I discovered Chinese dramas in the wake of the news about ‘The Most Googled Show On Earth’, and I admit, Yanxi Palace was my gateway ‘drug’.
Since then I’ve watched two other 60 episode series, neither of which prepared me for the gloriousness of Ever Night.
Arthur Chen is undoubtedly the star of this piece, and despite is stunning youth (18 years old), he turns in an insouciant, endearing, impressive performance.
He captured his character’s braggadocio and swagger perfectly, and his fight sequences, from the first to the last, are incredibly well choreographed and edited incredibly well. Everyone admits he is a scamp, but he revels in it. (Doesn’t hurt that he’s adorable either.)
Irenie Song, who plays my darling Sang Sang, a tiny little girl with a BIG HEART and a sharp tongue also turns in an adorable and heart warming performance.
The chemistry between Chen and Song on screen goes from brother/sister to cameraderie to romantic, and they both do an incredible job with their characters.
The narrative, simple and uncomplicated, but with enough ups and downs and thrills, is a story well told. I thoroughly enjoyed the set up, and the long arc of development Ning Que (Chen) and Sang Sang that allowed me to invest in them...
Every time Ning Que gained in experience and advantage, I cheered a bit. When he and Sang Sang fought over The Bookworm Maniac, my heart hurt a bit too... because SANG SANG! And I knew pretty early on that Sang Sang was never going to be ‘the Little Maid’.
And mi dears... the lead up to the final battle, with its bit of a shocker (about who Ning Que really is), and the final, epic battle between Ning Que and Xia Hou, is like NOTHING I’ve seen on a TV screen.
Maybe I am old and corny now, and I don’t watch anywhere near the amount of anime I used to in my 20s, but the final battle sequence was one of, if not the best fights I’ve ever seen on film.
Beautifully acrobatic, with some moves I’ve had to watch on replay five or six times to fully catch just how badass Ning Que really is (he’s an original Badass, I said it, OG!), and its heart breaking, frightening end, it is worth watching this fight over and over... deeply rewarding it is.
After the relatively straight forward palace intrigue story lines of the last three dramas I watched, Ever Night’s story, fight sequences, special effects (industrial light and magic) and the unaffected performances of Chen and Song (and others like the actor playing Chen Pipi, and several others I just loved, like Yan Se, and Brother Chao) make this show just good, without qualification. This drama was thoroughly entertaining, from beginning to end. I liked the world created for it, and the magic in it, and I am FAN of Ning Que and Sang Sang. I ship ‘em!
I am pleased there will be another season, but heart broken Chen won’t be back as Ning Que. I’m looking forward to the continuation of the story, but I’m not sure I can buy anyone else as Ning Que. Chen possessed that role. His little side smirk and that thing he does with his mouth will forever be etched on the fabric of Ning Que for me.
A note here on the character Long Qing: Piss in his pocket! Arrogant, over praised, over pretty, twaddle head! Of course Ning Que will cut his ass eventually too, but his character arc in this season left me despising his ‘butter can’t melt in his mouth’ ass. And instead of learning, he just descended even deeper into the morass of his mediocrity. All that he did to make him myself powerful, in the end it will be his undoing. And let me also add: I think HE is the Child of Hades. Trying to malign my boy Ning Que? NO! It is Long Qing!! When S02 drops, bet me money that is what is revealed.
I watch on Viki, but for English speakers a warning: These subtitles are almost hilarious in how they interpret English. So if you watch, you will need to understand proper English yourself so you can extrapolate. It’s not terrible, but definitely not perfect.
*** rubs hands gleefully ***
Season 2 is just around the corner! I may rewatch all 60 episodes and do some short summaries for The Goddess Room, because this is definitely going HIGH on my list for Game of Thrones withdrawal fare.
Watch it. You won’t be sorry.
People are saying bad things about this show but none of that really resonated with what I saw, so I'm writing my thoughts about it to balance things out.
Personally, I loved it. This is the last to come out of the entity once known as Marvel Television, from which the Netflix's The Defenders shows also came from. This show bears some similarities to the aforementioned in that they are slow-burners with more character, story development blended well with darker, gory details. (And the usual, but subtle, dose of humour and sarcasm is just chef's kiss)
One more thought: you don't dive straight into television and complain about feelings and emotions. They are a part of what makes television television. Just look at any Marvel Television show, non-Marvel superhero shows or even most drama series that aren't about superheros at all. This is clearly a TV show about a family, the Helstrom family, so what did you expect? A family that acts like they are strangers and only cares about exorcising the hell out of each other? If you are that into action, just watching the MCU blockbuster movies instead isn't a bad idea. I mean, they clearly have bigger budgets specifically for that department. (Even those have emotional sequences, and viewers seem to enjoy it, so...)
