What If (2024)

Choice A or Choice B, live life without regrets

This is not your typical rom-com. The drama’s concept of “what if” is that the female lead is at a crossroad and has to choose between two paths. The drama shows us how these two choices play out at the same time in a parallel sort of way (think the USA movie Sliding Doors). In episode 3, the drama splits in two. Timeline 1, the female lead gets off the bus and stays at her small town with her loving boyfriend. Timeline 2, the female lead stays on the bus and moves to the big city for work. Both timelines are real.

Note, this is a female centric drama so the whole story focuses on Zhong Chu Xi two characters. There are two male leads Liu Xue Yi (small town boyfriend) and Lin Yu Shen (boss in the big city) which I felt shared almost equal screen time.

“Live life without regrets” is the message of the drama that the writers executed perfectly. The best thing about this drama is that it doesn’t sugar coat anything. It shows us the realistic and very human side of life. Relationships are not perfect, they are messy, filled with miscommunication, confusion but also love and warmth. Life is not perfect either and we should cherish the happiness we have, even if sometimes it’s only a little bliss. No choice is wrong or right, we just have to take it all in and navigate through the ups and downs of life.

POSITIVE:
- Realistic story about flawed characters with relatable and real life issues.
- No sugar coating. The drama always keeps it real to make sure we remember that sometimes real life does not work like a cute rom-com.
- Unique plot with deeper meaning about life behind it.
- Real life problems. The drama shows us raw and flawed communication between people that might not be considered healthy but it’s very much authentic to real life.
- Cute romantic scenes.
- No fillers or side stories. Almost all scenes show the main lead’s story (the female lead and her two male leads).
- No cheating. Even though there are two male leads in the story, the female lead doesn’t cheat and there are no love triangles.
- Realistic portrayal of life's highs and lows.
- Blend between daily mundane life in a small time vs a lavishing lifestyle in the big city.
- A mix of very sad and very heartwarming moments.

NEGATIVE:
- Melodrama vibe. The characters were constantly going through many challenges which made the drama very stressful to watch at times.
- Third party vibes. There is no cheating and no love triangles however the female lead does end up dating another man in one of the timelines so for some people that might be difficult to watch.
- Transitions between the two timelines are not always clear and sometimes it takes a few moments to realise we are watching the other timeline. You really have to pay close attention to not confuse the two timelines. It would have been better if the two timelines were more distinguishable, whether with different colours or the female lead’s appearance.
- Female lead being the scapegoat. The writers wanted to create more engaging drama for the viewers but at the cost of their female lead. Unfortunately, a lot of the times I felt all the problems and conflicts steamed from the female lead.
- Happy ending for both timelines however it also felt a bit open. I wish the drama showed us a few years into the future in each of the timelines.

OVERALL:
If you want a melodrama vibe, with a realistic story about flawed characters and the raw portrayal of messy relationships, watch this drama.

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
“We should cherish the happiness we have, even if it’s a little bliss”
“Whatever road you may choose, you may regret. But once you decide, you have to go on. It will end well”

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In two timelines: how to find that something less common in life ?

Two timelines run at the same time. In the third episode, when the female lead gets on the bus, the second timeline begins. In the first line the story continues with her in the small town, continuing her interaction with her childhood sweetheart: Yu Jian. In the second timeline, it's Xia Guo who didn't give up on going to Shanghai and now she will have another story with another man in her life, her boss: Xue Yu Ming.
The two male protagonists (Yu Jian and Xue Ming) have completely different profiles. But, the one who has the most screen time is Yu Jian (Liu Xue Yi) who crosses both timelines, and will have to make choices in both timelines.
What will be most extraordinary about Xia Guo's choice that we will know at the end of the drama? The choice she makes in each timeline is to get to know that something more extraordinary, less ordinary in life.
________‾_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Observation:

I think the third boyfriend in the story won't be as important in the plot. The two men in her life: Yu Jian and boss Xue Yu Ming. (but there are two stories happening at the same time).The First Xia Guo chooses to stay in the small city and continue her love story with Yu Jian. The other Xia Guo gets on the bus and chooses to go to the big city and gets a great job. And at a certain point she gives up on Yu Jian completely and starts a love story with boss Xue Yu Ming.
What I want to say is: some say that the male lead is Xue Yu Ming. But in reality it's as if there were two male leads (who win the heroine) each in a different timeline. These male leads (Yu Jian and Xue Yiu Ming) are completely different, they are like water and wine. So: whoever prefers the charming boss, says that the male lead is Xue Yu Ming. Those who prefer the naive, honest and loyal male lead, attached to their family and their dreams of starting a family and never giving up on taking care of their parents, those who prefer this profile more (will say: Yu Jian is the male lead).
However: what happens is that the one who has the most screen time is Yu Jian. He crosses both timelines, he will have in both timelines also make diametrically opposite choices.
But in practice: There are two dramas in one drama, with their respective heroes. But they are two distinct genres of drama (forming a single TV show).

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