Main Cast:
- Tan Jian Ci (檀健次) as Shen Yi (沈翊). Having already shed the guilt from Lei Sir’s death and his master’s passing, Shen Yi was set out to start anew regarding his career and personal life. His morning routine and then his usual bike ride into work had a carefree feeling to it. Yet that was just the surface. Because he was driven by a new set of guilt this time around. This time, he blamed himself for the death of a little girl, because he felt he should have detected the signs sooner. Or more like he knew something was wrong but didn’t follow that nagging feeling that night hence leading to the inevitable. It was one of the reasons why he moved, to change the atmosphere, to clear his head. Yet the nightmares still haunted him. That incident was also was one of the driving forces for him to work harder on the cases yet also pushed him to the edge. It made one wonder if he had gone too far that he resorted to extreme measures. His psychological state was constantly in struggles and each case he encountered seemed to push him deeper in. It was really fascinating and at the same time nerve-racking to see what was coming up. Because we never knew if he would end up losing his mind completely. Revisiting this role, Jan Tian Ci brought both the innocent side of Shen Yi and the darker side into play. He portrayed each part brilliantly. Oh yeah, a bonus was seeing the cute little kitty still around.
- Jin Shi Jia (金世佳) as Du Cheng (杜城). Du Cheng seemed more relaxed this season. Well, that was initially, which made sense because he already let go of the past regarding Lei Sir’s death. He had to move forward to continue his mission and fulfilling his duties, something Lei Sir would want to see him do. What was more, he was more patience and understanding toward Shen Yi, considering the paint incident and the constant ridiculous request at times. Well, it wasn’t ridiculous to Shen Yi, but to Du Cheng, it seemed outrageous because he didn’t know the details. In other areas, he had exceeded all expectations and became their trusted leader throughout. Although he might become upset at times, he handled well for the majority of the time. In regarding to Shen Yi’s situation, he was rightfully upset and worried for the latter, considering how Shen Yi showed signs of falling deeper and deeper that he was scared he would lose his partner. It wasn’t later that he learned to let go and trust Shen Yi’s judgment. It was indeed a difficult position to take but that also a learning moment for him. Jin Shi Jia once again delivered a solid performance.
Supporting:
North River Division (北江分局)
- Lu Yan Qi (陸妍淇) as Li Han (李晗). A member of the North River Criminal Investigation Division who specialized in data analysis. In this season, they elaborated more on her character, showing how professional and organized she was during working hours versus how unorganized her personal life was. At first, I thought it was to show humor–even if at her expense (because she was teased and mocked by the neighbors) but it expanded more regarding her past. Her grandma hoarded a lot of stuff because of one reason or another, so it became a habit for her too. She tried to restart her life by donating or recycling or whatever else near the end of that case but couldn’t let go of a certain pot. Well, it showed that it was indeed hard to let go completely. But she was much more aware of it now and the others would keep her in check.
- Zhu Jia Qi (朱嘉琦) as Jiang Feng (蒋峰). A member of the North River Criminal Investigation Division. We already learned from the previous season that he liked Li Han. This season elaborated a little more yet didn’t take away from the main theme. The writers just built their relationship slowly, which was good. We also learned that he was a good dancer and ended up going undercover at this one livestream place. He was also from a somewhat wealthy background but he was quite humble and wanted to do things he believed in.
- Amanda Qin (秦海璐) as Chief Zhang (張局長). The bureau chief of the North River Division. I feel bad for her, I really do, lol. Anytime something happened, Du Cheng and Shen Yi would come to her, individually, causing issues for her and putting her in a difficult position. Yet she managed. Like that one time Shen Yi went over Du Cheng’s head to get her approval for a project and Du Cheng ended up getting scolded for not listening. I felt bad for Du Cheng (sorta, lol) that he had to explain things and tried to stay rational when she was telling him to be patient, etc. Because of past issues, it was hard to believe. Then there was Du Cheng’s thing with never knocking whenever entering her office. She reminded him every time. But then one day, she just said she’ll just have to get used to it, lol.
- Zhang Bo Jia (张柏嘉) as He Rong Yue (何溶月). A forensic investigator of the North River Division. We also learned more of her character and personality in this season. She revealed that her boyfriend broke up with her because of her occupation. The others tried to console her, etc. She understood too well they weren’t compatible yet couldn’t help feeling sad. It was hard finding someone who could separate her occupation with who she was outside of work.
