Ophanin

The beginning clearly shows the trap set by the police and the justice system. Asking a "suspect" the same question over and over again until she contradicts herself. (We have nothing to say to the police, let's never forget that. And they always lie.) They decide that her reactions are not "normal". They convict her on the basis of evidence, evidence that they have carefully fabricated, because that is our role as good prosecutors and good police officers.
They humiliate her by putting her in prison. They are all very pleased with their work. And terribly hurt when their convictions are contradicted by the facts.
You are deprived of your voice, your freedom, your privacy, you are lectured, your life is rewritten, you become a number to be humiliated.
At least Bach, Oscar Wilde, Jean Genet, Varlam Shalamov and François Villon wrote beautiful books there.

We also see how the lawyer uses the media to put pressure on the trial and restore some dignity to his client in the public eye. How he exposes the abuses of the police, who are always quick to crack down (their sole role) and never willing to listen to the victims.
The characters in this series are truly fascinating ! The one with the electronic tag who wants to do the right thing but is involved in repression, in particular, and finds room for manoeuvre. The prison guards and the uncomfortable inmates. Seeing their reactions, witnessing their exchanges, perhaps understanding them a little...
The slow pace serves the story well, illustrating the steamroller effect of the authorities on their subjects. And alongside this, we follow the resolution of the mysteries surrounding these people. The story always moves forward and never drags unnecessarily. It is brilliantly well written.

We don't know. We only saw death, not before. We don't know the circumstances surrounding the loss of this husband, about whom we know only a few fragments of his life. And the story continues, life goes on. Certain shots follow one another in a particularly meaningful way, illustrating the condition of the two prisoners, such as the door of one's isolation cell, where the camera lingers after it closes, followed by the gaze of the mother feeding her daughter, locked up in her home with an ankle bracelet. She takes her isolation with her.
The mother hears her daughter laughing with the friends who are looking after her for the day and chooses not to disturb them, leaving. The lift doors close behind her, the scene cuts, and the other woman in prison stands behind bars.

Kim Go-Eun is mind-blowing as an evil creature whose mind remains a complete mystery to us. We have no idea what's going to happen with her. Fascinating.
Jeon Do-Yeon also gives an admirable performance as the lost mother, plagued by doubts and guilt. Which she shouldn't normally feel, unless...

There are some tough moments in this series, but no scenes intended to shock. No, we are spared the images, and we don't need them. Generally speaking, I don't understand why anyone would want to show us horrible things. And here, as in Homebound, we get a true representation of COVID-19, dignified and accurate, terrible. Every time I see it in American films or series, it's to ridicule the victims and the people who were afraid, and it makes me incredibly angry, this disrespect from pedants. (I'm talking about you Ari Aster)

Naturally, as always with well-crafted thrillers, you're disappointed when you get to the bottom of it. Nothing can match all the machinations that have gone before.

PS : Lie detectors have never proved to be effective in what they claim to prove. On the other hand, with limited yes or no questions, you can make people say whatever you want. Practical. Like forensic psychology/psychiatry, you can prove whatever you want.

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A series about women during the Tang dynasty. No matter how much they excel in their fields, it will never be good enough. They try to escape, but to no avail. And faced with the glass ceiling that awaits them, they must move mountains.

Each case explores women's issues, empowerment and sisterhood, but also arranged marriage, harassment, suicidal thoughts, the cult of youth, the exploitation of bodies without consent (the plight of all those locked-up surrogate mothers is... appalling), and power struggles at the very top of the aristocracy that prove fatal only to women…
The reasons behind doing wrong are sometimes good, however. It's more nuanced than it seems. Even if the series loses a bit of momentum halfway through (the part about the mysterious illness, which isn't Covid, mind you), it picks up again afterwards.

And the romance is really lovely. The two make a lovely couple, each with their own strong qualities and temperaments. Their relationship grows alongside their investigations.
The displays of affection between the two protagonists are heart-warming. Like a cat, Li Peiyi/Bai Lu shows her love in her own way. She's so cool, fearless and assertive. He, Mr Xiao, is more reserved and attentive. He doesn't rush in headlong, but he always supports his partner. He doesn't know how to fight and acts accordingly. I adore them both. It's the same dynamic as in Legend of Zang Hai, which I loved. (And a second season is planned !)

Visually, it's red, black and white everywhere. Or pale pink and green. Or whitish and orange. The colour palette is so beautiful, all in subtle shades. Grandiose sets. Large drapes separating the characters during a mundane conversation in a maze of colours. Wood panelling, indoor gardens, leafy mountains fringed with wispy clouds. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

The fights are kept to a minimum but are impressive. The laws of gravity ? Not for us. The old man with his spear ; what agility !

