Edren
A character study in espionage, honor, and brotherhood
This is the kind of drama I search high and low to find. This was perfect, in my opinion. Beautiful story, complex and rich. Intricate to the point that If you miss one line of dialogue you might be confused for the rest of the drama. I love the dramas that are almost exclusively people whispering anxiously in dimly lit rooms. I love the agony of impossible decisions, the cruelty of duty and the enduring and thankless masochism of blood-deep bonds of friendship in times of war. I love endings that make you feel hollow but satisfied.
The atmosphere of this was beyond perfect. The warm shadows of the sparsely-lit interiors were offset by the stark gray daylight of midwinter shining through open doorways and windows in the background; often the characters were mere silhouettes huddled tightly in their heavy clothes, hands tucked in sleeves, clouds of white steam as they talked. The pristine official and palace settings were harshened by frozen mud and a palate of earth tones. Everywhere you look you'll find layer upon layer of rich textures... It will make you feel the cold, feel the difficult and uncertain calm that settled tensely between wars and battles and political upheavals. And because the palate is so muted and the settings so restrained, the characters' movements and faces become a matter of fixation.
The story here is impeccable. Impossibly high stakes handled almost blindly in the dark, muddy alleyways behind the palace walls by people without names and without monuments. Espionage stories must necessarily be intricate. But they must also matter in a way that cannot ignore nation or individual. To do this well is difficult, to say the least. This story does such an amazing job with this that I fear future espionage stories I watch/read will pale in comparison.
As impressive as everyone's acting was (everyone), Chen Kun as Chen Gong was a standout. This was a difficult, tricky role that succeeded or failed on the actor's interpretation and delivery and Chen Kun walked that highwire like a true artist. From the prolonged monologue at the end of the first episode until his final moment on screen he maintained a relentless level of intensity and complexity that withstood any amount of scrutiny or analysis. A flicker of his eyebrow could be found to hold depth of unspoken information. Which is to say that literally every muscle movement on screen was deliberate. I haven't seen acting like his in a very, very long time. Too, this character could have been played as pitiful or even as some kind of victim (in the sense that spies tend always to get treated like pieces on a board), but you never get that from Chen Kun. It's hard to describe the type of strength he portrays. You see it especially in that first episode when it's so clear how terrified he is, blinding, all-consuming fear, yet we do not pity him.
Bai Yu met and answered the exemplary performance of Chen Kun quite well. A less complicated character, his was nonetheless fully realized, flawed, likable, and essential to the story. He experienced a kind of development through the story that I don't often see writers allow, a kind of accumulation of damage that created an almost blissful numbness by which he was able to maintain his integrity and still do his job. A really unique take on such a character.
I'm unfamiliar with Angelababy as an actress, but she delivered a really nuanced take on what could have been a very same 'ol same 'ol character. She's largely inscrutable, which contributes volumes to how interesting her character is to watch. And I can't commend the writers enough for steering away from a) that predictable romance storyline or worse b) a love triangle. Either would have cheapened her character.
This story will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to rewatching it. I'm working on learning Mandarin, so I'm also looking forward to reading the novel one of these days.
(I took off half a star for those early episodes with the horrendous cutesy explains at the end and also because occasionally the sweeping score seemed poorly timed with what was on the screen. But these are matters that are of very little importance to me, honestly.)
The atmosphere of this was beyond perfect. The warm shadows of the sparsely-lit interiors were offset by the stark gray daylight of midwinter shining through open doorways and windows in the background; often the characters were mere silhouettes huddled tightly in their heavy clothes, hands tucked in sleeves, clouds of white steam as they talked. The pristine official and palace settings were harshened by frozen mud and a palate of earth tones. Everywhere you look you'll find layer upon layer of rich textures... It will make you feel the cold, feel the difficult and uncertain calm that settled tensely between wars and battles and political upheavals. And because the palate is so muted and the settings so restrained, the characters' movements and faces become a matter of fixation.
The story here is impeccable. Impossibly high stakes handled almost blindly in the dark, muddy alleyways behind the palace walls by people without names and without monuments. Espionage stories must necessarily be intricate. But they must also matter in a way that cannot ignore nation or individual. To do this well is difficult, to say the least. This story does such an amazing job with this that I fear future espionage stories I watch/read will pale in comparison.
As impressive as everyone's acting was (everyone), Chen Kun as Chen Gong was a standout. This was a difficult, tricky role that succeeded or failed on the actor's interpretation and delivery and Chen Kun walked that highwire like a true artist. From the prolonged monologue at the end of the first episode until his final moment on screen he maintained a relentless level of intensity and complexity that withstood any amount of scrutiny or analysis. A flicker of his eyebrow could be found to hold depth of unspoken information. Which is to say that literally every muscle movement on screen was deliberate. I haven't seen acting like his in a very, very long time. Too, this character could have been played as pitiful or even as some kind of victim (in the sense that spies tend always to get treated like pieces on a board), but you never get that from Chen Kun. It's hard to describe the type of strength he portrays. You see it especially in that first episode when it's so clear how terrified he is, blinding, all-consuming fear, yet we do not pity him.
Bai Yu met and answered the exemplary performance of Chen Kun quite well. A less complicated character, his was nonetheless fully realized, flawed, likable, and essential to the story. He experienced a kind of development through the story that I don't often see writers allow, a kind of accumulation of damage that created an almost blissful numbness by which he was able to maintain his integrity and still do his job. A really unique take on such a character.
I'm unfamiliar with Angelababy as an actress, but she delivered a really nuanced take on what could have been a very same 'ol same 'ol character. She's largely inscrutable, which contributes volumes to how interesting her character is to watch. And I can't commend the writers enough for steering away from a) that predictable romance storyline or worse b) a love triangle. Either would have cheapened her character.
This story will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to rewatching it. I'm working on learning Mandarin, so I'm also looking forward to reading the novel one of these days.
(I took off half a star for those early episodes with the horrendous cutesy explains at the end and also because occasionally the sweeping score seemed poorly timed with what was on the screen. But these are matters that are of very little importance to me, honestly.)
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