40somethingahjumma

I watched the first couple of episodes while trying to make dinner. Probably not a great idea. It's fun... a lot lighter than expected. The interrogation was probably the highlight. But it leaves me wondering if Shanghai was really a den of spies to this extent. What's really comical are the shoot outs in this show... What's the deal with gun fire in the middle of a public place crawling with civilians? Why the lack of discretion? It's definitely worth watching for Elvis Han though. FL's not bad.

I did hear about this one through the grapevine but am very surprised that it's out already. Whether I can watch this will depend how much of the overt propaganda I can stomach. Many a republican era drama has been ruined for me because of this.

Preview for Episodes 6-7. Not subbed.

I could be overthinking things but I'm expecting some kind of police corruption angle because Gi-cheul keeps boasting that he has someone in the police. I don't think he just means the guy that was feeding him information about Jun-mo. But I'm sure much of your fear comes from years of watching K dramas. :P The police brass are highly unreliable in most instances. They tend to go where the wind blows politically. It is possible that they have their own agenda. But I'm kind of certain that Jun-mo's handler Captain Seok (Gil-chae's future husband) will continue to support him to the end. I hope they don't spend too much time on that side of things because I'm here for the relationship among the leads and perhaps some redemption for Gi-cheul. The script for this show is pretty solid so far and potentially quite sophisticated in how it presents the main antagonist. It is interesting to me that Gi-cheul is far from being the the worst of evil in this show. There are people above him who have few scruples. He has his own honour code which he generally abides by. He does value loyalty and friendship. I want Jun-mo to be somewhat conflicted about him because that would certainly make for much more compelling storytelling.

@abs-oluteM I'm not that conflicted because I find the interplay between the two male leads fascinating to watch. That whole incident where Jun-mo has his near death experience points to several striking aspects to Jung Gi-cheul's character. It seems to me that Gi-cheul really does want to trust people but it's the price he pays in the business that he's in that he has to be perpetually cautious. I don't think he particularly enjoys violence in the way Chief Seo does. Violence for him is just a means to an end. He tends to let other people get their hands dirty. I was surprised at how he was willing to let the "traitor" off the hook after Jun-mo gave him a few whacks and said it was enough for him. Gi-cheul seemed satisfied to go along with that. This confirms to me that under very different circumstances, Gi-cheul and Jun-mo could have been friends. He certainly feels drawn to him. Whether or not it has to do with Eui-jeong being the glue that binds them, that's still up for grabs. I tend to think that Jun-mo's innocence and eagerness to succeed in life probably reminds him of what he once was. It's also clearly laid out from that incident that Eui-jeong's priority is Jun-mo. The so-called love triangle is really a honey trap. I know that around the web it's the fashion to talk about adultery but as far as she's concerned, she's doing her job as a cop and a wife to protect a colleague and her husband. She comes from a family of cops and she already knows what Gi-cheul has become. While she might feel sorry for him, she's already married to someone else. Someone she married despite opposition from members of her family. Gi-cheul can make a bid for her affections all he wants but she knows the truth. My feeling about Gi-cheul is that he's ultimately looking for respect especially as someone who grew up in the area. That's what the "get-rich-quick" scheme is about. From what we saw in Episode 1 he hates being trampled underfoot by other people especially those living off the wealth of their family. He's a smart man that (I think) resents his family background.

@IpohBanana Well, at least the show's not boring. LOL. As I've said elsewhere, I think the woman needs to be locked up -- either in a padded cell or in prison.

Behind the scenes for Episodes 1-3

Oooh... angst and lots of it... Yay. But... what why is she in Qing? Where's that man she was supposed to marry? Oooh... Lee Chung-ah is a Qing noblewoman. So many questions... In eager anticipation.

