Subjective Gut Rating: 8.75

I’m not going to lie, watching “Us Without Sex” is because I am craving for a mature drama that gives me some good sex scenes. I know Taiwan is not shy in that regard and not afraid to dive into some taboo and sensitive subjects. What I wasn’t expecting is how moved/touched I was. I thought this would be funny and sexy, but in the end, I cry so much that my eyes are swollen.

“Us Without Sex” magnifies underlying relationship problems by addressing sex concerns and problems. The drama does have a few sex scenes but nothing too explicit. It actually focuses more on the stories of the couples, some seek advice from our female lead sex therapist, Zhang Jia Chen. I applaud the drama in covering a variety of topics, and shedding light on different types of couples (straight, lesbian, gay).

The main plot focuses on another female lead, Song Qin Yu, and her inability to have sex with her husband. As she goes through therapy, us viewers get to know her experiences, thoughts and past mistakes. Her story with her husband, Lin Shu Zhe, brought me to tears. I was cheering for them, then I thought Lin Shu Zhe is too good for Song Qing Yu, and then I pity them both. I want them to live happily ever after. As a therapist, Zhang Jia Chen, also learns to discover herself and heal past wounds. Her personal story is not on display until the latter half of the drama, though we saw snippets of her experiences here and there.

Acting is phenomenal and that’s to be expected from a veteran cast. I first discovered Cheryl Yang in the drama series “Light the Night”. She was amazing in it! In this drama, she plays a cool and supposedly carefree therapist who is not afraid to have some sexy fun. But she also excels in some of the more controlled emotional scenes. This is my first drama with Ella Chen and she makes me want to love and hate Song Qing Yu at the same time. Each time I start to hate her, Ella makes me want to love her again by playing such a conflicted and flawed character. Oh, Tony Yang as Lin Shu Zhe is so lovable. He’s so cute when he’s a doting husband, but damn sexy when his shirt is off. I love him so much here! Jacob Wang is dashing in his suits and was introduced as a sexy leading man, but that charisma seems to have gone away when he’s officially introduced (it’s the acting but not the actor). The supporting cast of friends and colleagues, and all the patients make up a very, very solid group of actors.

There are some interesting sensitive topics being covered in this drama. So, if you are sensitive to sexual harrassment, attempted rape, S&M, sex dolls and sexual disorders, you might want to re-think watching this. For the most part, the therapy sessions are quite interesting, fun and educational, and they don’t dwell on the serious issue. There are no villains in this drama, just flawed people not knowing what to do and making mistakes.

Maintaining a happy and healthy relationship is hard, and “Us Without Sex” clearly reminded us of that. Only love is not enough, as life and people are complicated. I thoroughly enjoy this drama and will recommend this to those who like this genre. Because I came in with low/no expectations and was blown away by how it makes me feel emotionally, I am giving this a high rating of 8.75 (rounding up to 9.0), well, also to pull up the rating a little bit.
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I hope that if there’s a drama special later on, the two couples will reunite and rekindle their romance (I am a big fan of second-chance romance). At this point in their lives, they are not ready to be together. There’s work that needs to be done in getting to know themselves, becoming braver and to grow individually. But I so wish Lin Shu Zhe and Song Qin Yu would meet in a few year’s time, still deeply in love with each other and what they want in the future aligns perfectly. This is my imaginary ending as a hopeless romantic.



Completed: 11/10/2024 - Review #511