I saw this trending on iQiyi at first but didn’t realize Tan Jian Ci was in there until later, lol. Yes, I haven’t been up to date on stuff recently and only gotten into Tan Jian Ci after catching some of his performances on Hello Saturday and then eventually becoming a fan. Yes, super late to the party but I guess better late than never.
So, how was it? It was actually really, really good. Yes, surprisingly really good for a police drama. Or perhaps, I wasn’t watching the right police dramas when it came to mainland productions. Yes, because in the past, I tried a certain drama and cringed and then dropped it and basically just stayed away after some more failed attempts. I was glad I gave this one a chance because I really enjoyed it and will be looking forward to the second season.
Main Cast:
- Tan Jian Ci (檀健次) as Shen Yi (沈翊). He was a gifted artist who made a little mistake that had a big impact on others. It wasn’t his fault, obviously, since he didn’t know what was going on at first. However, he was determined to change and help the society in general. He wasn’t a bad person at first, he just didn’t care that much about things around him. He just lived as he saw fit with his talent. Yet, after realizing he had accidentally helped a killer, he wanted to make things right and get to the bottom of it. What happened had shaped his personality and turned him into a more quiet person. Yet he was still kindhearted and got along well with his coworkers. Tan Jian Ci brought out his character quite well. He projected a different feeling than other characters he portrayed and brought out different emotions at different stage of the story.
- Jin Shi Jia (金世佳) as Du Cheng (杜城). At first, I really disliked him because of his arrogant attitude and his stingy behaviors. Yet, it took several episodes for me to warm up to him. I knew he was upset with Shen Yi because of what happened in the past. I still thought he was a jerk though, because I thought he only cared or get upset over when his fellow cops got murdered and didn’t care as much for citizens and was just doing the job for the sake of it. When the story revealed about how the former captain was a mentor to him and helped turn his life around hence him having a good chance to serve the public, my views changed. It made his background less typical. The actor was convincing and worked well as a team aside Tan Jian Ci. I was impressed. Yes, this was my first time watching him, so was coming in blind with his abilities, lol.
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.
- Zhu Jia Qi (朱嘉琦) as Jiang Feng (蒋峰). A member of the North River Criminal Investigation Division.
- Amanda Qin (秦海璐) as Chief Zhang (張局長). The bureau chief of the North River Division.
- Fang Zi Bin (房子斌) as Yan Tan Sheng (闫谈声).
- Zhang Bo Jia (张柏嘉) as He Rong Yue (何溶月). A forensic investigator 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 was assassinated seven years ago due to a picture that Shen Yi drew, allowing the masterminds to locate him.
- Sun Li Tao (孫立韜) as Li Jun Hui (李俊輝). A rookie officer of the North River Division. He was shot and killed in line of duty while following Suspect M.
- Wang Qing (王晴) as Fei Jie (菲姐). A police officer of the North River Division.
- Chen Yang (晨陽) as Jiang Xue (江雪). A police officer of the North River Division who specialized in ballistic analysis.
Apartment Building Murder Case (公寓殺人案)
- Jiang Long (蔣龍) as Take-out Delivery Person (外賣小哥).
- Lin Xiao Fan (林曉凡) as Suspect (嫌疑人).
Plastic Surgery Center Date Rape Murder Case (整形醫院迷姦殺人案)
- Zhang Lu (張陸) as Zhang Yi (梁毅). The owner of Beauty Plastic Surgery Center and a plastic surgeon. He was killed mysteriously at his own place. It was later revealed that he drugged and raped his patients at the surgery center. It happened in a secret room he had built. He filmed the rapes and threatened the victims, so they were forced to keep quiet. I, obviously, don’t feel sorry for him one bit. He got what he deserved. In fact, it seemed lenient that he wasn’t tortured more. Yes, I said it. I had enough with all these apologists and thinking others should take the correct approach to apprehend scums like him or whatever.
