5
1
Don't ruin a good story with facts
Love stories are eternal. You can set it in prehistory. You can set it in a warzone. The problem is how do you make the setting work for you and not against you.
Before I dive into my thesis, let's start with the fundamentals. The OTP's romance is very sweet and swoonworthy. While there is a bit of push-pull and misunderstanding, the ML is totally in love and unwavering. While the FL's initial motive was self-serving and showed little interest in the ML, she soon fell deeply in love as well. Nothing can stand between them, not even a major natural disaster.
While the main love line is cute and fairly straightforward, the romance between the ML's sister (2FL) and a talented neurosurgeon (2ML) is a lot more complicated. There are lots of trials and neither of them are sure of their feelings. It was nice to watch the 2ML walk back on his errors and worked hard to win over the 2FL. It was bittersweet when they finally confirm their love for each other. Their romance definitely feels rawer and has teeth. They earnt their happiness in the end. Oh, did I mention the 2ML is very handsome? ;)
But wait, there’s more! If two CP's are not enough, we have a third. The FL's brother (3ML) and his GF (3FL) rounded out the collective. Not an easy pairing, by any means, and it is not particularly swoonworthy either. A lot comes down to the 3ML being a square block trying to fit into an CCP approved round hole. It was a bit painful to watch at times.
You know the production has my seal of approval when you see the calibre of the ensemble cast. Some of the younger members are a bit rough around the edges, but our leads did well. The senior members are all familiar faces and they deserve our respect. The ensemble’s acting abilities are tested by an emotionally charged script. Bring tissues, there won’t be a dry eye in the house by the end of the series.
If we just look at the love lines, they are worthy of our undivided attentions. However, I was wondering why set this drama during the Cultural Revolution? Even a few years later would make life a lot easier. It finally dawn on me in the second half.
I alluded to the historical setting in my introduction. In this regard, this drama made the most of it, but at the same time, it left me feeling uneasy.
You must understand 1975 is towards the end of the Cultural Revolution. It is a tumultuous and destructive period in recent Chinese history. Much scholarly research has been done on this. What we saw is a benign and abridged representation.
We get a hint of the revolution and its impact. We see some fallouts like the exiling of the ML's well educated parents to Yunnan (aka Chinese Siberia in the 70's), and the destruction of their family unit. Yet it was all done with a light touch.
There is scant evidence of the pain and suffering endured by the masses. There was a passing reference to the arrest of the Gang of Four. There is no mention of the death of Chairman Mao(!). His presence was largely MIA (not counting faded slogans) until very late in the show.
So why did the show pick this particular moment in time? The Cultural Revolution definitely turned the established system upside down and spun it sideways. It does help to explain the motivation of our characters. They are unique to that period where scores are settled by manipulating the political system. Self-preservation is paramount. Normal support networks are demolished. Reality is skewed and not in a good way.
The massive earthquake in July 1976 impacted many (est. 300,000 deaths). The drama made the most of it by farming the high dramas during the last third of the show. Those scenes are impactful and well made. On top of that, the end of the Cultural Revolution a few months later signalled a new era of restoration, regeneration and hope. This allows the show to close with a sense of optimism that is bordering on giddiness.
In the end, I truly enjoyed this series and it deserves high praise. The historical whitewashing leaves me a little cold though. I can imagine a casual western viewer sat through the whole show only seeing some overbearing sloganeering and horrible dress sense! Maybe it is better to let the sleeping dog lie.
I shall close with the immortal words from Queen; 🎶Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?🎶 Peace.
Before I dive into my thesis, let's start with the fundamentals. The OTP's romance is very sweet and swoonworthy. While there is a bit of push-pull and misunderstanding, the ML is totally in love and unwavering. While the FL's initial motive was self-serving and showed little interest in the ML, she soon fell deeply in love as well. Nothing can stand between them, not even a major natural disaster.
While the main love line is cute and fairly straightforward, the romance between the ML's sister (2FL) and a talented neurosurgeon (2ML) is a lot more complicated. There are lots of trials and neither of them are sure of their feelings. It was nice to watch the 2ML walk back on his errors and worked hard to win over the 2FL. It was bittersweet when they finally confirm their love for each other. Their romance definitely feels rawer and has teeth. They earnt their happiness in the end. Oh, did I mention the 2ML is very handsome? ;)
But wait, there’s more! If two CP's are not enough, we have a third. The FL's brother (3ML) and his GF (3FL) rounded out the collective. Not an easy pairing, by any means, and it is not particularly swoonworthy either. A lot comes down to the 3ML being a square block trying to fit into an CCP approved round hole. It was a bit painful to watch at times.
You know the production has my seal of approval when you see the calibre of the ensemble cast. Some of the younger members are a bit rough around the edges, but our leads did well. The senior members are all familiar faces and they deserve our respect. The ensemble’s acting abilities are tested by an emotionally charged script. Bring tissues, there won’t be a dry eye in the house by the end of the series.
If we just look at the love lines, they are worthy of our undivided attentions. However, I was wondering why set this drama during the Cultural Revolution? Even a few years later would make life a lot easier. It finally dawn on me in the second half.
I alluded to the historical setting in my introduction. In this regard, this drama made the most of it, but at the same time, it left me feeling uneasy.
You must understand 1975 is towards the end of the Cultural Revolution. It is a tumultuous and destructive period in recent Chinese history. Much scholarly research has been done on this. What we saw is a benign and abridged representation.
We get a hint of the revolution and its impact. We see some fallouts like the exiling of the ML's well educated parents to Yunnan (aka Chinese Siberia in the 70's), and the destruction of their family unit. Yet it was all done with a light touch.
There is scant evidence of the pain and suffering endured by the masses. There was a passing reference to the arrest of the Gang of Four. There is no mention of the death of Chairman Mao(!). His presence was largely MIA (not counting faded slogans) until very late in the show.
So why did the show pick this particular moment in time? The Cultural Revolution definitely turned the established system upside down and spun it sideways. It does help to explain the motivation of our characters. They are unique to that period where scores are settled by manipulating the political system. Self-preservation is paramount. Normal support networks are demolished. Reality is skewed and not in a good way.
The massive earthquake in July 1976 impacted many (est. 300,000 deaths). The drama made the most of it by farming the high dramas during the last third of the show. Those scenes are impactful and well made. On top of that, the end of the Cultural Revolution a few months later signalled a new era of restoration, regeneration and hope. This allows the show to close with a sense of optimism that is bordering on giddiness.
In the end, I truly enjoyed this series and it deserves high praise. The historical whitewashing leaves me a little cold though. I can imagine a casual western viewer sat through the whole show only seeing some overbearing sloganeering and horrible dress sense! Maybe it is better to let the sleeping dog lie.
I shall close with the immortal words from Queen; 🎶Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?🎶 Peace.
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