fragrance of the first flower season 2, episodes 3 & 4
These reviews are just an excuse to take way too many screenshots tbh.
Waitโreally? Are we getting two episodes every week? I thought that was just a one-time deal to get more people to watch the series. I feel spoiled. We are eating well tonight my GagaOOLala compatriots.
Iโm not even sure what to say about these episodes except you should probably watch them. I mean, start at the beginning of the first season and watch all the previous ones first. Then watch these. You wonโt regret it. This shitโs real good folks.
Is there a ship name for these two? TingMing? Well get ready for your first big dose of TingMing domestic fluff baybee.
I donโt like to spend time on plot summary in these episode reviewsโitโs not fun to write, and with this series especially, the plot is really not the point. But things do happen: Yi-Ming invites Ting-Ting to an awkward volleyball team reunion, then Ting-Ting invites herself over to Yi-Mingโs place and sleeps over; they reconcile and plan a dinner date, which is spoiled when Yi-Mingโs ex-husband shows up to guilt-trip her; they reconcile again after the ruined date, and after a lot of kissing (!) they move in together; Ting-Tingโs band performance gets canceled and she does not take it well, but then she meets a very tall drink of water named Xiao-Ning who plays the guitar. So...typical week in the life of a lesbian, pretty much.
Notably there are no flashbacks in either episode. Flashbacks to Ting-Ting and Yi-Mingโs high school days were a staple of the first season, but the director has stated her desire to focus this season on their relationship in the present, and itโs a smart move. Now that they are finally starting to build a life together, thereโs no need to dwell on what might have been.
If you are a fan of Lyan Chengโs face, these episodes are a feast.
A few things I noticed in these episodes: FotFF is visually stunning, but sound and music are equally key to its aesthetic. And, crucially, silence! As lovely as the soundtrack is, I appreciate that itโs used sparingly. Not to make this a callout post but Thai GL series could learn a lesson here. You donโt need music in every scene telling you exactly how to feel! Thereโs a greater emphasis on music in these episodes with the introduction of a new musician character, played by Moyao Yuan, a singer and guitarist in real life. I also just learned (thanks to MyDramaList) that Lyan Cheng is a bassist irl, too, so yes sheโs actually playing the bass in those scenes.
Marry me, Ting-Ting.
Thereโs some interesting stuff going on with point of view in this season. The first season was mostly grounded in Yi-Mingโs POV; we often saw Ting-Ting through her eyes, and only knew as much about Ting-Tingโs life as she knew. Now we get scenes of Ting-Ting with her band, on her own, and with a hot new stranger. Sheโs finally the protagonist of her own story. Youโd expect the camera to respond by framing both characters in similar ways, to illustrate how they are on equal narrative footing now. Instead, itโs usually Ting-Ting who is front and center, while Yi-Mingโs face is out of focus or in profile. Iโm not sure about the intent behind this, but it feels like a way of slipping subtly back into Yi-Mingโs POV. If the camera is an extension of her gaze, of course Ting-Tingโs face is going to be the focus. Girl is obsessed!! And can we blame her?
Marry me, Tingโer, oh, do I have to think of different captions for these?
These episodes contain some of the fluffiest FotFF scenes yet. Our main characters shop for groceries together, decorate the apartment together (or, well, decorate and undecorate), cruise around on Ting-Tingโs scooter, and talk about future travel plans. This is the stage where other GL series might start to lose me. Not because I donโt like fluff! This is a pro-fluff blog. Itโs a big part of why I watch GL dramas; if I could inject that cute shit into my veins Iโd be on an IV drip. But fluff is an art. It can be a soft chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven, or it can be a mediocre sugar substitute. The Nutra-Sweet version of fluff I can take or leaveโI want the damn cookie. Give me humor, give me connection, give me character. I want to see different personality types playing off each other! You donโt need too much to offset the sweetnessโa little bit of substance goes a long way.
FotFF might be heaping on the sweetness this week, but it isnโt sacrificing any flavor. There is interesting tension in every scene just below the surface. At the grocery store, Ting-Ting, who takes pride in her independence, clearly resents that Yi-Ming insists on paying for everything. Later, taking charge in her own way, she disregards Yi-Mingโs boundaries (and taste in home furnishings) in her overeager U-Haul lesbian phase.
Iโm already signed up for this love triangle.
As if these interpersonal troubles werenโt enough of a threat to our budding romance, the new relationship is also threatened by a hot girl with a guitar! Iโve been looking forward to the arrival of Xiao-Ning, and now that sheโs here, she doesnโt disappoint. You sense instantly why Ting-Ting would be attracted to her, and why she would make Yi-Ming (or anyone else) feel insecure. There are real stakes here, too. Itโs not immediately clear that Xiao-Ning wouldnโt be a better match for Ting-Tingโthey certainly seem to have more in common, at least superficially. I canโt wait to see how the drama unfolds next week.
I took so many screenshots yโall. Have a few more.
