When it rains, it pours.

At first glance, this is a tribute drama with low audience appeal. The topic of gaokao 高考 or national college entrance exams is already stress inducing. Throw in the pandemic and the average viewer would head for the hills. I snuck a peek because I like to keep an eye on Rong Zishan's growth as an actor. To my surprise, I was hooked from the first episode of this uplifting story about the resilience of youth in the face of great challenges.

This drama is not about China's urban elite. It is set in Jinhe County, where most of the households are among the two thirds of Chinese households that are not part of the middle class. The pandemic disproportionately affected high school seniors from this class of Chinese society. Gaokao is a life changing rite of passage for them. All the hopes and dreams of their families are staked on their gaokao performance. With less resources and uneven access to the internet, online learning is less effective for many of them. The pandemic exacerbated the economic and social pressures these families were already experiencing. This drama offers some insight into why the Chinese leadership has clung to an extreme zero tolerance covid policy so different from the rest of the world.

The narrative focuses on five students of Jinhe County No 1 Middle School (Pan Xianxuan and Gao Mingyu) and Jinhe County No 4 Middle School (Zhou Bowen, Wu Jiajun and Tian Wenwen) and their principals Wang Benzhong and Shi Aihua. Because it is a small county, there are about three degrees of separation between the students, teachers, their families and the broader community. Bowen, Wenwen and Jiajun are fast friends at No 4 Middle School, where Bowen is the star pupil. He intensely disapproves of his deadbeat dad Zhao Meiren, who is charismatically portrayed by Wang Xiao. Wenwen is left to fend for herself after her grandmother passes away as her absentee parents run a business in Wuhan. And aspiring artist Jiajun suffers from the nightmare oversight of the ultimate tiger mom. They are part of an online student chat group with Pan Xianxuan and Gao Mingyu, students at the No 1 Middle School, which is a boarding school. My favorite character, Pan Xianxuan is a savvy and commercial doer who is not academic oriented. Despite his father's wealth, his is practically homeless as both his divorced parents have long moved on. And finally Gao Mingyu, the most impoverished and driven of them all whose only family is an ailing grandfather. They form a fast friendship and benefit from the care and affection of their principal Wang Benzhong, who is more like a surrogate parent to them both.

Every time I watch a drama with young actors matched up with veterans like Chen Baoguo, Wang Quanyuan and Wang Xiao,I am floored by the seamless and natural the performances all around. I feel fear for the current generation of popular actors whose flaws only become more obvious when they act across veterans because the next generation is growing up fast and there are lots of them. This cast made me invested in their stories from the get go and sharked me into enthusiastically watching a flag waving, sappy, inspirational story, the kind that I have a very small yearly quota for. The message of the story is very clear - often in life, when it rains, it pours but it is in times of hardship that we find our best selves.

While this story does carry some powerful and moving coming of age messages beyond surviving a pandemic, what I didn't like is it is a bit too good to be true. The pandemic turns every flawed character into a better version of themselves. The strong sense of community and the dedication and fighting spirit of parents and teachers can prevail over an amorphous enemy and natural disasters alike. Most of all, the pandemic didn't seem as isolating and as disruptive as it probably was and the government's pandemic control measures are portrayed as very mild. To be fair, this is not set in a densely populated community and it is during the first 200 days of 2020, during which China had effectively contained the outbreak to Wuhan. Nonetheless,, I feel there is a bit too much sugar coating and white washing in this drama that avoids the uglier, more realistic aspects of the pandemic and China's response to it. It also loses focus at times as a result of trying to acknowledge too many every day heroes from educators to health workers.

For a flag waving drama, this is a surprisingly good watch and the propaganda aspects are non intrusive. The youth aspects are well written and wonderfully portrayed. I am happy to rate this a very solid 7.5.

Leia Mais

Dead men walking.

This year 2020 must be the year of detective stories, there are so many that we are spoiled for choice. This one set in the Republican era (1911) hooked me with its dark, eerie prologue that immediately invokes a hint of the supernatural and the presence of evil. Twenty years ago in Fuyuan County, twelve beheaded escorts are brought back to life via an ancient ritual. But the mystery of these dead men walking's murder and the whereabouts of their missing cargo is never solved. Fuyuan County remains a remote suburb of Tianjin that is steeped in dark magic and witchcraft.

Tan Bodun is a rising young detective in with the Tianjin Police with a secret - he has a dark side that he struggles to suppress. Accompanied by his side kick Da Pan and his Westernized fiancée Luo Jiazhen, he is sent to the ominous Fuyuan County to solve another spooky and inexplicable murder that takes place in plain sight of the town's elite. On the way they stumble upon another case and encounter Song Chengmin, one of the scions of the affluent Song family. Aided by the local police inspector Zheng Jiewu, they pull at what appear to be disparate threads, more sinister murders occur and threads end up being linked and lead eventually to the unraveling of the twenty year old cold case.

What I really like about this drama is that the overarching mystery is well written and there are enough clues and suggestions along the way that when all is revealed, everything fits together and intuitively makes sense. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the many sub-mysteries. As often is the problem with this genre, the writers tend to give in to the urge to write twists upon twists upon twists. After one or two times, this becomes confusing, tiresome and in some cases, the final solution is not the best, most convincing one. All of the main characters appear to have their own agendas and behave suspiciously enough to make viable suspects in the crimes. The problem is if they are not guilty these hidden motives are never fully explained, it is really done to create an illusion of probable cause.

Gao Zhiting is a really talented and likable young actor. I really enjoy his portrayal of Tan Bodun and his wickedly brilliant alter ego. In fact I much better like his alter ego but I don't really like that they went down the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde route with the character. It would have been cleaner and more interesting if they just wrote him as a truth seeker with unconventional or occasionally morally ambiguous methods. The rapport and team work between the main characters is very enjoyable and feels very natural; I find Da Pan in particular to be hilarious. However, I am not convinced by any of the romances and I really dislike how Jiazhen turns into a spoiled, willful and immature brat somewhere in the middle to just create some romantic angst.

Although the ending clearly paves the way for another season, as far as the overall conspiracy is concerned it is very satisfyingly resolved so I won't call it an open ending. I wouldn't mind watching this team work together again, in particular if the overall case is as well written as this one was. The only thing I don't like about the ending is that one of the key villains for Season 2 is already revealed as a hook. That was unnecessary and will take a bit of fun out of Season 2 but not so much so that to dissuade me from watching.

