I decided to rewatch Double Helix with a more open and less prejudiced mind. It actually turned out to be a enjoyable experience. As a standalone series, it’s entertaining (featuring many spectacular creative choices), but as a remake, it is horrible. I apologize for the negativity, but I really need to vent this somewhere and find out if I’m the only one who feels this way. It is absolutely baffling to me how they twisted the entire narrative just to portray Xiao Chen as a villain, and for what exactly?? It's incomprehensible to me how they did everything in their power to transform the story of Lu Feng (an obsessive, love-sick, abusive madman) to make his story fit the standards of today but they couldn't do the same with Xiao Chen's story, which they distorted in favor of Lu Feng. (I don't mind the fact that they have softened Lu Feng more but why not also make changes to Xiao Chen)
They took away everything that made Xiao Chen the character he is: his precarious economic situation, his bad relationship with his mother, the environment in which history develops (the 1980s China) They literally removed all the elements that not only made Xiao Chen’s character work, but made the entire story work. Xiao Chen is a tragic character (in fact both Lu Feng ANDDD Xiao Chen are, they BOTHH fight for their love, and that is the beauty of it). He (Xiao Chen) is constantly cornered into having to renounce his individuality, not as a deliberate choice, but as a sacrifice; as someone left with absolutely no other option. This stands in contrast to Double Helix, where Lu Feng is portrayed as the sole sufferer, the only one making sacrifices. I mean, why? Why is everything in Double Helix designed to constantly remind you just how selfish, cowardly, and who knows what else Xiao Chen supposedly is? It’s absolutely ridiculous.
He hasn't done absolutely anything (except, apparently, not kiss the ground Lu Feng walks on when they first reunite), yet all the characters are already acting as mouthpieces for the screenwriters claiming that Xiao Chen is arrogant and implying that getting back together with your ex in a homophobic country should be as simple as making a choice.
He hasn't seen him in months, and their breakup wasn't even consensual, everyone conspired to make it happen. Furthermore, the writers created a scene that wasn't even in the novel or the movie where Xiao Chen was nearly sexually assaulted as a form of punishment and humiliation for liking a boy. How i'm supposed to believe that his decision is merely a display of pride and arrogance.
It is unfair to me how the writers treat the character of Xiao Chen with so many restrictions, while Lu Feng is granted a clear path.
I think everything will start from next episode. Even it is little brighter up to now, from the moment they meet…
I'm really waiting for it to happen, because both actors are so good and have incredible chemistry and regardless of all they really are Lu Feng and Xiao Yichen, perfect casting
#For me. it's no giving that A Round Trip To Love sauce. First of all, why aren't Xiao Chen's family poor??? (or at least don't appear to be)? That was the center of everything. Also, it seems they toned down the original toxicity and turbulent plot, which makes it a bit boring. The original movie was bolder in this regard and remains my favorite adaptation of the novel to this day.
Everything here feels very shallow and rushed. They took this story, which stood out for its tragic and hopeless atmosphere, and slapped on the typical BL drama format with bright colors and soulless, prefabricated sets, seemingly out of love for the story and the characters' personalities. At least the actors are cute and have good chemistry and Ayden's acting is good and convincing.
I hate, I HATE, the excess of soundtrack in dramas, especially when I feel that it is not the most appropriate and only disturbs the scenes, becoming more of a noise pollution than anything else,, apart from that, it is... good. It is Edward Guo so I have a lot of faith even if the first episode was not to my liking. Neo Hou as Zhao Yuan Zhou is ✨✨✨🥂🥂
Great analysis. Esther Yu and Zhang Ling He aren't bad actors. Because they're surrounded by such a stellar supporting…
yes, totally. The kung fu scenes especially by Esther Yu were totally pleasing to the eyes, I feel that none of the actors presented are bad, especially Esther Yu, when her character needed to explicitly show emotions or act tender and naive to fool gzy were spectacularly well executed, but when it came to her assassin side which is mainly throughout the series is....
