I like this story. It gives meaning to the word flawed—flawed humans navigating a world full of flaws. I have loved a string of strong FLs through the years, but then by some Deus ex Machina scheme somebody will be saving them despite logic to the contrary, or that by some unexplainable hidden rule—which we can only attribute to that maelstrom of mind-bending neuron-culling collective called ‘drama logic’—they manage to ride off into the sunset with their loved one and they live happily ever after. Those kinds of portrayals leave me wanting more and for me somehow diminishes their agency. Male characters are not immune to this treatment by any stretch, but they manage to serve this injustice to female characters more often than is necessary. I still love these FLs nonetheless, but I am annoyed that writers would do such characters the disservice.
Now enter Qiu Yan. The FL here is strong and smart—not exactly physically strong, but no delicate piece of porcelain either; her strength is the tenacity and the mental toughness to weather whatever life throws her way. She is a flawed character though, as aforementioned before—among others, she lacks real-world experience, can be uncaring, and frustratingly, often displays a singular mindset which leads her to jump to conclusions. However, despite her strengths and flaws, we see right from the start that her plans don't often go the way she thinks or wants them to go, and she even suffers the consequences of her actions. As a character, she somehow manages to evade that treatment that a lot of FLs are subjected to—i.e., that someone around the corner will be looking out for them and will come to save their skin at the most crucial juncture. She does get some help now and then, but it doesn't mean that she didn't have to lift a finger. So, all in all, whether she gets her just rewards or pays the penalty, one can clearly see that she did her part and that she had no regrets. She suffers, claws her way back out, redeems herself, and lives—not because she is shielded by the inevitability that she must survive because she is the lead, but because she took action. This, I think, makes this the most realistic portrayal I have seen in years.
Our ML Liang Yi is no omniscient and omnipotent male character either who is above everyone. Like our FL he is smart and strong—mentally, but also physically—but unlike our FL, in this universe, he is powerful and well-connected. Initially, we see him as a blatant opportunist who is prone to arrogance and dismissive of people who are ‘beneath’ him. What makes his characterisation quite refreshing is that, when he is proven wrong rather than being high-handed about it, he makes effort to amend the error of his ways and is not hesitant to eat his slice of humble pie—he would do it covertly of course, given the nature of his work. He gives credit where credit is due—even to people he despises. He also does not come rushing to the FL whenever she is in dire straits like an avenging angel—often, he is an outsider watching on the side-lines and sees for himself that despite experience under his belt, there's still more to the world that he can learn, and he acknowledges that. Rather than a hero who saves the damsel in distress, our ML is more like an equal partner to our FL—he knows when to step up and when to back down. His intelligence does not mean that we get to see him winning all the time, or that other characters in the story will not have better ideas than he does. Like our FL, he too falls prey to schemes—and realistically, we see that his survival is a product of his decisions rather than the plot armour that many MLs often wear.
It is also set in a flawed universe—just like real life. There were some character deaths that were somehow unnecessary, supporting characters who I expected to fill in more as the story progressed but were left under-utilised, in my opinion at least, and some characters who I feel deserved better/worse. Upon closer scrutiny, however, if the show did manage to resolve these issues, then the world in the drama would have been perfect and fair, which of course it is not. Redemption in this show does not come for free unlike in other dramas. Characters redeem themselves, but as humans, also fall victim to their humanity—some ways are difficult to change, and that's how life is, as exasperating as it may sound.
Could this show have been better? Perhaps, but all this would be in hindsight.
Photos taken from MDL: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09
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