Overall, this is a very entertaining watch even though not all of the sub-mysteries are interesting. I really love the spooky, supernatural undertones and rate this an 7.5 for that.

Leia Mais

The thunder rolls: a work in progress

This is the first of this series that I managed to get this far through. Despite the appeal of supernatural mysteries and tomb raiding adventures, I was never able to get into any of the other ones. That said, while there are flashes of brilliance, the overall effort so far is at best mediocre with much hanging on how the various plot threads end up resolved.

A cryptic message from Wuxie's uncle that sends the Iron Triangle - Wuxie, Pangzi and Zhang Qiling on a quest to decipher the message of the Thunder god and find Wu Sansheng. The story is off to an awesome start with heart stopping action and phenomenal world building. The scenes in the tomb have just the right balance of mystery, suspense, supernatural forces, hordes of foul and undead creatures and death defying moments. My eyes bugged out at Qiling (Huang Jun Jie)'s raw athleticism, fierce speed and fluid grace. Like most viewers, I love the Iron Triangle - their chemistry, hilarious banter and complimentary skills make them seem invincible together. So it is super disappointing to see the three amigos separate and off on their own.

The pacing is jarring - it alternates abruptly between gripping, life threatening action and mind numbingly boring and unnecessary filler episodes and characters. The entire Hei Yanjing/mute girl arc could have been cut by at least 75pct - there is little plot advancement and the romance is pedestrian. It could only have been worse if the girl can actually speak so thank the small mercies. That painful arc ends only to descend further into purgatory with the introduction of (drum roll) Piao Piao. While allegedly due to the heavy hand of censorship, at best she had three brain cells instead of two. Poor Panzi, he deserves so much better. It is offensive to see women written to be so dumb just to facillitate certain plot developments. By comparison, Xiao Bai is an adorable genius; even her lovesick eye batting at Wuxie is totally forgiveable considering how devastating and charismatic Zhu Yilong's Wuxie is. I am sure I will be unable to watch any other actor take on this role after this.

Although I quite like Warehouse 11, the Sea King's tomb is hard to beat and sequencing leaves Season 1 ending with an anti-climatic and unfinished feel to it. The reveals are somewhat predictable and too many plot threads are left open. If too much time passes before Season 2 airs, I will forget many of the important clues and open issues unless I invest in some rewatching. In hindsight, I should have started this after there is an airing date for Season 2 and that would be my advice for those planning to watch this.

Leia Mais

The plot was lost somewhere along the road to redemption.

Heaven Sword is one of my all time favorite Jin Yong stories. While this 2019 adaption is overall done well and quite watchable, I am still disappointed because the story is so gripping and epic that properly executed it could have and should have been a 10. I feel that way about most of Jin Yong's stories and I am time and again disappointed with C-drama's inability to turn the gift of a fantastic storyline into a kick-ass 10.

The first problem is that riding on the gift of a great storyline, the production team was very sloppy with the cast and the casting of the key roles. It was obvious from the start that many of the lead actors struggled to get into character: Zhang Cuisan and Zhao Min notably. And while I think Zeng Shunxi is a very promising young actor, at 21 he is too much of a boy still to fully pull off Wuji. He wasn't bad but his chemistry with both female leads was little more than warm and friendly. That's just not good enough as Wuji's two main love interests are bad-ass, devious and willful women; a handful for any man much less a boy. To make matters worse, they saddled him with the worst man bun that highlighted an unflattering roundness to his features - many times I thought the Pillsbury doughboy was going to burst right out of him! It wasn't till the much later episodes they fixed his look in a good way. In addition to the main leads, poor chemistry between the couples is a consistent theme throughout this show. Whoever paired up the actors must surely be the matchmaker from hell. The initial flat romance between Zhang Cuisan and Yin Susu almost made me give up on this early on but it somehow clicked once the fantastic child actor playing young Wuji was brought into the mix.

While it seems I will still have to wait for a version of this epic story with the A-list cast it deserves, some of the roles were played by quite strong performances (Yangsiu, Zhou Zhirou, Xie Xun, Song Qingsu) while the others were good enough (Wuji, Zhao Min) that the uninspired ones (Xiao Chao etc) were drowned out and it still came together well enough to be quite enjoyable. And the action was quite good although they went a little bit overboard with the slow motion that made the many good kung fu scenes a lot less exciting. While it is definitely technically much better polished than my best loved 1986 version, the A-list 1986 cast wins hands down when it comes to breathing life into the main characters.

While this version broadly sticks to the original storyline, it digresses meaningfully from it in a very subtle way. This is a more politically correct version that dials down the cruelty of many of the darker characters and deals with them compassionately, offering them a path to redemption. In the case of Song Qingsu, it was well done because he is just a weak character that strayed off the wrong path. But in the case of Zhou Zhirou, I really didn’t see the point – this is an ambitious, selfish and cruel character that is innately much more bad than good, it is fundamental to the plot. Zhu Xudan is an actress that is naturally blessed with a mal-contented expression – she would have been an even more brilliantly wicked Zhou Zhirou if they didn’t try to make her slightly nicer. But what was even more criminal was they kind of tuned down Zhao Min, one of my all time favorite Jin Yong heroines by making her less sassy towards the end to the point of being almost like the clingy and pathetically devoted Xiao Chao (yuck). It was as if they were flirting with the idea of a shock alternative ending where Wuji ends up with the Zhirou and then thankfully chickened out at the last minute. Two thumbs down is all that I can say. And they didn’t stop with Zhirou and Qingsu, they pretty much made excuses for and/or tried to make all the bad guys slightly less bad. Boring and tiresome after awhile and it had the overall impact of diluting the passion and vehemence of Jin Yong’s characters both good and evil.

Of course all of this greater focus on character development and whitewashing comes at the cost of extra time focus on unnecessary characters. But again, another travesty – there are so many C-dramas with shallow plots that are dragged out over 60 episodes but this really engrossing story was all squeezed into 50? The natural consequence of this was they just threw the whole plot under the bus. They cheated by counting on the fact this is a well known story - after all it is one of Jin Yong’s most popular works. So it rushes through many cursory character introductions and transitions that didn’t make the most sense that I would feel much sympathy for anyone who didn’t already know the story in advance. This entire epic tale that tragically spans so many lives and events over such a long time is brilliantly tied together by a grand conspiracy. The complicated plot unfolds around the unraveling of this conspiracy that among other things led to the misunderstanding between the sects and Wuji’s parents tragic deaths. All of that was pretty much lost because the production team deemed it more important to help us empathize with Zhou Zhirou? Really? It came at the cost of rushing through many key parts of uncovering the intrigue. At the end I happened to blink and almost even missed the entire denouement it was dealt with so almost dismissively. The scriptwriters did Jin Yong and us a grave injustice in this matter. Shame on the production team. Really.

