Oh Lord Have Mercy - Huang Jing Yu!!!

I can't believe I had never seen any of Johnny Huang's dramas. Even harder to believe that this one has been out since 2018! I came upon it quite by accident and am so happy I did. For once, the screenwriter got it right, and the director made it all happen with a great cast of actors. It wasn't perfect, but then, what is? There were a few holes and a few things left hanging, but hey - in this one, the good outweighed the bad.

I'm not usually a Victoria Song fan. I find her to be a bit wooden and one-dimensional. In this one, she was just a little less so; but then, with Huang Jing Yu as her leading man, it's not too surprising. He was phenomenal. Just the right blend of quiet strength and self-confidence and a hint of innocence. And of course, that he is just drop dead gorgeous didn't hurt. I did love the character of Helan Xi, and he played it to perfection.

And let's not omit the real charm of this drama - the trio of Xiu Xian, Zhao Kuan Yong, and Xian Xiao Ju. What chemistry these three had - and I couldn't have chosen one guy over the other for her and wanted her to have them both! My only comfort was that the latter couple Li Jia Ming & Liu Yong Xi fell in love in real life. That made me so happy, and I wish them well!

The story got a little loose in some parts, which wasted precious time that could have wrapped things up a little better at the end. The timeline was vague and references to how long it would take for the foxes to regain human form were ambiguous. One minute it was hundreds of years, and yet in 6 months there was Helan Xi on the train. Hey - I took the happy ending anyway I could get it, but still there are lingering questions. Part two mayhap? We can only hope.

I liked this story. I liked the actors. I even felt it for some of the evil characters (not a lot of them). But I liked this drama and would definitely rewatch it. I will, however, fast forward through scenes with her 'best friend' and the female reported whose ambition caught up to her in the end (too easy if you ask me).

A lot of eye candy in this one, folks, but also a good story and solid acting. And Johnny Huang without a shirt!

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An Example of the Worst Kind of Screenwriting

If you are able to make it through 33 episodes (albeit short format) without giving up in disgust, then the last episode might redeem this drama. The ML's performance, his assistant, and marginally the mother contributed to helping the story to survive. Even a couple of the 'villains' managed to be convincing in the badly written roles all these actors were given. To be fair, the worst role was the FL's character - so this is not a critique of the actress' skills, but of the part she was given to play.

What is it about these writers than insist on portraying women as brainless, immature, ridiculously shy and seemingly naive? Do Chinese women really admire these simpering, juvenile, childish stereotypes? They giggle and hide and overact to the point of ridicule. The costumers dress these women like children, which only adds to the cringey feel of the characters behaving like, looking like children - with these handsome, older male leads. It borders on almost perverted at times, especially in the romantic scenes where the ML is more aggressive, and the FL behaves like a child.

When the FL is written in this light, adding the trope of drinking till the character is wasted and almost unconscious, waking up in some man's (usually the ML) bed, and not remembering anything of the night before is an equally disturbing trend.

We, the viewers, long for well-written storylines that utilize the talents of so many of these actors/actresses. We welcome and relish positive stereotypes and realistic and intriguing plots that draw us in, not disgust nor disappoint. It seems to be getting worse in these mini dramas and micro dramas and that is a real disservice to the Chinese Drama genre and in particular, women.

I certainly cannot imagine that I watched the same drama that most of these reviews refer to. Except for that last episode that offered a modicum of dignity to the story, the FL's character in rest of the episodes was almost embarrassing to watch.

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Coming Back Again and Again

I'm not really into these reincarnated, reborn plots, but since this is make-believe I can live with it. Seriously, sometimes one has to take reviews with a grain of salt, taking into consideration that everyone has opinions and perceptions that might not align with one's own. That was the case here. I almost didn't watch because of the responses of some posters. Now I'm glad I followed my mind and gave it a shot. So, it won't win any awards for acting - but that isn't why I watch these dramas. They are an escape - a world made up of stories - so I don't take them so seriously that they affect me, especially negatively. If I don't like what I see, I stop watching.

That being said, I didn't mind the lead couple. They weren't sizzling but they were passable. I think the scene that had some viewers up in arms about was tastefully done, and if one watched the whole story, the reasons are explained. Also, the couple did have a history - not as though right off the bat they got married and they were strangers with no emotional attachment, so that wasn't an issue for me. The villains were awful enough, but they got some kind of comeuppance so that was ok with me.

One thing I really must comment on was the hair and make up. Both were awful. It was hard to find the characters appealing with such terrible make up. The women looked unattractive and unappealing, and the men (white-hair guy) looked washed out and pasty.

Again, this drama won't win any awards, but it you're looking for something to watch in-between serious dramas, or just to fill your time, this isn't bad.