The thought did cross my mind fleetingly. Hypothetically. But I'm curious as to why you think this. It kind of reminds me of when Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch alternated their roles as Frankenstein and the Creature. I think both would do well in either role but bring a different feel respectively. In the case of Wi Ha-joon he has played a serial killer before so he's no stranger to going over to the dark side. With Ji Chang-wook, perhaps he's the more established actor and the expectation is that he plays the protagonist. I suspect the show is trying to avoid portraying Gi-cheul as an outright villain. I think the intention is to show that under different circumstances he would have made different choices. He could have even ended up being with Inspector Yu if things had turned out differently. He was a good kid that attended church at one point. It's a pity that he's living the life of a gangster though because he's quite intelligent and far more meticulous than the cops. I have a tough time deciding who to root for in this show at times partly due to my affection for Wi Ha-joon and how his character is written. Things aren't easy for him either. He has to fend off all kinds of opposition even among so-called allies. Rivals of all kinds seem to forget that the fact that he is making so much money is not just mere luck or having the right backer. I'm finally all caught up. So far it's not bad and I'm enjoying the cat and mouse game. I'm actually curious as to which way the show will go. It's not as obvious as one might think especially because Gi-cheul and Inspector Yu have got a history. The cops are rather new to this undercover gig. Especially Jun-mo. It feels like they're learning as they go whereas Gi-cheul is an old hand where deception and schemes are concerned. Although he's quite good on his feet, I don't think Jun-mo realises what kind of toll the job will take on him as well as what potential temptations will do to him.

The first episode was good and a decent character set-up for the male leads. The backdrop and the motivations are clearly laid out so I'm looking forward to how these agendas play out in the rest of the show. It's definitely a historical piece with the chosen palette as well as the amount of smoking that goes on. (it's a competition to see who lights up the most number of cigarettes) What I particularly like about the set-up is that the antagonist could be the protagonist in his own tragic story. Like The Godfather. He's sick of being treated like rubbish. He has ambition and smarts to make it happen. He commands genuine loyalty from an inner circle that goes back to his school days. Moreover, the protagonist although something of the typical loose cannon is motivated not really by ideals of justice but wanting to look a bit better in front of his in-laws for his wife's sake. That's potentially very interesting in terms of his character arc ie. if it takes him down to the dark side. Initially I thought the wife wasn't really necessary but as the episode progressed it occurred to me that she's there not so much as to set up some obligatory love triangle but to act as his lifeline. I suspect that she's included so that he doesn't get completely consumed by the undercover persona. She will be, I'm guessing, his conscience. A reminder to him why he's there in order that he doesn't completely lose his way. I also think that her purpose in the narrative is to flesh out Jung Gi-cheul as the mob boss -- to give him that extra layer, to humanize him so that he isn't some kind of cartoon villain. But the lovely thing always about Wi Ha-jun is that he always projects a certain vulnerability no matter how badass he is. That staring contest at the end is rather good. This is a collaboration that I'm hyped up to see a lot more of.

Good lord... Myeong-jun is so bad at this kidnapping gig. So terrible. He's always so on edge, looking nervously around -- so shifty looking. Luckily Sang-yun is on the ball. In another K police procedural they would be jumping to conclusions left right and centre chasing after one red-herring after another. The best thing about Sang-yun is that he asks all the right questions. Still I feel sorry for him. He's definitely embroiled in something much bigger than kidnapping. And the girl is a bit of a brat regardless. If she's right about corruption in high places, she needs him as much as he needs to clear his name. Edit after Episode 4: This show is both intriguing and frustrating at the same time. The adult doesn't act like an adult and the child pretends that she's the adult. In all honesty if it weren't for Sang-yun I think I would probably have dropped this or lost half the hair on my head by now. Yeah, she can push his buttons because of his guilt but it demonstrates why children should never be allowed to run amok and take the lead in anything. Living on the run is a short-term measure not a long-term solution especially when neither of them are flushed with cash or resources. Both Dr Choi and his wife were murdered. It's no child's play. Hope Sang-yun catches them soon.

Okay, I've started this... One and a half episodes in I have a couple of theories...

Why the heck are high schoolers involved in the investigation? Why? Why? Why is she leaving highly confidential information around the house for everyone to see? So many dumb things happening in one episode.

Digging Shin Ha-kyun's bowl haircut. Nerds rule.

@IpohBanana @SilverMoonTea It's a light (and predictable) watch admittedly but surprisingly I'm enjoying it. It's kind of fun actually. Sometimes I can watch trashy dramas with unseemly glee. This seems to be one of those. I'm enjoying watching the older brother Xizhou spiralling over to the dark side and I love hating on the meddlesome mother. At least in this show people's bad decisions come to bite them... hard.

