#costumeddrama — Public Fediverse posts

Against the Current (review)

The Story

Shen Jia Lan, the eldest granddaughter of Grand Secretary Shen, is betrothed to Lin Jin Qi, the eldest grandson of the Minister of Personnel. But when turmoil strikes the imperial court, her grandfather is accused of treason and her entire family is massacred.

Jia Lan is secretly saved by Xu Wan Quan and his wife, who give her the identity of their recently deceased daughter. Now living as Xu Lan Xiang, she becomes a low-ranking maid in the very household her adoptive family serves, the Lin household, where her former betrothed is the master.

Armed only with her intelligence, she must navigate a treacherous household, guard her true identity, and rise above class barriers to reclaim her own destiny.

The Characters

• Xu Lan Xiang / Shen Jia Lan (played by Tan Songyun): The eldest granddaughter of a high official wiped out by a false treason charge, now living under a dead servant’s identity as a maid in the Lin household.  
  
• Lin Jin Qi (played by Liu Xueyi): The eldest grandson of the Lin family, once engaged to Jia Lan until the Shens fell, forced into a cold marriage with Zhao Xingtang instead.
  
• Zhao Xingtang (played by Li Meng): Jin Qi’s first wife, forced into a marriage of convenience and deeply resentful of it. 
  
• Du Cuique (played by Zheng Hehuizi): A poor military family’s daughter taken in by Jin Qi.
  
• Xue Guihua (played by Guo Keyu): Lan Xiang’s adoptive mother, who with her husband risked execution to let Jia Lan take their dead daughter’s place.
  
• Han Liang (played by Niu Junfeng): A poor scholar who gets to know the Xus.
  

What I like

The production is gorgeous. Beautifully shot, this drama is dripping with beauty and art. Even the posters and trailers are works of art! The production team also went to the trouble of recording as much audio live as possible. And it’s amazing that I could feel the winter chill through the TV, which is saying something given they filmed it during the hottest summer in Hengdian ever.

The Lin family dynamics. I braced myself for harem fights and poisonings when I heard this was woman-focused, but instead I got siblings who genuinely love each other. It doesn’t mean that everyone is on their best behaviour, but they love each other despite their flaws. It is so refreshing to watch a family pull together rather than tear each other apart.

Liu Xueyi’s performance is outstanding! It’s true, he’s my bias, but he had so many standout scenes in this drama! (In fact his acting was trending on Weibo and Xiaohongshu repeatedly throughout its run.) As Lin Jin Qi, he is a masterclass in deadly calm and authority, yet when he is with his family, he is loving and even a silly love interest. His jealous simp era is so funny to watch. Every micro-expression lands; the man can go from murder mode to puppy mode in a blink. The fact that he can make you laugh, cry, feel annoyed and angry at his character and yet still be loveable and relatable is amazing.

Its values are sweet and gentle; it does not glamorise revenge. After a thousand Cdramas where vengeance is the whole plot, watching our leads choose forgiveness and living well over payback was genuinely surprising.

No mid-slump. Each episode got more exciting, which almost never happens. The rebellion arc felt real and terrifying, not a dozen extras on a Hengdian set.

It is a character growth story, not a romance. The quiet, understated love between our leads, told through glances and gestures and poetry, is nostalgic in the best way. It treats the audience like adults. Warning: If you think it’s a romance drama, you’d have missed the true point and message of this drama. It’s not a romance; it’s about a woman’s perseverance after many tragedies. It’s about how women can still live their best lives despite the restrictions and injustices they face.

Besides Liu Xueyi, so many other actors had standout performances. So many good actors, and they all shone in their roles! I would say that almost every supporting actor in this drama was perfectly cast and memorable, and that is quite a feat.

I loved Zhenghe Huizi’s Cuique. I know a lot of people say that she was over the top, but like I said, I have always seen her in goody-two-shoes roles, and seeing her as an outright psychopath was actually quite a delight.

