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TSY shines in her role as Ning Meng, our feisty, stubborn and kind to fault dreamer that starts out as a secretary to a successful businessman but ends up becoming a boss woman in her own right. We are given a front row seat to her growth from the very start to the end and you'll find yourself cheering her on through all the trials and struggles she endures. I've always been a fan of TSY (and it was because of this that I even started this drama in the first place) and this has turned into one of her best roles to date. She is perfectly casted as Ning Meng and undoubtedly, it's her charm and likability that makes this drama so good.
I'm not the biggest fan of LGX and will issue a warning that he is completely unlikable as Lu JiMing for the first ten or so episodes. You'll find yourself wanting to hit him, trip him down a flight of stairs and throw a drink (or five) at his smug face. In that sense, LGX has done a great job in his role. However, as much as this is a drama about Ning Meng's growth in her career, it's also a drama about Lu JiMing's individual growth from becoming an arrogant CEO who takes his temper out on everyone around him to becoming a truer version of himself that learns how to communicate and be more honest. As awful as his mouth is, he's someone with integrity, grit, and a good investor (but a terrible boss).
Many will say that the romance is lacking in this and they would be right. This isn't your standard lovey-dovey romance with lots of cooing and kissing, but a drama with one of the most realistic takes on love and relationships. The secondary female lead isn't an awful scheming woman but a mature one that knows herself and knows when to retreat. The secondary male lead is a bit more challenging but an important reminder that love isn't the be all end all and not an ultimate savior.
Perhaps it's the advantage of having both a female director behind the lens and a female scriptwriter but for once, I truly felt that this was a drama that was focused on the female lead and not just the female lead in relation to the male lead. A truly solid 8.5 drama but a 9 for the fact that it doesn't fall back on the typical romantic stereotypes and manages to inspire and end with one of the most satisfying endings for a drama I've seen.
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This review may contain spoilers
Turbulence ahead so buckle up!
On paper, Flight to You has a lot going for it. With an ensemble cast led by Wang Kai and Tan Song Yun, directed by Wang Zhi and with an OST by Liu Yu Ning, 向风而行 became one of my most anticipated dramas of 2023. Unfortunately, it didn't quite manage to reach grand heights for me.Let's start off with the good and that's Tan Song Yun as Cheng Xiao. This story focuses on our female lead's journey from first officer to co-pilot to finally, captain. She's feisty, stubborn, brave and focused. She's also extremely impulsive and often times acts before she really thinks through her actions, and often times this leads to more issues for herself and others. The most endearing quality about Cheng Xiao is how hardworking she is and how she never falters in the face of adversity (and there are many obstacles...). She's truly one of the good ones; responsible and straight-forward. She does what she says she'll do and like a true captain, stands up for her own actions. TSY is truly one of the most natural actors. She breathes life into Cheng Xiao and makes her not just likable but someone you'll root for. As TSY said herself, Cheng Xiao is a character she looks up to and one that imparted great confidence to her.
Another plus is Wang Kai. I may be extremely, extremely biased but the man is handsome and charismatic, and oozes charm. Add a captain uniform and there's truly something to be said for a man of certain age. If you're a fan of Wang Kai's hands, then you won't be disappointed. Director Wang seems to know what's up because there are very lovely shots of Wang Kai's very lovely hands in every single episode. Thank you Director Wang! Now as a character, Gu Nan Ting will be polarizing. He carries quite a lot of emotional baggage that is revealed early on and as a result, he's rather closed off emotionally and does everything by the book. He has a life very carefully set up in which he wakes at a certain time, sleeps at a certain time and he won't allow for any variables. As an instructor and captain, Gu Nan Ting is all about safety. He seem like a hard-ass but he's actually the biggest softy. Gu Nan Ting is a reliable man (for the most part) and someone you always want on your side because he'll have your back no matter what. (And did I mention he's handsome????)
Now for the bad...basically everything else, lol. The script is truly mind-boggling. There are moments when the drama is good and when the script works. But there exists more moments where the script is awful and the drama, despite the best effort of the cast and crew, fails. The pacing is all over the place and the drama is so heavily melodramatic at times that if it ended last minute with one of the leads diagnosed with cancer, I wouldn't have been shocked.
But to end on a high note, the absolute best part of this drama and the only reason I managed to get through all 39 episodes is the chemistry between Tan Song Yun and Wang Kai. It's not a sizzling hot type of chemistry but one that flickers from the very first episode and simmers and grows until it's too much to handle. It's the slowest of slow burns and many might argue that romance shouldn't even be tagged here but the chemistry cannot be denied. It is truly delightful to watch our spirited and brave Cheng Xiao flirt her way into Gu Nan Ting. And it is all the more delightful that our male lead is a panicked, shy and bumbling inexperienced fool when it comes to romance. If flustered male lead is your thing, this will be right up your alley.
As a drama billed to be aviation-themed, the drama will probably let a lot of people down. Flight to You focuses on the lives of those involved in the aviation industry from the pilots to the flight attendants to the ground and maintenance crew. It's also very clear why this drama aired on CCTV with it's obvious mentions of the first China-built commercial airplane. Despite the many faults of the drama, I enjoyed it. My advice is to keep your finger on the ffwd button and use it as often as you like. I would re-watch this because TSY and WK are gems in this. And I promise that the angst-filled ride to our CP getting together is absolutely worth it. Thirty something seconds will truly soothe the pain and be the best of balms. (Ning-Ge and his OST skills say that this is worth a watch.)
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