Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

2023 is the year of firefighters. “Bright Eyes in the Dark” is the third drama about firefighters and is the one I like the best. This is a story about firefighters, a whole drama dedicated to their experiences, challenges, livelihood and brotherhood. And because of this, it sets itself apart from the usual romance + firefighter stories.

If you want:

50% Cute and Fluffy Romance + 50% Firefighting/Rescue → A Date with the Future
50% Melo-Romance with angst + 50% Firefighting/Rescue → Fireworks of my Heart
80% Firefight/Romance + 20% Romance → Bright Eyes in the Dark


What I Like:

1. Brotherhood/Camaraderie - Aside from focusing on the main leads, the supporting cast is able to shine and tell their own stories. These are stories that make me laugh and make me cry. I don’t know how accurate these stories are in depicting the lives of real firefighters, nor do I know if this is only relevant to Chinese firefighters, but I eat them all up! As always, you can’t always like a character too much in such genres, as you never know if they are going to get hurt seriously or die during their missions. This band of brothers are a fun bunch and they are more mature than the other supporting cast in similar dramas. A mix of veteran and up and coming actors, they have great chemistry together.

2. Missions/Cases/Firefighting - The drama started out with a string of cases and might have bored some people who are looking for romance. There are many more big cases in this drama and for the most part, the fires and explosions all look very real. Money is invested to make this all as realistic as possible. Compared to the other two firefighter dramas, this one showcases bigger disasters and fewer everyday life mundane calls (still have some).

3. Acting - Excellent acting all around. I might get annoyed with a few characters, but that is probably due to their good acting. This is my first Johnny Huang’s drama and he meets my expectations. His tall and muscular frame suits his captain role. He looks like a firefighter. Zhang Jing Yi continues to improve after seeing her in “Fall in Love” and “Lighter and Princess”. Her character is definitely more mature and independent, and she portrays it well. But my favorite acting goes to the rest of the veteran firefighters. When one of them cries by the stairs at the hospital due to the overwhelming monetary burden, my heart breaks for him. Those emotions feel so real and raw. When one of them wanted to commit suicide, I wanted to give him a hug and tell him everything is going to be alright.

4. Main Romance - The chemistry between Johnny Huang and Zhang Jing Yi is pretty good. They have good kisses (thank god!) and the girl is not afraid to initiate. They have great conversations, are honest with each other and will talk it out before making any decisions. The romance lover in me wanted more screen time and lovey-dovey moments. A minor critique, I do think Zhang Jing Yi looks a little younger (appearance wise) to be paired with Johnny.

5. Wang Zi Qi - I love that WZQ took on a more serious role after seeing him as a rom-com CEO or someone a little more bland. In this drama, he shows a very different side of him and looks older (more natural) without a full face of thick makeup. I like his more mature and rugged look. He exudes quiet and stern charisma, but also shows his softer side later on. I wish he had more scenes with Johnny. His voice is finally not dubbed, though he needs a little more practice.


What I have Mixed Feelings or Don’t Like:

1. Preachy/Propaganda? - This drama talks a lot about firefighters dedicating their lives for their country by compromising their personal and family lives. Is this Chinese propaganda? Maybe. But I am sure each country feels very strongly about their life-saving heroes. The fire safety clip at the end of each episode is a useful and good public service announcement. However, as a binge-watcher, I got bored after a few and then just skipped through them.

2. OST - The same two songs keep on playing over and over again. They are nice, but just way overplayed. Comparatively, I like the OST of “Fireworks of my Heart” a lot more.

3. A few questionable situations - The TV show premise is not very plausible. It takes going to a special school and training before you can go into the fire (like the two newbie firefighters). They make it too easy for the actors, especially the newcomer, to join in on everything. The drama mentioned many times that it’s difficult for firefighters to take time-off, is that really so hard in real life? If it’s that hard, how did they let them all take a day off together to go picnic/camping? I might be totally wrong and it’s possibly fine, but in the very last few episodes, I question the decision to let civilian volunteers to help out. If you are not trained, no matter how short-staff you are, you might not want them into a burning forest.

4. Ending (spoilers) I understand why the leads need to move away to let the rumors die down. What I don’t understand is why they stop communicating with each other as if they have broken up. Did I miss a part of their conversation? Why can’t you stay away from each other physically, while being emotionally together and continue to support each other? If they have stayed a loving couple, I would be more ok with the somewhat vague ending. Even if the male lead really dies in the mission, I am ok with it because I have seen their romance blossomed and I felt rewarded. But acting like they broke and adding on that ending makes this very unsatisfying.


Overall, I had a good time watching this due to the emotional stories of the firefighters and the great all-around acting. It’s not a perfect drama, but it’s special in its own ways. The pacing is decent for a 40-episode drama. But this is definitely not for everyone. I can see many drop this after the initial episodes especially if you are looking for romance.


Other Random Observations:
1. How many times is the FL going to be stuck in a dangerous fire situation and need to be saved by ML?
2. I want to slap those two newbies for their immature behaviors and get into trouble over and over again. When are you going to learn and listen to your supervisor?!?
3. I am quite impressed with Zhang Jing Yi’s dancing. I know some complicated moves and wide-angle shots are not her dancing, but those that are done by her look pretty good.
4. The fake tan on ML is just too obvious.
5. Surprisingly, there aren’t too many topless 6-pack scenes. Just a few in the early episodes I want more! LOL
6. I know Wu Gang is an excellent veteran actor but his botoxed face is too distracting!!!!


Completed: 10/30/2023 - Review #371