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Overdo was, I think, one of the most anticipated Chinese series of the year, and perhaps, for many viewers, one of the biggest disappointments. It is difficult to follow one major success with another, especially after the lead actor’s huge commercial success with his previous project — a series I personally did not enjoy that much. Here, however, I find his performance much more convincing. He seems better suited to melodrama, and for once, I actually believe what he is going through.
For me, the real problem lies in the visual choices. There is simply too much glamour, too many beauty filters, and too much emphasis on creating polished images, while underneath it all, there is very little substance in terms of character writing and development. The series does not really create a rich, immersive visual world; instead, it often feels like a collection of beautiful costumes and Instagrammable shots — something that has unfortunately become increasingly common in contemporary Chinese dramas that look gorgeous but lack depth.
The biggest problem, however, is the "overdose of drama". Perhaps "Overdose" would have been a more appropriate title than "Overdo". There is nothing wrong with melodrama when it is well handled. In fact, I would much rather see one or two strong dramatic threads explored properly throughout the series than have a new layer of tragedy added to every episode without ever really going beneath the surface. Here, the constant escalation eventually becomes exhausting rather than moving.
There is actually an interesting historical subject at the heart of the story: a period in which women and the sex trade could be treated as commodities and part of an established social and economic system. Unfortunately, the way this subject is handled never feels particularly believable. Everything becomes so exaggerated that the historical setting starts to feel more like Disneyland than a credible world. At some point, I simply became tired of it and lost interest halfway through the series.
The love story itself also left me rather perplexed.
And then there is the hero, who seems to spend the entire series being tortured in every possible way. Did the screenwriter have a personal grudge against him? Or were they trying to make all of Linghe's haters happy? I have no idea — I'm joking, of course. But seriously, the character goes through so much suffering that it eventually becomes almost comical.
Yet somehow, he remains the person holding the whole boat together.
Because the heroine, despite having almost all the keys and power within the story, is presented more as a glamorous figure than as a genuinely complex and dramatically developed character. She is absolutely beautiful — just like the male lead, who is exceptionally handsome — and she certainly knows how to look stunning on camera. We even get repeated close-ups of her feet while she walks — easily 20 times throughout the series, if not more. And, when the production calls for it, she can certainly deliver a beautiful, convincing tear.
So, in the end, "Overdo" is a series with a gorgeous cast, attractive costumes (It creates historical inaccuracies by featuring contemporary luxury brands) and plenty of visually polished moments, but far too little depth beneath the surface. It had the ingredients to become something much stronger, but the constant glamour, excessive melodrama and lack of meaningful character development ultimately made me disconnect from it halfway through.
For me, the real problem lies in the visual choices. There is simply too much glamour, too many beauty filters, and too much emphasis on creating polished images, while underneath it all, there is very little substance in terms of character writing and development. The series does not really create a rich, immersive visual world; instead, it often feels like a collection of beautiful costumes and Instagrammable shots — something that has unfortunately become increasingly common in contemporary Chinese dramas that look gorgeous but lack depth.
The biggest problem, however, is the "overdose of drama". Perhaps "Overdose" would have been a more appropriate title than "Overdo". There is nothing wrong with melodrama when it is well handled. In fact, I would much rather see one or two strong dramatic threads explored properly throughout the series than have a new layer of tragedy added to every episode without ever really going beneath the surface. Here, the constant escalation eventually becomes exhausting rather than moving.
There is actually an interesting historical subject at the heart of the story: a period in which women and the sex trade could be treated as commodities and part of an established social and economic system. Unfortunately, the way this subject is handled never feels particularly believable. Everything becomes so exaggerated that the historical setting starts to feel more like Disneyland than a credible world. At some point, I simply became tired of it and lost interest halfway through the series.
The love story itself also left me rather perplexed.
And then there is the hero, who seems to spend the entire series being tortured in every possible way. Did the screenwriter have a personal grudge against him? Or were they trying to make all of Linghe's haters happy? I have no idea — I'm joking, of course. But seriously, the character goes through so much suffering that it eventually becomes almost comical.
Yet somehow, he remains the person holding the whole boat together.
Because the heroine, despite having almost all the keys and power within the story, is presented more as a glamorous figure than as a genuinely complex and dramatically developed character. She is absolutely beautiful — just like the male lead, who is exceptionally handsome — and she certainly knows how to look stunning on camera. We even get repeated close-ups of her feet while she walks — easily 20 times throughout the series, if not more. And, when the production calls for it, she can certainly deliver a beautiful, convincing tear.
So, in the end, "Overdo" is a series with a gorgeous cast, attractive costumes (It creates historical inaccuracies by featuring contemporary luxury brands) and plenty of visually polished moments, but far too little depth beneath the surface. It had the ingredients to become something much stronger, but the constant glamour, excessive melodrama and lack of meaningful character development ultimately made me disconnect from it halfway through.
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