- Fang Zi Bin (房子斌) as Yan Tan Sheng (闫谈声). A police officer of the North River Division.
- Wang Xiao (王骁) as Lei Yi Fei (雷一斐). Former bureau chief of the North River Division. Du Cheng’s mentor. He appeared in flashbacks because it was relevant to another case they were working on.
Idol Murder Case (偶像之死案)
- Fu Xiao Xian (付小仙) as Yuan Zhao Di (袁招娣). Nickname: Xiao Dan Ke (小蛋殼). Chen Qin’s loyal fan and revealed to be the murdered of the case. She was manipulated by Chen Qin to commit murder and took the blame for him, believing that he also loved her.
- Zhou Yan Chen (周彦辰) as Chen Qin (陳勤). The leader of a famous boyband TBBT. He was bullied by the other members and forced to do drugs. So, he cooked up a revenge scheme and manipulated Yuan Zhao Di into carrying it out for him.
- Cheng Qi (程琪) as Fang Ling (方玲). TBBT’s agent.
- Si Wai Ge (斯外戈) as Li Mu He (李木河). A member of TBBT, had a rich background thus contributing to entitlement and the massive bullying of Chen Qin.
- Zhang Yong Bo (张永博) as Qian Mo (阡陌). A member of TBBT, also came from a rich background like Li Mu He and was part of the group who bullied Chen Qin.
- Liu Qi Cheng (刘琪成) as Xiao Yu Ling (肖羽靈). A member of TBBT, also came from a rich background like Li Mu He and Qian Mo and the remaining party who bullied Chen Qin.
The Blind Child’s Rescue Case (盲童拯救案)
- Yue Xiao Ke (岳骁恪) as Yun Lei (雲磊). A local ruffian who was initially mistaken to be a kidnapper. It was later revealed he was just part of the homeless group of kids who was just trying to survive and protect other abandoned kids.
- Jin Meng Yi (金梦翼) as Xiao Peng (小鵬). A 7-year-old blind kid. He was neglected and abused by his father. He ended up on streets and was helped by Yun Lei and his crew.
- Guo Dong Hai (郭东海) as Liu Qiang (劉強). Xiao Peng’s father.
Sinkhole Trial Case (天坑審判案)
- Zhang Yi Cong (张奕聪) as Chang Feng (常楓). A local of the mountains. He was known to be an efficient guide and many tourists often sought him out for guidance. However, he kept to himself for the majority of the time and warned others not to approach the mountain. It turned out that he was the one responsible for all the people going missing since years ago. It started with the missing of his sister and how he witnessed the so-called good people being hypocrites. So, he ended up setting traps for them. If they were selfish and only cared for themselves, they were set to fall to their deaths. The only one who escaped from his grasp was Xiao Jing because he pitied her.
- Qi Tian Qing (齐天晴) as Zhang Si Jing (張思靜) aka Xiao Jing (小靜). The case started with her disappearance and the search for her hence many other discovery into several old cases. It was rumored either she committed suicide or possibly got killed by Chang Feng. However, details later revealed that she was trying to escape from her overbearing parents and attempted to commit suicide. Chang Feng covered up for her and helped her escape and start a new life.
- Qu He (曲禾) as Liu Xin Yao (劉欣瑤). An owner of a small coffee shop and Xiao Jing’s best friend. Xiao Jing’s parents hated her and blamed her for Xiao Jing’s rebellious acts.
- Zhang Han (张晗) as Ke Ling (柯靈). A college math professor. She was almost killed by her husband during a mountain climbing trip but was rescued by Chang Feng, so she helped him conceal the truth of what actually happened to her husband.
- Hua Ming Wei (华明伟) as Ma Huai Nan (馬淮南). A college professor and Ke Ling’s husband. On the surface, he didn’t care about his wife’s infertility issues yet he secretly wanted to get rid of her. Using their anniversary mountain climbing as a front for a celebration, he attempted to push his wife off the cliff but was thwarted by Chang Feng and fell to his death.
