Hotel blues
If you’ve seen Wallace Chung’s explosive, passionate performance in “Too Late to Say I Love You” (don't miss it) and you’re hoping more of the same here–forget about it. The ML in this drama has ice water in his veins. And more to the point, the conflict often revolves around the petty day-to-day trivia that goes into running a large, prestigious hotel: laundry, pastry recipes, that kind of thing. A nice change of pace for Chung–and probably more true to life--but a big yawn, at times, for the rest of us.
And while Chung’s portrayal of this ML (as compared to Feng Murong in TLTSILY) serves to bracket the actor’s range, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed.
The FL learns in the first episode that her husband has been having a long term affair with a woman who’s now pregnant, and wants to replace her as her husband’s wife. The husband seems perfectly happy to let this happen.
So, Miyu, the FL, a woman with no education or work experience, divorces him and goes looking for an entry level job.
At this point, some Asian dramas like to imply that if the female lead grits her teeth, endures her burdens with grace and fortitude, all will turn out for the best. Every once in a while, one character or another pounds this theme home–in the unlikely case that the viewers have missed it.
The FL finds work at the elegant Purong Hotel, where she’s subject to daily indignities, mild bullying, and other unfair treatment. We see how the lower level employees of the hotel get blamed for everything that goes wrong. And they in turn, blame someone even lower than they are on the totem pole.
But the FL actually likes her job. She finds a few genuine friends and allies, and strives to please the remote, mysterious Feng Ji, General Manager of the hotel, who often corrects her (trivial) mistakes and criticizes her.
It soon turns out that the success of the hotel is hanging by a thread. Everything depends on–wait for it--SHEETS! Will a certain hygiene problem be solved? Or will the hotel’s dirty laundry be exposed for all to see?
The main rule of storytelling is: keep the viewer engaged.
And I’m still engaged, although slightly bemused by this absolutely silly plot development
Later (episode 28): I still don’t feel much warmth for the ML. He seems to be a cold fish, someone who can express negative emotions when necessary, but struggles with the positive ones. Does he feel anything for the clever and beautiful FL?
Both the ML and the FL find immense satisfaction in devoting their lives to making the moneyed classes ever more comfortable than they already are.
Epsode 31 – Well...finally. Things have taken a turn.
But...a little bit later–it’s back to the real business of this drama, which is–BUSINESS. Does Miyu have what it takes to go into sales? I guess we’ll find out. The poor girl may have to start at the bottom...again.
Eps. 34 has my favorite scene. Our two leads quarrel--and to emphasize how far apart they are (metaphorically speaking), we see them separated by an elevator door, which closes slowly...once...twice...as many as five or six times. Loved it.
Product placement and industry accolades start creeping into the dialog, eulogising the merits of pickles, AI, and robots. I’m hoping this story won’t turn into an advertorial, but I fear it might.
Last episode. Whew! No. A fine and fitting conclusion. The ML shows that he can man up when necessary. And everyone gets what they deserve. We the viewers get to hear the moral driven home yet again.
P.S. Special shout out to the villains, who never get the appreciation they deserve, especially: Jing Chao (so hard to hate), and Zhang Yi, who looks like he would be lots of fun in real life.
And while Chung’s portrayal of this ML (as compared to Feng Murong in TLTSILY) serves to bracket the actor’s range, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed.
The FL learns in the first episode that her husband has been having a long term affair with a woman who’s now pregnant, and wants to replace her as her husband’s wife. The husband seems perfectly happy to let this happen.
So, Miyu, the FL, a woman with no education or work experience, divorces him and goes looking for an entry level job.
At this point, some Asian dramas like to imply that if the female lead grits her teeth, endures her burdens with grace and fortitude, all will turn out for the best. Every once in a while, one character or another pounds this theme home–in the unlikely case that the viewers have missed it.
The FL finds work at the elegant Purong Hotel, where she’s subject to daily indignities, mild bullying, and other unfair treatment. We see how the lower level employees of the hotel get blamed for everything that goes wrong. And they in turn, blame someone even lower than they are on the totem pole.
But the FL actually likes her job. She finds a few genuine friends and allies, and strives to please the remote, mysterious Feng Ji, General Manager of the hotel, who often corrects her (trivial) mistakes and criticizes her.
It soon turns out that the success of the hotel is hanging by a thread. Everything depends on–wait for it--SHEETS! Will a certain hygiene problem be solved? Or will the hotel’s dirty laundry be exposed for all to see?
The main rule of storytelling is: keep the viewer engaged.
And I’m still engaged, although slightly bemused by this absolutely silly plot development
Later (episode 28): I still don’t feel much warmth for the ML. He seems to be a cold fish, someone who can express negative emotions when necessary, but struggles with the positive ones. Does he feel anything for the clever and beautiful FL?
Both the ML and the FL find immense satisfaction in devoting their lives to making the moneyed classes ever more comfortable than they already are.
Epsode 31 – Well...finally. Things have taken a turn.
But...a little bit later–it’s back to the real business of this drama, which is–BUSINESS. Does Miyu have what it takes to go into sales? I guess we’ll find out. The poor girl may have to start at the bottom...again.
Eps. 34 has my favorite scene. Our two leads quarrel--and to emphasize how far apart they are (metaphorically speaking), we see them separated by an elevator door, which closes slowly...once...twice...as many as five or six times. Loved it.
Product placement and industry accolades start creeping into the dialog, eulogising the merits of pickles, AI, and robots. I’m hoping this story won’t turn into an advertorial, but I fear it might.
Last episode. Whew! No. A fine and fitting conclusion. The ML shows that he can man up when necessary. And everyone gets what they deserve. We the viewers get to hear the moral driven home yet again.
P.S. Special shout out to the villains, who never get the appreciation they deserve, especially: Jing Chao (so hard to hate), and Zhang Yi, who looks like he would be lots of fun in real life.
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