Miss Truth (2020) : Week 2

The latest and newest 6 episodes have definitely cemented my newfound fervour for this drama and for young Toby who plays Xiao Song. I'm even warming up to Zhou Jie Song who is the titular character. I've gone a bit fanatical and watched the last 6 at least twice already. For some unknown reason it just hits all the right notes with me.  It's not perfect of course. Editing continues to be a problem in C dramas although this is certainly not the worst I've experience. But the OST is actually reasonably good.

I've come to realise in the last couple of years of watching C dramas that often the gems are really to be found amongst those that feature lesser or unknown actors. Maybe it behooves the production team to rely less on star power and more on the writing and storytelling to do the heavy lifting. It's not as if the lesser known actors are talentless either but they're not the primary drawcard I expect.

I don't usually have a problem coming up with the "who" of the whodunnits here but I enjoy finding out the "whys" and the "whats". I'm also somewhat amused that they even managed to insert a serial killing case into the mix anachronistically explained with modern profiling tools.  I refer specifically to the third case that seems to be tied to a traditional Snow Witch folklore.

Because our leads are adamant that there are no supernatural elements involved in this case, we can certainly expect a Scooby Doo outcome at the end of it all. Here our killer or killers seem to have a deep-seated psychological hatred for men and women who are having extra-marital affairs.

As for the progression of the main romance, I'm largely content with how things are progressing. It's probably less common that the FL doesn't fall head over heels with the ML first but it isn't something that never happens either . As someone who isn't normally enamoured with love triangles, this one is actually tolerable and surprisingly well-integrated into the storyline. It doesn't come across as some unnecessary appendage for the most part. It also makes sense why Ran Yan isn't head over heels with Xiao Song because with their respective personalities, they're bound to clash hard at the start. He wants something from her, she drives a hard bargain so he pushes her buttons to make her give in, she does grudgingly. All the makings of a beautiful romance.  Truth be told, she didn't learn to be a coroner just to sit around and twiddle her thumbs. So he understands something about her that she doesn't realise about herself. Still Su Fu is her knight in shining armour future fiance with a sob story so the lonely girl in her is swept off her feet.

Of course I'm not a fan of the screechy step-sister (who could be) who has her eye on Xiao Song as potential husband material. She may have succeeded in getting her hooks into him but Ran Yan's efforts to trigger her is always a guaranteed laugh. Humour also comes from Cui Sang, the genius scholar that's crushing on RY. His plan of being stuck with her in the forest came to naught. Not a contender for suitor, I don't think.  Of course there's the banter between the leads that brightens up the bleakness around them... although lately he seems less inclined because his feelings for her have undoubtedly changed. Their nicknames for each other may have started as teasing and mutual insult but it's gradually becoming more about endearment and intimacy.

One of the surprising things is that Xiao Song confesses so early and then retracts by saying that he tricked her. Avoiding a loss of face? I don't think so. I suppose he did it partly to test the waters and he thinks he knows that RY is in love with SF... at least it's the obvious conclusion to come to. So he retreats. I doubt he's given up completely. Not that he really can if he's drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

It is telling that both men are not properly understood by RY. Given her background and age, it's not surprising. She has an anti-authoritarian streak from being mistreated by her own family so there's a prejudice there and she presumes that what you see is what you get. I also think that she doesn't quite know who she is or what she wants. Although she claims that the Merman puts her in jeopardy, the reality is that she relishes risk-taking. That he knows all too well. Why else would she deal in corpses and go after leads? She's never played it safe even as a child so why start now?

Despite how the odds are stacked against him right now, I still root for Xiao Song to get the girl. Ultimately he's a brilliant nerd that wants to play detective and she's a good fit for him. The other half, in fact.  While he may toy with her at times, he cares for her much more than she realises. Given time, I think she will realise fully that he is someone she can't do without, given his passion and hers.

Miss Truth (2020) : Initial Impressions

It's always a pleasure to find a drama where the leads are intelligent people and that's including the 2ML who has his own agenda. For me, this is the sort of detective drama that when done well surpasses everything else that come out of Cdrama land. The potential is there for that to happen but a lot rests on the writing which is so far pretty good. That said, I didn't think that the Ran Yan character really needed to be that impertinent towards Xiao Song right from Day 1 but it is one of those tropes that seems par for the course especially the show is determined to have the leads at odds in this early phase.

Xiao Song's strategy of course is to toy with her as would befit someone of his foresight and shrewdness as well as an innate self-confidence that comes from being certain of his abilities. Clearly he is a good judge of people and talent among his myriad of skills. On top of that he is rather open-minded for his time, engaging a feisty woman to be his personal forensic pathologists because he knows her skills are extraordinary. His nickname for her is on point: hu li... she can sniff out the details and from what I gather, foxes grip their prey with their canines until they're dead or disemboweled. He seldom takes offence at her outbursts (I imagine it's because he's generally in a superior bargaining position but also he's amused by her antics) and her bark is usually worse than her bite. He's the kind of male character that I relish watching. Not overly garrulous, not overly aloof but sharp and somewhat mischievous. While he toys with the FL, he doesn't feel the need to denigrate her. And that... I really really like. Plus his logical and pragmatic side also seems to override any egotistical tendencies which I also find very attractive. Her nickname for him is Xiao Ren Yu... Fishman Xiao or Merman Xiao because they have a meet cute in a steaming hot bath. All that to say is that her first impression of him is not a joyous one.

Unlike what she thinks initially, he isn't a heartless man even if he pushes her buttons to micro manage her recalcitrance. Her prejudice clouds her judgment somewhat but that gradually softens over time when she realises that he's not just a big shot official throwing his weight around. She's a good partner-in-crime for him not just to cover the forensic pathology side of things but as they deliberate over the cases. Like a Watson to his Holmes.  

Ran Yan's relationship with Su Fu, the 2ML is surprisingly less cliche. He has been set up to be a possible contender in that it is possible she could ride off with him at the end except for the fact that he's involved in some deep dark plot against the throne. He is a sword-carrying, walking bag of angst and, on some level he really does care about her. 

Whether he cares enough to abandon his role in the conspiracy that he's a part of, that remains to be seen. But she is crushing on him at this point so he does seem to be the frontrunner in this love triangle. At the very least she is responding to his gentle nature although his overt threats to kill her doesn't seem to be an impediment to them forming an attachment.

 That said, I can't see why Xiao Song can't be with Ran Yan at the finishing line even if he's handicapped by the fact that Ran Yan is already betrothed to Su Fu and that he's been very "unlucky" with marriage... being twice widowered already. The resolution of all that will be interesting to watch.

As she notes, it might not be anything to do with how his stars are aligned but that might be an explanation much closer to home. That is a telling statement and perhaps there's an avenue that will be explored down the track in the context of the investigations. It's evident that he cares about her beyond the bounds of business and work. The hu li nickname is becoming increasingly a term of endearment especially now that he's given her a jade fox to commemorate their successful working relationship. 

I also like the inclusion of the scholar character as a member of the team. A little bit on the timid side but has a useful skill set as well. Apparently he has picturing ability which should come in handy again.

The cases are nicely constructed and deconstructed by our detectives. This is the sort of thing I wanted more of in Under the Power. They are complex enough to be intriguing but not overly convoluted that they're dragged out unreasonably. The template is something I'm happy to buy into. Individual cases with an overarching storyline that functions separately. Any of that could change of course... but seeing that it's a 36 episode drama, I'm fairly confident we won't be bogged down by too many non-criminal related subplots.