The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (2020)

The cook, the eunuch and the chowhound - a crime solving menage a trois.

This comedic drama features a wildly imaginative yet oddly fitting crime fighting menage a trois comprising of a low (sixth) ranked magistrate (Tang Fan), a high-ranked embroidered guard (jingyi wei; Sui Zhou) and an influential eunuch (Wang Zhi) with the emperor's ear. Their paths intersect on cases with national security implications and while they have different agendas and masters, their synergistic and mutually beneficial collaborations blossom into friendship. The three main characters are well written - their bromance, hilarious antics and interactions are this drama's greatest strength.

With an irrepressible grin and a wicked gleam in his eyes, Darren Chen really hams it up with his cheeky, flirtatious and sometimes deliberately irritating characterisation of the titular Tang Fan, an idealistic young magistrate who is more of a chowhound than a sleuthhound. The talented and willowy Tang Fan is a very pretty boy with delicate and vivacious features who embraces his feminine side with abandon and is passionate, emotional, naggy, petulant, petty and vengeful. This outrageously funny character writes erotic novels to supplement his puny income, lives to eat, seems extremely well acquainted with the how to but yet can't cook to save his life. He happily moves in with the gorgeously taciturn, moody, much more masculine and deadly Sui Zhou who steals Tang Fan's heart with his ability to cook a mean meal. There is enough in their interactions and suggestive domestic arrangement to get the BL fans all hot and bothered without running afoul of Chinese censorship. And then of course there is Wang Zhi, the most morally grey and dangerous of the three. He approaches relationships transaction ally - "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours" and is unambiguous about his first loyalty to king and country. Newcomer Liu Yaoyuan's portrayal of the ruthless, calculating and yet inexplicably likable Wang Zhi nicely rounds out this kinky threesome. Between them, they are able to marshal resources from the lowest to highest reaches of society to solve their cases.

Set at the heart of the capital during the Chenghua reign of Ming Dynasty, the important characters and events of the period are nicely tied into the overall plot-lines. The surrounding characters were somewhat cliche but mostly well done from the "adopted daughter" Dong'er, the miracle doctor, the Oirats, Wang Zhi's beggar informants and the rare treat of a smart and hot emperor. The cases run the gamut from crimes of passion, corruption, larceny, terrorism and climaxes in a dangerous conspiracy reaching the highest ranks of government. Most surrounding characters including the villains have recurring roles in subsequent cases which gives them dimension and avoids the confusion of excessive character introductions with each new case. The cases shouldn't be taken too seriously; while they are fun and quite interesting, they are not that original or that difficult to solve and have some logic holes and are thus unlikely to satisfy a serious crime or mystery buff. The rhythm of the investigations frequently digress into inane and somewhat childish hit or miss comedic sketches that can go on for too long. There is a slight misogynist undertone to this drama - even the likable women have unflattering traits (stupid, noisy, whiny, irrational), or worse are power hungry, traitors, extremists or come to a bad end.

The tightly choreographed action scenes are signature Jackie Chan - lethal, gripping, high impact, extremely acrobatic and fluid poetry in motion. They are not excessive, do not drag on for too long and avoid the mid-combat slapstick moments he used to be so fond of; all good changes. The camerawork is stunning and very artistic, approaching movie quality. They obviously spared no expense with this and it shows.

For those who grew up on Jackie Chan, the Sleuth of Ming Dynasty is a fun romp down memory lane. There is a bit of the artistic Jackie Chan, the wacky whack-y Jackie Chan, the comedic Jackie Chan, the high testosterone Jackie Chan, the innovative Jackie Chan, the crass Jackie Chan and finally and pleasingly, the mature Jackie Chan. I outgrew his flicks ages ago - after awhile I found the hair rising stunts, high speed chases and exaggerated comedic routines repetitive, shallow and draining. So I am pleasantly surprised to see in this drama that maturity has toned down and balanced some (not all) of his more extreme inclinations while still remaining essentially Jackie Chan. It is also nice to see the uniquely Jackie Chan inspired Hong Kong wu da pan (武打片) sub-genre with its chauvinistic, contradictory, cynical, sarcastic yet sentimental and idealistic spirit has evolved for the better but is still innately the same.

This is highly entertaining and enjoyable if you don't look too hard at it or seek profound meaning. It is not always my sense of humor and the cases are solid but not exceptional so I rate it an 8.5 but I can see why others would call it a 9.0 or better.

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Let's Go Home For Dinner

“Let's go home for dinner” can even be an appropriate alternative title for this drama. For 48 episodes, the home scene of eating dinner together as one big family perhaps occurs the most times and in every episode. This scene is also the most endearing scene for me as I value family time having meals together as the most enjoyable event in life.

This drama is an investigative story with the three main leads working together from different angles to solve crimes and uncover conspiracies. They investigate government corruptions, punish the guilty, exonerate the innocents and save the kingdom. Though they have totally different personalities, they all have one common goal, that is to protect the Ming Kingdom from all dangers within and without, and to stay loyal to the Emperor throughout.

Tang Fan (Chen Kuan Hong or Darren Chen) is a low-level government official with a magnanimous heart. Though poor with a low income, he’s altruistic and generous to people around him. He has a mind of a genius but can be silly all the times, and that’s the fun part watching him getting into trouble, but somehow manages to come out in one piece. Darren Chen has a very beautiful face with delicate feminine features. Together with a slender body, he makes the most beautiful she-man I’ve ever seen. His acting with a bashful smile and puppy looking eyes catches many viewers’ hearts – he’s adorable.

Sui Zhou (Fu Meng Bo) is a calm, firm, forthright and upstanding man. Though cold, he has a warm heart. Time and time again, he covers Tang Fan’s back while Tang Fan helps him solve his investigations. He’s a good fighter and his fighting scenes are so good. A great cook perhaps in real life, Fu Meng Bo’s kitchen skill is applaudable.

I love the eunuch Wang Zhi (Liu Yao Yuan) who is perhaps the most cunning of all. Ruthless and with his enormous power, he’s also the one who helps both Tang Fan and Sui Zhou in every difficult situation they encounter. Liu Yao Yuan has a boyish face and his acting as a talented young eunuch doing all the dirty work for the Emperor and Consort Zhang, Liu Yao Yuan delivers this role convincingly. He’s perfect!

Despite their differences in personalities, all three work seamlessly together. I love the silent relationship they have with each other. Bromance or not, this friendship is utmost precious.

The supporting cast has done a most marvelous job in their respective roles. I love watching that little girl Dong’er (Huang Yang Tian Tian) who is also the adult in the room keeping the boys together in harmony. It is fun to watch how she outsmarts the boys and the disbelieved look on their faces when they are beaten. It is also fun to watch Consort Wan dresses in armor leading a team of girl soldiers to protect the Emperor.

The flashback showing how the three have met doesn’t occur until Episode 35. In this episode, it explains what has happened to their respective lives and how each gets to the current positions they are holding.

Overall, the drama has a very Jackie-Chan style. After all, he’s the director. It is fast moving, funny at times, silly dialogues, and misfortunate coincidences. There are a lot of chasing and fighting scenes, Jackie Chan’s stunts and moves. I like the great martial arts scenes with incredible sword fighting but dislike the background music during those fights. Although there are some minor plot holes, script writing and editing flaws here and there, this drama overall is a great watch. The ending is nicely done with proper closure for all characters and events. As how the final scene ends, I’m not surprised they are hinting for a season 2.

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