Though it's highly unlikely because of Disney and Marvel's new focus on shows featuring the MCU movie stars, I'll be crossing my fingers for more. Hopefully, they will get enough momentum to continue this story.
Preliminary review, my final review for Season 1 is in another comment (I didn't want to just edit over this, especially with the likes on it). Very light spoilers for the first few episodes ahead.
I wanted to throw my hat in the ring and give a genuine review of the series as far as I've watched so far (I'll review it properly when I'm done with the season).
So, let's start with the Baphomet in the room (haha), and note that there is some very overt feminism in this series. As I hear, it tapers off as the series goes on, and I look forward to that, because while it is absolutely not pervasive to every corner of the series, it's a cringey part of the early episodes. I wholly support progressive movements, I am happy to see a non-binary character on the show, and Sabrina's attempts to defend said character. I wholly support Sabrina being a sassy, empowered female character who 'sticks it to the man'.
That said, constantly pointing to a plot element and going: 'This is women standing up to the patriarchy!' is unnecessary. As I said before, it's cringey. Let the work speak for itself.
That said, the series, while not a masterpiece, is interesting so far. I appreciate its willingness to broach Satanism (with all its LaVeyan trappings) and all the horror, gore, and sexuality that comes with it. When it just moves forward with the plot, and doesn't spend its time pointing out its progressiveness, it's a solid supernatural drama.
I do find Roz to be tedious. I think Harvey and Sabrina's relationship is unearned (they are way too lovey for 16 year olds with so many secrets between them, and Sabrina, so far, has been rather self-centered, while Harvey plays the devoted and doting boyfriend; feels very much like the criticisms feminists often have about the roles women play in their relationships with men in other stories). I hope that this gets approached with some maturity, instead of devolving into a mess of drama, but sadly, I feel it could easily go either way.
Ambrose is a great addition to the cast, fulfilling the morally ambiguous role that Salem played in the original (but also being properly morally ambiguous, in keeping with the dramatic tone, rather than comically so).
I'll make a proper review when I've finished with the season, but I just felt like this comment section could use a genuine review rather than the 'feminism is ruining everything!' reviews that it has mostly seen so far.
THE HIGHEST RATED KDRAMA IN CABLE HISTORY
One of the best kdrama I've watch!
Even if the plot does not really convince you, you should give it a try because it's worth it.
For me this is one of the best kdrama in history not only because they knew how to handle a plot a bit cliche to perfection, but also because the performances were impeccable although I think the stars of the show were Kim Seo Hyung (Coach Kim), Yum Jung Ah (Han Seo Jin), Lee Tae Ran (Lee Soo Im), Kim Bora (Kim Hye Na), Kim Jung Nan (Lee Myung Joo), Song Geon Hee (Young Park Jae), Yoon Se Ah (No Seung Hye) ), Kim Hye Yoon (Kang Ye Seo), Lee Hyun Jin (Cho Tae Jun), Park Yu Na (Cha Se Ri), Cho Mi Nyeo (Key) and last but not least Chani (Hwang Woo Joo), they show off and interpreted their characters to perfection!
The direction by Jo Hyun Tak was really good but the biggest star here was the screenwriter Yoo Hyun Mi, WOW! A perfectly executed script, one of the best without doubts.
The soundtrack was good and the sound editing and mixing were excellent!
In conclusion it is an excellent drama, great performances, a good direction, a perfect script and a lot of drama!
My score is 8.7 / 10
Most times I don't find the intense need to write a review for shows I like, but I just finished season 1 (the only one so far) of Stranger Things and I think this might be one of the best Netflix series till date. It's right up with the class and finesse of House of Cards, Master of None, Beasts of No Nation, BoJack Horseman, and Bloodline. I cannot recommend Stranger Things enough. The narrative blends science-fiction, fantasy, and drama perfectly with no holes in the pretext of the plotline. Often times, I am disturbed by leeway taken in fantasy stories where the plot leaves behind glaring questions that must be answered within the story arc. But not this series. In fact, Stranger Things incorporates major references to theoretical physics accurately. However, what truly enchanted me about this series is the phenomenal acting performances by the lead cast; especially the kids. These kids reminded me of the outstanding performance by the children in season 3 of The Wire. I recommend this show to everyone with an interest in good storytelling, cinematography, music, and performance. We are truly living in the golden age of television. What a time to be alive.
