Huang Yan Zhen Tan (2021)

Lie like a dog.

This is a very solid police procedural about a female-led investigative team that employs polygraph technology to solve crimes. Haunted by a 12-year old and very personal cold case, Ling Ran is a workaholic truth seeker who is after justice for both the victims and the survivors of violent crimes. This is a very driven character that fuses her own instincts and observations with signals from the lie detector to sniff out and drill down on suspects who lie like a dog.

The cases are based on real life cases that occur when common human fallings collide with social pressure and a spate of bad luck. They are quite simple with straightforward with often predictable solutions and some plot holes. But they are curiously addictive nonetheless and this is what sets this otherwise unexceptional police procedural apart. While at surface it looks like Lie to Me, it is actually a lot more like CBS's Cold Case, one of my all time favorite crime series. The stories are dark and sad and they feel very real. The magic of the narrative is that it brings the victims back to life - they have secrets, hopes, dreams, strengths, weaknesses; they all love and are loved. Regardless of how ordinary and humble their existence is, they are missed and their loss is a devastating blow to someone. All but the last case moved me to tears.
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The team dynamics are well written, well portrayed and enjoyable but overshadowed by the victims' and their survivors' haunting stories. I think Mo Xiaojie and his connection with the homeless orphan stole the show and gave this character the kind of growth and dimension that is missing in team leader and titular truth seeker Ling Ran's characterization.

Ling Ran is scarred by a 12 year old cold serial case that makes her the way she is but unfortunately this is not explored until the final case. As such, I find aspects of Ling Ran perplexing and never quite connected with her. This ends the drama on a final case that just doesn't resonate as hard as the earlier cases. I would prefer they opened with the final case and ended with the first case. This would have better established Ling Ran's backstory and made her more understandable and relatable. The first case is also one of the best cases and the one with the least dark ending that asks the question whether one ought to lie to protect the innocent, which would be a fitting note to end this drama on.

I only rate this a 7.0 because it really isn't the best, most intriguing and thrilling crime series out there. But it is quite well made and there is a lot of heart in the cases that will touch you in a lingering way so it is definitely worth watching.

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Dropped due to incomprehensible subbing.

This is not a review. I'd like to write one but unfortunately it was impossible to watch this drama due to its awful subtitling that was probably made with some auto translation tools.
I will rant though about this matter in a review in order to remain here and be read by the incompetent team that subbed this drama this way.
So my question to the sub team is the following?
Why did you bother to sub this drama by the time that you didn't have the skills nor the will to provide comprehensible subtitles? Even if you are subbing for fan, or for hobby, or in order to practice your translation skills, you have to provide comprehensible subtitles. It is the only requirement after all!
If you can't provide this kind of subbing THEN DON'T DO IT AT ALL. It is not that it's obligatory to sub in a language that you don't know. But if you decide to do so, then you are obliged to do it right. It is either/ or. There is no middle ground on translating in a foreign language.

I'm saying that as a subber of a good number of dramas in my native language and not like someone who has no clue about the difficulties of translating at a foreign language.

Using auto translation tools and on top of that not bothering to check the subs for errors is an insult for those who spend countless hours to offer translated subtitles and an insult for this community.

I'm not rating this drama as it is unwatchable without decent subtitles something that is quite unfair for those who worked in this production. Actors and production team alike.

The rating that you see above is for those who subbed it the way they did so. Shame on you.

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