I kind of suspected that because he's second billed and they have a lot of deep discussions but so far he seems to be brotherzoned. He also kind of looks noticeably older than her. I feel like he looks a bit too old to be playing Xiaobo. From what I've gathered from online chatter elsewhere, it does seem like he might be the endgame although I've heard the novel has an open ending.

Ah... it's on Prime. Definitely do-able at some stage. Have to see if the dumb dad shtick gets old.

The child actors are very good especially the kid who plays younger Qiqi. I remember her from Hidden Love. Definitely a star in the making. I'm really enjoying this. Qiqi is very relatable and her struggles tug at the heartstrings. It touches a nerve here and there. But I'm really drawn into all of their struggles and stories. I have no idea who she ends up with but her chemistry with the lad that plays Zhang Jun is fantastic. It's probably the actor. It does remind me a little of Anne of Green Gables. This final third of the year is really making up for the lacklustre first two-thirds.

Episode 15 was particularly weirdly cut. Probably the fingerprint of the censorship -- the reason why it took them 2 years to get this on the streaming platform. I think this show has suffered from being heavily censored. For instance Country M (bad English, bad ADR, dubbing issues). I'm not surprised if they've had to reshoot scenes to comply with censors. Anyway I'm okay with the show. It's not going to win any awards. And for a soap opera, the characters are at least properly fleshed out. I still don't like the mother but at least I understand where she's coming from.

I saw this on Viki but I'm now watching 3 C dramas including My Journey To You and Parallel World plus DP 2. I am all drama-out at this point. I'm fond of Zhao Jinmai though. Will put it on my watchlist. It has similar beats to an older C drama about two women who grew up together.

None of the trailers posted here seem to work for me. Here's one that works.

@SilverMoonTea It's just promotional material for the drama -- a teaser with some basic information about the show It starts with the leads pointing to their character names "Zhu Jiu" and "Fu Yunshen". Then in the next sequence the wording above her is "perfect male god" and above him is "stuck-up handsome businessman" In the third set of writing above her is "blunt sweet doctor" and above him is "perfect goddess" In the fourth set, the title above her means "rivals/enemies inevitably cross paths" and above him is "can't give out spoilers" In the fifth set, the words are "little wolfhound" and "Fu Yunshen" Then it's back to both their character names Zhu Jiu and Fu Yunshen where they point at each other with hearts. Then it ends with "Watch South Wind Knows"... "After work watch South Wind Knows" It's a fairly generic plot but I'm finding it generally watchable.

Haha. I knew you'd like it. I wasn't sure about anyone else but in your case, I was pretty certain that you'd not only appreciate the backdrop but also the banter. This is why I said previously that I'm going to have a tough time with other romance centric dramas down the line. If it's possible to do a good romance show in under 15 episodes why don't they do it more often? For me the biggest strength of this show is how it handles the dating period. That's the test of a good script. The build up is great and the flirtation is fun but often things start to go awry in the writing when the couple comes together. And thankfully it is handled deftly and maturely here. There's also a lot of humour to be found in the post-transition period where they're trying to juggle their work commitments with dating. I really enjoy seeing potential rivals try and insert themselves into the leads' relationship and get roasted for it. Watching her first crush get his ego deflated was a hoot. And the way she takes him down a notch or two after all that gaslighting... perfect. This show boasts of one of the best proposal scenes I've seen. There's no fanfare. No cheesy prep with cakes, balloons and rose petals. Just honest to goodness heartfelt declarations with a tiny bit of misdirection. I appreciate how the friendship/couple ring becomes a motif that signals milestones in their relationship. Instead of searching for one's soulmate, it's more realistic to learn to become the other's "one and only " by learning to accommodate which they learnt to do. The finale is the best one for a romance that I've seen in a while. I hate last minute separation tropes that seem to be the staple of C and K dramas often for no apparent reason except to maintain tension through artificial uncertainty. Here we see the main pairing learning to navigate difficult times and incompatible schedules together which is a much more realistic way of dealing with potential dangers to a fledgling relationship. Glad you enjoyed it too @peperomia and thought it worth your while. I see that they've dropped all the episodes for My Journey to You.

Looks like tragedy strikes early