9
26
1
Enigma05
USA
This review may contain spoilers
Young Jessica Fletcher meets Dick Tracey in a Shanghai Chicago
FINALLY! I got a chance to watch this series. I was quite upset when it first came out and didn't have English subtitles anywhere on any site legal or otherwise. This was my very first Republican Era drama so I wasn't sure what to expect but wanted to watch it because I follow Vengo Gao. It definitely didn't disappoint; quite the opposite and if it wasn't for parts of the very last episode, I would have given it a perfect score which for me is very rare.
Pros: Everything was exquisitely beautiful; from the sets to the costumes, the makeup. Su Wenli was like the epitome of what a modern day woman of even today acts like (she took the initiative to kiss Qiuheng first). Clothing on her looked like she should have been a model. Just about everything in this series was absolutely stunning. The music, OSTs, not a single stitch was out of place.
Both of the leads acting and chemistry was on point from the very beginning. As older actors then the 20 somethings you see in most of their dramas, here the experience and the understanding of both actors was visible. All of the support cast were there for as long as they were needed. The story flowed seamlessly from one murder investigation to another. It really was like a young Jessica Fletcher (from Murder, She Wrote) met Dick Tracey and they added a Chicago (the Musical) flair.
Su Wenli and Luo Qiuheng started off on a bickering note which was absolutely hysterical; as he tried in a lot of vain to prevent her from entering various crime scenes only for her to find a back door. Since every case took up two episodes, they would just about always have someone Su Wenli knew either asking for help or being the victim. With the two SLs Taozi and Xiao'an to add to the hilarity, made each investigation even more interesting.
Su Wenli had a superb eye for detail that helped each investigation. Many people she met from the first episode ended up becoming a part of her extended family; from the two random cab drivers (Tong and San) at the pier that took her home, to Taozi (a maid of family friend's) in the very first murder case who became her assistant and a younger sister and the orphan (Suyun) she adopted after the homage to "Murder on the Orient Express" episode. She had inherited a huge mansion and massive property from her grandmother and her gaggle rag-tag family lived there.
Luo Qiuheng played by the very handsome Vengo Gao was a wonderful, caring, yet upright investigator who took each case seriously no matter who the victims were. We never knew much about his past (other then his ex-gf was the daughter of his mentor) or where he even lived, but his character in no way played second fiddle to Wenli. Both were equals. I have until this drama not seen Vengo in something non-costume but feel he needs more of these kinds of dramas.
It was very funny how the crime busting duo was always bickering or betting on information and yet still ending up solving each case together. Their chemistry even in those most funniest of moments was palpable. It amused me to no end how Wenli would always find a way to go undercover in any situation with just a pretty dress and the power of persuasion; everyone opened up to her without fear.
I loved and was actually quite surprised by just how much made it past censorship; a gay couple was shown in photographs holding hands and being really close as well as the topic of homosexuality was discussed openly without issue. Small amounts of nudity was allowed as well. A mentally disabled boy was involved in 2 episodes towards the end and related to Wenli and he wasn't treated as some freak but with respect and love; usually none of these would be able to get anywhere near one of their dramas, so it makes me wonder if the requirements for Republican era dramas are different then the other genres.
Cons: The biggest reason I couldn't give this series a full score was because almost the entire last episode was screwed up pretty badly and it was the pivotal case. The biggest mystery of the series was that of Wenli's kidnapped and long thought to be murdered younger sister, Wenfei. Though this fact and the man responsible were sparsely spread through many episodes, it wasn't until about the last 6 that that case started to take shape. Ding Rushan was jailed for 10 years on suspicion of kidnapping and murder but escaped.
In the last episode, they turned Wenli into this hysterical, unhinged, crazy woman who goes to rescue Suyun and Qiuheng alone while locking a few officers in a jail cell. It absolutely made no sense, though I understand her being distraught when she came home to find practically everyone drugged and Suyun missing, she knew it was the work of Ding Rushan but then she goes off to the police station and when Qiuheng tells her to stay put she starts acting a plum fool causing him to go alone without backup because someone has to watch her.
For 33 episodes even if she was in grave danger, she always kept a level head and found ways to get out of the situation and always asked for backup from the police or Tong and San or the combination of the two. Here she takes her little gold pistol like a one woman army to go after the most dangerous man in the entire series who's essentially a crazed serial killer. It was ridiculous; what made it even more so was that said serial killer was a nutcase who wanted to sacrifice women to bring his own daughter back from the dead in some twisted "The Mummy Returns" scenario which absolutely made no sense in this very progressive drama.
Of course Wenli was captured and though she retained some of her old characteristics, much of her acting until she was rescued was like some completely different person. It felt like for a solid half hour I was watching a totally different show. There was also a huge inconsistency, in the second to last episode where Ding Rushan had come into their home and cut the phone cord so no one could call, yet in that last episode when Taozi tried calling home to warn Wenli, the phone rang like the line was never cut. Another minor inconsistency was that Wenli was filthy rich but would wear a lot of the same clothing over and over again, even though she had a massive walk-in closet with racks of clothing. It didn't make sense for her to wear the same outfit 2 or even 3 times.
This pivotal point when Wenli finds out where the body of her sister is and the entire mystery is finally solved, the gravitas is completely lost because of this completely out of character and off topic scenario and it makes me sad because it should have been so much stronger than that. It lost its humor, quality, and any actual logic. Thankfully afterwards it regained its previous momentum to be able to finish the last 25 minutes in the same style as what got me hooked to it in the first place.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. That one portion of the very last episode doesn't drown out the rest of this aesthetically pleasing and truly remarkable series that will have you rolling around laughing at the absurd situations, subtle yet very obvious flirting and romance of our leads, jealous and chivalrous moments of Qiuheng, and just fall in love with this bunch of people who, though not blood, are truly a family in the best sense of the word.