Overall this was still a very polished effort but it didn’t really live up to the heart of Jin Yong’s epic story. While the plot was lost along the path to redemption, it is still very watchable and one of the better efforts out there. And it is still Jin Yong and that beats a lot of the no substantive storyline 2019 new dramas I have skimmed through so far (as of June 2019).

Leia Mais

The mind's eye.

Under the Skin is a police procedural that is built around the use of forensic art to solve cases. This fresh pitch within a well established genre is what makes this an interesting and fairly enjoyable watch.

The drama opens with a classroom analysis of Jean-Louis David's "The Death of Marat", one of the most political and epochal masterpieces of the French Revolution. This beautiful lie of a painting that rearranges the crime scene and depicts the unsightly and radical Marat as a matyr makes the point that appearances can be deceiving. The assassin, feminist activist Charlotte Corday who in her own words, "killed one man to save a hundred thousand" is regarded as a heroine by many. It is clear inspiration for the drama's social commentary that highlights women's issues and the often empathetic portrayal of the perpetrators of the crimes. It is truly wonderful how carefully these recurring themes are woven into the cases and how deftly art is used to portray the distinction between first impressions, perception and different realities for different people.

This is all embodied in the mind's eye of genius artist Shen Yi, who is able to marry deductive observations from the scene and the nature of the crime with intuition to uncannily recreate images of the culprit, at times the victim and how it all went down. Tan Jianci is an actor I have kept an eye on for quite some time and I am excited to see him land lead roles. While he delivers a charming and nuanced articulation of this very reserved "still waters run deep" kind of character, it is not a role that best showcases the range and depth of his abilities as an actor. The real issue lies with the character blueprint itself, which is sad to say rather two dimensional. Shen Yi is simply too good to be true; beyond his artistic genius, he is also a master interrogator, chess player, indeed he is a jack of all skills required to solve the case. I am not quite sure what this elite Beijing Interpol team did without him. He is a loner with no real friends or family, has no vices or other flaws other than nodding off in cars either because he himself or Du Cheng is a snooze fest. Even though justice is blind in so many of the cases, he remains too unquestioningly a truth seeker and enforcer of the law. This is at odds with the many cases that conclude with a sense that the perpetrators were the true victims and it bothered me that it didn't bother Shen Yi.

Where Shen Yi is clearly the brains, Du Cheng is the muscle archetype; the man of action that takes stray bullets and runs into windows as and when needed. Yet like Shen Yi, Du Cheng is a likeable but ultimately hollow character with limited definition and development that comes very late in the game. The relationship between the two protagonist is so tentatively explored and inhibited that they barely make eye contact until we are in the final innings of the story. This is a shame because Tan Jianci and Jin Shijia share a very comfortable chemistry that the production did not fully take advantage of. I am left with a dissatisfied feeling of having been told rather than shown how the unbreakable bond of friendship and trust builds between them. The main antagonist is another shallow and uninteresting character who becomes pretty obvious well before the reveal even though their motive is unfathomable to the point of making no sense. It is fair to say that the characters in this drama are very much like Shen Yi's sketches; they are just nice outlines that lack dimension, colour, weight and substance.

It can be argued that two dimensional characters are par for the course in good, meaty plot driven dramas but unfortunately the plot is where this drama disappoints the most. Even though I appreciate the empathetic spotlight on current social issues, the cases or sub-plots are hit or miss and they don't deepen the main plot. There are only two solid, tightly wrapped up cases that I found very enjoyable. The other cases are rather predictable, had logic flaws and often don't wrap up the issues raised in a satisfactory manner. As for the main plot, the best part of it is how ingeniously the villain is trapped. The mastermind's involvement in the 7-year cold case that brings Shen Yi and Du Cheng together is frankly ridiculous. They were too successful very early on in a very lucrative field to need to engage in such a risky, difficult and time consuming business. There are at least two other potential masterminds, each of which would have made for much more convincing villains in terms of motive, means and opportunity. I feel the finale's message simply panders to the Chinese government's recent data privacy paranoia and crackdown on a big industry.

I can tell that a lot of research and meticulous attention to detail went into the procedural aspects of this drama and setting and artistic aesthetics are phenomenal. Even though the stage is set with amazing props and really nice camerawork, the overall impression is bland. There are no larger than life characters or relationships that will rock your world. There is no tension, no conflict, no suspense build up, the drama doesn't really peak it is just monotone throughout. That said it has some unique aspects and it is well made enough to be a good way to pass some time. I rate it a solid but ultimately forgettable 8/10.

Leia Mais

The Strong Man of Asia

Huo Yuanjia is a true blue real life martial arts hero right up there with Wong Fei-Hung, Fong Sai-yuk, Ip Man, Bruce Lee... they would all be top picks for my fantasy Shaolin soccer team! It is impossible to grow up without watching boat loads of kungfu shows about them. Even before I started this, I knew I must have already seen some permutation of it at least a gazillion times. And yet I still ate it all up like it was the first time; hovering anxiously for it to air every night and thrilled to my toes at every hair rising fight.

Like most other accounts of this iconic and legendary figure's life, this drama clearly takes creative license with the truth in many places but overall, it still rhymes with the main figures and events that shaped Huo Yuanjia's life. Beyond all the typical martial world values and morality, this drama asks the question of whether standing up for one's beliefs and values is worth the heavy price and whether it is fair that family and friends become collateral damage. As a concession to the controversy surrounding his portrayal in Jet Li's Fearless, this drama emphasizes that Hua Yuanjia valued human life and did not kill indiscriminately which is more consistent with the philosophy underlying his famous Chin Woo Athletic Association that martial arts is practiced for keeping fit.

It goes without saying that this drama is extremely action intensive. And it is the kind of close up hand to hand combat that I really love with intense acrobatics and high impact flying kicks and punches aimed with devastating cruelty at internal organs. I don't have to sing praises for Zhao Wenxzhuo; nobody could better play this kind of intense action oriented martial arts role. I am a much bigger fan of his Wong Fei-hung than Jet Li's. There are lots of villains in this fast paced drama as Yuanjia's fame attracts as many enemies as friends. But the nasty Qing Mandarin Ying Si is just simply the most vile, fantastically dangerous villain I have seen in a long time and so convincingly acted that I loved to hate him.

