Kate

As a Polish person watching Chinese shows depicting the rise of the Communist Party and being so pro communism is always a bit of a surreal experience. So rather than focusing on the ideological picture of who is wrong and who is right, I usually focus on the personal convictions of the main characters and their psychological journey. This show for sure gave me a lot to think about.

We truly got completely different takes on convictions and their impact on decision making. Wei Ruo Lai who had a clear idea of his principles and followed the path that matched them best.. Shen Jin Zhen who was in line with the ideology that presented the future she wished to see - dedicated to a specific path, not letting anything stop her. Shen Tu Nan, who on one hand had a specific set of ideas that he deemed important, but at the same time being unreasonably loyal to the side that goes against what he believes. And then we had Lin Qiao Song (whom I would include in the set of main characters) who rather than fighting for what he believed, he fought against his perceived enemy no matter what.

What’s more - the difference, but also similarities were extremely interesting to witness when I was watching the characters actually interact. The dynamic that was especially fascinating was the relationship between Wei Ruo Lai, Shen Tu Nan and Lin Qiao Song. The way their views completely contradicted each other countless times, the way they were forced to work together, how and why they decided to fight against each other - what motivated each one of them and how far they were willing to go to reach their goals. While more often frustrating than exciting, I cannot deny it was probably the highlight of the drama for me.

Then we have Shen Jin Zhen and I’m a bit on the fence about her. Compared to the complexity and depth other characters presented in their motivations and actions, she was rather… bland. Exactly what you saw was what you’ve got till the end, and there was nothing really much to analyze or reflect on.

I refuse to talk about the big picture, the struggle between two ideologies, and war, fights etc - I did not care which one of the two bad choices would win. The first half that focused more on the economic aspects was surprisingly far more investing than when actual revolutionary acts were happening closer to the end. Me knowing nothing about economics, banking or investment, still caught myself glued to the screen. The plot was presented in a simple and easy to follow way. I kind of wish the financial setting was the center of it all till the end.

Acting wise I have no complaints. I am a big fan of Wang Yang and up till now he did not disappoint me in any role he took. Whenever it's a more subtle or more expressive and raw scene - he can deliver it all. Zhang Tian Yang as Lin Qiao Song was so perfectly rage inducing all I can do is be impressed. The pathetic desperation this character represented was infuriating in the best way possible. Wang Yi Bo is clearly improving as an actor a lot and it’s great to see him take on more challenging roles and actually deliver a really good performance. I don’t really have that much to say about Li Qin - she did what the writing of the character allowed her to do, but it was not much.

The production quality was really good. Be it makeup, costume or set design, I could see the dedication to present the proper details. The make up for wounds? Perfection. No pink or orange blood, no scars that you can see are peeling off from skin because of the cheap glue. The wounds simply looked real. There were also a few explosions and fires in the drama - also done well. Probably a mix of practical effects and cig - whatever it was, it worked.

Overall, I am surprised how much I got into it. It's a show I thought I would drop half way through, but somehow I kept being invested till the end, even if my excitement slowly started to decrease in the second half.