Cai Bu Yao He Lao Ban Tan Lian Ai (2022)

Cliche done right

I avoided this show for a while because when I read the description, I thought it would be a bit too out there for me to enjoy. I was quite pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this show from episode one and it wasn't quite as out there as I thought it would be. Obviously, it's not very realistic or anything however the plot they used is actually quite genius in some ways.

Overall positive review:

This show hooks you in from episode one with the cold boss and overworked and underpaid assistant who went to school together and are "enemies". Episode one has humor and drama that gets you invested in these three characters fairly quick. Then it immediately transports you to the "coma world" where the FL lead is rewriting her past. It's interesting because from the first episode you make some pretty quick judgements about the characters, specifically the two male leads, and it leads you to be biased in terms of not wanting to like them or thinking they are awful people. But as her past unfolds you end up seeing how everyone got to be where they are in reality and the people you were determined to not like you end up empathizing with and even find yourself somewhat rooting for.

Also, this drama is secretly really about the female lead healing while in the coma. There's an obvious pun there that I think most viewers missed out on. While she is "rewriting her past" in the coma she is also coming to grips with everything that has happened both in the past and in the present. She uses this coma world to come to grips with finally letting go of her ex-boyfriend she gave way too many years to. I think some people watching this were frustrated she wasn't meaner to him, but people forget when you spend so many years loving someone and by their side, it doesn't just go away in an instant. I thought this show did a great job at allowing her to accept that the relationship is over but also allowed her to want the best for him still and not be consumed by revenge and anger. Same goes for the relationship with her boss/rival. Her whole focus is on beating him and essentially stealing everything that deep down she feels like he took from her. You can tell she has a lot of regret and anger at herself for how she was in the past and the ML is simply just a misdirect of that internal disappointment. Obviously, the main thing she needed healing from was the loss of her father and she also gets to go back and have more time with him and truly come to grips with the reality of what happened and realizing that there are certain destinies we cannot change, and we cannot stop our life over things we have no control over. This show in a way that went over a lot of people's heads was quite masterful in using the coma time to heal her in more than one way. She truly woke up with a new look on life and ready to take back what she had been keeping from herself.

So, I really did love this story and all the themes it included in it. Obviously, there are many tiny details and moments that make you fall in love with the characters outside of the overall plot. This drama was much better than I thought it was going to be and Ill probably be rewatching some parts to notice things I didn't notice before and smile at the sweet moments.

However, it wasn't perfect. These are my critiques:

- The ending in terms of how they went from a lighthearted and fun college drama to a dangerous war between law firms was...kind of unnecessary. I think we could have gotten the happy ending and full closure to the story without the extreme circumstances that were happening at the end. Looking back it honestly is a bit silly with the whole near death stuff happening. Felt like we were watching a mafia drama at parts and it just was kind of random and extreme.

- Like a lot of people I did find myself a bit annoyed with the FL at multiple parts. For one thing while in the coma world shes just a little too zealous with her obsessions of fixing things and completely missing obvious things in front of her. It's like the show has her as this top law student who is crazy smart and a quick thinker but then it's like she has no common sense and can't put two and two together. Obviously she was working off what she knew from the past and had strong biases about things but it still got a bit annoying at parts and I wanted to scream please wake up (no pun intended). Also, she kind of woke up and just.... expected her and the ML to just...ride off into the sunset???? Like in reality he literally watched you love and only care about another man for 10 YEARS. I feel like the gravity of that just doesn't hit her at all and she needs to humble herself a bit. In reality I think the love story really isn't as cute as this drama is which is ironic to say. I think a man like the ML shouldn't be waiting around for someone for 10 years on the sideline. It would be different if he dated around or whatever but he didn't. From a realistic view (which is not how romance cdramas should be viewed lol) it actually made me pity his character a lot. And then the FL was trying to test him? She wanted to him to confess first and acted like he needs to be honest with her when he clearly always was obviously in love her and literally everyone knew it? It just kind of makes the FL look super ... entitled and also makes me pity the ML even more which takes away a bit from the love story to me.

- Tao did well here and actually surprised me a bit with his acting chops (though I agree that I think this character in some ways was very similar to himself) but the FL to me wasn't at her best. I found her expressions and whatnot really recycled. She went all out playing the girl determined on revenge and rewriting the past that it made her character... very one dimensional. Also she keeps saying how she is 28 but I felt like while reliving college as a 28 year old she was still very immature. The whole point is she is going back in time with maturity and insight but I felt like a lot of her actions were very childish. But then when she woke up from the coma, I felt like she was more mature but it didn't make sense because in the coma world she was 28 too.... just back in her 18 year old body. For me that was an oversight of the writers and directors. I understand being young and naive is part of the charm of the show but her antics got a little old at some points. You are intelligent and 28 and this is how you are acting? This isn't on her this is mainly on the writers and directors so don't take this as an attack on the actress, my issues is with the script for her character at some points during the period she is in the coma.

- I thought the leads had good chemistry and their bickering in the show came off very natural and almost like adlibs not scripted. However, when it came to the romantic, intimate parts I felt like the male lead was more into the female lead. He was way more into the kissing and whatnot and even when she fell in love with him and started dating him I just feel like her character still was very... anti touching or kissing. I do not enjoy dramas where it looks like the female isn't into the kissing or physical stuff.

- This is a personal thing and I know it'll get some hate from his fans but I really wish Tao would change his hair. He had many sexy moments in this drama don't get me wrong, especially with the suit and glasses, but I still did not like the hair. I also think the hair didn't fit the character very well either. Top law student and top lawyer with that style of hair? Despite the cocky attitude it still didn't match for me and didn't seem very professional or serious. I really wish it was at least shorter but this is a personal thing cause in real life I really wish he would switch his hair up since I don't think this haircut does his face justice. I get how you could argue the haircut was kind of carefree like the character but I just don't think it really matched.

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