Da Vinci’s Life Snatching Case (奪命達芬奇案)
- Jin Tian Yu (金天宇) as Cheng Yi Nan (程以南). A program designer for a game company who was laid off. Because of his age, it was hard for him to find a new job. He was forced to be a stay-at-home dad and vented his frustration while chatting and feeding this AI program. That had caused unpredictable consequences leading to the AI program triggering sequences and encouraging other users of the program to commit suicide.
- Li Xiao Hong (李晓红) as Jiang Feng’s mother (蔣峰媽媽). She co-owned a restaurant.
Gateway to Hell Case (地獄之門案)
- Li Xuan Chen (李炫辰) as Dong Yi Dan (董一旦). An illegal private investigator. He used the information he collected to threaten and extort others. He wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of anyone for his own means. He lived and operated his business right out of a bunker.
- Wang Yi (王乙) as Ruan Fang Fang (阮芳芳). She was the mastermind behind the cases yet played the victim throughout. She was very manipulative in her way and was very persuasive that others believed her.
- Liang Yong Qi (梁永棋) as Huang Tao (黃韜). Ruan Fang Fang’s co-conspirator who was involved of the fire case of years ago. He was given a light sentence because he was underage during the time of the crime. When he was released, he became a host of a murder mystery game place. He later found out he was manipulated by Ruan Fang Fang.
- Lei Feng Rui (雷丰瑞) as Hao Zi Qiang (郝自強). Ruan Fang Fang and Huang Tao’s co-conspirator who was involved in the fire case of years ago. He was also a given a light sentence because he was underage during time of the crime. When he was released, he became a mechanic for an auto repair shop. He was used by Ruan Fang Fang throughout yet didn’t even realize it.
- Liu Min (刘敏) as Song Min Jie (宋敏傑). The mother of one of the victims who was killed in the fire incident of years ago. She blamed herself and continued to seek out the names of the three perpetrators, leading to her asking Dong Yi Dan for help. That led to Dong Yi Dan taking advantage of her. Yet she ended up having an affair with Dong Yi Dan to seek revenge on her husband, who was abusing her and forcing her to live in agony after all these years.
- Zheng Qi (郑奇) as Wang Hao (王浩). Song Ming Jie’s husband. He blamed his wife for his son’s death and forced her to live in agony all these years. He ended up killing Dong Yi Dan because he found out about their affair.
- Zhang Da Bao (张大宝) as Internet cafe’s owner (海速網吧老闆).
- Jing Lu (井璐) as Internet cafe’s co-owner (海速網吧老闆娘).
Traumatizing Wedding Case (恐怖婚禮案)
- Xie Ke Yin (谢可寅) as Ao Li (奧莉). A popular streamer. She threatened and showed grudges against the bride and groom. However, it was found out that she wasn’t crazy as the groom had projected. She also wasn’t unreasonable to the point of no return. But she was bitter because the groom’s betrayal and his constant lies about her.
- Liu En Jia (刘恩佳) as Yan Jing Jing (閆晶晶). Ao Li’s college classmate and the bride who was threatened. She thought she was dealing with a jealous, delusional girl who wanted to steal her boyfriend since ages ago. Yet it turned out her boyfriend and later fiancé was lying about everything. She was just lucky she didn’t proceed with the wedding or she would have fallen victim to his other schemes.
- Hu Wen Zhe (胡文喆) as Luo Yi Fan (羅一帆). Yan Jing Jing’s fiancé and then later ex. He manipulated both woman yet kept claiming victim. He was later exposed and lost everything.
Secret Age of a Young Girl Case (秘齡少女案)
- Liu Nian (刘念) as Min Xue (閔雪). Real Name: Zhang Ting (張婷), Assumed Name: Lin Xue (林雪). She grew up in an orphanage and used a fellow orphan’s name and age to get adopted (since being younger meant she had a higher chance). However, she was unfortunate enough to enter a household that ended up in tragedy. It was Chief Lei who rescued her from the tragedy. She finally had a chance to start over. Yet it was suspected she was running a prostitution ring with her foster mother (who just got out of prison recently). However, it wasn’t that simple because she used the girls to lure some of the so-called “clients” in to blackmail them.
- Wang Yi Chan (王艺禅) as Min Xue’s mother (閔盛梅). She was Min Xue’s foster mother. A typical enabler and a poor excuse for a human being. It didn’t matter how she justified anything, she failed to protect the girl from her disgusting husband.