- Jin Feng (金豐) as Jiang Ge (蔣歌). A client of Zhang Yi. She was the one who designed the secret room found at Zhang Yi’s place. She was really hardworking and wished to one day break through her industry and find acknowledgement. Yet she found out she was overlooked often because of her appearance hence seeking out plastic surgery solutions to solve her problem. She was Zhang Yi’s first victim and ended up building the secret room for him. There was a deal going on between the two but she had enough and wanted to put an end to the threats and moved on with her life. Although she was the one who ended it all but I didn’t think she deserved sympathy. Was it sad that she was skip over for some other person within the industry? Yes, it was really sad. Yet I couldn’t sympathize with her regarding Zhang Yi. No, I didn’t say she deserved to get raped. Don’t put words in my mouth. I thought she should have ended him ages ago (aka reporting him). She wasn’t keeping quiet because of the threats and the tapes, she was keeping quiet because she wanted her career to flourish. She didn’t care about the future victims. She only cared to take actions when it finally affected her (aka she couldn’t leave the place or he would release tapes and much more to destroy her career).
- Lu Hong (蘆宏) as Fan Ruo Xuan (范若瑄). A client of Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi used her for his many plastic surgical experiments and considered her to be a failed project.
- An Ya (安亞) as Ai Wen (艾文). A client of Zhang Yi. After a failed plastic surgery, she became insane and was hospitalized for it.
- Zhang Sheng Yue (張聖岳) as Liu Lian Ming (劉連明). Security guard of the plastic surgery center.
- Xu Ge (許歌) as Liu Yun (劉雲). Zhang Yi’s secretary.
- Jiang Rong (姜蓉) as Rich Woman (富婆). A client of Zhang Yi.
- Li Jing Yi (李静一) as The woman who cut her wrists (割腕女). A client of Zhang Yi.
- Miao Miao (苗苗) as Internet Celebrity Girl (網紅女).
University Courtyard Bone Case (高校操場埋骨案)
- Zhang Zi Mu (张籽沐) as Ren Xiao Xuan (任晓玄). A student who disappeared ten years ago.
- Liu Mei Tong (刘美彤) as Qu Lan Xin (瞿蓝心). A fine arts teacher. She was probably Ren Xiao Xuan’s only friends from ages ago. I suspected there was something off about her yet didn’t think the twist was like so. She was a tomboy, so she was mistaken and incorporated into being a fantasy version of what Xiao Xuan’s boyfriend should be like. It was a tragedy all around and the reason why she was arrested was because she had hidden the evidence (aka the body and then moved it around later). Regardless of her reason, it was the wrong move, so she had to take responsibility for her actions.
- Han Shu Mei (韓姝妹) as Ren Xiao Xuan’s mother (任母).
- Leng Hai Ming (冷海銘) as Zhao Zi Peng (趙梓鵬). A former fine arts teacher who was expelled from the university because of sexual harassment.
- Zhao Zi Hui (赵紫卉) as Zhao Zi Peng’s front desk secretary (前台秘書).
- Zeng Ke Lang (曾柯琅) as Tian Lin (田林). A student who used to bully Ren Xiao Xuan.
Marriage Scam Murder Case (騙婚殺人案)
- Gao Ye (高叶) as Chu Ying Zi (褚英子).
- Feng Bing (馮兵) as Cao Dong (曹棟).
- Zhang Yan (張燕) as Wu Jie (吳姐).
The Case of Stealing and Selling of Advanced Academic Qualifications (盜賣高等學歷案)
- Mi Mi (米咪) as Hua Mu Tao (華木姚). A kidnapped victim. She was considered the poor, little rich girl in here. Because she wasn’t able to take control of her life. Everything was controlled by her father. So, it was easy to see how she could fall into someone’s trap. She wanted someone to care for her because she was herself, not because it was another planned move by her father.
- Liu Ming Ming (柳明明) as Chen Ming Feng (陳銘鋒). Posed as Wen Jing (聞璟) and Duan Ge (段哥) to mislead and kidnap Hua Mu Tao. It turned out he got his identity stole and wanted revenge.
- Xu Hai Wei (徐海為) as Chen Ting Fei (陳廷飛). Hua Mu Tao’s fiancé. He used stolen academic qualifications to advance and got the current status.