Pros: Everything was exquisitely beautiful; from the sets to the costumes, the makeup. Su Wenli was like the epitome of what a modern day woman of even today acts like (she took the initiative to kiss Qiuheng first). Clothing on her looked like she should have been a model. Just about everything in this series was absolutely stunning. The music, OSTs, not a single stitch was out of place.
Both of the leads acting and chemistry was on point from the very beginning. As older actors then the 20 somethings you see in most of their dramas, here the experience and the understanding of both actors was visible. All of the support cast were there for as long as they were needed. The story flowed seamlessly from one murder investigation to another. It really was like a young Jessica Fletcher (from Murder, She Wrote) met Dick Tracey and they added a Chicago (the Musical) flair.
Su Wenli and Luo Qiuheng started off on a bickering note which was absolutely hysterical; as he tried in a lot of vain to prevent her from entering various crime scenes only for her to find a back door. Since every case took up two episodes, they would just about always have someone Su Wenli knew either asking for help or being the victim. With the two SLs Taozi and Xiao'an to add to the hilarity, made each investigation even more interesting.
Su Wenli had a superb eye for detail that helped each investigation. Many people she met from the first episode ended up becoming a part of her extended family; from the two random cab drivers (Tong and San) at the pier that took her home, to Taozi (a maid of family friend's) in the very first murder case who became her assistant and a younger sister and the orphan (Suyun) she adopted after the homage to "Murder on the Orient Express" episode. She had inherited a huge mansion and massive property from her grandmother and her gaggle rag-tag family lived there.
Luo Qiuheng played by the very handsome Vengo Gao was a wonderful, caring, yet upright investigator who took each case seriously no matter who the victims were. We never knew much about his past (other then his ex-gf was the daughter of his mentor) or where he even lived, but his character in no way played second fiddle to Wenli. Both were equals. I have until this drama not seen Vengo in something non-costume but feel he needs more of these kinds of dramas.
It was very funny how the crime busting duo was always bickering or betting on information and yet still ending up solving each case together. Their chemistry even in those most funniest of moments was palpable. It amused me to no end how Wenli would always find a way to go undercover in any situation with just a pretty dress and the power of persuasion; everyone opened up to her without fear.
I loved and was actually quite surprised by just how much made it past censorship; a gay couple was shown in photographs holding hands and being really close as well as the topic of homosexuality was discussed openly without issue. Small amounts of nudity was allowed as well. A mentally disabled boy was involved in 2 episodes towards the end and related to Wenli and he wasn't treated as some freak but with respect and love; usually none of these would be able to get anywhere near one of their dramas, so it makes me wonder if the requirements for Republican era dramas are different then the other genres.
Cons: The biggest reason I couldn't give this series a full score was because almost the entire last episode was screwed up pretty badly and it was the pivotal case. The biggest mystery of the series was that of Wenli's kidnapped and long thought to be murdered younger sister, Wenfei. Though this fact and the man responsible were sparsely spread through many episodes, it wasn't until about the last 6 that that case started to take shape. Ding Rushan was jailed for 10 years on suspicion of kidnapping and murder but escaped.
In the last episode, they turned Wenli into this hysterical, unhinged, crazy woman who goes to rescue Suyun and Qiuheng alone while locking a few officers in a jail cell. It absolutely made no sense, though I understand her being distraught when she came home to find practically everyone drugged and Suyun missing, she knew it was the work of Ding Rushan but then she goes off to the police station and when Qiuheng tells her to stay put she starts acting a plum fool causing him to go alone without backup because someone has to watch her.
For 33 episodes even if she was in grave danger, she always kept a level head and found ways to get out of the situation and always asked for backup from the police or Tong and San or the combination of the two. Here she takes her little gold pistol like a one woman army to go after the most dangerous man in the entire series who's essentially a crazed serial killer. It was ridiculous; what made it even more so was that said serial killer was a nutcase who wanted to sacrifice women to bring his own daughter back from the dead in some twisted "The Mummy Returns" scenario which absolutely made no sense in this very progressive drama.
Of course Wenli was captured and though she retained some of her old characteristics, much of her acting until she was rescued was like some completely different person. It felt like for a solid half hour I was watching a totally different show. There was also a huge inconsistency, in the second to last episode where Ding Rushan had come into their home and cut the phone cord so no one could call, yet in that last episode when Taozi tried calling home to warn Wenli, the phone rang like the line was never cut. Another minor inconsistency was that Wenli was filthy rich but would wear a lot of the same clothing over and over again, even though she had a massive walk-in closet with racks of clothing. It didn't make sense for her to wear the same outfit 2 or even 3 times.
This pivotal point when Wenli finds out where the body of her sister is and the entire mystery is finally solved, the gravitas is completely lost because of this completely out of character and off topic scenario and it makes me sad because it should have been so much stronger than that. It lost its humor, quality, and any actual logic. Thankfully afterwards it regained its previous momentum to be able to finish the last 25 minutes in the same style as what got me hooked to it in the first place.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. That one portion of the very last episode doesn't drown out the rest of this aesthetically pleasing and truly remarkable series that will have you rolling around laughing at the absurd situations, subtle yet very obvious flirting and romance of our leads, jealous and chivalrous moments of Qiuheng, and just fall in love with this bunch of people who, though not blood, are truly a family in the best sense of the word.
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