- Chen Guan Ning (陈冠甯) as Zhang Bin (張斌). Min Xue’s foster father. Scumbag.
Prosperity Brought by the Dragon and the Phoenix Case (龍鳯呈祥案)
- Yang Tong Shu (杨童舒) as Feng Xiao Wen (馮曉雯). A famous traditional opera singer.
- Tang Zeng (唐曾) as Ge Yu Tian (葛宇天). Feng Xiao Wen’s fan, later became her lover.
- Sui Yuan (隋媛) as Guo Yuan (郭媛). One of the victims who loved martial arts and was turned into a male role in place of Zhao Yun (趙雲).
- Liu Yan Chi (刘妍池) as Wu Nian Jun (吳念君). Feng Xiao Wen’s daughter. She disapproved of her mother’s relationship with Ge Yu Tian and believed that he was just after her mother’s money.
- Li Jia Yu (李嘉瑜) as Wang Meng Xiao (王夢曉). One of the victims.
- Chen Shu Zhen (陈淑贞) as Liu Fang (柳芳). One of the victims.
- Huang Yu (黄宇) as Li Hong (李紅). One of the victims.
- Zhang Lin Sheng (张林圣) as Zhou Guo Liang (周國良). One of the victims.
Aristocratic Turbulence Case (豪門之亂案)
- Andrew Lin (連凱) as Cao Jian (曹建). A wealthy businessman.
- Zhang Shu (张澍) as Liu Yao (劉瑤). Gao Jian’s wife.
- Charles Lin (林柏叡) as Cao Xiao Dong (曹曉東). Cao Jian’s son. He was believed to have inherited the evil gene from his father, which caused him to have temperamental episodes. It was also the reason why he went into a rage and killed his own mother. He almost choked Zhou Shan Shan to death one time because of his rage.
- Li Cheng Xi (李丞汐) as Zhou Shan Shan (周珊珊). She was pregnant with the Cao’s child and felt entitled to much more. However, she unexpectedly died in a car accident.
- Wang Jing (王菁) as Ji Jun (季軍). A security guard.
Prussian Blue Dangerous Romance Case (危情普魯士藍案)
- Li Yuan (李媛) as An Lu Ran (安陸然).
- Li Jia Xin (李嘉鑫) as Lin Xiao Yin (林小茵).
- Niu Zi Fan (牛子藩) as Su You Liang (蘇有亮).
The Evil Gene Case (邪惡基因案)
- Zheng Yun Long (郑云龙) as Fang Kai Yi (方凱毅). The chairman of a scientific research center. He collaborated with a hospital to carry out special treatment that involved DNA altering. He was so into the experiments that he didn’t hesitate to silence those who would get in his way. He attempted to recruit Shen Yi but was unsuccessful. Shen Yi only showed interest and wanted to follow him because Shen Yi wanted to find proofs of his experimentations and his other crimes. What was tricky about him was he appeared earlier on, showing interest in Shen Yi, even buying Shen Yi’s paintings. He attempted to recruit Shen Yi several times throughout so it wasn’t too out of character for Shen Yi to finally caved (or seemed to be persuaded) but it was obviously an excuse to get close to Fang himself to extract information.
- Ma Xin Mo (马昕墨) as Tang Ke Ying (唐可盈). Fang Kai Yi’s assistant.
Others:
- Zhang Tao (章濤) as Lu Hai Zhou (路海洲). District Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigation. He was also back for round 2. Well, this time, he tried to recruit Shen Yi to work for him while they were working on another case. It was funny, somewhat, that he joked about taking Shen Yi back with him, etc. Of course, it was hard to resist, considering how Shen Yi would be a great help to his team.
Discussions:
- The cases. They really cranked up several notches regarding cases for this season. It started with some typical fangirling situation to a full blown psychological war between Shen Yi and the final guy. It was really intense but also very intriguing. This season really surpassed expectations and extinguish rumors of it not being able to outdo the previous one. This was indeed one of the shows that managed to dodge the curse with being a sequel that flopped, lol. Anyway, although the majority of the cases covered psychological aspects but it didn’t fail in variety. Because each focus on a different area or situation.