Of course, the ever-reliable Li Meng played a conflicted, tragic villain. Her character was a victim of circumstance and of the times. One popular piece of dialogue from her was where she lamented, “Will women ever go to school, never have to depend on their husbands or sons to survive? Will such a time come?” That moment went viral on social media, and it was such a good performance.

I also loved the actress who played Lan Xiang’s adoptive mother. She got my attention from day one, and so did her adoptive father. That actor was also a standout in Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty.

Fantastic actors, all of them. All of them pulled their weight, and there were no weak links.

What I don’t like

Lan Xiang’s plot armour can get a tad thick. Not always, but sometimes. As much as I admire her scheming, sometimes things go a little too well for her. It creeps in especially in the back half.

The last arc. It stretched credulity to the max. How did Lan Xiang guess the identity of the villain? That arc had a lot of logical holes. For a moment, I felt as if I was suddenly thrust into a fantasy idol drama! The tone shift was jarring and I was just glad it was over.

The jarring time jumps towards the end. A part of me understood that several episodes of watching Lan Xiang and Jin Qi enjoy domestic bliss could be boring, but the time jumps were often too sudden and left me bereft for more.

The understated romance is a double-edged sword. People who want loud, literal, dramatic moments will find it too quiet, and worse, won’t believe in the honesty and genuineness of Lan Xiang’s love for Jin Qi. The lack of a big “flip the tables” moment disappointed many as well. While it felt true to the characters, I am greedy; I wanted more of an obvious emotional payoff.

It can get a tad preachy towards the end. The show takes pains to explore every facet of how women suffered during those times (and now!), whether it be divorces, abusive husbands, lack of literacy and financial independence or forced marriages. After 30+ episodes, you can get a tad worn down by the messages. However, the story is told so well, and you love the characters so much you just want to continue watching anyway.

Addressing criticisms of the show

I’m going to do something really daring. I’m actually going to respond to some criticisms of the show, especially of a particularly famous influencer in the Chinese drama space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4imtHkGDHlc&t=3s

I despair a little bit because some commenters are literally thanking AvenueX for telling them how bad this drama is so they don’t have to bother watching it.

Perhaps I cannot convince these people, but I hope you’ll be convinced after reading my review, to give this drama a try despite the criticisms you might’ve heard.

I’m going to address AvenueX’s criticisms one by one.

Production & Acting: While AvenueX acknowledges decent production values and “acceptable” acting, she’s disappointed in Tan Songyun’s performance. She feels that she’s miscast.

The idea that Tan Songyun is miscast is a popular criticism on Chinese social media. I think it’s understandable. Towards the end of the drama, I felt that Tan Songyun could have emoted better and expressed her love for Jin Qi more, but I think that has more to do with writing and direction rather than her performance. Otherwise, I think she performed quite decently.

As for whether she is miscast, that point is debatable. Could Lan Xiang have been better played by other actresses? Honestly, in the Chinese drama landscape right now, I cannot imagine anyone else playing Lan Xiang who has the same acting skills or presence. So if she is miscast, who could replace her? I cannot think of anyone.

The only actress I know who could match Tan Songyun in terms of skills would be Li Qin. However, she has an edgy, sharp aura about her and if she were to play a maid, her striking beauty would make her stand out too much.

How about Bai Lu? Like Li Qin, she’s too striking to blend into the background.

Tan Songyun plays Lan Xiang in such a way that she can do just that. You can believe that she is a maid; she has an ordinary person, girl-next-door aura that is very believable.

But it’s not just her looks that I’m talking about; she portrays Lan Xiang in a very delicate, reserved way that is required for the role. Yet she’s able to portray different facets of Lan Xiang’s character: the deep grief that she felt, the sorrow, the joy.

But there are moments when I felt that she could go further, but she did not. Whether this is due to the direction that she received or the writing, we will never know.

Personally, I cannot imagine any other actress playing Lan Xiang as well as Tan Songyun. Those who could (for example, Zhao Liying) are a lot older and would not have fit the role.

Bad writing: AvenueX says that there are significant logical flaws in the writing, calling the script lazy and inconsistent.

