Filter (滤镜)

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This was definitely on my to-watch list–although I was skeptic about Tong Hua being the scriptwriter. (And regretfully I was right.) Because it kept flip-flopping back and forth between comedy and tragedy that it seemed like an unnecessary emotional roller-coaster. Were the actors good in portraying their roles? Yes, the majority were. But at what cost? It seemed like a fusion of different formulas also so it was a very weird experience all around. I finished this briefly after it finished airing. But had to take a break before I could review it. But even so, I’m fuming mad once again when thinking of a certain plot element, so that stuck and it’s below.

Main Cast:

• Tan Jian Ci (檀健次) as Tang Qi (唐奇). A doctor who specialized in chemistry and cosmetology. He had very high IQ yet very low EQ. That led to many who don’t know him well to misunderstand him to be arrogant and vain. Deep down, he was a serious person who had great work ethics and cared for those around him. Was he always right? No. But he was redeemable in that he was willing to admit his mistakes and learned from it when others pointed out his faults. Tan Jian Ci once again delivered, managing to show us a completely different character from past roles yet not even lacking in intelligence at all. The different image helped but his acting was also brilliant. You would look back at his past roles and couldn’t say that it was repetitive either. Because he once again made us believe those weren’t him.
• Li Lan Di (李兰迪) as Su Cheng Cheng (苏橙橙). She was considered an ugly duckling and unpopular since little, always overshadowed by her sister who supposedly have both beauty and brain. However, what she lacked wasn’t either of one of those but it was her confidence suffering from being compared to her sister and other factors. Once she was able to overcome that bit, she was unbeatable. When she was confident in herself, it shone through and inspired others. Her kindness was also what others loved about her. She was also righteous and had her martial arts background to act on several occasions to seek justice for others. Even if she was rash, it showed that she wasn’t a pushover when it came to seek justice for others. I was glad she was able to stand up for herself later on as well. This was my first time watching Li Lan Di and I was really impressed by her vivid portrayal of her character. She was both adorable and charming.
• Gao Han Yu (高瀚宇) as Gu Yu (顾屿). Tang Qi’s best friend. He was a player and an optimist about life but also had some quirks. It explained later that he had a soft spot for animals and rather be conned than let them suffer, like that one turtle incident. Because of how much knowledge he possessed toward animals and his caring nature for them, I think he was given more slacks that deserved at times. Especially how he was arrogant when it came to other people at times. Even if he was the one who pointed out that Tang Qi had a bias toward Su Cheng Cheng, he wasn’t helping much with being one of the ones subtly making fun of her image too.
• Huang Si Rui (黄思瑞) as Lin Yuan (林媛). Su Cheng Cheng’s best friend. She was very feisty and witty and sometimes too silly. Yet a lot of it had to do with how she was an artist and an author. It was later explained she also had a tough childhood, so she wanted to live life to the fullest later on. She was also a very supportive friend, always willing to help whenever she could. Other than the last story arc, I really liked the rest of her story. Sometimes, she was too dramatic (with her schemes to help her friend) yet others, she was quite considerate. She was indeed a true friend to Su Cheng Cheng.

Supporting:

• Jia Ze (嘉泽) as Su Qing Li (苏青梨). Su Cheng Cheng’s older sister. I hated her at first. Yes, I used ‘hate’ because she was snobby and inconsiderate. She stole her sister’s room and acted like it was her right. She also looked down on Su Cheng Cheng and didn’t have a problem with pointing out all of Su Cheng Cheng’s faults, contributing to Cheng Cheng’s confidence issues. Perhaps, that was a siblings thing or how the writers wanted to present it as so. Because later, it seemed to let on that she could be protective of Cheng Cheng too, not wanting Tang Qi to pursue the other matter that one time at the hospital. What was ridiculous was how she conspired with Cheng Cheng and Lin Yuan by coming up with those really childish schemes to trick Tang Qi. I meant she was a very intelligent lawyer after all. Yet she didn’t think there was something wrong with those schemes? Those were mere cheap tricks.
• Chang Long (昌隆) as Zhou Jin Li (周锦礼). Tang Qi and Gu Yu’s good friend and business partner. He was a good addition to the cast and the team yet didn’t get to appear as much. It was such a shame to come up with the trio dynamic and then abandoned it for some other ridiculous story arc.
• Luo Qiu Yun (罗秋韵) as Su Miao (苏渺). Su Cheng Cheng’s first identity that was created by the filter bracelet.
• Pu Tao (蒲萄) as Fang Jin (方谨). A very intelligent doctor who lacked social skills so she was hidden away and used by her husband, so he could take control of the company that supposedly was hers and much more. She also suffered from domestic violence and was helped by Qing Li because they were friends. Su Cheng Cheng took on her identity to delay her husband from selling a special formula when she was in a coma. She soon recovered and survived her husband’s abduction and was able to start over. She was also in Lost You Forever, lol. It seemed like another reunion. I last saw her in The Fox’s Summer and that was a while ago, lol. But she was equally cute and played this character well, because it was another type of character, considering the other one was so mischievous and all.
• Wang Hong Yi (王弘毅) as Quan Sheng Tang (全胜唐). He was the third identity created by the filter bracelet for Su Cheng Cheng, an upgrade after they added 3-D printing capabilities. He was modeled after Lin Yuan’s graphic novel’s main character. So, she called him her son, lol. That made sense since she did create him. I thought this was a fun role for him and a brief appearance, sort of another nod to the Lost You Forever saga. He was so cute and charming, totally in sync with the stronger, tougher side of Su Cheng Cheng when he played out his personality at various points. It was too bad it was just a brief performance. Because I rather he appeared more in some other role and had some fun story arc than that. But I guess it had to be that way because it was related to the filter bracelet.

Others:

• Ning Wen Tong (宁文彤) as Papa Su (苏爸). Su Cheng Cheng and Su Qing Li’s father. Cheng Cheng actually took after him regarding martial arts skills. He even had a shrine up for her trophies. Yet he was disappointed that she couldn’t go on to compete in later years. He also had good cooking skills, so he was in charge of that. I was so happy to see that Cheng Cheng had his support throughout. He was genuinely proud of her and showed it throughout. I guess it was a bit refreshing to see a supportive parent after watching many dramas that showed terrible parents or really strict ones that caused opposite effects. And he did worry for his daughter at times, but he was truly proud of her and supported what she did.
• Zhang Shu (张澍) as Mama Su (苏妈). Su Cheng Cheng and Su Qing Li’s mother. Although she said she supported Cheng Cheng, she secretly sought out Qing Li to find Cheng Cheng a suitable candidate since she didn’t think Cheng Cheng could attract anyone’s attention. Too bad for her, that time was the time Qing Li stole Cheng Cheng’s room, so Cheng Cheng was the one under the cover and overheard it all. I understood that she was worried for her daughter’s sake but that had caused Cheng Cheng’s confidence to plummet even more.
• Wu Xu Xu (吴栩栩) as Grandma Su (苏奶奶). Su Cheng Cheng and Su Qing Li’s grandmother.
• Cai Gang (蔡纲) as Papa Tang (唐爸). Tang Qi’s father.
• Mu Li Yan (穆丽燕) as Mama Tang (唐妈). Tang Qi’s mother.
• Feng Jun (冯军) as Grandma Quan (全奶奶). Quan Sheng Tang’s grandma. Another filter Su Cheng Cheng used to deceive Tang Qi.
• Gao Rong (高榕) as Xu Yue (许月). Su Cheng Cheng’s co-worker. She badmouthed Su Cheng Cheng a lot during the initial period and took full advantage of Cheng Cheng’s absence to slander her, causing the whole team to hate Cheng Cheng. She even stole Cheng Cheng’s idea and proposal yet confessed because she was scared of the Sun Wu Kong 2D filter Su Cheng Cheng used. However, she continued to be hostile toward Cheng Cheng later on. What was even worse was how she wanted to steal the company’s ideas to sell it to their rival. She wanted to score points with that company by telling them about Tang Qi’s eyesight trouble. After the failed attempt to sabotage them, she left the company since the majority already knew what she did (since the bosses launched a trap for her and the other company).
• Zhou Zi Xin (周紫馨) as Wang Yi (王怡). Su Cheng Cheng’s co-worker. She was also hostile toward Cheng Cheng at first but realized Cheng Cheng’s hardworking attitude later, so she warmed up to Cheng Cheng and they had a healthy collaboration as time went by. She even took it into her own hands when she heard Cheng Cheng was sick and rallied the others to come and visit Cheng Cheng. (Even if that ended in another misunderstanding, she had good intentions and didn’t know the complication of the matter.)
• Zhang Yi Duo (张一铎) as Zhao Yun Jie (赵运杰). Su Cheng Cheng’s co-worker. She tried to introduce Cheng Cheng to his friends after she helped him solve the matter regarding the faulty equipment, saying that he wanted to return the favor, etc. He soon realized his mistake when Cheng Cheng updated him on her status.
• Yang Yun Shen (杨云屾) as Li Yu Hao (李宇昊). Su Cheng Cheng’s co-worker.
• Sun Rui (孙睿) as Cheng Shu (程书).
• Sun Kai (孙凯) as Xiao Lin (小林).
• Chen Mu Min (陈沐民) as Xiao Yue (小岳).
• Chen Ya Xi (陈雅熙) as Jin Li Ping (金莉萍).
• Wang Ruo Xi (王若溪) as Secretary Li (李秘书).
• Ren Bin (任彬) as Quan Sheng Yu (关胜宇). Fang Jin’s husband and then later ex-husband. He was a scumbag all around. He bullied and took over the company and then cried foul when things happened. When he realized Fang Jin was serious about the divorce and was actually able to carry through with the help of her friends, he watered down the matters and acted all pitiful, begging her to reconsider so they could start over. It was like he thought she would be fooled a second time.
• Fang Xiao Li (方晓莉) as Bai Ming Zhu (白明珠). A famous celebrity they invited to promote their special perfume, which ignited old memories and was suitable for anyone to use, regardless of age.
  • Wang Ya Ting (王雅婷) as middle-aged Bai Ming Zhu (中年白明珠).
  • Li Lin Fei (厉蔺菲) as Young Bai Ming Zhu (青年白明珠).
• Sun Rui (孙芮) as Jiang Xi Zhen (江喜珍). Famous star Bai Ming Zhu’s granddaughter, Tang Qi and Su Cheng Cheng’s middle school classmate. She used to have a crush on Tang Qi when they were still in school (as were most girls at that time because of how handsome and smart he was). Tang Qi initially misunderstood that Su Cheng Cheng was bullying her (via extortion money) but Su Cheng just confiscated her mementoes of Tang Qi and wanted her to focus on school, etc. She clarified it to Tang Qi and they had a good laugh about it. She even wanted to give him the love letter that she never got a chance to, just to complete her wish. Yet Tang Qi turned it down, claiming he already had someone in mind. She wasn’t bitter and sort of noticed something going on between him and Su Cheng Cheng, so she just wished him luck and later congratulated the two.
• Huang Hao Wen (黄浩雯) as Su Wen Xin (苏文新). Su Cheng Cheng’s cousin. He worked at a bakery. Cheng Cheng went to his shop to check out some samples for her project, but Tang Qi misunderstood as her going on a date during working hours. He was seen again during the two’s wedding and was cheering for Qing Li to get the flowers.
• Hasi Gaowa (哈斯高娃) as Granny who sold flowers (卖花老奶奶). She was the one who gave Su Cheng Cheng the filter bracelet. Her identity was still unknown because she also used the filter to disguise herself. When they went to investigate, the records showed she already passed away. So whoever was using her identity to create the filter was still unknown.
• Wei Zi Xin (魏子昕) as a conman by the street. He sold turtles but presented it so that it was some kind of fate or miracle that the turtles found the customers, etc. Lin Yuan was conned by him but Gu Yu wasn’t. The only reason why Gu Yu bought one or even paid for one was because he didn’t want the turtles to suffer any longer. Gu Yu asked the man not to mistreat the animals anymore, etc.
• Tu Ling (涂凌) as Mama Gu (顾妈). Gu Yu’s mother.
• Shawn Zhang (张舒沦) as Lead interviewer (面试官甲). He appeared a little at the beginning to interview Su Cheng Cheng and turned her down after realizing she had used filters to alter her appearance. (Even if that was actually Lin Yuan trying to help, not Su Cheng Cheng doing that herself.)

