Belinda
A fun tongue-in-cheek look at common tropes
Oh Begin Again, how I love thee, let me count the ways. For a romance drama built on common tropes, it is quite self-aware and well-executed.
- The gender role reversal is so satisfying and hilariously well-done: the cold, business-like, domineering female CEO chasing the reluctant, shy, empathetic male doctor. They really commit to this -- Lu Fangning is a practical, badass businesswoman who sees something she likes (they even have her do the kabedon lol) while Ling Rui is sweet, warm, does the cooking for his mom and aunts, and cleans obsessively when he's upset. Of course, they soften towards each other as the romance progresses, but this dynamic is still rare in dramas and it's always nice to see competent ladies on screen.
- Interesting female characters with their own emotional arcs: of course, Lu Fangning is the lead with complex emotions and background, but even all the other ladies have distinct personalities and the relationships between women are complex but overall positive (FN with Tang Ping, FN with Cai Siyu, Ling Rui's mom and aunts, etc.). They all start in stereotypes, but they start to become more human and enjoyable over time.
- There are no "evil" characters: while not always executed successfully, the drama tries to avoid cardboard evil characters that are just there to be malicious. While there are antagonists and conflicts, actions come from mostly understandable motivations and the writers try to make all the characters 3-dimensional.
- The romance is sweet: while there are some eye-rolling and tropey moments, for the most part the romance is really cute - there aren't any serious threats from secondary leads, and their dynamic together is pretty adorable.
BUT these are all true up until the last part of the drama - then there is a turn that honestly doesn't make a whole lot of sense but is clearly there to create conflict for the end so that the writers can totally change up the dynamic. Then, they try to tie up a whole bunch of emotional arcs and loose ends, but without earning them, the last bit feels out of character and almost like these are totally different people. Although, at least they comment on how tropey it is, so they're self-aware!
Acting-wise, I thought the FL was great (and her dad too). I thought everyone else was fine, but maybe not as good (though the ML is SO pretty). The 2nd ML seemed so wooden that I fast forwarded through all of his scenes and his whole storyline/romance.
While this was still a romcom drama with all the tropes and cliches that follow, it was something fresh and surprisingly good.
- The gender role reversal is so satisfying and hilariously well-done: the cold, business-like, domineering female CEO chasing the reluctant, shy, empathetic male doctor. They really commit to this -- Lu Fangning is a practical, badass businesswoman who sees something she likes (they even have her do the kabedon lol) while Ling Rui is sweet, warm, does the cooking for his mom and aunts, and cleans obsessively when he's upset. Of course, they soften towards each other as the romance progresses, but this dynamic is still rare in dramas and it's always nice to see competent ladies on screen.
- Interesting female characters with their own emotional arcs: of course, Lu Fangning is the lead with complex emotions and background, but even all the other ladies have distinct personalities and the relationships between women are complex but overall positive (FN with Tang Ping, FN with Cai Siyu, Ling Rui's mom and aunts, etc.). They all start in stereotypes, but they start to become more human and enjoyable over time.
- There are no "evil" characters: while not always executed successfully, the drama tries to avoid cardboard evil characters that are just there to be malicious. While there are antagonists and conflicts, actions come from mostly understandable motivations and the writers try to make all the characters 3-dimensional.
- The romance is sweet: while there are some eye-rolling and tropey moments, for the most part the romance is really cute - there aren't any serious threats from secondary leads, and their dynamic together is pretty adorable.
BUT these are all true up until the last part of the drama - then there is a turn that honestly doesn't make a whole lot of sense but is clearly there to create conflict for the end so that the writers can totally change up the dynamic. Then, they try to tie up a whole bunch of emotional arcs and loose ends, but without earning them, the last bit feels out of character and almost like these are totally different people. Although, at least they comment on how tropey it is, so they're self-aware!
Acting-wise, I thought the FL was great (and her dad too). I thought everyone else was fine, but maybe not as good (though the ML is SO pretty). The 2nd ML seemed so wooden that I fast forwarded through all of his scenes and his whole storyline/romance.
While this was still a romcom drama with all the tropes and cliches that follow, it was something fresh and surprisingly good.
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