Was this drama perfect? By no means. In fact, I think there is a wide consensus that after episode 39 or so, the drama stumbled in terms of pacing and writing. (For me, the final dramatic arc stretched credulity and was unrealistic compared to the more grounded arcs of previous episodes.)

But bad writing? No. Flawed, yes.

I’ve seen far, far worse writing.

I felt that she did not give solid examples or justifications for why this drama’s writing was bad.

Her arguments were of the “trust me, bro” variety. She had not watched enough episodes to give a sound judgement of the writing quality of the drama.

Promoting terrible values and against feminism: A major portion of her review is a critique of the drama’s values and message. She said that supporting characters are treated as disposable objects and romanticises the male lead’s controlling and non-consensual behaviour.

I don’t even know where to begin with her comments that the drama promoted bad values and is harmful to youth. (That’s a head scratcher.)

If anything, the drama reinforces the fact that women are strong and resourceful despite the restrictions imposed on them. It also emphasises the idea of living your life well, de-romanticizes vengeance and tells you repeatedly to treat people kindly, no matter their background or station. Are these values harmful to young people? Mind-boggling!

The one thing I do not understand about her criticism is her insistence on imposing modern values and way of life on a Ming Dynasty setting. Back then, the Ming Dynasty had severe restrictions on women. In fact, of all the Chinese dynasties, I think Ming Dynasty women suffered the most restrictions and probably suffered the most socially. And yet, this drama showcased how women could exert their independence, autonomy, and agency despite these restrictions.

Every supporting character in this drama was given a unique storyline, so I especially do not understand what she meant by supporting characters being treated as disposable objects at all. For example, the maids who are her friends each have an intriguing story. Yes, some of them did end up in terrible places, some were abused, and some were even killed, but not all of them were in terrible situations or discarded. Some of them actually had really happy lives and were elevated through education and independence.

As for the criticisms that the male lead’s controlling behaviour was romanticised, nothing could be further from the truth! Jin Qi really received blowback for his controlling behaviour – from Lan Xiang, especially. In fact, one of the funniest remarks about Jin Qi on Chinese social media is that “nobody wants to be with Jin Qi”. Throughout the drama, characters worked hard not to bedded, liked or married to him!

The one thing different about Jin Qi was that although he started out controlling and patriarchal as per the men of that period, he was willing to listen to Lan Xiang, learn, and change his ways. That’s what makes him special, and shows that he is far from being controlling or toxic, like the way she painted him to be.

In fact, I like that they showed that he was not perfect, that he was misogynistic and controlling. Without that foundation, I wouldn’t have enjoyed his journey as much.

What’s the use of a male lead that is perfect from day one? What’s the fun of watching a character like that? He wouldn’t have been a real person; he would have been a fanfic male lead.

It has always been my personal principle to watch a review after I watch the drama, because I don’t want it to colour my opinion of the drama. I hope viewers will be more discerning when they watch reviews and not take a reviewer’s opinion (including mine, by the way) as gospel truth. You should always watch a drama and evaluate for yourself.

Thoughts about the ending

I approached this one as a character growth story, not a romance, and that is the lens that made it work. 

Our main couple start misaligned and slowly come together, and the romance is told through glances, touches, and poetry rather than grand declarations. 

It is a throwback to ancient Chinese storytelling, where meaning hides beneath the surface instead of being spelled out. That said, I was confused by some episodes, especially that big reveal when Lan Xiang found out that Jin Qi was the one who buried her family, and when Jin Qi found out Lan Xiang was truly Shen Jia Lan.

Episode 39, for one, didn’t spell out the change in Jin Qi, who went from a promising official destined for big things to choosing to retire as country gentry.

However, I grew to appreciate how brave the choice was, to convey his decision in a nursery rhyme and a series of poetic time transitions.

The ending underscores the theme of the whole show: do everything we can to live well, knowing that death lives right next to life. 

This was emphasised over and over again in the drama. For example, the second brother’s death was devastating, but he went surrounded by family, having worked so hard to leave them a child. 