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Don't Waste Your Time

This series was 40 episodes too long. A poorly written, uninteresting story with boring characters and very little relationship development or chemistry. The couples were perfunctory and there was absolutely no romance or PDA at all. The relationships between the 3 female characters were nothing special, and I hope is not indicative of sisterhood in Chinese women professional or personal.

One emotional story arc was the death of the FL's mother. That was pretty powerful despite the silliness of trying to pass off the boyfriend as her son-in-law. Still, their exchange was touching.

I like Liu Yu Ning - and actually watched because of his main role. I got a bonus thrill seeing Dai Gao Zheng (even with his shirt on the whole time). But their characters were really blah and boring, as were the characters played by the lead actresses. On the whole, all the characters were about as exciting and interesting as watching paint dry.

This was a very disappointing drama. VERY DISAPPOINTING. Spare yourself and save your time for something worth watching. You'd get more out of watching the real news than this drivel.

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A Disappointing Tale of Dysfunction and Delusion

The writer really dropped the ball on this one. Extremely unappealing characters with little or no redeeming qualities; absolutely no chemistry between any of the couples; no friendships or relationships that could be described as healthy or rewarding. This one was just a mixed bag of dysfunctional relationships and delusional behavior.

I like the ML - a lot - but in other dramas, not this one! I didn't much care for any of the other characters, however, to be fair, the actors played the (badly-written) roles they were given so this is not a criticism of the actors themselves. If I had friends like these characters, I would cut them all out of my life. The guys were less than loyal, and the FL's best friend was just plain self-centered and selfish, and gave really useless advice! The parents! OMG what is it with the portrayal of these interfering parents who would sell their children's happiness for financial or career gain!? And the FL! Her character was just plain weak, confused and unrealistic. BUT - The most dysfunctional and delusional character was the unaccepting ex-boyfriend. Wow! What a psycho!

There was nothing appealing about this story. Nothing that really made me want to invest in any of the characters. I wasn't even hoping for a happy ending for the lead couple, the second couple, or the young ones with health issues. This was just like watching a train wreck but not being able to stop watching because you just have to see how badly it will end. That the shoddy writing wrapped the story up with some sort of pseudo 'happy' ending - or hint of one depending on how delusional the viewer is - made no difference. Not even a 'happy ending' could save this one.

Since I have come this far with the story, I will complete the episodes - with NO chance of a rewatch and will try desperately to avoid the awful OST. It's really too late for redemption or salvation.

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47 Episodes of Flashbacks

This drama had only two things going for it. An ensemble cast who did a great job bringing their characters to life - and a gorgeous ML.

The writing was passable, but the series was drawn out by too many useless and unnecessary flashbacks. 47 episodes were really excessive. I used my fast forward button a lot. Too many police meetings and briefings, and too many musings by the villain. Those were getting really boring!

Best parts of this drama were the friendships. Jianguo, Xiao Shuai, Zhou Li, & Zi Guang - and their relationship with Uncle Guo. FL's dads - Hu Yu Jin & Huang Zhen Wu, and the young squad members.

William Chan did a great job with a character that wasn't really written well. Loved the fight scenes and just looking at him in general. They could not get him clean-shaven quickly enough for me, but he rocked the manbun!

Probably the smartest officer of the bunch, and the one who really deserved better than he got in the end, was Han Jin. Easy on the eyes as well - he always managed to inject some intelligence in their intelligence.

Finally, the FL. Normally. I don't mind Ma Si Chun. I've seen her in other things - but this one was underwhelming because of the character she was given to play and how really poorly written it was. Police can't afford to be careless or impetuous or unruly. She was just all over the place and then sulking when chastised or screwed things up. And how wishy washy was she in her relationship with the ML!? One minute she is all lovey dovey, the next she's accusing him, arresting him, interrogating him, and treating him like a criminal. Girlfriend like that? No thanks! So sorry - the romance sizzle fizzled with her character. What a waste of a sexy, gorgeous ML!

I was really looking forward to a good story, with enough time to tell it and tell it well. What a let-down. No rewatch for me, thanks. Once is punishment enough. I'll find a shorter drama with Chan in it for eye candy.

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When the Characters are Worse than the Acting

13 episodes in, I was still mildly curious about the FL's story and her past. I liked her character a lot. No shallow, silly behavior. She's confident, smart, and strong. She's good to her friends and those who work with and for her. No entitled bitchy attitude. I liked the FL's friends and their relationships with her. I would have liked to see her story through to the end.

I don't despise the ML's character although he's pretty full of himself. Unfortunately, he wasn't enough to keep me invested in him or their relationship. His character didn't seem worthy of this strong woman. And whoever was responsible for his wardrobe choices needs to be fired. Some of them were pretty awful.