You just have to get past the first episode and its questionable VFX. I gave up there when it came out. Picking it up again now, I realise my mistake.

Did you know ? You can get rid of poison by pricking your fingertip. No, of course not.

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Reciting Emily Dickinson and then Pushkin, a man of taste. If all police officers spent more time reciting poetry than doing their jobs, the world would be a safer place. This hapless inspector who succeeds in everything despite himself, how could you not find him likeable ?

Top-notch production. Even with cops chatting away in offices, it manages to stay dynamic and quite engaging. The C-dramas are brilliant. It works both as a light-hearted comedy and as a police investigation. It probably didn’t need 24 episodes, given that you can guess very quickly who killed whom.
And naturally, there’s no criticism of Chinese police corruption, as the Chinese police claim they’re beyond reproach in every respect. (ACAB everywhere, all the time)

I don’t know why the music had to keep parodying Georges Bizet’s ‘L’amour est enfant de Bohème’ or Dvořák’s ‘New World Symphony’. I just don’t get it.

After "Pursuit of Jade", it feels strange to see Tian Xi Wei in a supporting role like this. She’s so discreet and flawless.

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First of all, it's incredibly beautiful to look at.
The costumes and sets are sumptuous. No surprise there. Everything is white, red and black, or in pastel shades (fading jade and orange, washed-out blue and yellow). There's a scene with a lateral tracking shot where a character walks past transparent coloured screens in red and green, and pink and blue ; absolutely stunning ! And there are plenty of moments like that. For example, the heroine drinking her tea at night with burgundy curtains matching her dark red and black outfit and soft lantern light... there was no point in creating such a sophisticated set for just a few seconds, but they clearly wanted to do it. Well done, set designers. Well done, cinematographers.

The scenes in the snow-capped mountains, the frozen lake. The red mountains covered in powder snow that they climbed while dressed in olive and burgundy fabrics (Ep. 34)... Cold weather must be the trend this year in Chinese productions. Most of it was shot on location, in harsh weather conditions, below freezing. It must have been torture. It breaks my heart to see them breathing out mist when they speak.

The elliptical storytelling works well. It introduces the numerous characters only when it serves the plot, so I never felt overwhelmed. And yet the first few episodes bombard us with information and plot twists. It gets off to a strong, fast-paced start, and then the writing simply becomes excellent... provided, of course, that you're a fan of period costume dramas.
It never stops. There's always something happening in every episode. These writers are brilliant. The only downside : it s a bit over the top. I loved following all the twists and turns, the mysteries and the conspiracies. They probably overuse and overdo the cataclysmic situations and tragic endings for each character. However, the multiple conflicts intertwine well and their resolution comes at just the right moment. It does, unfortunately, get rather complicated in the final stretch, though. (Watch it as intended: two episodes a day, no more. Beware of the overdose)

Massive spoiler : The final episode cranks everything up to the max ; everyone has to face the inevitability of war. That's too harsh to do this to us. We believed in change ! But apparently, trying to change the system inevitably leads to death… I'm not sure I'm thrilled by that message. It's the complete opposite of the series Princess Agents, of which this is a sequel. It's the opposite of what Rebirth was trying to tell us throughout its first thirty episodes. But it's a huge middle finger to censorship. Certainly.
Does this adaptation of the books differ so much from their source material (The Legend of Chu Qiao) because of the plagiarism the author was guilty of ? I don't know if that's why.

"I Always thought the people here needed me. But I finally realized the truth. It's not that they need me, but rather, I need them. All along, I've wanted to build a world of true equality, a place that people like me could finally call home."

A great cast in which women and men are equally important, with one generation clashing with the next.

_The lead actress, Huangyang Tian Tian, on whose shoulders the entire story rests, is very young but already a seasoned performer. Born in 2007, she has been acting nonstop since she was 9. She plays Chu Qiao with dedication ; her role is certainly complex, but... she's still just a child ! And it shows when she's surrounded by all her co-stars, who are all taller and older than her. A 17-year-old playing an adult and commanding armies. And for good reason : she played the same character as a child in the series Princess Agents, of which Rebirth is a sequel set nine years later. (You can watch it without seeing the first one, but it's better if you have, of course)
There was talk of replacing her because she posted a photo of herself wearing extremely expensive earrings, which caused a backlash in China. It turns out they were counterfeits that her father was selling illegally. Well, irresponsible fathers, what a pain !
But she's definitely there. And she nails her action scenes (all of which are well choreographed). Her deadpan comedy scenes work just as well. As for the emotion… Her love for the ML takes a lot of effort to believe. It feels more like the friendship between an older brother and his little sister. To be honest, Zhuge Yue has more chemistry with his brother-in-arms, touching his hand in episode 21, or in his fights with Yan Xun of Great Yan, plucking a purple petal from his hair, or when he runs hand-in-hand with Li Ce to escape the soldiers. The latter ends up in his arms, like a princess. Haha, come to think of it, he really does have a looooot of affectionate scenes with other men. That’s perfectly fine by me. He's entitled to love. And I'd rather avoid a romance between a schoolgirl who should be at school and a thirty-something grown-ass, if possible. (For goodness sake ! Thankfully, they managed to avoid that)

