General Commentary/Thoughts

I can see this drama actually having mixed reviews. It can be hard to get into at first. Why is the lighting so dark? I can’t understand a single thing in Shanghai-nese. Why is there so much yelling and fighting all the time? Why are there always so many odd camera angles. I was initially more annoyed with this drama actually and didn’t see the hype but by episode 10 I was hooked! 

PRO TIP – DO NOT BINGE THIS DRAMA. Take it maybe 2-3 episodes at a time. I made the mistake of watching many episodes on my phone while on the flight back from Paris and my eyes were highly strained. 

This drama has so much to offer that you have to really take time to digest it. Some viewers may not like that. Cathy is in that camp where she isn’t too big of a fan. While I LOVED the color palette, the costumes, the food, the locations, the history, the language. If you watch this drama, you get a sense that each tiny thing was thought out by the director with painstaking detail. That might be sensory overload for some people but this drama will be one that is analyzed and dissected for many years to come. It is a drama of thoughtfulness and even CCTV itself said that this drama may be a 孤本 or a lone show. 

Production

Three Years in the making with no script and multiple “last” shots – Apparently, this drama took many years to film and prevented the cast from taking on other projects. The reason was because the director would call people back many times to film various scenes in order to fit his image. Furthermore, the project took many creative licenses. In many interviews with the cast, they said how they would show up on set and given a few pieces of dialogue and that’s it. They would have to create the magic then and there with the director. But if, for example, several months later after the Director did some post production and editing of the drama and didn’t like certain parts of the show, he would call the cast back to do reshoots. Xin Zhi Lei said she shot what she thought was her final scene like 3 times. 

Color palette: One aspect of the show that people may not have liked is the color palette. Much of the show is filmed in darkness and even when it is daylight, the brightness of the sun is often muted. This certainly sets the mood for what type of show you’re going to be seeing. There is a mystical aura because so much of what is portrayed on screen is shrouded in darkness and shadow. 

But, there is great richness in the colors of the show. The palettes largely focused on red, yellow and orange. I did get some fatigue in binging this drama but it does add to the uniqueness of the show. 

Camera Angles: Something very unique about this show is that very rarely do you see the camera face a character head on. When we see people speak, we are often times watching them from a downward angle or else from an upward angle, rarely on a flat plane. That was quite differentiated, and similarly, I can see fatigue for this style but it begs the question from the viewer as to why the director chose this angle vs another. Additionally, you’ll notice that the camera often follows characters behind walls/obstructions. As if you’re peeking in on their life rather than have it presented directly to you. There’s a lot of use of mirrors, blurs and opaque lighting that further adds to the mysterious aura of the show. 

Character individuality:

This drama shines in the distinctive characters brought on screen. This distinction is brought about not only by the fantastic acting by each person, but through other means.

Costumes – The three main ladies where very distinctive outfits that fit their characters.. I love Ling Zi’s various silk scarves as that is a staple of Shanghai attire. Li Li’s luxurious dresses and hairstyles match her aggressive nature. She also wears a lot of animal print which in interviews was said that it signifies that she is like a hunter on a hunt. Miss Wang’s color coordinated suits and shoulder pads fits her role in the company but someone working on Huang He Lu. But Bao Zong’s current outfit vs what he wore in flashbacks, the leather jackets that other cast members wore and the colorful prints from ladies of Huang He road added much appreciated flavor to each person. 

Character posture – One very unique component of each character is how they present themselves. Ling Zi is often times leaning back with her shoulder almost at a 45 degree angle to her waist when she takes to people. When she walks, there is an interesting strut that shows her proudness but also her femininity. I feel like this is quite a “shanghai” mannerism as Ling Zi does it so naturally but I tried it and almost pulled something in my back.  Li Li’s walk has been lauded as a triumph for the actress, Xin Zhi Lei, who apparently had to take many lessons to learn how to walk the proper way Li Li would walk. Li Li’s posture oozes power, sex appeal and directness. It fits her very well. 

Meaningful side characters: While we highlighted the main cast, each side character in the show is also impactful and we could do detailed character analysis on each person. A Bao/Ling Zi’s friends from Night Tokyo, Lu Mei Lin, the female restaurant owner of Jin Mei Lin, Executive Wei and Executive Fan, Mei Ping from Miss Wang’s work place, Miss Wang’s teacher to name a few. They are vibrant individuals that add a lot of color to the drama. Why a person acts a certain way is largely understandable and multidimensional. Somehow, the drama managed to pack so many characters in 30 episodes without it feeling too clustered.