Editor's note: The "First Episode" series to help you watch the drama is here. Is the recently aired drama worth getting into? Good-looking and weird, let’s play together on the weekends.
Maybe some dramas will get better gradually, and some dramas may start high but then slow down, so this article only represents the author's opinion on the first few episodes and is for reference only. If there is any subsequent slap in the face, we will inform you at any time.
"Xiao Man's Life"
First broadcast time: November 23, 2023
Broadcasting platform: CCTV8, Youku
Objectively speaking, despite the changes in actors and major changes to the script, the quality was still maintained, and the fragmented original version plus the reshoots were patched together more smoothly. It was already very impressive, and there was no sense of patchwork.
"Xiao Man's Life" is overall a funny and light-hearted life drama. Jiang Xin is no longer the bitter and resentful image in the usual urban dramas, but has become a happy little girl. Maybe she lost weight and became girlish for the lively and cute character. Qin Hao, who was in the reshoot part, was still a little fat because he had just finished shooting Biaozi, and his belly could be seen, which is in line with the current character setting, more like a middle-aged man in real life. Both of them have strong acting skills, and they can easily perform this kind of relaxed plot. It even feels like they are watching the daily life of Qin Hao and Yi Nengjing.
Stills from "Xiao Man's Life"
However, the core of the story still revolves around the topic of school district housing. It is not that there is no such anxiety now, but that three years have passed, the times and the mentality of the audience have changed. The same issue, Huang Bo's "School Dad" is The protagonist of "Little Man's Life" has won the sympathy of more people. The family in "Xiaoman's Life" has no worries about food, rice, oil and salt, and can easily buy a multi-million house, which ordinary viewers can only envy. If a life drama lacks empathy, it will become a failure. There is more than one short comment on Douban that mentions this issue.
It's a pity that this drama was aired at the wrong time. It's okay for the whole family to watch it after dinner, but it's difficult to arouse the voice of young audiences.
"News Queen"
First broadcast time: November 17, 2023
Broadcast platform: Youku
When it comes to the mentality of the times, "News Queen" is amazing. Audiences who have been in love with mainland professional dramas for a long time saw such a drama with a large-scale plot and career, and excitedly discussed and compared it on various platforms. The most popular line recently is "Find a man and marry me." Although the cause and effect of this line has little to do with the so-called views on marriage and love, it does tap into the current mentality of young people: Talking about anything is better than talking about money. , Nothing is better than pursuing a career.
The advantages of this drama are very obvious. First of all, all the members are engaged in careers, and it shows the media industry truly and objectively. Nowadays, there are not many domestic dramas about the cruel internal environment of TV stations. Even if there are reporters and media industries, they are more of a character background, simply showing that the character has a job, and there is no meaning of in-depth discussion at all. What's more, it is distorted. The profession of media reporter is like the heroine next door.
"News Queen" stills
"News Queen" is not afraid of deepening the professionalism at all. This is most obvious in the character Zhang Jiayan who is known for her abilities: at the scene of the incident, she ignored her safety and persisted in finding the truth; at the reporting scene, she did not chase traffic and turned her head. Find the core of the case; at the interview site, she can ask the most quality questions. Even Wen Huixin and Liang Jingren, who were addicted to fighting, had a dispute because of the difference in a few words. In the office, they usually asked their subordinates about the angle of the report.
Secondly, this drama is strictly a group drama. It quickly establishes several characters based on the plot, rather than relying on lazy means such as random thoughts, appearance, and lines. Through several reports on cases and struggles with the upper-level, the audience saw the strong-hearted and clear-minded Wen Huixin, the gloomy-minded Liang Jingren, the truth-seeking Zhang Jiayan, the trick-loving Cathy and Xiaowei... Several rounds of struggles between these characters, probably That’s enough for a domestic entertainment drama to shoot 40 episodes.
Finally, and most importantly, the pace is fast and there is no nonsense. There are no scenes of heart-to-heart chatting, and there are no plots to show emotions and internal conflicts. Every episode is about news, every episode is fighting, and every episode has work pressure. This is not to say that the inner expression of the characters is not important, but in the genre of professional dramas, what the audience mainly cares about is the work content and workplace relationships. What the characters think can be understood and speculated by the audience through the plot.
But let’s talk about it, is “News Queen” worthy of Douban’s high score of 8.2? The author believes that this is open to discussion. It can only be said that it hits the pain points of contemporary young people and can be regarded as a qualified and enjoyable drama, especially in the context of its peers. But compared with the professional dramas at the peak of Hong Kong dramas, it is not delicate enough, the characters are relatively flat, the labeling is serious, the struggle and exploration of people are a bit rough, and the use of lenses is not advanced enough. At this point, there are actually many more advanced and delicate mainland dramas, but they are not professional dramas.
I look forward to the follow-up content of this drama, but don’t let it end unfinished.
"Welcome to Maillot Village"
First broadcast time: November 21, 2023
Broadcasting platforms: Dragon TV, Jiangsu TV, Hunan TV, Youku, Migu Video, Mango TV
The starring role is Jin Dong, who is very popular among middle-aged and elderly audiences, but this time the role of doctor Ma Jia is very different from his previous elite image. Although he is also a leader in the industry, his personality is "still a teenager." He was impatient at work and a little conceited. He was even ready to leave his job to make money after not getting a job title. In the family, he is a bit chauvinistic and cannot understand and support his wife's busy work. He expects his other half to cook three meals a day at home. After going through some twists and turns, he finally decided to aid Africa, to calm himself down, and to make a contribution at the same time.
Stills from "Welcome to Maillot Village"
At present, there is not much content on aid to Africa, but the rhythm of the series is relatively stable, which is very suitable for parents and the whole family to watch together. The medical drama adds plots of aid to Africa, each case and each operation, which itself will not be too boring. The main actors are all talented actors, so there is no problem with watchability.
