Smile Code is a Hidden Gem and Shouldn't Be Missed

This is a smart drama that takes you on an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end, episode to episode. Just when you think the plot is heading in a certain direction, it takes an unexpected turn leaving you stunned, heartbroken or laughing out loud. How they managed to coordinate this is a masterstroke in storytelling. I can't tell you how many times I loudly proclaimed "This show is SO good!" at the end of an episode. I found myself impatiently waiting for the next episode, something that rarely happens to me these days. Thank goodness episodes were released daily, a weekly release would have driven me crazy.

AN HONEST PORTRAYAL OF LOVE
What I love about this drama is its portrayal of love, it is honest, smart, and at times brutal. This is not your Disney/Hallmark Channel whirlwind romance, it is slow moving and believable. Gu Yi's (GY) journey is an honest portrayal of the ups and downs of love and it's role in a relationship. She learns that love isn't always about romance and heart fluttering moments; that to truly love someone is to trust, have open communication, understanding, patience, tolerance, and the willingness to go through the good and hard parts of a relationship. GY's journey is slow (like the romance) but it does move forward with each episode; her growth is mostly portrayed with care and subtlety in the second half of this drama.

Neither Liang DaiWen (LDW) or GY are "toxic" in this relationship, they are two people who are flawed but learn and grow as their relationship progresses. They truly love each other but each needed to learn how to be an equal and loving partner to the other. Their relationship isn't instantaneous, it builds slowly through mistakes, self introspection, mutual understanding and respect, by the time they came together, it feels earned and not a gift.

The second male lead, Xu GuanRui is present but not a real threat in your classic love triangle. He falls for her but never oversteps; he is there to offer support and relief when either GY's job and LDW (and sometimes both) have beaten her down and in despair. He is aware that GY is in love with LDW; only openly pursuing her after LDW leaves GY. He backs off after LDW returns remaining in the background to offer support when needed. Although I liked him, I never wanted GY to choose him over LDW.

ALEXITHYMIA
This drama touched on themes that don't usually get addressed in mainstream dramas. LDW's alexithymia is a psychological disorder that was treated with respect and explained beautifully in Smile Code. Watching LDW struggling with his disorder as GY enters his life was as fascinating as GY learning how to understand and accept the limitations caused by his alexithymia.

Woven into LDW's story is his desire and pursuit for accessibility focused changes for persons with disabilities, a subject that is not usually mentioned or addressed in mainstream rom-com dramas and I appreciated it.

FRIENDSHIP
Another thing that is portrayed beautifully is the friendship between GY and Yu DuLe's (YDL). These two have a tacit understanding of each other and are true "ride or die" friends. They show each other unwavering support, honesty, loyalty, and platonic love. YDL never judges GY, offers unwavering support with a mix of sarcasm and kindness that is truly endearing and enviable. I love that Smile Code gave us a true male - female friendship, ending the trope that males can never be friends with a female. GY and YDL's discussions are funny, witty, loving and filled with unspoken understanding. We would all be so lucky to have a male friend like YDL!

INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES
This emotional roller coaster of this wonderful drama would not have been effective if it were not for the incredible performances from Lin Yi (LDW) and Shen Yue (GY). Their chemistry is undeniable, sweet and often, electric. They portrayed their characters with such honesty, understanding and warmth that they truly became their characters.

Lin Yi's portrayal of LDW is so nuanced and subtle that it is a thing of beauty, an amazing representation of his acting skills. Stoic, emotionally conflicted, confusion and pain were all displayed with such deftness that it is truly hard to believe he is not like this in real life, that's how good he is.

However, it is Shen Yue's performance as Gu Yi that shines the brightest, her GY is nothing short of brilliant. Her journey from being a typical love stricken female lead to a self-respecting, self-loving partner is a transformation that draws you in so convincingly that you can't help but share in her pain and disappointments, and cheer for her in her triumphs. Shen Yue's transformation from her role as XiaoXi in "A Love So Beautiful" to GYi in Smile Code is nothing short of breathtaking. As GY, every moment of happiness, disappointment, anger, heartbreak, and love is displayed with such authenticity and subtlety that you can't help but be drawn in to what she is experiencing. Her eyes were the windows to her soul; the tears that fell displayed such pain and heartbreak that moved me to tears every time. It is her performance that gives weight to everything going on around her, the emotional center pillar of the story.

CINEMATOGRAPHY AND MUSIC
The first thing that grabbed me from the opening scenes in Episode 1 was the cinematography, the angle and movement of the camera, the images in the foreground and background and changes in focus. The drone overhead shots are beautiful and dynamic showing the breath of urban life. Each frame composition is beautiful and well thought with a very artistic eye. Many find the lighting of this drama to be dark and fuzzy, which it can be at times. However, I think this is done purposefully to represent whose eyes we are viewing this world; LDW's world is traumatic and dark, sometimes disjointed and fuzzy, this represents how he sees his world. GY's view is bright, warm, colorful, chaotic and more in focus.

I must say that Shen Yue is shot and framed beautifully in Smile Code, probably the most gorgeous I've seen in any of her dramas. What occurred to me is that the same directorial lens is applied to GY so that we see what the person who is looking at her is seeing. LDW initially sees her as a vivid bright spot of color in his dark world; then transitioning to soft and glowing as he develops feelings for her. The same treatment is done with XGR, she is soft, bright, and glowing as he watches her get her bike, takes off her shoes, and rides away. This is how he sees her and Randy Che, the director, captures this beautifully and shows us how stunningly beautiful and radiant Shen Yue is as GY.

The soundtrack is top notch. The opening theme song is an earworm of a pop song that will have you bouncing and singing along by the third episode. The rest of the music in the soundtrack is masterfully inserted and weaved into scenes creating the necessary mood; fear, love, heartbreak, and lightheartedness. The sound effects for the comedic and laugh out loud moments are truly funny and inspired.

LAST THOUGHTS
This modern urban drama manages to capture a full range of emotions while interspersing many story lines; there's the roller coaster courtship/romance, understanding and tolerance of mental health, work life, urban living, slice of life, friendships, and complex family relationships. The dialog is witty, honest, and interesting; and every character is multi-dimensional. For instance I came to love GY's boss who at first appeared cold and uncaring to her staff and GY. There is truly something for everyone.

A big shout-out to Dai MeiXia, GY's mother, whom I adored. Her love, support and wise words to GY were inspiring, beautiful, and life-changing. She gave GY the wisdom. strength and guidance about self-love and self-respect so that GY could grow and finally enter into a mature loving relationship. MeiXia's relationship with LDW is warm, motherly and supportive. Her understanding of him should not be overlooked and shows the depth of character of this wonderful woman.

This series has left me with a lot to think about and appreciate; what it means to love deeply with mutual understanding and respect, to have the patience to wait through the rough patches in life and love, and to love and respect one's self before loving others. Smile Code is truly a gem of a drama that mixes laughter, heartache, romance, friendship, tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance with respect while maintaining a lighthearted touch. This series is worth watching and rewatching!

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