Editor’s Note

The "First Episode" series is here to help you watch the drama. Are the recently aired dramas worth watching? Good ones, weird ones, let's review them together on the weekend.

Some shows may gradually get better, while others may start strong but end badly, so this article only represents the author's opinion on the first few episodes, for reference only. If there are any subsequent slaps, I will keep you posted.

"Cherishing Flowers"

Play platform: Youku

Premiere date: April 2

Poster of "Cherishing Flowers"

The heroine is no longer a pretentious ancient lady, but a talented woman who has been looking up to the universe since childhood and is knowledgeable and talented. If Sheng Minglan is unable to give full play to her hobbies and talents due to the times, Hua Zhi ignores the rules of the times and strives to break free from the shackles by chance to become the person she wants to be.

The character and background of the heroine are quite detailed. Before the family fell into decline, it was like a small version of "Dream of Red Mansions". The heroine was incompatible with the entire family, including her own parents. This setting has a certain modern thinking. In fact, in that era, it was difficult for women to break away from the interests of the family, and it was even more difficult to distance themselves from it. But it's a fictional story, so what can I not dare to think about? The author thinks this setting is interesting.

However, the whole story still has a lot of roughness. For example, when the family fell into poverty, the heroine single-handedly turned the family around and worried about the family's food and expenses. This is purely the halo of the protagonist. After all, she grew up in luxury. Did the ordinary people's lifestyle just fall into her mind from the sky?

The protagonist's plot seems to be well-organized, but in fact it also reveals a sense of roughness. The encounter and acquaintance between him and the heroine is inexplicably like a blessing from the matchmaker. How can Hua Zhi, who doesn't trust anyone, trust a stranger casually? It may also be a problem caused by the performance.

But overall, it is an ancient costume drama that can be enjoyed with meals and is quite relaxing to watch.

"See You Again"

Playback platform: Tencent Video

Premiere date: April 2

This drama well demonstrates how important the script, that is, the story itself, is to a drama.

It has been nearly 20 years since the classic version of "The Chinese Paladin" was broadcast in 2005. For a group of viewers who grew up watching this drama, what they miss is probably not just Hu Ge's Li Xiaoyao, Liu Yifei's Zhao Linger, and Xie Kwan-hao's Drunken Swordsman... but the time when they grew up with them. Therefore, it is very difficult to surpass them, or even to tie with them.

However, I watched "See You Again" without any prejudice, and it was actually not bad. In fact, it even made a lot of positive corrections to the 2005 version in terms of the story, removing some unnecessary gags. This actually reflects the brilliance of the original story. As long as the story itself is good enough and the film is carefully shot, even if there are no outstanding actors, it can still be filmed to a pass.

Stills from "See You Again"

But at the same time, this drama also shows that without the right actors, no matter how good the script is, it will not stand out. The most criticized thing about "See You Again" is that the actors are not suitable. Several female characters look similar. Zhao Linger lacks spiritual energy, and Anu is not straightforward enough. Li Xiaoyao is quite consistent with the prototype of the game, but the overall performance is not outstanding. Everyone just completes the performance task.

Some netizens asked, why do we need to watch the new version of "Legend of Sword and Fairy"? Is it because there is no membership for watching the 2005 version? Perhaps the producer and the platform should have thought about this question before launching the project.

"Live Surgery"

Broadcasting platform: Youku, Jiangsu Satellite TV

Premiere date: April 6

Poster of "Surgery Live"

Medical dramas have been very popular for a while, but have cooled down in the past two years. Cases, key departments, and types of doctors have basically been filmed all over, so it is really difficult to differentiate. This drama has a relatively new incision, which is about interventional medicine. Interventional medicine is a rising star in modern medical science. It is guided by imaging equipment and uses puncture and catheter technology for diagnosis and treatment. It is currently developing rapidly.

This drama is really average. The first few episodes tell the story of Zhang Binbin, who plays a genius doctor in the interventional department. He only wants to develop interventional medicine, enter his mentor's hospital, and save his mentor and patients. The title of the drama mentions the word "surgery", which means that the focus of the drama is surgery and the operating table. However, the two surgeries currently performed, one is censored and the other is completely covered with cloth. The doctor only uses a syringe and a catheter to operate, and there is no explanation of how the interventional department diagnoses and treats. It is very confusing. The author still looked up the principles of interventional surgery by himself.

I don’t understand when the production team plans to introduce how the protagonist cures the disease, when they plan to show the surgery, and what is being broadcast live in the live broadcast room?

The overall structure should be a unit case type. It is not good enough to serve the meal, but it would be a pity to abandon it. You can wait and see.

Step by Step

Playback platform: Tencent Video

Premiere date: March 28

Poster of "Step by Step"

Lu Yangyang had a good performance in the previous shared dramas. I watched it with expectations for her. As always, she performed well. In addition to the basic performance tasks, she played the role cute and likable. Although there are not many discussions about acting in the current idol drama track, it is not easy to make shallow characters in the current idol drama likable. Just look at the attempts of many young actresses in the current idol drama and you will know. Lu Yangyang has this ability.

The series itself follows the routine of a beautiful, strong and miserable little white flower and a domineering president who are enemies. It has a very short play logic. Each episode is not long, but it always manages to create some unexpected things to attract the audience. A student studying abroad is sexually harassed by his tutor, and the domineering president becomes his landlord. Then he is taken home drunk by the domineering president... It's pure fun to watch beautiful women and handsome guys acting out a dramatic plot for you.