There is no big “flip the tables” moment about her identity nor is the Shen family redeemed in her lifetime, and I know some viewers were disappointed by that, but it felt true to the times. The drama made the decision to portray life as realistically as possible, so no magical redemption/revenge arc was present.

I was pretty upset that Jin Qi died at such a young age. But then I had to grudgingly admit that the writers were really brave to stick the landing and the tone of the drama. This show had always been about reality and what happens in real life (well, except for the whole pirate arc thing, which felt like it was from a fantasy idol drama for a moment). I just wished, however, that they had let him live long enough to see his daughter’s wedding. ;(

His death was foreshadowed throughout the drama, though. If you remember, after his serious injury during the rebellion, the physician said that if he did not rest well, his life would be cut short. Besides that, years and years of battle injuries just compounded.

I know some people are wondering why he died so suddenly, but I don’t think it’s unheard of at all. People die of aneurysms and heart attacks all the time. He was probably suffering from a heart condition by then, or perhaps even an aneurysm from all those head injuries he sustained. He probably knew that his health was failing, but he couldn’t really articulate why. It’s definitely not beyond the pale that he died from one of these things.

However, I take comfort in the fact that Jin Qi lived his life very well. Despite dying young (which he couldn’t control), he didn’t spend years away from his family fighting battles and pleasing an emperor who would probably turn on him anyway. Instead, the bulk of his time was spent loving Lan Xiang and his children, watching them grow up, teaching and nurturing them. What a legacy he left behind! This is a life lived well.

In the end, it teaches us viewers that life is often unfair and uncertain. A long life is not guaranteed; dying as an old man is a privilege. So, be like Jinqi, live life well, prioritise your family over your career, and live so that every moment counts.

People had a lot of issues with Lan Xiang saying “one lifetime is enough” when Jin Qi said he wanted to be her husband in his next life. Many interpreted it as a kind of rejection of his love. However, I interpreted it as Lan Xiang telling him that he no longer had anything to make up for; he can be freed from this burden of “making things right” with her in his next life. I think she wanted him to be free of this guilt, and to live his next life free of that obligation. Also, tragically, she never thought it’ll be the last words that he’ll hear from her.

Lan Xiang and Jin Qi’s love is a quiet, understated kind of love. I never doubted that they loved each other deeply.

Final thoughts

I seem to be on a lucky streak this year. Many of the dramas I loved were ratings juggernauts in China (and even internationally, The Early Spring, for example). And when I say juggernauts, I mean absolute monsters that devoured half the market viewership.

Against the Current is probably one of the biggest yet. At one point its Yunhe market share was about 46.6%. While the accuracy of Yunhe is indeed debatable, multiple data platforms clocked it as the No.1 drama of the season. Any drama that aired alongside it did not stand a chance.

For me, it was especially thrilling to watch Liu Xueyi rise in recognition for his acting skills. I saw so many posts from Chinese viewers saying: “How did I not know that an actor this skilled and handsome existed?” They are now joyfully devouring his drama catalogue, and A Moment But Forever is enjoying a resurgence in popularity now.

This is a good sign for a Chinese entertainment industry that is seemingly in its “winter”. In the industry, there used to be a long-held belief that a drama can only succeed if a traffic actor is the star. The logic goes: as the actors have the “data” (i.e. social media following and fans), the investment will be a safe bet. 

This year, the trend seems to be reversing. Many Cdramas with hot traffic actors have ended up in the red while the dramas that didn’t have a traffic actor in sight were raking it in. 

Against the Current is the latest drama to do just this. (Liu Xueyi and Tan Songyun are not considered traffic actors even though they have starred in idol dramas before.)

The market has spoken loud and clear: We want well-scripted, well-acted dramas. Data isn’t everything.

Final rating: 4.5 out of 5

A rare drama that never treats you like a fool, and one I would rewatch in a heartbeat, even the parts that hurt.

PS: If you’re interested in watching more Tan Songyun and Liu Xueyi dramas after this, check out my reviews of A Moment But Forever, Kill Me Love Me , Princess’ Gambit (uhm, not so recommended) and Sword and the Brocade.