rachfull
United States of America
This review may contain spoilers
A light, fun watch that never tries to be anything more than it is
I just watched this drama on HBO Max, and I *thoroughly* enjoyed it!
PROS:
-Everyone's already said this, but the costuming and set design are phenomenal! Su Wenli looks gorgeous in her period dresses, while Vengo looks mighty fine in his tailored suits. The design crew did an amazing job of taking the viewer into the era-- there's hardly a moment in the series that doesn't feel like 1930's-ish Shanghai.
-The mysteries are well-written and interesting. I guessed the murderer in a few of the episodes, but not all of them. I think that's a healthy balance. The plotlines aren't necessarily unique if you've seen other detective shows before, but the setting of Republican-era Shanghai and the focus on the unique culture of the time makes them refreshing and interesting. I think the only mystery that I didn't enjoy was the dressmaker mystery-- they gave a very obvious hint early on in the first part of the mystery who the perpetrator was and then ignored it, so I was disappointed that a) no one ever brought it up again, and b) that I knew who the murderer was from twenty minutes into the first part :(
-The romance is SO well done! I love how Su Wenli and Inspector Luo flirt with each other XD I also really appreciated the buildup of the romance-- they start with light flirting, then they slowly become more vulnerable with each other, then the flirting escalates, then they get more "couple-y" with each other. It felt very natural. Vengo Gao and Ma Yi Li also have awesome chemistry together.
-Ma Yi Li's character is really well-written. She is a strong, intelligent, capable woman who is also capable of being vulnerable. She saves herself a lot, but she can't always save herself. I appreciated the message that she's not a damsel in distress, but she knows her own limits and will ask for help when she reaches them. I feel like this was epitomized in the final episode (BIG SPOILER AHEAD):
she actually saved herself from Ding Rushan. She got in his head so he and his partner turned on each other. She was already safe from them by the time Luo escaped from his cell. Then he helped by finishing the job and trying to find a way out. Then they were saved by the police.
Asking and utilizing the help available makes Su Wenli a stronger heroine. One of my biggest pet peeves are "feminist" FLs who are actually just hypermasculine-- they beat up all the bad guys, are never emotionally vulnerable for one second, won't accept anyone's help ever, etc. These traits are mostly fine on their own, but are unrealistic all together. Su Wenli is a much more realistic "strong, independent woman".
-All the characters are likable and normal. They're intelligent and capable at their respective jobs. Even though Su Wenli is usually the one to solve the case, we see that Inspector Luo is also very capable and professional at his job.
-The music is super fun :)
CONS:
-If you're watching this for the romance, you might be disappointed. The romance is really an afterthought to the rest of the plotlines-- it is a detective drama and not a romance, after all.
-Some of the cases were really predictable. I'd say the majority were fresh and interesting, but some of them had annoying characters and predictable endings.
-SPOILER ALERT: I felt like the finale tied things up nicely, but I wasn't a fan of the archaeology/resurrection spell/an entire freaking TOMB underneath the university that apparently nobody noticed parts of it. The plotline was starkly different from the feel of the entire rest of the drama. It felt out of place to me. It was too supernatural for my taste.
The tomb really bothered me. It was SO unrealistic that someone could build an entire secret tomb with toxic gas that somehow NOBODY noticed??? Like what?
Overall, I highly recommend this drama. It's got good writing, great leads, an interesting story, great acting, Vengo Gao wearing tailored suits and coats (starts to drool XD), and it doesn't take itself too seriously.
PROS:
-Everyone's already said this, but the costuming and set design are phenomenal! Su Wenli looks gorgeous in her period dresses, while Vengo looks mighty fine in his tailored suits. The design crew did an amazing job of taking the viewer into the era-- there's hardly a moment in the series that doesn't feel like 1930's-ish Shanghai.
-The mysteries are well-written and interesting. I guessed the murderer in a few of the episodes, but not all of them. I think that's a healthy balance. The plotlines aren't necessarily unique if you've seen other detective shows before, but the setting of Republican-era Shanghai and the focus on the unique culture of the time makes them refreshing and interesting. I think the only mystery that I didn't enjoy was the dressmaker mystery-- they gave a very obvious hint early on in the first part of the mystery who the perpetrator was and then ignored it, so I was disappointed that a) no one ever brought it up again, and b) that I knew who the murderer was from twenty minutes into the first part :(
-The romance is SO well done! I love how Su Wenli and Inspector Luo flirt with each other XD I also really appreciated the buildup of the romance-- they start with light flirting, then they slowly become more vulnerable with each other, then the flirting escalates, then they get more "couple-y" with each other. It felt very natural. Vengo Gao and Ma Yi Li also have awesome chemistry together.
-Ma Yi Li's character is really well-written. She is a strong, intelligent, capable woman who is also capable of being vulnerable. She saves herself a lot, but she can't always save herself. I appreciated the message that she's not a damsel in distress, but she knows her own limits and will ask for help when she reaches them. I feel like this was epitomized in the final episode (BIG SPOILER AHEAD):
she actually saved herself from Ding Rushan. She got in his head so he and his partner turned on each other. She was already safe from them by the time Luo escaped from his cell. Then he helped by finishing the job and trying to find a way out. Then they were saved by the police.
Asking and utilizing the help available makes Su Wenli a stronger heroine. One of my biggest pet peeves are "feminist" FLs who are actually just hypermasculine-- they beat up all the bad guys, are never emotionally vulnerable for one second, won't accept anyone's help ever, etc. These traits are mostly fine on their own, but are unrealistic all together. Su Wenli is a much more realistic "strong, independent woman".
-All the characters are likable and normal. They're intelligent and capable at their respective jobs. Even though Su Wenli is usually the one to solve the case, we see that Inspector Luo is also very capable and professional at his job.
-The music is super fun :)
CONS:
-If you're watching this for the romance, you might be disappointed. The romance is really an afterthought to the rest of the plotlines-- it is a detective drama and not a romance, after all.
-Some of the cases were really predictable. I'd say the majority were fresh and interesting, but some of them had annoying characters and predictable endings.
-SPOILER ALERT: I felt like the finale tied things up nicely, but I wasn't a fan of the archaeology/resurrection spell/an entire freaking TOMB underneath the university that apparently nobody noticed parts of it. The plotline was starkly different from the feel of the entire rest of the drama. It felt out of place to me. It was too supernatural for my taste.
The tomb really bothered me. It was SO unrealistic that someone could build an entire secret tomb with toxic gas that somehow NOBODY noticed??? Like what?
Overall, I highly recommend this drama. It's got good writing, great leads, an interesting story, great acting, Vengo Gao wearing tailored suits and coats (starts to drool XD), and it doesn't take itself too seriously.
Was this review helpful to you?
