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This review may contain spoilers
Love, Desire, and the Missing Key
🍑🔥❄️"After that day, it feels he has put a spell on me. He unlocked the secret of my desire....And all those years he made me long for more... He drove me crazy in my mind...I spent 6 years in this shameful, hidden relationship."🍑🔥❄️
The drama begins with Shang Zhitao's point of view with the quote above, and then it flashes back to the beginning when she met Luan Nian. I have to admit, I am completely captivated by Luan Nian. He is everything. He is seductive...extremely seductive🔥 I don't usually write reviews before I have watched the drama in its entirety, but I must put my thoughts into this partial review for now because under the influence of Luan Nian, I might forget some key points💓 You will know when you watch. This review is ongoing.
The title, THE EARLY SPRING, brings to mind thawing ice and tulips growing from bulbs that have been dormant during the cold winter months. Think of the male lead, Luan Nian, as the thawing ice and the female lead, Shang Zhitao, as a blooming tulip fresh out of college. It takes time and endurance for love and ambition to reach their full bloom. The early Spring is a time of new beginnings and growth. It is also a time of rebirth and relates to the second chance at love for the leads after a time of separation. Just like the tulips remain dormant only to bloom again in the early Spring, Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao will have their second chance.
Main Characters
🔥🧊🔥 Luan Nian is a highly successful and brilliant marketing director genius with confidence in his own ability to control and manage those around him, as well as his self-control. He has no patience for anything less than excellent. His character is complex. His actions show he has an emotional attachment to Tao, but he will not admit it to himself. He represents the illusion of emotional control. His logical mind did not account for the missing key and the concept that love has no rules.
NOTE: For all that he is complex and acts controlled, it is Luan Nian who makes me laugh out loud at his unexpected and spontaneous actions. He is shocking! He is bold! He is daring! He is petty 😂 And he is addictive!
🌷🍑🌷Shang Zhitao is the female lead who first appeared as a fresh graduate with average academic standards. Luan Nian rejects her as an employee, but due to circumstances, she is nevertheless hired by the company. On her first day at the prestigious firm, her boss, Luan Nian, bluntly tells her she is not suitable and will not survive the field. Instead of backing down, she works hard with determination to achieve her goals. Shang Zhitao represents women striving for independence and career goals. She is cautious not to jeopardize her career for her relationship with Luan Nian.
🌷The Metaphor of the Antique Typewriter🌷
The minute I saw Luan Nian meticulously dusting off his antique typewriter. I knew it was special. Not just to him, but to the theme of this drama. My parents had one of these, and I know the keys of the manual or antique typewriters work differently than the keyboards we use today. The keys need to be pressed with some control. If you press too hard, they stick or will not bounce back smoothly. If you don't press enough, nothing will print. The typewriter represents Luan Nian and his control. He operates his business deals with the same mechanical precision, and he believes in managing with a system of rules. It also mirrors the way he approaches Zhi Tao. He knows not to pressure her too much, and he knows when to back off when she resists him.
In episode 1, Tao accidentally knocks the typewriter off the pedestal at the end of Luan Nian's desk, and it shatters on the ground. It was shocking! The pieces went everywhere. On the pedestal, it represented his controlled world, but shattered on the floor, it became a visual symbol that he does not have the control he thinks he has. He reassembles the typewriter minus the broken L key, and puts it back on the edge of his desk where it sits precariously waiting to be knocked off again. But Zhi Tao notices the L key is missing and finds a replacement key for him. The key is not a perfect fit, and he types. "You don't have to be perfect to be worthy love." I think it's the fact that she helped him, making him accept the key as is. The question is, what does the L represent? It could be "love" as it is missing from their relationship, and it could also be for "Luan" once he accepts that love is a necessary part of a relationship.
💗The Relationship Transaction💗
The attraction is undeniable. Luan Nian wants a relationship with Zhi Tao, but he doesn't want romance. She doesn't want her career affected, as he is her boss. It is important to her to succeed without the stigma of taking shortcuts. But she is also unsure of being in a relationship with him. She resists. He pursues. He challenges her with the question, "Can you control your feelings of Love?" At first, I thought there was an error and the meaning was lost in translation because why would a man who doesn't want emotional ties use the word love? But perhaps he really means "like" in the romance sense, and maybe that is why it was translated as "love." He feels he has control over his emotions. But he knows she has feelings for him and uses her feelings to break through her resistance. She tells him she can control her feelings, but when she finally gives in, he says, "Have you finally realized it? You can't control the feeling of love." It is as if he is saying this is happening because she cannot control her feelings. He acts as if he is control.
After that one-night "accident," as Tao calls it, she requests a transfer to distance herself from Luan Nian. He in his own way, pursues her. She resists. But he convinces her to try a secret relationship that will not affect her job. He makes it clear he doesn't have time for dating and romance and if either wanted to be with someone else, they would simply end it. Tao agrees to the relationship where they are exclusive without romance. Can we say "friends with benefits?" Zhi Tao is happy to have this chance with him but she keeps that to herself. Luan Nian is victorious that he gets his wish, and he still thinks he is in control.
As of episode 10, it seems Luan Nian has already fallen. He doesn't realize it because he is still under the illusion of control. It is evident in his actions: the way he reaches for her hand as they walk, the way he looks for her, the way he moves anything that obstructs his view of her desk from his office, and the way he refuses to move into his new office with his promotion. After all, if he moved, how would he see Shang Zhi Tao from his office?
