Overall Thoughts

This is definitely a more mature millennial romance drama that is also buoyed by the strength of the supporting cast. It has to balance between tackling rather heavy topics (for a Chinese drama at least) of death and disabilities and the romance between the two characters. Li Xian’s character Chen Mai Dong is a mortician who is constantly faced with death but doesn’t know how to process the deaths of his own loved ones. Zhong Yu Tong’s character Zhuang Jie is an amputee, who despite having a very positive outlook on life, is nevertheless extremely self-conscious of her disability, especially in romantic relationships. I think the drama does a decent enough job balancing the serious with the whimsical, mainly from Zhou Yu Tong’s character and family. The 21 episode length definitely keeps the plot moving.

We’re getting more and more dramas that promote going back to ones roots instead of making it big in the big city. This is another one of them. I can’t help think that there is a political push as well to have more people head back to their local towns and villages to stimulate their local economies. 

The show did relatively well ratings-wise and word of mouth has been pretty positive. Li Xian continues to find his niche as the country / town boy who falls in love with the city girl. I’m glad Zhou Yu Tong is getting cast in more leading roles as she continues to develop her acting. The positive is that almost all of her recent dramas have aired on television, rather than only online. However, even though she’s getting recognized for her acting, she still isn’t a ratings pull. 

What I liked

• Organic Adult Romance! Yay! We actually get a romance drama on primetime tv that has the main couple making out and sleeping together organically! These two are successful adults who have had relationships before and do express their desires for each other.  The drama doesn’t have the tropes of someone falling and then accidentally kissing the other person, but we follow the two of them as they develop feelings for each other and then act on their desires. Li Xian and Zhou Yu Tong have great chemistry together and there are times, when I’m like, finally! Just kiss! Now, this is still going to be rather conservative compared to western dramas but it’s progress!
• The Liao Family: I’m classifying the family as the Liao family as they operate as unit under Liao Tao. I thoroughly enjoyed the family dynamic with Liao Tao as the matriarch and her children. She’s a superwoman who, despite little schooling, was able to successfully raise 3 children, 2 of which went to college, by running her chicken shop. Her temper often gets the better of her, but her entire family knows that she wants what’s best from them. I swear, Liu Lin (who we know as the main wife from The Story of Ming Lan) is such a great actress because she’s able to embody each of her roles. She has many wise sayings in the drama that I was whole heartedly agreeing to. The actor and actress for the other two children were also fantastic as the family rapport was very natural. I want a spinoff of the shenanigans of the Liao family and the pet goose
• Honest conversations about death: Many characters in the drama have had to either already face the death of loved ones or do face the death of loved ones. The drama, through the lens of Chen Mai Dong as his job as a mortician, presents death as something to be respected, processed, and rightfully mourned. It never makes light of how death impacts a person or how people are traumatized by death. It also tactfully doesn’t overly linger on the topic because otherwise the drama would just be a fully debbie downer. 
• Homey Town Setting: The majority of the drama is set in a small town of Nan Ping. The whole drama is bathed in a golden hue that was very welcoming to watch. It made the town tranquil despite its bustling nature. One of the main conflicts of the drama is whether or not the main characters should stay in their hometown or move to the city. It was interesting to see the cinematography shift between the golden filters of the Nan Ping and the rather gray reality of Shanghai.  

Stray Observations: The funny joke online is – Li Xian has Yang Zi in the city, Liu Yi Fei in the village, and now Zhou Yu Tong in a small town. He’s the perfect partner for each of those locations. Just pick your flavor! Again – Li Xian definitely has his niche.

Cathy