelling deflates into another six episodes that are mundane by comparison. While the idea that serial killers can so easily assimilate back into society and walk among us is unspeakably chilling, it is a point that could have been made more succinctly. Even though I was rooting for Zhen Zhen and Peng Zhaolin to get justice, the way they went on with their lives wasn't interesting. The was also something lacking in Zhao Jinmai's portrayal of Zhen Zhen's nightmares and her PTSD as the dramatic tension in the narrative had abated by then. The final episodes linger too long on characters I didn't care about.

The most damning criticism of this drama is that it glorifies and humanizes serial killers. As someone who watches many similar Western dramas inspired by true crimes, that does not really seem to be a fair assessment. What is true is that the production could have been more sensitive to the feelings of survivors and families of their victims. And it is missing a "fictional events" disclaimer to make it clear that they took dramatic license with true events and characters. There is also an attempt at dark comedy in the beginning that just didn't land well. It is not advisable to eat or drink while watching this drama. All of the actors in villain roles delivered phenomenal performances that brought those fiends and their dark dynamic to life in a horrifying and fascinating way. Wang Qianyuan deserves a special mention as Deng Ligang, the mastermind who terrified the living daylights out of his own gang and Wang Jiajia as the no less perverted killer who dares to stand up to him. But make no mistake, Deng Ligang, Song Hongyu, Shi Bi and Ji Dashun were portrayed as they were; vile, cruel and cunning monsters who coldly and calculatedly lured their victims to a horrible end. Yet they must have had a certain amount of charm in order to persuade their victims to let them into their lives like that. Acknowledging that they were also bold, cunning and charismatic is not the same as glorifying or humanizing them and indeed I didn't feel one iota of sympathy for any one of them from start to finish.

This sinister and gripping story starts strongly and has some outstanding hair-rising moments but loses momentum after peaking too early. My biggest issue with it is at the end, I didn't care about any of the characters, including Zhen Zhen. I found Peng Zhaolin to be an exceptionally banal version of the doggedly persistent cop archetype. I rate the first eight episodes in the 8.0-8.5 range but the final six episodes barely a 7.0 for a 7.5/10.0 overall.

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