To be continued...
The drama begins with Shang Zhitao's point of view with the quote above, and then it flashes back to the beginning when she met Luan Nian. I have to admit, I am completely captivated by Luan Nian. He is everything. He is seductive...extremely seductive🔥 I don't usually write reviews before I have watched the drama in its entirety, but I must put my thoughts into this partial review for now because under the influence of Luan Nian, I might forget some key points💓 You will know when you watch. This review is ongoing.
The title, THE EARLY SPRING, brings to mind thawing ice and tulips growing from bulbs that have been dormant during the cold winter months. Think of the male lead, Luan Nian, as the thawing ice and the female lead, Shang Zhitao, as a blooming tulip fresh out of college. It takes time and endurance for love and ambition to reach their full bloom. The early Spring is a time of new beginnings and growth. It is also a time of rebirth and relates to the second chance at love for the leads after a time of separation. Just like the tulips remain dormant only to bloom again in the early Spring, Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao will have their second chance.
Main Characters
🔥🧊🔥 Luan Nian is a highly successful and brilliant marketing director genius with confidence in his own ability to control and manage those around him, as well as his self-control. He has no patience for anything less than excellent. His character is complex. His actions show he has an emotional attachment to Tao, but he will not admit it to himself. He represents the illusion of emotional control. His logical mind did not account for the missing key and the concept that love has no rules.
NOTE: For all that he is complex and acts controlled, it is Luan Nian who makes me laugh out loud at his unexpected and spontaneous actions. He is shocking! He is bold! He is daring! He is petty 😂 And he is addictive!
🌷🍑🌷Shang Zhitao is the female lead who first appeared as a fresh graduate with average academic standards. Luan Nian rejects her as an employee, but due to circumstances, she is nevertheless hired by the company. On her first day at the prestigious firm, her boss, Luan Nian, bluntly tells her she is not suitable and will not survive the field. Instead of backing down, she works hard with determination to achieve her goals. Shang Zhitao represents women striving for independence and career goals. She is cautious not to jeopardize her career for her relationship with Luan Nian.
🌷The Metaphor of the Antique Typewriter🌷
The minute I saw Luan Nian meticulously dusting off his antique typewriter. I knew it was special. Not just to him, but to the theme of this drama. My parents had one of these, and I know the keys of the manual or antique typewriters work differently than the keyboards we use today. The keys need to be pressed with some control. If you press too hard, they stick or will not bounce back smoothly. If you don't press enough, nothing will print. The typewriter represents Luan Nian and his control. He operates his business deals with the same mechanical precision, and he believes in managing with a system of rules. It also mirrors the way he approaches Zhi Tao. He knows not to pressure her too much, and he knows when to back off when she resists him.
In episode 1, Tao accidentally knocks the typewriter off the pedestal at the end of Luan Nian's desk, and it shatters on the ground. It was shocking! The pieces went everywhere. On the pedestal, it represented his controlled world, but shattered on the floor, it became a visual symbol that he does not have the control he thinks he has. He reassembles the typewriter minus the broken L key, and puts it back on the edge of his desk where it sits precariously waiting to be knocked off again. But Zhi Tao notices the L key is missing and finds a replacement key for him. The key is not a perfect fit, and he types. "You don't have to be perfect to be worthy love." I think it's the fact that she helped him, making him accept the key as is. The question is, what does the L represent? It could be "love" as it is missing from their relationship, and it could also be for "Luan" once he accepts that love is a necessary part of a relationship.
💗The Relationship Transaction💗
The attraction is undeniable. Luan Nian wants a relationship with Zhi Tao, but he doesn't want romance. She doesn't want her career affected, as he is her boss. It is important to her to succeed without the stigma of taking shortcuts. But she is also unsure of being in a relationship with him. She resists. He pursues. He challenges her with the question, "Can you control your feelings of Love?" At first, I thought there was an error and the meaning was lost in translation because why would a man who doesn't want emotional ties use the word love? But perhaps he really means "like" in the romance sense, and maybe that is why it was translated as "love." He feels he has control over his emotions. But he knows she has feelings for him and uses her feelings to break through her resistance. She tells him she can control her feelings, but when she finally gives in, he says, "Have you finally realized it? You can't control the feeling of love." It is as if he is saying this is happening because she cannot control her feelings. He acts as if he is control.
After that one-night "accident," as Tao calls it, she requests a transfer to distance herself from Luan Nian. He in his own way, pursues her. She resists. But he convinces her to try a secret relationship that will not affect her job. He makes it clear he doesn't have time for dating and romance and if either wanted to be with someone else, they would simply end it. Tao agrees to the relationship where they are exclusive without romance. Can we say "friends with benefits?" Zhi Tao is happy to have this chance with him but she keeps that to herself. Luan Nian is victorious that he gets his wish, and he still thinks he is in control.
As of episode 10, it seems Luan Nian has already fallen. He doesn't realize it because he is still under the illusion of control. It is evident in his actions: the way he reaches for her hand as they walk, the way he looks for her, the way he moves anything that obstructs his view of her desk from his office, and the way he refuses to move into his new office with his promotion. After all, if he moved, how would he see Shang Zhi Tao from his office?
To be continued...
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