As a life story, this is told chronologically and the action unavoidably climaxes in the middle and predictably builds to another peak at the end that underscores the message that Chinese can stand up against mismatched physical odds and show and the world not to underestimate the strong man of Asia. I have seen that David vs Goliath moment so many times and yet every time I am so satisfied I feel like belching loudly and thumping my chest.

What I love most about this drama is Huo Yuanjia's wife - Madam Wang whose given name is unknown (imagine they had five kids and no one even remembers her name!). She must be almost entirely fictionalized but nonetheless they made her completely awesome. She can't fight but she is so brave, loyal, gracious, forward looking and so clever she saves them multiple times. I also like that this Huo Yuanjia is far from perfect - he can be chauvinistic, patriotic, inflexible and overly conservative. How these flaws impact his relationship with his family, friends and disciples and how he experiences growth as he comes to understand and accept other points of views is very well articulated.

This is more than just another extremely well choreographed gratuitous martial arts action drama. It all gets wrapped into a story about an amazing life journey with many cherished companions, some who sadly are lost along the way. Even though it definitely feels very familiar and is at times even predictable, it is only in the best of ways. So if you are in the mood for some intense action and a trip down memory lane, this is a good choice, I give it a solid 8.0

Leia Mais

Three birds with one stone.

I am a huge fan of black comedy and throw in some gangsters and I am hooked. Chen Kuilin is an infamous hitman on the run. Diagnosed with terminal illness, he tries to turn himself in only to discover he is merely the third most wanted criminal in Taiwan. Quivering with outrage, he sets out to secure his street creed as the biggest, baddest, bad guy of them all by taking out his competitors.

Ethan Juan floored me with his complex portrayal of this brazen, brutal, narcissistic gangster with crazy but understandable motives and an odd instinct to protect the weak. His close shave with Hongkie had me on the edge of my seat and their killer vs killer fight scenes were raw and savage. His desire for redemption and salvation at the commune surprised me until it didn't. A terrible betrayal culminates in a shocking bloodbath that masterfully builds and releases tension.

This is a well paced, intense and violent action thriller with a number of unanticipated twists. The dialogue is superb and dark humor is deftly used to release tension and infuse a sense of lingering irony. It has all the elements of the good old Hong Kong gangster movies from its distinct cinematic style to the emotional depth of the characters that belies the casual onscreen violence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie but I must admit that the final ten minutes left a feeling of nagging disappointment. The perfect place to wrap this up would have been at the reveal of the hitman that takes out three birds with one stone. The last ten minutes embraces maudlin tropes that are characteristic of Taiwanese productions. In this case, it completely ruins the no regrets nature of the beast. I have no choice but to knock 0.5 off my rating so this is overall an 8.0/10.0 for me. I strongly recommend skipping the last ten minutes.

Leia Mais

To the ends of the earth.

The Lonely Warrior is a crime thriller about one man's obstinate, obsessive thirteen year quest for justice. It is a highly dramatized account of a real life case. The movie version Endless Journey is led by Zhang Yi whereas this drama version is led by Qin Hao.

In the middle of a tense, emotional criminal case, an interrogation accident ends the careers of the elite Third Brigade investigative unit led by Cheng Bing. After a ten year stint in prison that costs Cheng Bing everything, he emerges hell bent on hunting down the violent killer Wang Dayong who eluded them all those years ago. He reunites with his squad, all of whom have at surface moved on with their lives but are still haunted by this cold case. They initially go to great lengths to help Cheng Bing but as a result of life commitments end up dropping out. Cheng Bing soldiers on deliberately, methodically pursing the vicious Wang Dayong seemingly till the ends of the earth, leaving no stone unturned.

The strongest aspect of this drama are the chase scenes and the way tension builds in a gripping and chillingly suspenseful way. What I didn't like was how Wang Dayong barely appears in the latter episodes. It was done to raise doubt over whether Cheng Bing was doggedly on the right track but it also made me quite frustrated with his obduracy. They failed to capitalise on Chen Minghao who delivers an incredibly menacing, ruthless and unpredictable Wang Dayong, a hardened criminal with exceptional survival instincts. I was also dismayed with what they did to his appearance; effectively obscuring all the nuances of his expressions. This would have been a lot better if they focused more in the cat-and-mouse chase between Cheng Bing and Wang Dayong with heart stopping near misses instead of pushing Wang Dayong off-screen for such long stretches.

My biggest issue with the narrative is that it delves too deeply into Cheng Bing's and the Third Brigade's personal stories. Qin Hao never fails to impresses in how he conveys deep emotions and he really out did himself in making us feel the weight of everything he loss. But I was not convinced at all by his relationship with Miao Miao. This is not a necessary character even though Ren Min does a good job with it. Add Tong Tong to the mix and I was just rolling my eyes. Even though I enjoyed the Third Brigade's camaraderie, they should either have had them see the case through all the way with Cheng Bing or not at all. It is very annoying to watch the narrative build up all of their personal stories only to see them drop out half way through. The most relevant and interesting relationship is the contentious one between Pan Dahai and Cheng Bing. These many digressions come at the cost of losing the momentum of the chase. This would be a much tighter and better drama with fewer episodes. As such, I am not surprised that the movie version has been better received than the drama even though I personally think the drama has a better lead cast.

Despite some pacing issues, this is overall a very enjoyable suspense thriller anchored by a stellar cast. Happy to rate it 7.5/10.0.

Leia Mais

Rules are made to be broken.

The bold and unconventional baroness Ban Hua is a one of a kind character. Her doting uncle is the emperor of Daye; her father the hedonist Marquis Jingting has more money than God; she inherited her grandfather General Ban's martial arts prowess and she has a wardrobe to die for. For her, rules are made to broken and her flamboyant devil-may-care attitude and daring exploits have the noblemen smitten and dazzled and the noblewomen choking with envy. If there is one stain on her charmed existence, it is that all her engagements go down in flames, to the amusement of the Daye elite.

