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Exceptional Drama
AGAINST THE CURRENT is a Chinese drama that takes place in a fictional country and era that resembles the Ming dynasty. It focuses on the harsh, difficult lives of women in general, and palace maids in particular, who are oppressed by the rigid standards of the culture.
Even upper class women have a precarious existence. Any woman who makes one unfortunate mistake might be asked to kill herself to preserve the honor of her family. Or sold to a brothel.
The maids have no rights at all. They’re subjected to brutal punishment from their superiors and can be beaten to death at any time. This is mostly the story of one maid, the quick-witted, kind FL, originally a nobleman's granddaughter, who manages to find friends and eventually flourish in this treacherous society.
To be clear, this series isn’t a downer. There are plenty of lighthearted moments, and the plot moves along at a nice pace. Also, it’s delightfully funny at times.
Other times maybe the plot is a bit too melodramatic (at least for me). Someone gets kidnapped; an innocent person is put in prison. Twice it turns into a police procederal with one of the two leads following the clues and saving the day.
For the most part, though, the story-telling, acting, directing, and grown-up themes encapsulated in this series are truly impressive. Some of the transitions are confusing, and I had trouble figuring out what was happening in a few scenes. I’m not sure if this was a problem with the editing or with the script.
All the actors seem well-suited for their roles, but a few stand out. One is the actor Li Meng who did an amazing job playing the husband-stealer in THE EPOCH OF MINJU. She’s the heavy in this drama as well, but she lets the audience know in a well-written and brilliantly delivered speech in Episode 8 that she (an upper class woman forced into a loveless marriage) is also a victim.
This is one of the more superior dramas of 2026.
Even upper class women have a precarious existence. Any woman who makes one unfortunate mistake might be asked to kill herself to preserve the honor of her family. Or sold to a brothel.
The maids have no rights at all. They’re subjected to brutal punishment from their superiors and can be beaten to death at any time. This is mostly the story of one maid, the quick-witted, kind FL, originally a nobleman's granddaughter, who manages to find friends and eventually flourish in this treacherous society.
To be clear, this series isn’t a downer. There are plenty of lighthearted moments, and the plot moves along at a nice pace. Also, it’s delightfully funny at times.
Other times maybe the plot is a bit too melodramatic (at least for me). Someone gets kidnapped; an innocent person is put in prison. Twice it turns into a police procederal with one of the two leads following the clues and saving the day.
For the most part, though, the story-telling, acting, directing, and grown-up themes encapsulated in this series are truly impressive. Some of the transitions are confusing, and I had trouble figuring out what was happening in a few scenes. I’m not sure if this was a problem with the editing or with the script.
All the actors seem well-suited for their roles, but a few stand out. One is the actor Li Meng who did an amazing job playing the husband-stealer in THE EPOCH OF MINJU. She’s the heavy in this drama as well, but she lets the audience know in a well-written and brilliantly delivered speech in Episode 8 that she (an upper class woman forced into a loveless marriage) is also a victim.
This is one of the more superior dramas of 2026.
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