So why did I drop this like a hot rock?

1) Most of all, the little sister - this actress looks like she's 12 years old, and always manages to behave like a petulant, spoiled child who just needs to leave the room. I was fast-forwarding through all her scenes from the first episode she appeared in.
2) The ML's assistant - who is just a useless lackey who couldn't care less about his job or his boss. In the real world who would keep such a moron by his side anyway?
3) The housekeeper - who got away with everything and who nobody made accountable.

Sometimes the good outweighs the bad, especially with so many episodes but there was not much good in this one. As mildly interesting as this started out to be, there just wasn't enough tolerance to put up with some of these characters (especially the little sister!) I hope the FL will get some better scripts and roles that will showcase her talent.

ZERO re-watch value.

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Poor Writing Ruins Even a Good Story

I really wanted to like this drama. Initially, the characters seemed appealing, and I was looking forward to getting to know them and their stories. What a let-down! There were so many things going on at the same time, so this story needed to flow a lot better than it did. There was a lot of needless repetition and wasted opportunities for the characters to really grow and develop.

The Couples:
I was really rooting for the lead couple. I was disappointed. He made mistakes, yes, he did. He handled them poorly, yes, he did. But there didn't seem to be much real love or dedication from either spouse to communicate and try to work through their problems, especially for the sake of the family they say they loved. And what was that ending for them? Ambiguous at best.

The lawyer & the writer were also disappointing. I thought it ironic that the couple didn't make the connection that despite the lawyer's modern, professional, capable demeanor, she was doing almost the same thing her mother-in-law was doing, and the writer husband was taking her for granted the same way! He did get to redeem himself a bit with his concern for her and his support. But not sufficiently to change.

The artist & the engineer was the couple that disgusted me the most. Not him, but her. He was just too sweet, too much of a doormat, too understanding, too wish-washy. She was just a selfish, self-centered, insensitive, spoiled diva. At first, I thought they would be my favorite couple, but she put paid to that very quickly. I did not like her at all.

The music teacher & the baker. That 'relationship' didn't even take off for me. There was no development of their involvement at all. Potentially the strongest story arc with the opportunity to show the most beneficial change - wasted by a weak script. I wasn't even rooting for her by the end.

The kids:
Wow! What a spoiled, entitled, bratty bunch! None of them were particularly appealing, and they did nothing to make me believe they were anything but noisy and basically unnecessary characters.

The older parents/in-laws:
OMG! The representation of older Chinese mothers gets worse and worse. Nosy, bossy, single-minded - these things don't equate to loving your children. No wonder their own children even as adults are so dysfunctional, and then go on to raise the same dysfunctional children themselves.

The ending:
Maybe the writer was trying to redeem themself by making a poor attempt at being philosophical. It didn't work. The FL was neither inspiring nor philosophical throughout the story. She didn't come across as someone to be empathized with or even sympathized with. She didn't impress me much as the kind of woman to be admired or emulated. She just did what so many women in real-life situations do - stumble along with unrealistic dreams and the illusion of perfection. Maybe that was the intent of the writer and this story. I don't know.

Personally, this was a let-down. No chance of re-watching. I did like the actor who played the ML, though. I hope he doesn't get bogged-down playing the role of the cheating husband who turns out to be a waste of time.

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How the Actors Save the Day

The story was just ok for me. The writing wasn't spectacular. The story dragged in parts, but I was so invested in the characters and their relationships that I kept coming back for more. Some of the villains were a little poorly written, no depth really. The same old ploy with the ministers - give them a fake story and they run with it, and in this case, an emperor who was that and worse. Still, the cast did a wonderful job in bringing their characters to life. I loathed the bad guys, loved the good guys.

Liked the camaraderie of the soldiers - and wished for a happier ending for them. The ending was nicely tied up for the most part, but I like to see what's happening and not get a narrative. So, I would have liked to see the young emperor with his two older mentors come back to the palace, and I would have liked to see a family (or even a wedding) for Chang'er & Taozi. And hey, what happened to Pei Yuan?!

And of course, the real draw for me... Xu Kai. That face! His expressions! OMG he is absolutely gorgeous in historical garb, especially the military uniforms! WOWZA! And he's a god on a horse! The chemistry between he and Jing Tian was sweet. Their bantering was cute and funny - and oddly enough for me, because I don't usually care for fight scenes, theirs were nicely coordinated and executed. They looked great, especially fighting together against a common foe. The way they got the evil minister *perfect*!

I didn't expect to like this drama as much as I did, and I might even go back and watch it again if I had time on my hands and just wanted a good dose of eye-candy (Xu Kai) and a little romance. If there had been better writing perhaps, I could have given this a higher score - but the acting earned all the points.