When the incomparable Ban Hua's path crosses with that of the elegant Rong Xia, Count Chengán, Daye's most talented and most eligible gentleman, their courtship becomes the talk of the town. The best thing about this drama is Ban Hua and Rong Xia's character design and their hilarious and sizzling interactions that light up the screen. The comedy is very well written and blithely presented by the lively cast. The Ban family is one of the most uproarious and delightful drama families I have seen in a long time. Ban Hua's biggest fan, her charming, spendthrift rogue of a younger brother Ban Heng is my favorite character. Both Guan Xiaotong and Hou Minghao hit all the right notes in their performances. Guan Xiaotong delivers a curious air of exquisite vulnerability that softens Ban Hua's imperiousness and arrogance. While Hou Minghao's Rong Xia is looks too handsome and unattainable and is so measured and powerful in a soft spoken way that he is the perfect foil for Ban Hua's impetuousness.

Unfortunately the plot does not at all do justice to the all-around strong performances by the cast. The history between Daye's aristocrat families and secret plotting that led to the Rong family's downfall is quite interesting and well conceived. I enjoyed watching Ban Hua and Rong Xia learn to trust each other and work together against their enemies. The drama would have been best served wrapping up after the take down of the villain of that early arc. After that, the plot feels very forced and succumbs to tropey, boring and contrived delusional love rival tropes. All of the progress the couple makes is undone to create unnecessary misunderstandings and ridiculous and unimaginative palace coups. I was left with the impression that the couple can't communicate or work together and is surely doomed to divorce. The second half is as boring and ridiculous as the first half is interesting and engaging. Rong Xia's character in particular is destroyed as he goes to inexcusable lengths to save his love. The character interactions are funny throughout and that is the only thing that kept me watching until the end. It is still overall a decent watch but nothing to write home about. This is overall a 7.5/10 but the first half feels closer to an 8.5.

Leia Mais

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs.

This highly anticipated movie has all the elements of a huge fantasy, suspense thriller hit: an unlikely bromance between a demon sympathizer and a demon hater; a powerful demon hiding in plain sight; a murder mystery and above all; a desperate conspiracy arising from an intense, obsessive love that risks all for a dream of eternity. It is beyond doubt a visual extravaganza that leaves viewers in no doubt of Guo Jingming's cinematic virtuosity. Unfortunately the production tries too hard to impress with technical pyrotechnics at the expense of good storytelling. As a result, the glowing magic circles and time portals that are allegedly knocked off from Marvel's Doctor Strange are over-used and characters are gratuitously transported to odd places; all unnecessary digressions for a ~2 hour movie.

Despite the lavish images and sensationally choreographed action scenes that culminates in an apocalyptic clash with a demon serpent, the plot is flimsy and the characters are unevenly developed. This is a pity because this is hardly the first adaption of the popular novel Onmyoji; I have to believe the story has more substance and the characters are better fleshed out than what was served up in this version. The evolution of the relationship between Qingming and Boya from distrust, even antagonistic to lasting spiritual bond could have been more convincingly developed with better dialogue. The cursory development of the other main characters, stiff performances and stilted dialogue devoid of clever repartee or banter results in a lack of any tangible rapport and chemistry between the broader cast. This makes it difficult to empathise with most of the characters and what should be a moving, obsessive love story. But it is at least more convincing than the bromance between Boya and Qingming. I believe both Mark Chao and Deng Lun put in a decent effort but the script and storytelling falls too far short, there is only so much the actors can do.

Instead of peeling away the layers of the mystery after an intriguing introduction, most of the plot is just simply and abruptly revealed all at once so that we can get back to more heavy duty action and cinematic fireworks. In the thick of the fray, the story tends to shift to flashbacks, which would be frustrating if I am actually gripped by excitement. But even the climax of the action lacks intensity; there is no impending sense of doom or imminent danger. Boya and Qingming are just standing around chatting casually as if a gigantic demon serpent is not about to end everything. They are so lacking in a sense of urgency they could be discussing the weather forecast - "...cloudy with a chance of meatballs " while sipping beer. I never watched Doctor Strange so I have no view of whether some of it was plagiarised here but I have watched enough Marvel to know that the spirit and ethos of what makes the Marvel fantasy universe so enthralling is markedly not present in this movie. Anything that may or may not have been stolen is definitely in form over substance. All the ingredients for a good story are present but without even knowing the novel, I can already tell that the drama does not capture the essence of the original plot and characters. This sets a low bar for the Chen Kun version that premiers in a few days to beat.

Overall this is a decent watch for the visuals alone. I found many parts of it dull and draggy where it should have and could have really pulled me in. It is best watched in a group, whether virtually or in person. I rate this a 7.0 overall - I actually think its a 6.0 but I threw in 0.5 for the crowd pleaser shots of Deng Lun's cut upper torso (please PM me if you have his personal trainer's number) and another 0.5 points because my kiddie nieces really liked it and they always know better than I.

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Tangled

Disguised as a classic whodunit, this is really a drama about how the law does not always protect the vulnerable or deliver justice. It also tangles with some pretty heavy social issues that are a bit more than what I signed up for. To me, this is a drama that can't decide what it wants to be so while I still enjoyed it, I don't regard it highly as far as mystery thrillers go.

This drama starts out strong - shockwaves rock the community of the posh Horizon Tower when their lovely cafe owner Zhong Meibao is found dead in her apartment under suspicious circumstances. The cynical and disorganized Zhong Jingguo is assisted by the more methodical Yang Ruisen in investigating this case. They interview everyone on the scene of the crime including a security guard, an architect, a novelist, a real estate agent, a housekeeper and friends and family of the victim. From these varying sometimes contradictory accounts of the events of the day and recollections of their interactions with the victim, outlines of the various possibilities start to emerge. The first 8 episodes or so of this were superb; exactly what I would want to see in this kind of genre. The occasionally shady, hilariously kinky, bittersweet glimpses of what happens behind close doors added just the right dose of dark humor and mundane daily existence.

The issue is at episode 8, the victim's backstory is told in a anime which gives away a big chunk of the plot and took away much of the excitement for me. The storyline dives deeply into the victim's backstory and traumatic past which is connected to a number of suspects. At that point, it is not hard to see where the story is headed. I did not expect to watch a this kind of story it is not what I was in the mood for. I don't mean to diminish the importance of these social issues that are frequent themes in this kind of genre but this drama took me away from the mystery for too long to overly explore these topics. Angelababy is also not best suited to play this kind of role either; a better actress could have done a lot more with it even though they may not manage to look as tragically beautiful. The fact that I felt a lot sadder for her parallel character in the anime version than I did for her Meibao says it all. Similarly I found the antagonist in the anime more complex and had a more convincing purpose for his actions whereas the parallel character is just a violent and not that intelligent pervert. The photographs which he used to exert power over his victims would have indicted him and sent him to jail forever. To me, that is the big logic hole that made me lose respect for the intelligence of characters I am supposed to sympathize with.