- Li Bin (李斌) as Hua Yun San (華雲杉). Hua Mu Tao’s father. Suspected of stealing and selling others academic qualifications.
Robbery at the Jewelry Store Case (金店搶劫案)
- Wu Xiao Yu (武笑羽) as Xia Hong (賀虹).
- Xu Yi Xuan (徐藝瑄) as Xiao An (小安). Xia Hong’s daughter.
- Julian Tsai (蔡珩) as Zhu Tian Qi (楚天啟). Xiao An’s father. I haven’t seen him for the longest time. I thought he looked familiar but didn’t realized that was him until I read the cast list. It was sort of nice seeing him in here. Yet also sad, because his character got conned as well.
- Sun Le Tian (孫樂天) as Zhu Zheng Gan (朱正乾).
- Cao Su Su (曹蘇蘇) as Ms. Xue (薛老師). Xiao An’s teacher.
Domestic Violence Revenge Murder Case (家暴復仇殺人案)
- Ma Yin Yin (馬吟吟) as Chen Qiu Wen (陳秋雯). Zhao Ming Zhe’s wife. Original name was Zhou Yun Yi (周雲意). Experienced domestic violence from Zhao Ming Zhe and managed to escape four years ago hence changing her name and going into hiding.
- Lin Le Xuan (林樂炫) as Lu Ting (陸婷). Zhao Ming Zhe’s lover. Also experienced domestic violence from Zhao Ming Zhe.
- Wang Xiao Wei (王小偉) as Zhao Ming Zhe (趙明哲). Chen Qiu Wen’s husband and Lu Ting’s lover. A very violent and abusive person.
Female College Student’s Rape Case (女大學生強暴案)
- Tu Zhi Ying (屠芷瑩) as Liu Xiao Ye (柳小葉). Victim.
- Li Hong Lei (李宏磊) as Extracurricular class teacher. Liu Xiao Ye’s teacher when she was little. He molested Xiao Ye yet she was too young and didn’t realize what was going on. She still have nightmares of those events and later merged them in with the current case, because those were triggers. I was glad he got caught later as well.
- Chen Shi Min (陳詩敏) as Xiao Liu (小劉). A police artist.
- Yu Heng (于恆) as Chief Hu (胡所長).
AI Scams Targeting Seniors Case (AI詐騙老人案)
- Xu Min (徐敏) as Xu Yi Duo (許意多). Shen Yi’s mentor.
- Ge Zhao Mei (葛兆美) as Mrs. Xu (許師母). Xu Yi Duo’s wife.
- Li Ya Nan (李雅男) as Xu Si Wen (許思文). Xu Yi Duo’s son.
- Sun Meng Jia (孫夢佳) as Zhang Xiao Xue (張小雪). A nurse.
- Wang Yu (王嶼) as Hu Zhi Feng (胡志峰). A salesperson. Zhang Xiao Xue’s boyfriend. He used Zhang Xiao Xue’s client list to orchestra a series of scams, targeting seniors and caused them to lose their life-savings and even their lives (in some cases).
Head Removal Photographs Case (照片割頭案)
- Bonnie Chen (陳碧舸) as Xiao Shan (蕭珊). A model. Du Cheng’s blind date.
- Sun Yan Sheng (孫延笙) as Lei Hao (雷浩). A photographer.
- Pan Yan Fei (潘彥妃) as Shu Qian Qian (舒淺淺). A model, in rivalry with Xiao Shan.
Express Delivery Explosion Case (快遞爆炸案)
- Ma Bo (馬波) as Li Jun Wei (李軍偉). Suffered from face blindness disorder. It was such a tragedy with his son’s accident and he wasn’t able to cope hence taking it to the extreme with the revenge schemes. He even killed the wrong person because of his face blindness disorders.
- Bi Han Wen (畢瀚文) as Zhao Jian Yu (趙建宇).
- Yuan Guo Zheng (袁國政) as Wang Xing Jun (王興軍).
- Shen Xin (沈昕) as Wang Xing Jun’s wife (王興軍妻子).
- Zheng Dong Chuan (鄭東川) as Li Hui (李輝).