Likes:

• Tan Jian Ci/ Tang Qi and Li Lan Di/ Su Cheng Cheng’s chemistry. I could see it way before they got together. I hated some aspects of the story at first but eventually warmed up to some of their stories. I couldn’t wait to see what happen when Tang Qi would get to know the real Su Cheng Cheng and they fall in love. It took ages but worth the wait. What I liked was how they resolved their misunderstandings before finally ending up together. They talked about it and it wasn’t brushed under the rug. Things from the past were resolved before they moved on. I also excuse some of the stuff their characters did regarding that story arc that I hated so much near the end. Because they had no choice to play along with it. I so wanted them in another series together. But this time, of course, have to have a better script than that. Because of several elements, it was ruined for me.
• Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Seriously, the theme was nice and all. It taught us to not look on the surface only but we must see through those facade and truly understand one’s heart. Too bad, the last story arc killed it. So yeah. So much for it.
• Music. Loved the songs, even the recycled song that Tong Hua attempted to bring back for Tang Qi’s mourning scene. They played a major part in making some scenes worked out.

Dislikes:

• Lin Yuan’s pregnancy story arc. It was a terrible idea in general. Reason? It went dark and tried to visit one of the most serious topics ever yet torpedoed the theme completely by inserting some other formulas to force Lin Yuan in keeping baby. It was subtle but it was there. Because it was masked by making Gu Yu looked good yet had the opposite effect for me. Why? It created an illusion of choice. Before it all went down and Lin Yuan found out that she was pregnant, Su Cheng Cheng said that she had a choice whether to keep the baby or not. The misunderstanding gave Lin Yuan a chance to ask Gu Yu what he would do if they were in the situation and not Tang Qi and Su Cheng Cheng. Gu Yu responded that he would respect her and that he love her, not caring about some baby and much more. She was so touched by his response that she clarified the misunderstanding. What did he do? That conversation with Tang Qi was enough. He wanted to persuade Lin Yuan to keep the baby. It wasn’t a bit surprising to me. It was just disappointing that the writers wanted to put it in there yet didn’t want to commit. I had a feeling they wouldn’t dare to go that route and I was right. Did I want a happy ending for them? Yes, but I hated that they tried to put in a controversial topic and couldn’t commit. Anyone could play the what-ifs scenario to death YET when the actual situation happen, they would choose the thing that would benefit them the most. So all the things Gu Yu did later on was just to manipulate Lin Yuan into changing her mind. What angered me even more was how Su Cheng Cheng ended up trying to get Lin Yuan and Gu Yu’s mother together as well. It was like everyone wanted to manipulate the situation in Gu Yu’s favor. Was that supposed to be a scene meant to wrap things up and nicely and have a happy ending? Yes. And even if it was meant to be in good faith, I just felt everything was so manipulated I didn’t care for their pairing or story anymore. It had been tainted. Or perhaps, I should be glad their story arc was like that AND not Tang Qi or Su Cheng Cheng or it would be completely crazy. And I did take into account that the story arc was possibly because they wanted to resolve Lin Yuan’s past demons about how she didn’t have confidence in herself with starting a family or raising a child because of her traumatic childhood. But they did visit the other topic and saying how she had a choice. YET in the end, she didn’t. She was convinced to pick the choice that they paved out for her since Gu Yu was so convincing in his way. If she didn’t choose that, would they still support her? I’m sure Su Cheng Cheng would. But I wasn’t sure by that point either, considering how everyone was so into forcing a happy ending. The only bit that I sort of respected in the whole matter was Tang Qi keeping his promise to Cheng Cheng to not spill it to Gu Yu before Lin Yuan talked to him. He wanted to but he promised Su Cheng Cheng so he didn’t. Gu Yu was his friend, but once he promised, he had to follow through. It was also part of Lin Yuan’s secret that Cheng Cheng was guarding and was only forced to clarify the matter because of Gu Yu’s outrageous assumption regarding her. So, Tang Qi had to guard that secret too. He did give Gu Yu hints to talk to Lin Yuan, etc. So, it wasn’t like he wasn’t a loyal friend. It was more about the promise he already made.