The outstanding performances in this drama are by the two detectives; they are the glue that pulls the backstory and all of the plot threads together. The inner conflict Ruisen experiences as she struggles between her empathy for the victims and her duty to enforce the law even if it means justice is not done really is impressively conveyed. This is a drama where there are real consequences for taking the law into our own hands and debates whether the high price of justice is worth it. While these important themes were well articulated, the whodunit never really regains the momentum and mystery of the first half. Although it would have been a darker ending, the entire drama builds predictably towards what plays out in the penultimate episode. And then in typical c-drama fashion, they couldn't resist delivering one final tangled twist that delivers what could have been an alternate ending. Except there wasn't a real proper build up to it, there is no deducing we just see a replay of what went down in an open and shut case. This all takes place in the last episode and left me feeling vaguely cheated. Consider stopping at episode 15.

Although this drama got tangled into too many themes and twists, this is still a good watch and something I am happy to recommend to fans of the genre although for me it didn't live up to the hype.

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Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? What was it like? Did you leap into the abyss with wild abandon? Lose your heart, body and soul? Was it worth indulging in every lucious, forbidden moment? Find out all about it in Till the End of the Moon, a heart-stopping account of Li Susu and devil incarnate Tantai Jin's scorching entanglement of love, hate and misunderstanding that spans 500 years and multiple realms.

In a desperate attempt to stave off the resurrection of the the devil god, a bunch of grey haired cultivators send an intrepid young cultivator Li Susu back 500 years in time to stop Tantai Jin from turning into the devil god. Yeah, you really have to hand it to these crusty old cultivators - when all else fails, they sacrifice a virgin and hope for the best! Susu assumes the identity of Ye Xiwu and is tasked to kill Tantai Jin after tempting him out of his... uhm... evil bone! I almost choked with laughter at the sheer audacity of such a naughty plot setup!

This angsty xianxia's unique premise is that the main protagonist Tantai Jin is a fiendishly compelling and tragically misunderstood character; literally a prince of darkness. Luo Yunxi is mesmerising in this role - his diabolical crooked smirk, the maleficent glare, the taunting cock of an eyebrow, the elegant devil-may-care gestures and the imperious snap of a finger. But it is his shatteringly wounded expression and how with a moment of stillness he screams silently with pain oozing from every pore that makes me root for the devil and to hell with the realms. My favorite part of this drama is how kindness and love gradually changes the dark, lonely and twisted Tantai Jin into a best yet still flawed version of himself. Bai Lu on the other hand could have delivered a more nuanced performance as Li Susu. Her Susu is so unwavering in her duty to the realms that I could not tell when she fell in love with Tantai Jin or if she ever really did. That said, there is an exceptional spark between the leads that results in both hilarious and smoking hot moments. I could see sparks fly in every direction during Ye Xiwu's seductive dance that tempts the devil in his liar. This drama's greatest hook is Luo Yunxi's portrayal that dimensions his character beyond the screenplay and his searing onscreen chemistry with Bai Lu.

There are four distinct arcs in this drama, the first of which is the strongest and most enthralling mortal arc. I loved everything about this arc and if this drama had held that level, I could have easily rated this over 9.0. By design, the second visually stunning dream arc also shines in many aspects but sags as a result of lazy writing and overuse of tired xianxia tropes. The third and fourth arcs recover somewhat but never quite hit the addictiveness of the first arc. Part of the problem is the second couple is poorly written, has no chemistry and is not empathetic. Their insipid story is overshadowed by that of foxy Pian Ran and unswerving Ye Qingyu's passionate and addictive love story, which ends way too soon. While all of the arcs have good moments, the plot is moved along almost solely by misunderstandings. This is the hallmark of indifferent screenwriting and it undermines the intelligence and agency of the main characters. With a little bit of effort, they could have gotten to the same place without undermining the characters and disengaging the audience.

In terms of production values, this is a big budget drama and it shows but not in the best ways. The make up was often over the top and not flattering. I am visually scarred by the excessive blood spitting that took it to the next level in terms of bloody teeth and the excessively bright contact lenses absolutely ruined many emotional moments for me. I did not at all enjoy the pantasmagorical CGI orgy game world that hijacked all of the clashes between good or evil including the beginning and ending scenes. The over-lit glare distracted from the emotion and the intensity of Tantai Jin and Li Susu's most pivotal scenes.

The way this drama ends is both fitting and inevitable in that both Tantai Jin and Li Susu fulfill their destiny. My problem is with how they get there. It could have been a lot more palatable if it were better written. But my biggest gripe with it is that the drama never convinces me that humanity or the realms are worth saving. Or that there is cosmic justice. After all, Tantai Jin was just jinxed from birth but he was hardly the worst, most evil character. What I resent most is that the hypocrisy of the moral sects is never exposed and that the truly evil characters get outcomes they don't deserve. The original works this drama was based on may have been very good but the adaptation is not. The screenwriters should all hide in shame and do all they can to try to erase their names from this adaptation. Nonetheless I rate this 8.5 because anything less would be an injustice to Luo Yunxi's devilish, simply irresistible and unforgettable portrayal of Tantai Jin.

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Shaken and stirred.

Under the Power is the best historical c-drama romantic comedy I have seen recently. The romance centers on how two hilariously different people fall for each other unexpectedly and deal with differences in their backgrounds and obstacles from past wrongs. The internal romance plot plays out within an external investigative storyline around a series of linked investigations by the formidable jinyiwei or imperial brocade-clad spies/secret police aimed at exposing years of corruption perpetrated by the powerful noble Yan family. While the basic premise of the over-arching plot is interesting, the story-writing falls short and loses momentum in the second half. This drama's success is mostly due to sizzling chemistry and side-splitting performances by both main leads.