_Zhuge Yue, the male lead, I didn't really like his drastic change in personality. After all those trials and tribulations, to end up like that ? No. I appreciate seeing characters develop, but come on, let's take it slowly.
His fight with Chu Qiao at the end, all blue, purple and grey, what drama ! It's so sad that someone has to die for peace to reign. Such a pain when that happens.

_The Empress plays a central role in the first half and exerts a certain influence on the rest of the story. She wears cream, emerald and saffron gowns in her luxurious bright-red apartments with dark wood panelling. Such beauty ! One of the cruelest characters, or so we believe, until we see the Emperor in action. A profoundly tragic role from start to finish, and a character who, in her misfortune, hurts everyone around her. We detest her for her actions, yet we feel sympathy for what she has endured.

_The motley crew of criminals surrounding the heroine brings a touch of light-heartedness and humour, as well as some elaborate action scenes. Their camaraderie is always a joy to watch. Too bad we don't see them more often. But, for them too, what a tragic end...

_Li Ce, the unfortunate boy, watches his mother die before his very eyes ; even after burying her, he still longs for a sign of her affection. It's hard to grow up without love. Yet he is kind and wise in his choices. A wonderful character with a truly tragic ending.

_King Ximei of Ximeng, who sends his double in his place to dine with the emperor. Well done.
This bloke is the polar opposite of the heroine, Chu Qiao. He, too, is a former slave, but he takes the place of his masters and becomes the new tyrant. His death is only just. All power to the Soviets.

_General Huan Huan and Princess Helian of Yanbei (a woman of otherworldly beauty with a aquiline nose) make a lovely couple. May they live happily ever after. Brave, courageous women stripped of their free will. Their scenes are pure queer baiting.

_Princess Helian's marriage to Xun Yan, so intense, it feels like we're right in the middle of a soap opera. The two marry out of obligation and give up on their soulmates.

"All because I believe there should be a place in this world where people are not divided by rank or class, where justice exists. Only such a place can truly be called my homeland." The Grapes of Wrath, Part 2.

Right. I don't really understand the negative reviews I've seen about the direction or the acting. Especially since this barrage of complaints started right from the very first episodes : so before the plot twist in the final episodes. Princess Agents was far less well made and was torn to shreds by critics and the public when it aired. Suddenly, it's become the best series in the universe ? Strange. It reeks of gatekeeping. Because Rebirth is aimed at a wider audience, I think. I hope I'm wrong.

As for me, I'm not going to deny myself the pleasure. That lighting, the entire artistic presentation, all designed to delight the eye. Those splashes of scarlet blood on the pale rice-paper doors. (Ep. 22) The comfort these C-dramas bring. The focus on entertainment. It's my safe place !
Always pushing the boundaries of censorship to tackle truly serious issues. Because, in reality, it's about women fighting to survive in a man's world. And about power that offers nothing but an obsession with keeping it all to oneself. It's the old chivalric tale of heroes who deserve to rule because they don't want to and because they care about the people. Here, the powerful are cruel and uncompromising, without merit, ready to kill or let die, ready to commit infanticide.
The heroine, by contrast, is a former slave who rises to the highest echelons of power yet never forgets her roots. She abolishes slavery (I particularly enjoyed seeing those delicate nobles explode with rage when it was taken away from them without compensation. And, oddly enough, they don't give a damn about the country anymore), she stops the wars, she spares the peasants and the thieves. (Are we talking about Jesus or what ?)
But. Whatever the social status of these women, they are always slaves to something: power, alcohol, their husbands, cults. That doesn't make them saints. The empress literally groomed her lover and right-hand man, and she has maids killed for her own pleasure.

"Men will never risk everything for women. They can only be seduiced by power."

