Portal Verde (2019)

Based on the summary and cover art, I was super excited going into this drama. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. Although I liked the subdued, almost lazy tone of this series, the plot itself was too slow-paced for my liking and didn't do the "big reveal" justice. I feel like the plot twist, which is revealed in the final episode, is really the crux of this story, and all of the events leading up to it don't have much meaningful significance until the twist is revealed. As a result, it kind of feels like we're meandering along without a clear end-sight in mind. The final episode, to me, was the most interesting and, after I finished it, I was left wishing that the same energy and dynamic there had been applied to episodes 1 through 5 as well. Moreover, the story line I was most interested in (Ma Ri's) got the least amount of time devoted to it, and I couldn't really get into the other ones. All in all it was a dull lead up to a great climax that left me wishing the set up and execution had been sharper (though I know it's based on a book so I guess there's only so much the screenwriters could do with the story line).

As for the characters and acting, I thought all of the actors did well in their roles. I do, however, agree with someone's comment below that the two romantic interests had no chemistry whatsoever, so I found it a little hard to believe. While it kind of makes sense once the reason for the strain is revealed, I do wish that the actors had been able to portray a little more interest or *something* to make the relationship feel less sterile.

Overall I wouldn't say this is a bad drama, but I guess I went in with too high of expectations and came out feeling let down. Having only 6 episodes at about an hour each, it's not a huge investment of your time, but it wouldn't be the first drama I'd recommend.

And for anyone curious/hesitant about the horror tag: Aside from one or two quick jump scares, I didn't find it scary at all. It kind of gives me a Ghost Whisperer vibe, so I think it'll be okay for those who are interested but not into the scary stuff (which I'm not really into either).

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In order to exorcise ghosts, you have to redeem yourself first

What is real or unreal? Supernatural or natural? Normal or abnormal? All of these things get blended up in a pseudo-psychology and poured down the rabbit hole.

If you are looking for a ghoulish horror drama--look elsewhere, this is more like the Ghost Whisperer as far as the ghosts are concerned. If you are looking for accurate therapy procedures--run for your life. It's mentioned several times that the Taiwanese don't have much use for psychologists and therapy and this drama would make any psychologist or pysch student roll their eyes. If you can get on board with this particular world building, it was an oddly entertaining romantic drama with horror elements.

Sung Yen is a psychiatrist who had been working in the US, but returned to set up shop in Taiwan where his girlfriend of seven years lives. She's ready to push ahead with marriage but he's dragging his feet. There were several stories that I found interesting, especially the one where a woman is possessed by a dead man. The actress, Ying Shiuan Hsieh, gave a compelling performance as a male gangster and a gentle woman. After Sung Yen's confrontations with the possessed woman, strange ghosts begin haunting his office. Instead of doing the normal thing and vacating the premises, he decides to counsel them and help them move on. Not all is what it seems with the good doctor though as he discovers. In helping others, he helps himself.

The drama could wander around a little too much in the middle and then found itself racing to the ending. The storylines were tied up in a satisfactory way if not believably. The romance was the weakest element of the drama for me even if it was the string that tied everything together. At just 6 episodes this drama kept my attention and I enjoyed the ghost therapies. If you are sensitive to certain triggers please read the tags carefully as there are several. I can't give Green Door a green light, but I could say if you run across this drama on Netflix, I'd give it a yellow light and advise to proceed cautiously to see if it's something you might like.


10/19/22

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Lazy

If you're going to produce a series about psychology, do some basic research. Ink Blot test is to see what the patient is projecting from the unconscious mind. There are no "mom" or "dad" cards. Americans are not perfect, but they at least get some basics down. Chinese Entertainment Industry need to do more homework. Make the world proud and want to watch Chinese films, because they can teach and convey a beautiful story. Make it so we can study it, analyze it and scrutinize it! So people can also defend it as well. Don't sacrifice accuracy for your story that may or may not be intriguing. If we wanted to watch a show with no logic, there are plenty of nonsense Chinese love stories to watch that are also cringe-y and embarrassing.

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