Lu Yi, a highborn jinyiwei, incenses fiery young constable Yuan Jinxia when he takes over one of her cases from the local yamen. To add insult to injury, he commandeers her trusty pistol and extorts her collaboration in a very high-handed way. I cannot lie - I initially did not like the obnoxious, noisy, and immature Jinxia and dropped this show. But desperation in times of coronavirus made me pick it up again and like Lu Yi, I inexplicably found myself falling like a ton of bricks for Tan Songyun's gauche, money-loving, gluttonous, mischievous, shamelessly obsequious, irrepressible and utterly adorable little minx of a Yuan Jinxia. This is the first time I have watched Tan Songyun and I am floored by how comical she is without at all coming across as slapstick.

Lu Yi is not a colorful character - he is rather aloof and wears a fierce, sour, still-faced expression; has no hobbies or evident vices or quirks... except for his x-rated eyes. Initially, he looks at Jinxia with ill-concealed disdain and annoyance at her crass, venal, and nosy antics. He is quite nasty to her. Ren Jialun's facial expressions were so spot on in terms of conveying how Lu Yi's feelings for Jinxia evolved over time that I was with him the whole way. As he comes to appreciate her intelligence, resourceful and unconventional methods as well as her innate loyalty and honor, there is both horrified revulsion and wry acceptance in his expression as it dawns upon him that he may be falling for her. This progresses into a very amorous, caressing gaze that is accompanied by a slow and sexy crooked smile that shouts out that under the embroidered robe, this imperial spy is both shaken and stirred. This is brilliantly written and portrayed OTP whose interactions move seamlessly between comic relief and searing, heart-stopping intimacy. This had me alternating between laughing so hard I was gasping for breath to fanning myself down frantically. Be warned that such moments can result in paranoid coronavirus self-diagnosis.

This drama is pretty much carried by the OTP -  the rest of it is quite messy. There are just too many flamboyant side characters that make a grand entrance and then just fizzle out or worse, get dumbed down into a tedious unrequited love daisy chain. You would think they could have done so much with a Robin Hood of the high seas, a tough-as-nails female head gangster, a master poisoner, a trickster Taoist priest, a doctor that can almost rise the dead, a brave general's wife etc. Instead, all we got were boring couples trapped in cliche romantic tropes who were so much more interesting when they were still single.

The critical mistake that wrecked the latter half of the drama was the unnecessary angst in the romance -  they threw the very tired "your family wiped out my family" obstacle at the OTP. Without serious suspension of disbelief, this is THE kiss of death - I have never seen any OTP survive this obstacle in a good and convincing way. They only barely made it work here by pretty much sacrificing the entire external plot. This is a pity because the most interesting character in the drama was actually our villain Yan Shifan, who is diabolical, despicable, vicious, humorous, and curiously likable. We know who he is from the beginning and most of the cases that Lu Yi and Jinxia expose are built toward eventually taking him down. He is in a position of strength and can afford to toy with them most wickedly (which he does) but ultimately it is a race to see who can bring the other down first. I was really looking forward to the final showdown. Which never happened. The internal (romantic) plot needed a grand gesture of atonement and reparation so no, none of his victims got the satisfaction of outmaneuvering him and taking him down in a final epic confrontation. His downfall had practically nothing to do with any of the main characters even though a well-loved character dies gratuitously for the cause! Worse, Lu Yi makes a really pointless and out-of-character sacrifice that subjects the final outcome for our lovers to the whim of a capricious emperor. The ending was so lame it should have the position of honor in the Lame Drama Ending Hall of Fame.

So is this worth watching? Absolutely, the OTP is a complete riot and their relationship is perfectly balanced between touching and uproarious moments. As for the rest of it, you just have to suspend disbelief and ignore a few plot holes and annoying characters. No one will judge you for fast-forwarding. To me, this should be an 8.0 but I gave it an 8.5 to recognize the main leads for making me laugh so hard.

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You give me the sweetest taboo.

This drama flirts dangerously with the forbidden: dark cultivation, zombies, black and white magic, transmigration and boy love. The lead character Wei Wuxian (Xiao Zhan) is a free spirit who refuses to be tamed by social conventions; he lives by his own rules, is not averse to exploring dark powers and appears romantically open to both genders. The delicious exploration of such a slightly wicked character and taboo themes under the watchful eye of Chinese censorship put this high on my watchlist. I started watching with high expectations shortly after it aired.

The story is based on a hit novel and is indisputably a very good one but the way it was told in the drama was really not good. While broadly true to the book, the production lazily assumes the viewer actually read it. The plot is centered around the attempt to restore a powerful magical artifact that the various cultivation sects vie to alternately control or suppress. The story opens with the mysterious reappearance of Wei Wuxian, the infamous Yiling patriach after a sixteen years hiatus. The fact that this is achieved by the sacrifice of Mo Xuanyu whose identity he assumes is one of several plot holes that never gets fully flushed out. Thus he conceals himself behind a (hideous) mask. The viewer is dropped right into in the middle of unfolding events and a wide array of characters without any backstory. Then we go into a prolonged flashback all the way back to the very beginning and up to the conspiracy that led to Wei Wuxian's fall from grace and long disappearance. This takes well over half the drama, which peaks around episode 34 with Wei Wuxian's apparent demise. We are then back to the present where we go into several shorter flashbacks intended to shed more light on the conspiracy. That made it messy and was less interesting because by then the two main villains are known. While the story regains some momentum towards the end, it doesn't come close to the mid-drama peak and the final denouement where the ultimate mastermind is revealed comes almost as an afterthought. That character was one of several insipidly acted roles and the final reveal tied up a few loose threads that wouldn't have been missed. This story would have been much better paced and less confusing had it just been shot chronologically.

The cast is inexperienced and even the main actors struggled to get into character for a long time. Some actors were just plain bad throughout. The first 15+ episodes were painful and the acting didn't get noticeably better until the mid-20s. I dropped it after episode 7 and many more times after that. Although there were some great parts, it just never hooked me. It took me 5 months to finish watching and I wouldn't have if I weren't so damn bored during the c-drama ban. What kept drawing me back was Xiao Zhan's infectious grin - he must have the best smile ever. He really did bring the marvelously controversial Wei Wuxian to life in a way that compels us to indulge the character's many obvious flaws. I was less impressed with Wang Yibo's Lanzhan; it is a stretch to describe his initial pissed off or constipated expression as statue-like or unemotional. He slightly relaxed his face muscles and improved markedly much later on and I really liked his Lanzhan at the end so kudos to him for that. I was also surprised by his grace and athleticism in the fight scenes. The two leads had good chemistry but where I saw sparks fly was between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. That confused me as I sensed from the start there was an emotional connection, that Jiang Cheng's feelings for Wei Wuxian were complex and went beyond sibling rivalry and envy. I don't think this was intended.