- There was dancing involved and Tan Jian Ci wasn’t part of it? What? No, I’m totally joking. I got why Jiang Feng had to take on the role and go undercover for it. But was it killing Tan Jian Ci inside that he couldn’t take on that role? Again, joking here. But that was hilarious, watching and not being able to participate. It would be too out of character for Shen Yi. I meant, if they could get away with it, they would do it. But I don’t think anyone would be convinced.
- The team. We got to see the team bonded even more in this season. It was already heartwarming in season 1 with how they stuck together and supported one another toward the end because of how they learned to get along and all. Yet this one took it to another level and revealed more about them. It didn’t become outright mushy for no reason either. They did learn and grow together. There were indeed mischievous moments or disagreements but they actually pulled through, not all talks. Regardless of disagreements, though, they backed one another up when needed, like how teams should be.
- Jin Shi Jie/ Du Cheng and Tan Jian Ci/ Shen Yi. I know I included the team above but I needed to discuss their relationship separately. It was interesting to see how far both had gone. They were almost sworn enemies from the beginning and then becoming more understanding because of the circumstances and trying to cooperate with one another at work. This season brought it to another level, just like anything else, with how they interacted throughout. They weren’t just coworkers anymore. They had become close friends. Du Cheng helped Shen Yi moved, gave him rides at times, and even supported him during the time Shen Yi was fighting his psychological issues. Their bond had grown since and Du Cheng had somewhat became an older brother figure in some ways. At times, he protected him like an older brother should but also scolded him for not listening. It was a constant struggle. Yet by the end, Du Cheng trusted Shen Yi and finally let him act on his own, not keeping such a close watch. Although Du Cheng said that the reason he didn’t go in during the confrontation scene was because Jiang Feng had already matured and knew what he was doing, thus trusting him to take the lead yet he might as well meant Shen Yi. Because Du Cheng, himself, was finally letting go, allowing Shen Yi to do his thing without being too overbearing about it. So, by the end, that conversation between Du Cheng and Shen Yi, through Shen Yi’s words, they were considered equal, no longer showing signs of who was on a higher level because of a certain reason. They both existed because of one another, it was a balance, both keeping one another grounded when one or the other got pulled in the wrong direction. It was an indication that Shen Yi was grateful Du Cheng was with him throughout, not allowing him to sink into the deep end. Aside from those deep moments, the lighthearted scenes were equally enjoyable. Du Cheng ingested homemade paint and didn’t get hospitalized? He must have won the jackpot on that one. Or did he use his luck on that one hence no longer having any at the end? Yeah, I was sort of bitter it ended that way and that was why they need to resolve it. Anyway, there also other hilarious scenes involving them, like the one I mentioned previously with Shen Yi going over Du Cheng’s head to get Chief Zhang’s signature.
- Consistency of the characters. I felt this was one of the important parts of the series that made the transition between the seasons so fluid. Yes, the characters encountered new challenges and grew because of those changes. However, the majority of personalities and habits were still intact. There were some elaborations with some characters, which was a bonus, but that didn’t change how they behaved at times.
- Season 3. Come on, it was a given that they left it hanging. But they need to do it soon because we all need closure. Three is the magic number to wrap it up, right? Because the others are becoming more and more busy, especially the main cast. If they don’t do it soon, they will lose the window for getting the whole cast back together. Then it wouldn’t be the same regardless.
- Hello Saturday promotional event. It was fun seeing the majority of the main cast on the show. It was hilarious and showed their interactions a bit more. A nice bit was seeing how Tan Jian Ci managed to convince Jin Shi Jia (who usually didn’t go on those shows) to appear on the show and participated with them. They were still referring to one another by their character names, lol. It helped to promote the drama even more. It was funny also seeing how Zhu Jia Qi was so still trying to get on Jin Shi Jia’s good side and attempted to support him at every single opportunity he got. However, he was shut down by the latter. It was somewhat funny and also sad with Jin Shi Jia’s indifference. At one point, Jin Shi Jia even wanted to replace Zhu Jia Qi with another member doing the team swap chances because Zhu Jia Qi was too loud, lol. He didn’t, but it was a close call and hilarious to see Zhu Jia Qi sweat. Of course, they were all joking around and trying to bring some energy into the promotional event. All in all, it was a hilarious episode to watch.
Recommended? Definitely. Even if it ended on a cliff hanger. Yes, it was that good. Well, for those loving mystery and complex cases.