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"Losing control is the essence of life"
Definitely Not Today was a bit of a surprise to me. It dealt with two big trigger warnings-suicidal actions and sexual assault. Not subjects usually confronted in modern Cdramas. And those two subjects were just the tip of the iceberg. While the drama didn’t make light of them, it did deal with the subjects in a darkly comedic and at times touching way.
Mi Chong has lost everyone in his family and has decided it’s time to go. He’s made all the preparations, chosen a date that has meaning to him and picked the spot. As he mentally prepares to say goodbye to the world, he sees a girl drowning in the same water he’s chosen for his grave. Initially irritated, his kindness gets the better of him and he rescues her. He has no idea what mayhem he has unleashed into what he hoped was the end of his life. The rescued girl, Zhi Liao, was desperately escaping one perilous situation and has no idea that she is in a greater danger than she could have imagined.
The drama started in a traumatic place with Mi Chong’s determination to commit suicide and near the end revealed a traumatic element in Zhi Liao’s past. The two characters were both damaged, living in pain, and with deeply repressed anger and guilt. Both had been abandoned and taken advantage of by family members. Mi Chong dealt with his bone crushing losses by becoming uninvolved in his own life. Zhi Liao transformed into chaos personified as she lashed out at everyone around her. They were both trapped by their pasts and clawing against the walls they’d created. In the other they discovered a glimmer of hope, even as their lives were in jeopardy.
The acting skills varied widely and the script could be as messy as the characters at times. The editing was often clunky and unrelated events popped up out of nowhere. This did not appear to be a high budget drama. Moods veered widely from sweet and funny to violent and sad. I was particularly concerned about Mi Chong's crippling depression and withdrawal from life. Despite Zhi Liao’s street smarts, she seemed completely unaware of his deadly intentions. Both characters had basically been told to get over their debilitating wounds. Yet for all its flaws I found myself deeply engrossed in it. Definitely Not Today opened with darkness and near the end confronted another darkness. Somehow these two broken opposites unintentionally, and later intentionally, offered each other hope and light into both of their lives. And just maybe, love and a smile.
24 May 2026
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Multiple suicide attempts. Sexual Assault-rather graphic. Attempted sexual assault. Attempted child murder and suicide. Forced prostitution attempt. DUI and alcoholism. Child abandonment. Depression. Stolen inheritances. Animal death. Seriously, how did this ever get made in China?
Real world note: Both characters were deeply in need of a mental health therapist to help them with their traumas and pain, love can’t cure everything.
Mi Chong has lost everyone in his family and has decided it’s time to go. He’s made all the preparations, chosen a date that has meaning to him and picked the spot. As he mentally prepares to say goodbye to the world, he sees a girl drowning in the same water he’s chosen for his grave. Initially irritated, his kindness gets the better of him and he rescues her. He has no idea what mayhem he has unleashed into what he hoped was the end of his life. The rescued girl, Zhi Liao, was desperately escaping one perilous situation and has no idea that she is in a greater danger than she could have imagined.
The drama started in a traumatic place with Mi Chong’s determination to commit suicide and near the end revealed a traumatic element in Zhi Liao’s past. The two characters were both damaged, living in pain, and with deeply repressed anger and guilt. Both had been abandoned and taken advantage of by family members. Mi Chong dealt with his bone crushing losses by becoming uninvolved in his own life. Zhi Liao transformed into chaos personified as she lashed out at everyone around her. They were both trapped by their pasts and clawing against the walls they’d created. In the other they discovered a glimmer of hope, even as their lives were in jeopardy.
The acting skills varied widely and the script could be as messy as the characters at times. The editing was often clunky and unrelated events popped up out of nowhere. This did not appear to be a high budget drama. Moods veered widely from sweet and funny to violent and sad. I was particularly concerned about Mi Chong's crippling depression and withdrawal from life. Despite Zhi Liao’s street smarts, she seemed completely unaware of his deadly intentions. Both characters had basically been told to get over their debilitating wounds. Yet for all its flaws I found myself deeply engrossed in it. Definitely Not Today opened with darkness and near the end confronted another darkness. Somehow these two broken opposites unintentionally, and later intentionally, offered each other hope and light into both of their lives. And just maybe, love and a smile.
24 May 2026
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Multiple suicide attempts. Sexual Assault-rather graphic. Attempted sexual assault. Attempted child murder and suicide. Forced prostitution attempt. DUI and alcoholism. Child abandonment. Depression. Stolen inheritances. Animal death. Seriously, how did this ever get made in China?
Real world note: Both characters were deeply in need of a mental health therapist to help them with their traumas and pain, love can’t cure everything.
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