"Go Ahead" is one of the "talk-about" dramas this season, and though I am not a big fan of modern drama, I went ahead with it. I really like it.

First, let me share what I like about this drama.
Firstly, there are a lot of relatable family dramas to cry about. The story about three unrelated children growing up with two dads is extremely bitter-sweet. It shows in a heartwarming way how family love can look like despite not connected by blood. Particularly the start of the show had so many beautiful scenes between Li Hai Chao and the children that made me cry a river. At the same time, it shows the naked and honest of how relationships between parents and their own children could be like if one becomes self-centric, especially when the cruel reality called "life" hits you. I appreciate that the drama depicts many of these realities: single-parenthood, loss of own children, adoption and relationships between own and adopted children, depression of children, grow apart due to physical distance, relationships between parents and children when children are young vs. when they grow up, re-marriage of own parents... and the list goes on. Though you might not agree with how characters have dealt with each situation, this is one version that you can take away and learn.

Secondly, it is the acting and the characters. My favorite characters in this story: the dad Li Hai Chao, played by Tu Song Yan, the daughter Li Jian Jian, acted by Seven Tan, and finally, He Zi Qiu, starred by Steven Zhang. Let's first talk about Li Hai Chao. He is the type of loving father that every child would want: always supportive and loves his children unconditionally. The most important aspect of all, he understands his children and treats them like an equal. Tu Song Yan depicts Li Hai Chao flawlessly and shows what veteran actors have in their arsenal.
Then there is Li Jian Jian, the tomboy who grew up among four men. Righteous, down to earth and speaks openly about everything. Seven Tan fits Li Jian Jian's character perfectly. Despite being the oldest among all three actors, she plays the middle school girl or the young adult without effort. I really liked Seven Tan's performance in Under the Power, but her achievements in Go Ahead make me respect her even more.
Finally, there is He Zi Qiu, the adopted son, and the audience's favorite 2nd male lead. Abandoned by his own mother at a young age, he hides his hurt, insecurities, and longing for motherly love by always carrying a smiling poker face around everyone. In shadow, he does whatever he can to pay back the Li Family. He Zi Qiu probably the biggest tear dripper in the whole show. It is not easy to act out such a three-dimensional character, but Stephen Zhang absolutely did it. This is probably one of the most impressive performances I have observed among young Chinese actors. My top 5 best actors of China drama land just found a place for him, and if you don't believe me, you just have to watch it.
This drama also has many other interesting characters, one that is for all kinds of taste.

Let me quickly speak about what this drama could have done better.
I have no problem with this drama being too "dramatic" or, as they say in Chinese, "dog-blooded," but I have a problem when actions become unlogic as a result of this. Some examples would be Ling Xiao's mother's abandoning her son in the first place and then coming back for him no matter what. Or the reason for Zi Qiu's mother abandoning Zi Qiu for more than nine years and realizing her mistakes at the end of the show. And let's not even go there why the two brothers were not even able to come back for even once during the nine years. I appreciate the drama trying its best to show the diversity of life and some of the real struggles people have to go through, but I wish the makers have come up with a better script for this drama's essential storylines.

Another weak point is this drama's 2nd half. I agree with most audiences that the makers made a too strong turn after the two brothers' return towards the loveline. The drama gained popularity with the strong start of the family-line and should have shown more of that: How did Jian Jian and her two brothers grow up? How was it for Jian Jian to leave home and live alone? How did Zi Qiu live his life in the UK all by himself? How was it Ling Dad not seeing his own son for nine years? How did Li Dad live all the years without his two sons by his side? How were Ling Dad and Cheng Ting's relationship before the passing of their daughter? .... All these could have been great material for this drama, even if they only show snip bits of that in retro-perspective.
Though I have no problem with this drama showing a loveline (who does not like it!) It is not well thought through. Two people grew up together but had to leave each other due to some unfortunate events. After returning, the brother-like character suddenly confesses to his sister-like character though the girl only looked at him as a family member. They quickly got together; the only person who was "in the way" is the mean mother-in-law who does not like the girl her son has brought home. How is this different than any other melodrama's loveline? No difference at all! Where is the struggle to overcome the fear of losing your sister if this does not go well? Where is the development of "brotherly" love to something else for Jian Jian? Where is the awkwardness for the rest of the family members? These are some of the points which the makers could have detailed to make this special.
Apart from that, I did not see much of the chemistry between the two leads, but that might also be only a preference thing. I found Song Wei Long's characters really out of the league with the rest of the cast though I am sure he did his best.

All in all, despite the shortcoming, I still think this is one of the most heartwarming family dramas of 2020 with a lot of laughter and tears. I would recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of genre.