Danielle Wells
Though this was promoted as a spy series, it kind of isn’t. It’s more so a dramedy series with a little bit of spying and romance thrown in.
The actors are all well cast and do great with the material given. The story starts strong when Seol-woo is actually working as a spy, but then quickly loses momentum when it gets bogged down with the power struggle between the Congressman and Seung Jae. It didn’t make sense why a national secret intelligence agency would be involved in what seemed like a case of corruption etc., on a local level.
Despite the weaknesses in the overall story, I thought the series was most fun when they did revisit the spy game i.e. the trip to Russia and the Asian Investment Forum. The bromance between Seol-woo and Woo-gwang was also fun as was the romance he developed with Cha Do-ha. Though very cute, I can see why many thought she wasn’t beautiful enough to attract the attention of the extremely attractive Seol-woo, but I think that’s what made the romance work. She wasn’t rich and glamorous, just an ordinary woman working in the film industry, but she had some spunk and pretty much called his scam from the moment she met him. She was likely very different from the women he’d encountered on his previous missions, which is what fueled his attraction to her.
I did like some of the twists in the story i.e. one of the enemies switching sides,one of the allies working in a gray area while another was completely dirty. Some twists were completely predictable which is not at all uncommon with most tv series.
I will say I didn’t get some of the character’s choices in the end. One in particular was baffling considering her choice it seemed to remain aligned with someone who’d participated in corruption that included murder, attempted murder and kidnapping.
Overall it was a descent series. Not outstanding, but not terrible either. I think the strong acting saved this a LOT, most especially when the plot was a little iffy.
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I immediately liked this show. The old romantic trope of an arranged marriage eventually evolving into love. The main characters are beautiful and have strong chemistry. The supporting characters were fun and the music was surprisingly good , from the score to the “cheesy” tracks by what I’m assuming are the latest Chinese pop artists.
The story moved quickly with a lot happening in each episode while still hitting all the necessary beats that made it believable for the main characters to make a connection.
However, despite the fun and engaging story in the first several episodes, things took a turn for the worst around episode 10, and as a result this is where you really have to turn your brain off. LOL. I struggled with Yizhou’s controlling behavior and possessiveness, but the betrayal made absolutely no sense and made him come off as insane. Any woman in her right mind would’ve run the other way no matter how rich and hot he was. Which brings me to another issue I had. At times Xia Lin was relatable, but at other times she didn’t seem like the brightest bulb in the chandelier. Perhaps this was supposedly due to her young age and inexperience?
I also didn’t like Chu Yan’s abusive father. Even though he had a change of heart in the end, I did not think Chu Yan should’ve given him the time of day considering the hell he’d put him through his entire life. Additionally I didn’t like how the men at times stopped short of manhandling the women, but this seems to be very common in Asian shows. Lastly, the storyline with the villain from Yizhou’s past was completely unnecessary and seemed like the writers attempt at stretching the season to 20 episodes. Really they could’ve ended the show at episode 9, no need for the nonsense that followed.
Overall, it was generally a funny, cute show. Even with the bizarre story twists and questionable character traits, the chemistry between the cast is what ultimately saved this series from completely going off the rails into bad territory.
I do think realistically Chu Yan was a better match for Xia Lin (before Yizhou’s epiphany and change). He wasn’t controlling, would completely respect her individuality and be a loving mate.
And if anyone is answering questions, can someone please tell me the name of the movie/series that was playing in the background when Chu Yan and Xia Lin we’re attempting to leave the theater and ran into Yizhou and An Ran? It looked quite interesting. Would love to check it out. :)
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