The Suitcase Detective
This review may contain spoilers
Write Your Own Ending
Other people have already reviewed this show probably better than I can, but here are my two cents.
I watched this show because A) I'm obviously into mystery / crime shows and B) I recognize both of the male leads and appreciate their work. I had seen Ronald Zhai before but I'm not sure where; I just remember being impressed with his work. Andrew was wonderful in Love Me If You Dare (*he did not get enough credit for his part in that drama). So I already knew their acting would be excellent going into this, and they did not disappoint. The other supporting cast were all pretty good: the post-mortem examiner, Andrew's younger partner, etc. They played their roles well and maintained the emotions / presence their parts required. Andrew was really good too - to bounce between the eternally chipper soul in Love Me If You Dare to the somewhat overly emotional character in Winter Begonia to this solemn fellow is excellent acting. You can see a bit of his role in Winter Begonia coming through with his almost innocent / child-like inability to manage human relationships well, but it was a different character and he pulled it off. I think Ronald was really the just 'wow' factor in this show. He plays both thug and soft emotional son / friend so very well. His emotional parts in no way undermined his strength and almost arrogance the rest of the time which is really hard to accomplish. He moved smoothly between the two and really got to your heart strings. The girl who acted opposite him was AMAZING as well. I often dislike Chinese portrayals of women because in an attempt not to make them weak, they make them annoying as hell, arrogant, demanding, self-absorbed witches you want to slap more than relate to. She was NONE OF THOSE THINGS - she was strong and kind and sweet, a great support for Ronald's character where he needed her. She really added to the plotline.
The cases I though were pretty good. You sometimes knew who the criminal was but had to prove it. Sometimes you weren't sure (or weren't supposed to know) and had to figure it out. I love mysteries and don't spend my time pulling apart how good the mystery was cause it ruins my fun time. That said, they weren't like brain twisters, but they were better than average and carried out pretty well. They dealt well with both the fact that you need justice and that sometimes it just isn't going to happen. Life sucks. . . it isn't fair. Sometimes society needs to confront the people the police cannot, even if it's something like shaming them in the future. I liked that the ending credits changed each time a mystery was completed.
I loved it and binge-watched it pretty quickly. A few cases dragged a bit or the endings weren't quite satisfying, but overall it was good. I'd watch it mainly for the interpersonal relationships - not just the partnership between Andrew and Ronald, but their relationships with their colleagues and families. It has romance, but not much (a nice balance I thought). Then watch it for the cases as a second thing.
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*THIS PART MAY HAVE SPOILERS - I TRY NOT TO, BUT . . . .
The ending SUCKED . . . . I understand there is a season 2 coming which is great because it needs it. The problem was it left so many core plotlines unfinished. One of Ronald's core themes was his need to build loyal, lasting relationships. Then just when he's finally there, they dropped everything at the end. It wasn't completed - his story is left feeling like it hit the cliffhanger and then just stopped. There's also the fact that the main crime was left undealt with. If they don't get season 2 out, it really needs a fanfiction writer to finish it up.
I watched this show because A) I'm obviously into mystery / crime shows and B) I recognize both of the male leads and appreciate their work. I had seen Ronald Zhai before but I'm not sure where; I just remember being impressed with his work. Andrew was wonderful in Love Me If You Dare (*he did not get enough credit for his part in that drama). So I already knew their acting would be excellent going into this, and they did not disappoint. The other supporting cast were all pretty good: the post-mortem examiner, Andrew's younger partner, etc. They played their roles well and maintained the emotions / presence their parts required. Andrew was really good too - to bounce between the eternally chipper soul in Love Me If You Dare to the somewhat overly emotional character in Winter Begonia to this solemn fellow is excellent acting. You can see a bit of his role in Winter Begonia coming through with his almost innocent / child-like inability to manage human relationships well, but it was a different character and he pulled it off. I think Ronald was really the just 'wow' factor in this show. He plays both thug and soft emotional son / friend so very well. His emotional parts in no way undermined his strength and almost arrogance the rest of the time which is really hard to accomplish. He moved smoothly between the two and really got to your heart strings. The girl who acted opposite him was AMAZING as well. I often dislike Chinese portrayals of women because in an attempt not to make them weak, they make them annoying as hell, arrogant, demanding, self-absorbed witches you want to slap more than relate to. She was NONE OF THOSE THINGS - she was strong and kind and sweet, a great support for Ronald's character where he needed her. She really added to the plotline.
The cases I though were pretty good. You sometimes knew who the criminal was but had to prove it. Sometimes you weren't sure (or weren't supposed to know) and had to figure it out. I love mysteries and don't spend my time pulling apart how good the mystery was cause it ruins my fun time. That said, they weren't like brain twisters, but they were better than average and carried out pretty well. They dealt well with both the fact that you need justice and that sometimes it just isn't going to happen. Life sucks. . . it isn't fair. Sometimes society needs to confront the people the police cannot, even if it's something like shaming them in the future. I liked that the ending credits changed each time a mystery was completed.
I loved it and binge-watched it pretty quickly. A few cases dragged a bit or the endings weren't quite satisfying, but overall it was good. I'd watch it mainly for the interpersonal relationships - not just the partnership between Andrew and Ronald, but their relationships with their colleagues and families. It has romance, but not much (a nice balance I thought). Then watch it for the cases as a second thing.
**************************
*THIS PART MAY HAVE SPOILERS - I TRY NOT TO, BUT . . . .
The ending SUCKED . . . . I understand there is a season 2 coming which is great because it needs it. The problem was it left so many core plotlines unfinished. One of Ronald's core themes was his need to build loyal, lasting relationships. Then just when he's finally there, they dropped everything at the end. It wasn't completed - his story is left feeling like it hit the cliffhanger and then just stopped. There's also the fact that the main crime was left undealt with. If they don't get season 2 out, it really needs a fanfiction writer to finish it up.
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