In genres like this, the heroes are only as good as the villains and therein lies the problem - the villains were not that hateful nor were they empathetic. Both actors were similarly styled and portrayed such similar mannerisms their roles could have been interchanged. They both overacted, had the same intense face lowered evil glare, mad eyed expression and crazy gloating smile. The directors were so lazy they pretty much gave them the same cliche traits and may as well have just used one actor for both roles. Surprise surprise, we are supposed to be sympathetic because they both also had serious daddy issues. Indeed this is the default excuse that explains the flaws of many characters including Jiang Cheng. Key takeaway: don't be a bad dad it really messes up the kids. No wonder I was bored! As for the ultimate mastermind, he was so well concealed he went unnoticed and no one would have cared if he remained that way. The ending was a bit of a crowd pleaser with a bit of something for everyone. I was just relieved it was over.

At this point it goes without saying that the production team for this show pretty much sucked. It would be a shame if the success of this drama despite terrible execution elevates them into a position to destroy other fantastic story-lines with poor editing, storytelling and shoddy camerawork. The only thing they got very right was walking the line perfectly between bro-mance and romance in terms of Wei Wuxian and Lanzhan's relationship.

So what made this such a huge hit? Well, the forbidden fruit nature of this drama can be highly addictive and is bound to resonate deeply with certain demographics and at some life stages though not for everyone. All the hidden meaning in certain interactions, the imperceptible flicker of an eyelash, the barest hint of a smile and the slight double entendre in the dialogue can be tantalizing for those looking for signs of a secret taboo romance. That kind of fun speculation only amused me for short spates. Ultimately a good, well acted story is all that I look for- whether or not it is about boy love would not make any difference to me. I was touched by the bro-mance between the two soul mates (which was all that I saw) as well as the relate-able and moving relationships between both sets of siblings - these were the high points for me. Sadly it was not enough to keep me engaged for long. I almost wish I had read the book. Maybe I would have enjoyed the drama more but even if I eventually get round to it, I am unlikely to re-watch this.

I almost gave this an 8.0 - but I felt I had to knock another 0.5 points off for the fact that it had a certain je ne sais quoi that just bored me silly when I wanted to love it. That and that simply god awful mask that would top the Don't list in any c-drama edition of Glamour magazine's defining list of fashion Dos and Don'ts.

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The bugs will inherit the earth.

Three-Body is Tencent's adaptation of the first book of Liu Cixin's award winning sci-fi trilogy Remembrance of Earth's Past. It is an immense, mind-bending and terrifying book that explores the dark corners of humanity and our place in the universe. The narrative is concept-driven and lacking in terms of both characters and plot. This drama adaptation fleshes out the characters and plot while staying largely true to the original works.

An alarming number of leading scientists around the world die mysteriously. One of them, Yang Dong is a friend of nano-scientist Wang Miao. This seems oddly linked to an ominous countdown that only he can see and a virtual reality Three-Body game developed by ETO, a secret organisation. He gets roped into the murder investigation by an irreverent cop Shi Qiang. With the help of Yang Dong's mother Ye Wenjie, they start to pull at the threads that go back to the Cultural Revolution to reveal a conspiracy with existential implications. Rather abruptly, Shi Qiang gloatingly blurts out what is coming before we are are even half-way through the drama! This monumental conclusion is so matter-of-factly accepted without debate that it adds to a sense of anti-climax. Then we get an extended flashback to a brutal, frank and scathing depiction of the Cultural Revolution that unflinchingly exposes the loss of common humanity, the utter despair and loneliness of the period and the rage that must lurk beneath the surface.

The drama does a fantastic job bringing Wang Miao, Shi Qiang and Ye Wenjie to life. They are far better fleshed out in the drama than the book and all three anchor roles are deftly articulated by veteran actors who can convincingly navigate difficult transitions over time periods and into virtual reality. Yu Hewei's sarcastic and badass Shi Qiang is by far the most engaging and hilarious character. I didn't love Zhang Luyi's Wang Miao at first but he grew on me as his rapport with Shi Qiang grew. Unfortunately the other roles are not well written and made worst by vapid (Shen Yufei, Pan Han) or annoying (Mu Xing) performances by mediocre actors whose shortcomings are glaring up against the seasoned main cast. I wouldn't have minded if they got little screen time but unfortunately they featured prominently in extended largely drama-invented sub-plots that were barely touched upon in the book. I had to grit my teeth through the coma inducing preaching with the nationalistic subtext on monotheistic religion and environmental extremism.

High concept hard science fiction stories like this are difficult to adapt because the plot is driven by exposition and there is a lot of that in this drama. These concepts are conveyed creatively in a visually engaging manner to be easily accessible to layman. I enjoyed many of the analogies such as the Turkey/Farmer and the Shooter. However, the production tends to over-explain and tediously repeat the sci-fi aspects. Some judicious editing and higher confidence in audience intelligence would have gone a long way toward making this drama less draggy.

Even though this is shot in movie aspect ratio and a lot of care went into the props and the staging and lighting very artistically captures the bleak and portentous tone of the story, the production values overall are only of average quality. The background music is simply dreadful - jarringly loud and tries too hard to conjure a sense of dread or suspense that is at odds with the dry sci-fi plot points. The use of a difficult to understand and cliched artificial voice over an entire episode made my head throb. But what I was most dismayed by was the virtual world of the Three-Body game. While there is quite a bit of cool stuff like the dehydration and rehydration process, the overall effect is like stepping into a cartoon-like animation. It is just not at all scary. There is no sense of chaos or the searing intensity of the huge atmospheric variations and that gripping fear of what comes next that is described in the book.

The penultimate episode if you can make it that far is the best and only truly thrilling and epic episode in the entire drama. The wrap up is good in the sense that it is faithful to the novel even though the main antagonist is a bit whitewashed and not remorseless enough. This narrative takes over twenty hours to tell you something you already know; that the bugs will inherit the earth! The book covers it in about five hours and there is hope that the movie will be able to do it in under three. This is a good watch if you are in a contemplative mood and wish to indulge in a bit of history, philosophy, math, physics, speculative hard sci-fi and ponder the future of humanity. And if you have time and patience. I only rate this 7.5 because I feel the story could have been much more compellingly told in about half the episodes and not in a way that was a chore to watch.

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