- Wang Shen Lan (王沈蘭) as Li Hui’s wife (李輝妻子).
- Ruan Yang Hua (阮樣華) as Zhang Wei Feng (張偉峰).
- Li Yi Heng (李意衡) as Li Lian Kai (李連楷).
- Sun Shao Feng (孫紹峰) as Liu Xiao Chen (劉曉晨).
- Zhou Liao E (周了鈳) as Lin Zhi Jie (林志杰).
Human Trafficking Case (人口販賣案)
- Zhang Xin Ning (張芯寧) as Qin Nian Chu (秦念初). Known as M. One of the masterminds behind the human trafficking organization who was in charge of all aspects of transport. She later wanted to escape from the organization so she used Xia Hong’s child as a bargaining chip and used Xia Hong’s identity to get around. She was responsible for a lot of pain and suffering and was a willing participant in the organization. So, when they gave her credit for raising Xiao An, I wanted to scream into the screen. Unproductive but seriously, that was infuriating. Was I glad the kid survived? Yes. But the kid could only be considered a tool, part of the prop she needed to pose as Xia Hong and hide under the radar all these years. She wasn’t doing that out of the good of her heart. IF she had a heart. I said it before in a different series, but if you robbed the parents the chance of raising their kids and being around their kids for whatever reason, you don’t get credit for raising said kid. So, it would make more sense to tell the kid, when she grew up, that this woman was a poser who robbed her mom the chance of being in her life. Will the kid be heartbroken that her mother had sacrificed herself for her? Probably. But the truth was her mom was the one doing the sacrificing in the situation, not crediting some woman who was part of a human trafficking organization who hurt others.
- Zhu Gang Ri Yao (朱刚日尧) as Chen Zhou (陳舟). The head of a technology company. The leader of the human trafficking organization. I knew he was bad news even before they arrived at the conclusion that he was the mastermind. There was something really off about him.
- Sun Bin (孫斌) as Zhou Jun (周俊). Librarian. A member of the human trafficking organization who was in charge of abduction.
- Liu Yi (劉伊) as Chen Zhou’s secretary (陳舟秘書).
- Zhao Zi Hui (趙紫卉) as Front desk receptionist (前台秘書).
- Tang Wen Jing (湯文靜) as Host (主持人).
Others:
- Tian Yuan (田沅) as Lin Min (林敏). Shen Yi’s senior. At one point, I was suspicious of her for some reason. I don’t know. She seemed to have some hidden agenda. But I was glad it wasn’t something. Or were they saving her mysterious arch for season 2? I’m naturally paranoid, lol. So, anything could happen, really.
- Fu Miao (傅淼) as Dr. Gong (龔大夫). Shen Yi’s psychologist.
- Yu Ming Jia (于明加) as Du Qing (杜傾). Du Cheng’s older sister. She was fun to watch and a nice ally to them when needed.
- Zhang Tao (章濤) as Lu Hai Zhou (路海洲). District Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigation. Assisted in the investigation of the victim who was pushed off the rooftop. At first, I thought he was the mole planted inside the police place to act as eyes and ears for them. Yes, that extreme. Because he looked and acted suspicious throughout. Even if it was his job, I felt like something was off. Like he showed up too fast and was too fierce in wanting to arrest Du Cheng and much more. Yet, I realized he just cared too much for the police’s reputation, so he wanted to get it over with it quick. He did learn from them, so it wasn’t a lost cause.
Discussions:
- The cases. I really liked them and thought there were decent set of cases that could happen in society. Some were more complicated while others were much more simple. It was life. So, I liked the mixture.
- The team. They were an interesting bunch and their individual talents helped the team as an overall. It was nice to see them eventually getting along later.
- The sequel. At one time, there were rumors that the main cast would be replaced completely. I was so glad it wasn’t so when I finally hunted down the news. Because it would suck big time. Considering how the series ended in a cliff hanger. I meant some of the other cases had been wrapped up already. But the writers threw in a new possible lead. So, it would have been a shame if they had been replaced.
Recommended? Yes, definitely yes. Not only because of the cast but the cases and fascinating main plot throughout.