Interesting premise, mostly good execution
(Note: This review is for the entire series of 36 episodes, not just the first season listed under this title.) I watched this primarily because I had seen a clip of Bai Yu doing some impressive stunts, and I enjoy watching his work. This series gives him many opportunities to lean into the physicality of the role, which is nice, but his character is given a little less to work with in terms of emotional range here than in some of his other titles, for whatever that's worth.Story: The premise is admittedly intriguing: Two police officers with partial amnesia (and opposing philosophies of investigation) are assigned to work together in a special crimes unit. They initially clash, but as cases hint at their hidden pasts, they realize they are both missing memories from the exact same period of time. The drama starts as a fairly solid police procedural, with each case spanning several episodes, and develops into a continuing mystery as it goes. There are few surprises here: Unless you're asleep or have never watched a TV series before, you will know the series endgame from early on because... let's face it, it's not terribly original. Every time a character was introduced, I pegged their role in the story (minor role, cannon fodder, recurring supporting character, enemy mid-boss, ultimate boss, etc.) from their very first appearance with nearly 100% accuracy. It's very by-the-numbers. That's not to say it's bad; it's just more of a procedural-plus-romance than a gripping, suspenseful thriller that keeps you guessing the whole way through. The main plot is fairly predictable, and some of the villains are... uh... ridiculously extra, but as long as you can willfully suspend disbelief as needed, it's decent. The ending feels a little abrupt and could have used a longer denouement, but does tie off most of the major threads.
Characters: As much as I love Bai Yu as an actor, I had a hard time liking Han Chen, because he's kind of an overbearing jerk. Yes, a lot of male love interests start off that way (for reasons that baffle me, as I find it the opposite of attractive), but most of them recover from it; Han Chen, despite occasional moments of softness, remains pretty bossy throughout the whole series. Bai Jinxi, who starts as an empowered woman who can hold her own in clashes with Han Chen, gets somewhat nerfed as the series progresses. She bends more frequently to Han Chen's will and ends up getting damseled several times so he can dash in and save her (though in fairness, other characters also need rescuing from time to time, so it's not just her). The supporting cast is fun, though some of their side stories feel a little forced. Maddeningly, characters at times behave in very stupid ways in order to put themselves in life-threatening peril for the sake of narrative tension: At one point, two named characters decide there is no escape and have an extended conversation that boils down to, "welp, guess we'll die now, what a shame, glad we had a good run" when they could literally just walk out of the danger zone and join the civilians they've already moved to a safer area with absolutely zero negative consequence.
Production values: Most of the series looks great, though later episodes suffer at times from stock footage, mediocre CG, and frankly ridiculous "hacking" sequences. There is some absolute NONSENSE with a runaway train, and more with a... cruise ship? ferry? large boat? that changes vessel class and deck structure depending on which stock photo/drone shot/CGI model they stuck in the background. All in all, though, it's photographed well, if the sets are a little too slick and high-tech to be a believable police headquarters. Everyone in this district must be *loaded* with cash.
Content warnings: Moderately graphic violence, including gunshot wounds, head trauma, autopsies, and onscreen suicides. Several cases revolve around sexual assault. Some brief scenes of child abuse.
Was this review helpful to you?
Excellent production values and a strong cast
Detective L is a very typical police-with-consulting-detective procedural, but one with refreshingly strong production values and a stylish 1930s Shanghai setting. Expect to see all the common tropes of the genre here, but even if it's familiar territory, it's still a lot of fun to watch. Recommended for fans of Western titles such as Murdoch Mysteries, Sherlock, or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.The main cast is solid gold. Bai Yu excels in this role, which is closer to the playful Zhao Yunlan (Guardian) side of his career than more serious Xun Xu (The Wind Blows From Longxi) territory. (Guardian fans will also enjoy the fact that this series was shot at the same studio, Shanghai Chedun Film Park, and features not only several of the same actors and locations, but even some of the same props. But the budget is infinitely higher!) His Luo Fei is arrogant, pushy, and occasionally a little mean-spirited, but he's also charming, charismatic, and has good relationships with several of his colleagues (most notably the coroner, Ben Jie Ming, with whom he is shown to have a strong friendship). Una You successfully conveys "plucky, strong-minded heroine" without falling into the common traps of being annoying, overly cute, or helpless-when-plot-demands; her Xiao Man is one of the most satisfying female leads I've encountered in a C-drama, even if the script occasionally forces her into the role of slightly-baffled-Watson to Luo Fei's never-less-than-brilliant Holmes. The obligatory romance you would expect to see blossom between the leads (owing to series formula) is so slow-burn it sometimes disappears for entire episodes at a time, which is actually a pleasant change from the norm.
As a warning to squeamish viewers, there are a few (relatively) realistic autopsy scenes scattered throughout the series, as well as occasional on-camera gun violence that might be upsetting to some. There are also a fair number of corpses and wounds shown, because... well... murder.
Sadly, this is only one shorter-than-average season of shorter-than-average episodes, which means it's only about 1/3 the runtime of the typical C-drama. Which is especially disappointing (warning for very general non-specific spoilers about the structure of the series incoming) given that the ending sets up for a second season that never happened. But it's still a solid series, and if you're deathly averse to cliffhangers, you can always just skip the last three-episode arc and imagine your own resolution.
Was this review helpful to you?