Discussions:

• Were Tang Qi and Gu Yu even friends at all? Gu Yu seriously never understood Tang Qi at all. He completely misread the situation and thought Su Cheng Cheng was pregnant. It was a misunderstanding at first. It was supposed to be hilarious. But to think about it seriously, Gu Yu didn’t understand Tang Qi. I thought with some earlier scenes, he would have understood how traditional Tang Qi was. He wanted to follow through the usual steps with dating, then getting married, and finally having children. Whether that was a good or bad trait, no one could be sure. But that whole pregnancy thing was a test for everyone, not just Gu Yu and Lin Yuan. Gu Yu completely failed the best friend test.
• The writers couldn’t make up their mind whether this was a comedy or a tragedy. I meant with the back and forth of the theme in general. Many stories were touching but sometimes they made a big joke out of Tang Qi’s suffering that wasn’t even funny. It was unintentional on Cheng Cheng and Lin Yuan’s part, since they didn’t mean to hurt him and just wanted Tang Qi to forget about the thing. But it accidentally made it even worse for him. I hated that he was so bias toward Su Cheng Cheng at first and sometimes he appeared so vain. I initially wanted him to suffer a lot for making fun of her that one time, which turned out to be a misunderstanding. (I actually knew he meant that her makeup was ugly and understood how he was taking a picture to study later even before he went to the lab and analyzed stuff and had that conversation with Gu Yu. BUT his lack of communication skills made it worse and caused Cheng Cheng great pain, so I didn’t like that.) Yet I hated their schemes more. Yes, I got it Su Cheng Cheng didn’t like to be bothered and all. But destroying his emotional state completely was beyond cruel. I didn’t see the humor in half of their schemes and thought it was so childish and stupid. It felt like a very badly scripted Taiwanese idol drama. Well, probably because they went overboard so that was how and why Tang Qi was suspicious and found out the truth. But seriously, it was too much. And I do watch TW idol dramas, BUT thought it was funny how people make fun of those YET an infamous author wrote a script to this ridiculous bit like that? Even if it was supposed to be comedy, they were grown adults after all. It seemed too much. So, if anyone dared to make fun of TW idol dramas again or think Mainland dramas are superior, look here. Once again, thought the majority of the actors did well. It was just that the lack of plot focus killed it. Some of the comedy scenes worked, the stupid schemes to get rid of Tang Qi was what killed it. I was cringing so hard throughout those parts. But was glad it was over at long last after dragging on and on unnecessarily.
• They should have focused on developing Su Qing Li and Zhou Jin Li’s story. Seriously, it was a shame they barely got to know each other aside from those side talk at times. Maybe that was part of the charm? But still. They probably would end up together later. I actually wanted to see that happen more than the other story arc. Seriously. Not to mention, it would have been nice to see Qing Li catching the bouquet instead. It would be funnier, not typical. Because everyone knew Gu Yu and Lin Yuan would get married eventually. After all the trapping they did with wanting Lin Yuan to keep the baby and accept Gu Yu, what more was there to go on? There was no longer any suspense anyway.

Recommended? I thought it was a solid yes at first, I was so sure of it. Then I changed my mind later on. You have to be a fan of the main couple and ignore the rest. Because some stuff was really frustrating. I said most of the stuff above so I don’t want to repeat. It was a shame though. But it’s rising in popularity, so that’s a good thing for the cast and production team. Once again, I’m in the minority so you might enjoy it more than me.

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