At the turn of the year, the TV drama war was in the air, with several major platforms' S+ ancient idol dramas fighting head-on, and suspense dramas gaining popularity and controversy. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, "Station", a small-scale, life-like, topicless drama, seemed silent.
But I have to say something fair: after being tired of the routines of ancient idol dramas and the whirlpool of public opinion, "Resident" is really suitable for us workers to watch quietly with our meals. It is just like a pure and simple male college student (who is an active member of the party) suddenly appears among a bunch of old-fashioned people who brag about A-shares at a dinner party, and talks to you about ideals, life, and benefits to the country and the people. This conversation can cleanse and sublimate your soul.
Poster of "Station"
"Station" tells the story of Chang Sheng, a police officer at Huacheng North Station Police Station, who came to this remote station to take over the post because Lao Sun, a station police officer at Dongzhai Station in his jurisdiction, died of a sudden illness. When he first arrived in Dongzhai, Chang Sheng learned to deal with the villagers with the help of rural teacher Wang Dongyu, and the two of them changed from "enemies" to "partners". Chang Sheng not only successfully handled a series of cargo theft cases, but also enthusiastically helped the villagers get out of poverty. At the same time, he discovered that there was another secret behind Lao Sun's death, and finally devised a plan to lead out the mastermind behind the scenes.
This drama shows the life of the stationed police through "small cuts". With delicate narrative and vivid character portrayal, it has become a rare innovative work on public security themes in recent years. As we all know, among many public security-themed film and television dramas, most of them focus on criminal police solving major cases, while "Station" focuses on the relatively small type of police stationed police, which is very novel. The work of stationed police is not as thrilling as that of criminal police, but more about dealing with some trivial daily affairs.
Stills from "Station"
The core story and scenes of the drama revolve around one person, one dog, and a small station. Each episode is about how grassroots police officers handle trivial matters in remote environments: patrolling and protecting the network, mediating conflicts among villagers, dealing with theft, etc. A few sheep that strayed into the railway can unfold a story of several episodes. Do you think it would be boring? In fact, in the small incidents of a group of sheep, the screenwriter constantly gives reversals and upgrades, constantly bringing new problems and dilemmas to the protagonist. Looking closely, it is very interesting.
Chang Sheng, played by Guo Jingfei, really adds a lot of color to "Station". This ordinary grassroots policeman, from the perspective of character setting, has not made much breakthrough: he encountered a marriage crisis, career bottlenecks and middle-aged difficulties, but still faced the various pressures of life with a tenacious attitude. If you can't find the characteristics of the character, it is easy to fall into clichés in the creation. But fortunately, in the track of life-style comedy, we have Guo Jingfei.
Stills from "Station"
The ordinary and lonely occupation of the police station makes the characterization lack of big plot hooks, especially the stimulation and interaction from the opponent actors to jointly form the highlights of the performance. But Guo Jingfei is a rare actor who can play a "one-man show" well. He is good at finding the pillars of the performance in the details of the character's solitude, and showing the fun of the character and the plot in the process of the character's "confrontation" with ordinary life.
When Changsheng was stationed at the station, a lonely harmonica, a dripping faucet, a motion sick police dog, a half-dead vegetable field, and a flag with the word "Victory" flying above the station all gave this character a different and vivid color. In the limited performance space, Guo Jingfei showed the character's kindness, humor, and tenacity in the face of difficulties very well, without being "tall, big, perfect" or "great, glorious, and correct", allowing the audience to see the image of a grassroots policeman with flesh and blood.
Stills from "Station"
In addition, while portraying the grassroots police, "Station" did not ignore their plight: Chang Sheng worked diligently for many years, but his long-awaited promotion opportunity was taken away by the paratroopers; he was stationed at a small station, lacked financial support, and even the police car could only be DIY-modified with a scrapped old car; in his daily work, he had to fight wits and courage with the villagers who were xenophobic and lacked legal awareness, and he had to be friendly with his neighbors. These trivial things are their daily work, but their value and difficulty are often ignored or even despised by society and literary works. The creation of "Station" is willing to faithfully restore and present their work, which is admirable.
In the previous film and television market, themes about grassroots police officers were relatively scarce. On the one hand, the public's perception of the police profession often stays on the types of police related to major cases such as criminal police, and they believe that only major cases are "good to see", and the work and life of grassroots police officers are often not taken seriously. On the other hand, producers are also more inclined to choose major cases with strong conflicts and exciting plots, believing that this is easier to attract the audience's attention and obtain high ratings and box office. But in fact, most public security police officers in reality are silently dedicating themselves to grassroots positions. I still hope that this drama can be noticed by more people. "Station" allows us to see the real life of grassroots police officers. "Being seen" itself is a kind of recognition and encouragement. It reminds us that those "little people" stationed in remote corners are unsung heroes of social stability and development.
Stills from "Station"
