3
Zogitt
Australia
This review may contain spoilers
Mayday! Mayday! Contrary ending approaching
Shows focused on the Chinese armed forces and official emergency services are drama staples. I'm not aware that there are private rescue services in China, so I was intrigued by the promise of this show.
The Show starts well. It is an ensemble cast with many fast-paced plots to keep our interest. Some disaster scenes are gut retching and a challenge to watch but I must commend the production for not sugar coating the tougher storylines.
The usual introductions and meet-cutes showcased a range of interesting and offbeat characters. Even in the midst of all the death and destructions we still managed to find 3 CP's.
The OTP formed by the leads is obviously front and centre. The 2OTP based on the ML's sister is sweet and has a lot of depth. The third pairing focused on DingDing is the weakest of the three.
No surprises that rescues are the backbone of this Show. It provides a lot of the glue between the various subplots. It is also the ready source of action, challenges and angst. This is where I have some issues. I agree that this is a drama first and foremost so we can't expect everything to be 100% realistic, but some of the actions are overly dramatized. I shall give it a hall pass for now, but it does test the limits of credulity at times. I have more to say about this in regard to the ending later.
Another point of contention is the contrived demonising of the ML from the start so that we can watch him grow and change over time. It is nothing new but it can be heavy handed at times.
The Show as a whole is decent. Plot moves along at pace and the romances can be swoon worthy. The writer has this habit of feeding us red herrings to ramp up the angst but show us it is all a misunderstanding soon after and all is well. It works but it gets old after a while. This makes it all the more baffling why the death of the ML’s parents sudden becomes an insurmountable problem.
I put that down to the "breakup we have to have" trope. Even though there are several opportunities for them to talk it through, it was left unspoken. We then have the mandatory time skip. My money was on a grand finale rescue of the FL so that they can patch thing up and hug it out.
Bingo! I was right but what we got was not quite the amazing set piece I was hoping for. The Show obviously had the same idea, but it feels like the writer was locked in a padded room and fed nothing but bananas until he delivers THE script. The setting and outline of the plot was great, but the production didn't have the skill nor the resources to delivery it convincingly. What we got is half baked and it gets worse.
There are many narrative issues with this scenario. For example, how did the 2 doctors climbed UP the mountain without a guide yet a group of young men with a guide can’t walk down the same path? Why did they anchor 3 ropes within inches of each other, what does the textbook say? Why are the Light Chasers the only rescue team onsite? From the B-rolls and costumes of the locals, we gather it is somewhere in/near Tibet. They are located that close by? When they arrived, they just wandered up the mountain with minimal planning and equipment. No hall passes for you this time. :(
What happened after the ML is rescued is worse. You’d think a few moments of heart-to-heart talk after the rescue would be de rigueur. What we got is nothing, zip, nada.
The last few scenes of the show is so ambiguous. We were never told what happened to the OTP afterwards. We got hints that they are back together but could also be our wishful thinking. Then we got the rah-rah scene with the new recruits and the longest staring contest between the two leads as they walked towards each other. They stopped an arm's length away and . . . it fades to credits. What?! Why?! It isn't even artsy. Where is the kiss? A hug?
There is no fan service in the last episode. No clear cut resolution, no kiss, no ring. It is not too much to ask after watching 40 episodes to get a little bit of sugar hit. What is the point of shipping the OTP?
Acting is decent and some of the scenes are challenging and very physical. It is a tough gig for the guys. The ML acted well, but he tends to brood unless he is obviously happy. He was deliberately made unlikeable from the beginning. The FL was a wet mop for the longest time, but she gets better later on. The 2FL has a challenging role and she did well.
I can’t rewatch the whole show, but a highlight reel would be ok. OST is very nice.
The Show starts well. It is an ensemble cast with many fast-paced plots to keep our interest. Some disaster scenes are gut retching and a challenge to watch but I must commend the production for not sugar coating the tougher storylines.
The usual introductions and meet-cutes showcased a range of interesting and offbeat characters. Even in the midst of all the death and destructions we still managed to find 3 CP's.
The OTP formed by the leads is obviously front and centre. The 2OTP based on the ML's sister is sweet and has a lot of depth. The third pairing focused on DingDing is the weakest of the three.
No surprises that rescues are the backbone of this Show. It provides a lot of the glue between the various subplots. It is also the ready source of action, challenges and angst. This is where I have some issues. I agree that this is a drama first and foremost so we can't expect everything to be 100% realistic, but some of the actions are overly dramatized. I shall give it a hall pass for now, but it does test the limits of credulity at times. I have more to say about this in regard to the ending later.
Another point of contention is the contrived demonising of the ML from the start so that we can watch him grow and change over time. It is nothing new but it can be heavy handed at times.
The Show as a whole is decent. Plot moves along at pace and the romances can be swoon worthy. The writer has this habit of feeding us red herrings to ramp up the angst but show us it is all a misunderstanding soon after and all is well. It works but it gets old after a while. This makes it all the more baffling why the death of the ML’s parents sudden becomes an insurmountable problem.
I put that down to the "breakup we have to have" trope. Even though there are several opportunities for them to talk it through, it was left unspoken. We then have the mandatory time skip. My money was on a grand finale rescue of the FL so that they can patch thing up and hug it out.
Bingo! I was right but what we got was not quite the amazing set piece I was hoping for. The Show obviously had the same idea, but it feels like the writer was locked in a padded room and fed nothing but bananas until he delivers THE script. The setting and outline of the plot was great, but the production didn't have the skill nor the resources to delivery it convincingly. What we got is half baked and it gets worse.
There are many narrative issues with this scenario. For example, how did the 2 doctors climbed UP the mountain without a guide yet a group of young men with a guide can’t walk down the same path? Why did they anchor 3 ropes within inches of each other, what does the textbook say? Why are the Light Chasers the only rescue team onsite? From the B-rolls and costumes of the locals, we gather it is somewhere in/near Tibet. They are located that close by? When they arrived, they just wandered up the mountain with minimal planning and equipment. No hall passes for you this time. :(
What happened after the ML is rescued is worse. You’d think a few moments of heart-to-heart talk after the rescue would be de rigueur. What we got is nothing, zip, nada.
The last few scenes of the show is so ambiguous. We were never told what happened to the OTP afterwards. We got hints that they are back together but could also be our wishful thinking. Then we got the rah-rah scene with the new recruits and the longest staring contest between the two leads as they walked towards each other. They stopped an arm's length away and . . . it fades to credits. What?! Why?! It isn't even artsy. Where is the kiss? A hug?
There is no fan service in the last episode. No clear cut resolution, no kiss, no ring. It is not too much to ask after watching 40 episodes to get a little bit of sugar hit. What is the point of shipping the OTP?
Acting is decent and some of the scenes are challenging and very physical. It is a tough gig for the guys. The ML acted well, but he tends to brood unless he is obviously happy. He was deliberately made unlikeable from the beginning. The FL was a wet mop for the longest time, but she gets better later on. The 2FL has a challenging role and she did well.
I can’t rewatch the whole show, but a highlight reel would be ok. OST is very nice.
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