Once again, I've written a proper novel ; pointless, too long and uninteresting. (Oh ! I've found a title for my autobiography)

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When I, too, am in a melancholy mood, I stand tall on the ramparts of my domain, my face lashed by winter gales, gazing at the night and the snow that blankets even my painful past. When suddenly ! I find myself stabbed by the one who was meant to be me.

The end credits of the last episode were awesome, with all that behind-the-scenes footage! Way better than that whole "43 years later" segment.

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Firstly : Why doesn't he wear gloves ?

Otherwise, at first I thought it was a good story, with everything mixed up together and very few details. But it quickly became tedious. You want to shake up certain characters who are deliberately withholding information for no reason other than to prevent the plot from moving forward. It's so absurd ! You can't understand why they keep quiet and make other people miserable.
Of course, they end up revealing the solution by crying over their fate, but they should cut their ties instead, you can't lie for years like that and get away with saying "it's for your own good", especially when it results in the death of a person (one of the best characters) that could have been avoided without all that mumbo jumbo. Ok, actually, that pissed me off. Don't ever do that again.

Besides, this 'psychometric' gift comes in very handy when you need it. What luck... On the other hand, their insistence on presenting people incapable of expressing emotions as dangerous people, I don't like that at all, being autistic and unable to do any masking.

Episode 7 : "being bisexual is unacceptable" ah really ? Well, that's embarrassing. Let's call the whole thing off, Park Jin-young !

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(Service message : Not a binge-watching series, there's too little action. You can even skip an episode or two without any problem)

I'm not sure I agree with the whole parallel between being a fan of an idol and being a lesbian. If you want to talk about coming out, do it, for real. What's with these jokes about colleagues judging her for being a fan of this singer ? I imagine it's well-intentioned, but it doesn't have the right effect at all. Anyway, let's move on. At least the character who 'discovers' it, Ryan Gold, has no problem with two women being in a relationship. (Thank goodness. Expectations are so low, we're easily satisfied.)

Other than that, it's funny and cute, thanks to Park Min-young. How could it be otherwise ? But everyone is adorable. Kim Bo-ra and her little surprised grimaces, her futile pouts, her sweetness. The judo brother at the beginning embodies a gentle and benevolent masculinity, which we love here at the editorial office. (me) But he becomes unbearable and jealous after. I choose to ignore this whole "we're not family" thing, which I don't understand. The editorial team approves of the shots of him in the shower, even if their usefulness in the story remains to be seen. Well done, judo.
Kim Jae-wook, always too handsome to be honest. I'm wary of men like him. He kisses his girlfriend on the nose, just look at how indecent this man is !
Cha Si-an, what a shame, such a kind character, it's scandalous. A pure, innocent little kitten. I am outraged. His place is in a museum among the Greco-Roman sculptures.

Every episode I watched was under codeine, due to the frequency of my migraines. It passes the time. In the dark with the sound turned down low, religiously, tinnitus at its worst. Occasional dizziness.

PS: The fortune teller who speaks French, as a good French person who respects himself (and therefore hates other French people), I can say that this person is talking nonsense. Random words.

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To tell the truth, I don't think I'm particularly fond of the police. This series reminds me of that with a certain acuity. Cops are detestable. We don't talk to them, we have nothing to say to them, we don't let them in, we haven't done anything wrong. They will always find something to make our lives miserable, so let's not make it easy for them. I was absolutely, totally, entirely on the side of this mother and her falsely mysterious sidekick. What poverty drives people to do, though... The theme is less about drugs than about the injustice of this world where being poor condemns you to death, where being honest makes you lose your job, where family only exists when everything is going well. The cycle of economic and social violence ensures that those at the bottom stay at the bottom.
The war on drugs is above all a war on the poor and minorities. And doctors who snitch to the police are no better. And come on, Eun-soo's boss goes in the bin with the rest. We give you a little power, you abuse it, you filthy bosses.

A solid series, albeit a little slow. Some scenes beat around the bush too much, and there's an overuse of the trick of cutting a scene dishonestly to make us believe something else. (I know what I mean)
The ending leaves a bitter taste. Punishing a character once was clearly not enough, they had to insist because, you see, drugs are bad, oh so bad, not good ! Bring on season 2, quickly. I'm in.

However, it's nice to see a male-female duo without any romantic tension. If you see one, you're part of the problem. (What nonsense I can spout)

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A series that seems feel-good at first, focusing on neighbours helping each other out. These mums are cool. It's a shame, though, that they try to make us believe that teachers don't see the bullying going on between their pupils and that they justify police murder too. (We're used to it) And then they portray criminals as crazy lunatics. Well, it doesn't even shock me anymore, I'm just fed up with it.

