I’ve been following the c-drama Romance in the Alley (小巷人家) since its release, and the douban score recently opened with a 8.2 — just wanted to put some of my very general thoughts down for the episodes I’ve watched so far.
well aware it’s been a while since the douban score came out now…this has been sitting in my drafts and I figured I’ll just post it 🫨
most of these will be compilations of/expansion on comments I’ve already put out on twitter (here and on my watch thread.)
Prefacing with I don’t think the douban score is always everything/tells the whole story, but for this drama, the high opening score feels so well deserved. The cast, specifically Yan Ni and Jiang Xin, was my initial motivation for watching, so I had gone in already expecting strong acting from our leads. The power pair definitely delivered there!
Given the genre, I did initially feel like the undertone of this will be pretty serious, and due to that, may not be the easiest for me to watch (I do most of my drama watching over dinner after work, so I usually go for something light and fun to unwind from the day.)
However, while the drama does have its realistic struggles and serious moments, the plot also had a good handful of surprisingly humorous scenes that balanced out the tone. To add to that, the comical scenes all felt very natural and character driven.
One of my favorite moments from the early drama episodes is a perfect example of those well done, humorous moments — the snake gourd chronicles. The two families decided to plant the snake gourd in their yard as a way to save money and food stamps, and it started off with everyone in the neighborhood enjoying it. However, the tone soon shifted as time passed and everyone grew sick of eating the gourd. The montage is such a fun slice of life comedy material that also shows all the characters’ personalities.
This drama truly does an outstanding job at depicting that cross-section of time starting from the late 1970s and onwards, both on a macro and micro scale — from the migration of time/policies, to the growth of the two families that are at the core of this story. The immersive experience is definitely a result of the production team’s attention to detail — they really do put in many markers of the time, from the big historical events that influences the character’s choices/the overall plot, to the way of daily life (in the clothes worn/food/appliances.)
Also, this is just a personal soft spot for me, but the setting being in suzhou and all the in inclusions of the dialect (just slipping out from time to time), foods, and the alleyway sceneries from that area feel extra nostalgic and comforting. I’ve heard so many snippets of that time from my mom, and if what she told me gave me an outline of these memories, this drama colors in those outlines and gave me a vibrant image.
Really glad that I decided to pick up this drama, and very much looking forward to how our cast, director, and production team will tie this story out!
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