Editor’s Note

The "First Episode" series is here to help you watch the drama. Are the recently aired dramas worth watching? Let's take a look at the good ones and the weird ones.

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.

Golden Pig and Jade Leaf

First broadcast time: 2024-06-02

Broadcast platform: Tik Tok

The series has attracted much attention before it was aired, after all, it is the first short drama that Stephen Chow has participated in. It has been updated to the eighth episode. Although it is called a short drama, it is actually about 5 minutes per episode, which still contains more information than a short drama of 1 minute per episode.

Poster of "Golden Pig and Jade Leaf"

Although Stephen Chow was the nominal producer of "Golden Pig and Jade Leaf", Yi Xiaoxing actually filmed it. According to media interviews, Yi Xiaoxing would show the filming results to Stephen Chow from time to time, and Stephen Chow would give some suggestions. At present, it is more of Yi Xiaoxing's style. Just watch it for five minutes and you can see the typical Wanhe Tianyi flavor.

The heroine Ye Xiaolai's sister was involved in a "pig-killing scam"

Trainee lawyer Ye Xiaolai and anchor Zhu Hao jointly uncovered the truth about the "pig killing" scam

The story is based on the pig-killing scam as the clue of the whole drama. The heroine Ye Xiaolai's sister attempted suicide by jumping off a building because she was cheated of money, and she has to find the murderer. If you can get through the first ten minutes, the rest of the filming is okay. Each episode has some touching or suspenseful points, and it will leave a suspense to attract the audience to click on the next episode.

But it's a short play, so why should the audience be patient? If those short plays with one minute per episode are purely for providing emotional value, then the five-minute episode has given enough opportunities and space to not only provide emotional value, but also focus on the plot arrangement, costumes, props, and actors' performances. After watching eight episodes, the author only laughed two or three times, and they were brought by real comedians such as Xu Zhisheng and Jiang Shimeng. The plot is not smooth and the progress is too slow.

Stephen Chow is famous for his nonsensical comedy. Some of his movies are still classic and funny when you look back at them now, but "Golden Pig and Jade Leaf" obviously did not get his genes. The development of micro-short dramas is very strong. I hope Stephen Chow can go swimming in the water himself next time.

Sea and Sky Eagle

First broadcast time: 2024-06-11

Broadcasting platform: CCTV-1, Youku, Tencent

The drama is still quite attractive among mainstream film and television works. As netizens said, after getting through the first two episodes, things will gradually get better starting from the third episode.

Poster of "Sea and Sky Eagle"

The first two episodes are more about the Chinese soldiers' expectation that we have our own aircraft carrier to pave the way for the subsequent plot, and about the discipline and no exceptions in the army, and the difficult situation of military families, which is a bit boring. It is a pity that the "close-aircraft hand-to-hand combat" between Yu Zhaonian and American pilots in the 1960s was not exciting enough, and the editing was fragmented, which made it difficult for the audience to experience the inner pain of the previous generation, and it was difficult to experience the excitement of forming this team in 2019.

In the third episode, Qin Dadi played by Hou Yong, Xie Zhenyu played by Zhu Yawen, Yu Tao played by Du Chun and several other fighter elites all entered the flight base prepared for the first aircraft carrier. Although the pace is still not fast, the overall series has made a relatively vivid character relationship setting. Xie Zhenyu is obsessed with a showdown with his master's opponent Qin Dadi. Air Force soldier Yu Tao is the grandson of flying hero Yu Zhaonian. He and the navy where Xie Zhenyu is look down on each other. Through 1v1 competition, every duel in the air is touching, coupled with the "love-hate entanglement" of fighting and playing, several powerful actors can also hold the scene.

Stills from "Eagles of the Sea and Sky"

"Hai Tian Xiong Ying" is a more traditional theme work, and the overall character and plot settings are relatively regular. The play repeatedly emphasizes that our soldiers' faith comes first and life comes second, but it lacks vivid details to support it, and it has a bit of sloganeering.

In fact, today's young soldiers have a spirit that belongs to their own era. There are many interesting videos on the official homepages of our navy and air force on Douyin. Air combat is a serious matter, but these are also carried out by real people.

Dawn and Evening

First broadcast time: 2024-06-15

Broadcast platform: Tencent

There is nothing new or outstanding about it. It is just a standard costume idol drama. It is not bad to watch, and it is not too noisy when used as background music while eating or working. However, it may be difficult to attract people to click on it and continue watching.

Princess Dongyu Yueling (played by Hani Kezi)

In fact, the story setting is quite fresh in ancient puppet dramas. Princess Yueling (Hani Kezi) of Dongyu was originally "married" to Beishuo. A magical jade pendant can open a time tunnel, allowing Yueling and Zhou Shiyu (Yan Xujia) to experience a wonderful adventure of time travel. The two returned to the past and resurrected again and again. Due to the special timing of their acquaintance, Zhou Shiyu did not confess his identity as the King of the North.

Northern King Zhou Shiyu (played by Yan Xujia)

The happy enemies, time and space go back and forth, reminds me of the classic "EU Overtime Mission". This point of continuous time and space loop can actually be used well to accumulate emotions, so that the emotions of the hero and heroine continue to accumulate in the repeated death and rebirth. However, the creators want to reap the benefits of the sweet idol drama of marriage first and love later. After Yueling arrived in Beishuo, this stalk rarely appeared, and it was even made into a funny stalk. The heroine took the initiative to seek death and rebirth, which was speechless. When no one knew the principle, weren't they afraid of not being able to survive?

The overall plot is rather boring, and the characters are nothing special. Yan Xujia fails to show the charm of the character, and Hani Kezi remains at the level of being beautiful.

May We Live Long

First broadcast time: 2024-06-06

Broadcasting platform: Tencent, Youku

It is a pity that this drama about the life of the legendary singer Teresa Teng is not as charming as Teresa Teng herself. Although it is not ugly and the filming is not perfunctory, it lacks a bit of spirit and sense of the times, and even feels a bit out of place.

Poster of "May We Live Long"

The series starts with the military dependents' village. If you are familiar with the history of Taiwan, you will know that the military dependents' village has its own unique temperament and time. The military dependents' village is full of mainlanders from all over the world, with various accents and food. They came to Taiwan for various reasons, and most of them have homesickness for their whole lives. Teresa Teng grew up here, but the series did not capture the unique feeling of the military dependents' village. With reference to the drama "Treasure Island Village" and the Taiwanese drama "The Story of Time", the flavor of the military dependents' village is established, and the character image is more convincing.

Does Michelle Chen’s interpretation match your imagination of Teresa Teng?

But the most important problem is that the rhythm and content of the series are very vague. It is a biography of Teresa Teng, but for several episodes, except for occasional singing, Teresa Teng is very obscure. The father played by Hou Yong is a typical soldier, and the Shanghai mother played by Ni Hongjie is very interesting. Other than that, the images of other characters are very vague. The plot is too slow, like a running account, and it is hard to tell what the creators want to express.