Hou Lang (2023)

Finding one's purpose and family

I am not a great fan of medical dramas, but this one initially caught my attention for two reasons: Zhao Lusi and the topic of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine). My overall impression of the drama is quite good. Still, there are some issues which I disliked.

On the one hand, Lusi’s character Tou Tou enabled me to experience a variety of emotions. I enjoyed her mischief, admired her resilience despite much adversity, hoped to see her find the family she deserves and create a sense of purpose for her life. Tou Tou’s journey from survival to thriving was beautiful to see and it is one of the key reasons I looked forward to each episode. Learning with her about TCM was interesting too.

Another highlight for me was the relationship with her mentor Ren Xin Zheng and later that with his son Tian Zhen. There is an affinity between Tou Tou and her teacher that shifts into a father-daughter bond, which is very heart-warming to watch. All the older members of the Ren family are relatable, with qualities and flaws and made me reflect on their views and actions. As expected, the veteran actors brought convincingly these characters to life.

Tian Zhen’s character was more controversial for me. Early on I considered him arrogant, entitled, even irresponsible and at one point firmly believed he would not be able to redeem himself in my eyes. Yet Tian Zhen proved me wrong. He is probably the one who experienced the most growth throughout the drama. Luo Yi Zhou acted well a wide range of situations and emotional states. His gaze and facial expressions conveyed much more meaning than his words.

I know everyone has been curious about the romance, bearing in mind it is not the story’s main focus. My advice is be patient because it’s worth it. Tou Tou and Tian Zhen gradually become friends and then like each other romantically. Their scenes together made me giddy, laugh and just feel good in general. The shift in their interactions is subtle but beautiful to see. There is an iconic scene of Tian Zhen confessing his love, which I will remember for a long time.

On the other hand, this drama also has a key problem in my opinion - the script writing is inconsistent and featured some dubious choices. I was disappointed by the plot around Meng Meng’s character, which turned out to be very problematic, illogical and dragged for too long. The script writers created an ambiguous relationship between her and Tian Zhen, which caused misunderstandings and confusion. While I felt sorry for Meng Meng, what bothered me most was that Tian Zhen was never professionally trained to help her.

Moreover, in the last episodes, questions and challenges were raised building up to the climax, which affected particularly our adorable couple. Instead of dealing with those challenges and tying up loose ends, the drama showed many filler scenes and often pointless discussions that went on for several episodes. So the ending was rushed, some questions were left unanswered or glossed over, but it was a happy one.

All in all, I would recommend giving this drama a try. You may enjoy it more than anticipated, as I did.

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