Raymond Ardin
Canada
Good but unexceptional
I just finished watching and I'd say that overall, it was good but not great.
Being a huge fan of the crime/mystery genre, a part of me was hoping that it would be a detective drama along the lines of Maiden Holmes or The Imperial Coroner. In that sense, it was a disappointment, as our leads spend negligible screen time investigating. The only "cases" that matter are the ones directly related to the major conspiracy that the plot revolves around, and said conspiracy isn't particularly complicated or impressive at that. In this sense, the storyline is rather similar to The Love Lasts Two Minds, with a little bit of Under The Power thrown in, but the story here isn't nearly as sophisticated as those two dramas, and thus comes off as less engaging to watch.
I can't help but feel like they oversold us on the FL's abilities. Sure, she's smart, and also unbearably cute (I just want to pinch her cheeks every time she appears on the screen lol), but not quite the genius that the synopsis had me believe. After all, a character can only be as smart as the writer(s). As is the case with all too many dramas these days, it's also clear that the writers intentionally gave her various handicaps that serve no purpose other than to put her in situations where she's helpless and needs to be saved by the ML.
The acting was fine, although I didn't feel much chemistry between the leads. The lead actor just failed to convince me with his (admittedly very handsome) poker face that he's in love with FL. The side couples had more chemistry to me. Zhang Huiwen did fine, being one of the most talented actresses of her generation, and given what she had to work with, but she's often stuck in subpar roles in less than ideal projects (a fate shared by my other favorite actress, the criminally underrated Sun Xuening). The Flaming Heart was definitely a flop, though I've heard good things about her role in Marvelous Woman, which finished airing recently.
All in all, everything about this drama is fine, just unexceptional. Worth a watch, but probably not worth rewatching, and definitely won't be winning any awards.
Being a huge fan of the crime/mystery genre, a part of me was hoping that it would be a detective drama along the lines of Maiden Holmes or The Imperial Coroner. In that sense, it was a disappointment, as our leads spend negligible screen time investigating. The only "cases" that matter are the ones directly related to the major conspiracy that the plot revolves around, and said conspiracy isn't particularly complicated or impressive at that. In this sense, the storyline is rather similar to The Love Lasts Two Minds, with a little bit of Under The Power thrown in, but the story here isn't nearly as sophisticated as those two dramas, and thus comes off as less engaging to watch.
I can't help but feel like they oversold us on the FL's abilities. Sure, she's smart, and also unbearably cute (I just want to pinch her cheeks every time she appears on the screen lol), but not quite the genius that the synopsis had me believe. After all, a character can only be as smart as the writer(s). As is the case with all too many dramas these days, it's also clear that the writers intentionally gave her various handicaps that serve no purpose other than to put her in situations where she's helpless and needs to be saved by the ML.
The acting was fine, although I didn't feel much chemistry between the leads. The lead actor just failed to convince me with his (admittedly very handsome) poker face that he's in love with FL. The side couples had more chemistry to me. Zhang Huiwen did fine, being one of the most talented actresses of her generation, and given what she had to work with, but she's often stuck in subpar roles in less than ideal projects (a fate shared by my other favorite actress, the criminally underrated Sun Xuening). The Flaming Heart was definitely a flop, though I've heard good things about her role in Marvelous Woman, which finished airing recently.
All in all, everything about this drama is fine, just unexceptional. Worth a watch, but probably not worth rewatching, and definitely won't be winning any awards.
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