I know that her character is not the same type of assassin as Lu Yuxiao's and nor do they have the same missions, but still so I feel that Esther Yu could have explored much more to make her character known to the public, I know that she would have been able to express thousands of emotions just by moving an eyebrow, observing her many times with her static features while she only moved her mouth; at least for me it was not very enjoyable, I don't know if that had more to do with the decision of the scriptwriters/directors than with Esther Yu
The last time I watched a drama related to Guo Jingming, the main couple was boring, lacked scenes compared to the secondary couple, and had an unexciting and very superficial plot, only serving as the comic resources of the drama. While the secondary couple was attractive, eye-catching and had a well-done construction and development that practically attracted the entire audience, so I'm partly not surprised that the same thing is repeated here hahaha.
I thought I would like Esther Yu in this role but her lack of expressions is simply irritating to a certain extent in the series, I understand that it is probably due to her role as an assassin, perhaps she has seen a lot of things, and done a lot that would traumatize anyone, but when these types of characters happen, it is much more interesting to see actors who are capable of achieving micro-expressions, representing their character in any gesture, in their eyes, posture, etc. Lu YuXiao did all that beautifully✨ with her character (their performance reminds me a lot of Jiang Xin as Concubine Hua in Empresses in The Palace), it is one of the reasons why her character subconsciously became more attractive to me than Esther Yu's character.
They took away everything that made Xiao Chen the character he is: his precarious economic situation, his bad relationship with his mother, the environment in which history develops (the 1980s China) They literally removed all the elements that not only made Xiao Chen’s character work, but made the entire story work. Xiao Chen is a tragic character (in fact both Lu Feng ANDDD Xiao Chen are, they BOTHH fight for their love, and that is the beauty of it). He (Xiao Chen) is constantly cornered into having to renounce his individuality, not as a deliberate choice, but as a sacrifice; as someone left with absolutely no other option. This stands in contrast to Double Helix, where Lu Feng is portrayed as the sole sufferer, the only one making sacrifices. I mean, why? Why is everything in Double Helix designed to constantly remind you just how selfish, cowardly, and who knows what else Xiao Chen supposedly is? It’s absolutely ridiculous.
He hasn't done absolutely anything (except, apparently, not kiss the ground Lu Feng walks on when they first reunite), yet all the characters are already acting as mouthpieces for the screenwriters claiming that Xiao Chen is arrogant and implying that getting back together with your ex in a homophobic country should be as simple as making a choice.
He hasn't seen him in months, and their breakup wasn't even consensual, everyone conspired to make it happen. Furthermore, the writers created a scene that wasn't even in the novel or the movie where Xiao Chen was nearly sexually assaulted as a form of punishment and humiliation for liking a boy. How i'm supposed to believe that his decision is merely a display of pride and arrogance.
It is unfair to me how the writers treat the character of Xiao Chen with so many restrictions, while Lu Feng is granted a clear path.
Everything here feels very shallow and rushed. They took this story, which stood out for its tragic and hopeless atmosphere, and slapped on the typical BL drama format with bright colors and soulless, prefabricated sets, seemingly out of love for the story and the characters' personalities. At least the actors are cute and have good chemistry and Ayden's acting is good and convincing.
I know that her character is not the same type of assassin as Lu Yuxiao's and nor do they have the same missions, but still so I feel that Esther Yu could have explored much more to make her character known to the public, I know that she would have been able to express thousands of emotions just by moving an eyebrow, observing her many times with her static features while she only moved her mouth; at least for me it was not very enjoyable, I don't know if that had more to do with the decision of the scriptwriters/directors than with Esther Yu
I thought I would like Esther Yu in this role but her lack of expressions is simply irritating to a certain extent in the series, I understand that it is probably due to her role as an assassin, perhaps she has seen a lot of things, and done a lot that would traumatize anyone, but when these types of characters happen, it is much more interesting to see actors who are capable of achieving micro-expressions, representing their character in any gesture, in their eyes, posture, etc. Lu YuXiao did all that beautifully✨ with her character (their performance reminds me a lot of Jiang Xin as Concubine Hua in Empresses in The Palace), it is one of the reasons why her character subconsciously became more attractive to me than Esther Yu's character.