The investigations get tangled up and the humour makes a lot of very borderline things acceptable. The further we go, the darker it gets. So, there you have it, a good investigative K-drama despite all these nasty tirades that I address with virulence, waving my finger at the sky.

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In a restaurant, we see photos of Vivian Maier. That made me happy.

It's interesting to show how hellish it can be to be a public figure. You can't disappoint, you always have to react correctly, you can't have a bad day in front of your fans. The series focuses on the life of the singer, his lawyer and, to a lesser extent, the prosecutor. Ultimately, the murder investigation is just an excuse to discover these characters and how they deal with their situation. The revelation of the culprit comes in the penultimate episode, clumsily, very clumsily. In any case, we don't really care.

The strong point is that it doesn't try to absolve people of their responsibilities. On the other hand, seeing a fan and her idol end up together is not very healthy ! I didn't know that being a solicitor involved housing, driving and feeding your client.

Ep5 : the kdrama disease of having a serious accident at the end of an episode and waking up in hospital in perfect health at the beginning of the next. How many times are we going to be subjected to this before the great Revolution ? Anger is brewing among the crowds.

(I may have skipped parts of episodes, no one will ever know.)

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A Chinese drama where women call the shots. They run the most renowned tea production company and compete with each other for power while all the men seek to win their favour. The roles have truly been reversed.

The sets, costumes and editing are beautiful. It's standard for these kinds of productions. So I'm quite willing to believe that at one time in China, everyone was capable of the greatest physical feats in epic aerial combat. It was commonplace to fight to the death to win the heart of a noble woman, of course. I've just summarised a good third of the series. The plot doesn't make much sense, but that's okay... for a while, because you get tired of it. But above all, don't watch the episodes too quickly, as I did. Big mistake. Nothing and everything happens at the same time. I skipped episodes after a while, the compulsion to know the ending even when you've lost faith is serious, very serious. My behaviour is utterly scandalous.

But, although the show quickly loses steam, FL is brilliant. We want to follow her adventures. She never lets anyone fool her. She has a truly photogenic presence, always elegant and noble. The actress, Gulnezer Bextiyar or "Naza", is one of the very few Uyghur actresses. She plays a character who had potential but was not exploited sufficiently. That's why I gave up halfway through, I think. (And then 36 episodes of 50 minutes ? Let's calm down. Write less, write better. That's advice I should take myself, the chatterbox.)

Oh, and the final plot twists are so silly.

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First of all: imitating Silvestri's music for Back to the Future wasn't essential. That little arpeggio annoyed me.

That said, it takes its time at the beginning, a little too much. Probably to show that the time travel thing isn't that central. But neither is the music, since everyone plays superbly without making the slightest effort. It's borderline genetic...

However, I demand a moratorium on characters travelling into the past who are surprised that people don't know their future and get lost in pointless misunderstandings. People have been sentenced to death for less.
Another thing: the fact that one man's affection for another is ridiculed for being gay, I think that's pretty lame and spoils the relationship between the two characters. (a son and his young father, no less).

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"
Personally, I'd rather wonder why I'm stuck in a remake of It's a Wonderful Life. In short, the cast is excellent but the story doesn't move forward enough for me to be carried away with it and that disappoints me, unfortunately.

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Tough life for the rich. What a bummer to be rich. It can't be easy having all that dough, can it ? I feel like telling them to use all that dough for useful things if their lives are so miserable, instead of wallowing in their pitiful little love woes. It'll give a little meaning to their indecent existence. That's what I said to myself at the start of the first episode. And then the Korean capitalist propaganda got me, again. What a sad life I lead. The flesh is weak, alas.
Even if their thing of torturing themselves over a divorce that the gentleman never asked for and even : abandoned ! it pisses me off. He literally did nothing, but he's going to get rotten as if he'd strangled kittens anyway.

In any case, it's clear how the rich use progressivism to their advantage. They still exert their domination, but we have to thank them because deep down they think that women too can be tyrants like the others. What great values... damned rich. I want the money and your power to go. And your good intentions, keep them to yourself or let them be translated into action. Despite all this, I fall for these damned kdramas every time. Every single time ! God, that was good. The scriptwriter had already ripped me off with Crash Landing on You, I'm going to lodge a complaint. You can't make me love rich people with impunity, you have to pay for it !

Kim Soo Hyun, there's nothing you can do, he looks like a little boy. Throughout the series, I hesitated to denounce Kim Ji-won, but in reality, she's even younger than he is.
I must confess I stopped watching at episode 8 because of the revelation that the actor dated an underage girl who has since committed suicide. If she hadn't taken her own life, he would never have admitted it or apologized. It disgusts me too much.

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