I fell for the hype
At first, this seems to be a fairly ordinary office drama that fails to stand out, except in few eccentric ways.
The acting is serviceable, although I enjoyed Qian Sun more in LOVE STORY IN THE 1970s, where she plays a multi-dimensional character who speaks like an intelligent, normal human being. I could do without the baby-talk voice, which she puts on for this role.
The ML is OK, but I found his arrogant, hypercritical, tone-deaf personality hard to like. As one of his friends tells him, “You’re all stick and no carrot.”
It’s New Year’s Eve and we viewers are wondering if the ML is finally going to confess his feelings to the FL. He gives her a call from afar, just as the countdown starts. She wishes him a Happy New Year. And then he says, “I was wondering..., if...if you’re free tomorrow...could you go over to my house and feed my fish?” I got a laugh out of that. (I know this guy. I’ve dated this guy–or at least one of his clones.) Even his own mother says to him: “A girl might date you at first because of your looks, but sooner or later she might not be able to stand you.” Well said, mom.
Too many overdone tropes--the company’s trek to the wilderness with the inevitable accident that follows, the flowers the ML orders that end up appropriated by the wrong woman, the ML’s worry and concern when the FL has a fever, etc. Jealousy abounds.
And what’s with the skirt lengths, hiked up to the stratosphere? Is that normal office attire in China these days? Does the censorship committee know about this? :)
I really liked the little epilogues right after each episode concludes. That’s a nice touch. This series doesn’t have an original sound track. I recognized most of the pieces from other dramas.
I’ll revisit this review later...
Episode 24
The final episode was a bit performative. I’d have preferred some recognition that our FL isn’t perfect either. She’s secretive, for example–and both are deceitful. The last couple of episodes imply that the ML has been a total jerk–all the misunderstandings were his fault--and he’s now totally reformed.
Yeah, no.
Both these characters are complicit. The so-called advertising “work” that they value relies on distorting facts or creating artificial desires to get people to part with their money. That’s what advertising is. Is it any wonder that, when it comes to love, these two use similar duplicitous tactics?
The most treasured object in this whole drama is an ancient typewriter, which is missing the letter “L.” Think about the symbolism of that.
I have to admit that I softened a bit toward the ML when he looked the FL in the eye and stood up for love, saying, “Luke is my dog too.”
That one earned an extra star because the ML knows how to treat a dog, even if he’s not a sure bet for a woman.
The acting is serviceable, although I enjoyed Qian Sun more in LOVE STORY IN THE 1970s, where she plays a multi-dimensional character who speaks like an intelligent, normal human being. I could do without the baby-talk voice, which she puts on for this role.
The ML is OK, but I found his arrogant, hypercritical, tone-deaf personality hard to like. As one of his friends tells him, “You’re all stick and no carrot.”
It’s New Year’s Eve and we viewers are wondering if the ML is finally going to confess his feelings to the FL. He gives her a call from afar, just as the countdown starts. She wishes him a Happy New Year. And then he says, “I was wondering..., if...if you’re free tomorrow...could you go over to my house and feed my fish?” I got a laugh out of that. (I know this guy. I’ve dated this guy–or at least one of his clones.) Even his own mother says to him: “A girl might date you at first because of your looks, but sooner or later she might not be able to stand you.” Well said, mom.
Too many overdone tropes--the company’s trek to the wilderness with the inevitable accident that follows, the flowers the ML orders that end up appropriated by the wrong woman, the ML’s worry and concern when the FL has a fever, etc. Jealousy abounds.
And what’s with the skirt lengths, hiked up to the stratosphere? Is that normal office attire in China these days? Does the censorship committee know about this? :)
I really liked the little epilogues right after each episode concludes. That’s a nice touch. This series doesn’t have an original sound track. I recognized most of the pieces from other dramas.
I’ll revisit this review later...
Episode 24
The final episode was a bit performative. I’d have preferred some recognition that our FL isn’t perfect either. She’s secretive, for example–and both are deceitful. The last couple of episodes imply that the ML has been a total jerk–all the misunderstandings were his fault--and he’s now totally reformed.
Yeah, no.
Both these characters are complicit. The so-called advertising “work” that they value relies on distorting facts or creating artificial desires to get people to part with their money. That’s what advertising is. Is it any wonder that, when it comes to love, these two use similar duplicitous tactics?
The most treasured object in this whole drama is an ancient typewriter, which is missing the letter “L.” Think about the symbolism of that.
I have to admit that I softened a bit toward the ML when he looked the FL in the eye and stood up for love, saying, “Luke is my dog too.”
That one earned an extra star because the ML knows how to treat a dog, even if he’s not a sure bet for a woman.
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