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Propaganda, Action, Killing, and NO Romance

I admit I followed the story to the end to see how the characters would end up. How the writer would tie up the loose ends and resolve the stories, and I suppose in a way, they did that - just not really so it made a compelling story that I enjoyed. The characters were played well by the actors - I hated the baddies, I was sorry for the goodies - and so many people were killed off, tortured, or manipulated. The villains didn't get nearly enough come-uppance for me.

Let's talk about the absence of romance. I watch these dramas for the lead couple(s) and the romance factor. There was none of it here. Although I love Elvis Han, I didn't care much for this FL - and found very little chemistry between them. When the only kiss is not even between the ML & FL you must know how non-existent the romance is.

There was a lot of action, a lot of 'suspense', but not in a way that the story was satisfying to me. I was very disappointed. I don't recommend this drama and would not rewatch it.

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Not Even Wang Hedi Could Save This Drama

And I tried to hold on and brave as many episodes as I could, waiting for the story to emerge and something to pique my interest. After 6 episodes, nothing. Time to go! The writing is AWFUL. The story is dull, uninteresting, and a total waste of time and money. The characters are unappealing and have zero charisma and chemistry. This failure is solely on the writers - if they had presented a story with characters worth watching, the actors might have been able to do a better job in portraying them and telling the story.

I'd watch Dylan Wang in anything - and I am usually a Bai Lu fan. However, these characters they were given to play were as dull as dishwater. Bai Lu's character was just about getting on my last nerve. The side characters were uninteresting and had such vapid personalities that they were not even worth investing time or energy in. There was zero romance in the air - not even attraction or initial chemistry (and I've seen Wang Hedi when there is chemistry, and Bai Lu as well). This drama was a dismal disappointment and from the responses I have read, I should have expected it, but I still held on to hopes because of the leads.

Again, even the biggest, brightest actors/actresses can't do much with a crappy script - and this one was probably one of the worst scripts I've seen.

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What the hell kind of ending was that!?

I hate going into these dramas with absolutely no warning that the writer/director is going to throw in a complete cliff hanger at the end without even a hint that there will be a continuation. Ironically, the story was not bad, and the acting was pretty convincing. The writing was choppy at best - and there are so many loose ends left hanging that none of the story arcs got tied up or even explained.

The ML was fantastic - the FL just meh. The two villains were convincing and good-looking. The FL character's family's story was left hanging. Her mother's story was left hanging.

What a mess! Hopefully anyone who is looking to watch this drama will be forewarned. It's a waste of time since there is no resolution or any kind of wrap up at the end. The only reason I rated this as much as I did was the acting.

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When the story is bad and the acting is worse... drop it!

I started watching this drama but couldn't find a title. Several episodes in, I managed to seek it out on You Tube and read the reviews. There wasn't a positive on in the bunch, and I can honestly see why. At that point, I bailed.

The storyline was weak and ridiculous. The acting was poor - especially the FL. Her facial expressions made her look like a clown most times, and just plain clueless the rest of the time. She had less than zero chemistry with the ML, and pretty much no chemistry with any of the supporting players either. I wasn't impressed with the ML either, but at least his character was believable, and he got along with the other characters.

That all the reviews said the same thing about how the drama ended tells you right there that there are no redeeming qualities for this one. Run far, run fast. And I am adding this FL to my list of never-to-be-watched-again.

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What a good series, and honestly, Zhang Ling He!

I have to admit I had a little trouble following the story at first, but that's me. Once I got the characters down, I couldn't walk away. Despite some very unkind comments I have read, the ensemble cast gave wonderful performances and made me really like (or despise) the characters.

The couples were endearing and believable - and the chemistry between Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He was sizzling hot!! (He would have electricity with a stone, I tell you!) The villains!! What superb acting - I despised them intensely; proof of the great job they did bringing their evil characters to life. The characters that people thought were weak or unimportant, really had their purpose - and it took some care and attention to realize that. Even the character of Xie Wei - he was so broken, so lonely, a product of his past longing for the love he desperately needed to heal.

I especially liked the time and attention to the final episode, and that bonus episode was just the icing on the cake!!! Loved that for the most part, they tied up the loose ends nicely - meting out justice and Karma, but wrapping up the characters' stories. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the end story of Xie Wei's two loyal aides and Xue Ding Fei. But I absolutely loved the lead couple's ending the best. The scene with Xie Wei and his kids was hilarious!

Now... why did I not go for it and give this a perfect 10? You Fang Yin & Lu Xian. They deserved so much more - and a little of the happiness that everyone else received. That broke my heart, especially for Lu Xian. Sorry, writer & director - that one cost you a perfect rating.

I will definitely be re-watching this, probably time and time again.

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