I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
Titled "Long Long Time", the story goes to flashback 20 years ago in 2003, when the government has evacuated the whole town since the plague started, leaving behind Bill, a military guy hiding as the sole survivor. He raids the Home Depot, the gas plant and the wine store, and he eventually builds a fence around his neighborhood and its nearby shops, fortifying it with security cameras, electric fencing and booby traps. But he lacks a larger sense of purpose. Four years later, when a stranger, Frank, falls into one of his pits, Bill softens. Frank, a refugee from Baltimore’s failed Quarantine Zone, persuades his captor to give him some food and let him take a shower. There is attraction between two men and awkwardness at the same time. After Frank coaxes Bill to admit that he has never acted on his attraction to men, they slip into bed together, with Frank promising, “I’m going to start with the simple things.” They are officially a couple, the only inhabitants of this town. Circa 2010 and Bill can’t entirely shake his fear of losing everything to the authorities. But Frank nevertheless urges him to make their immediate surroundings more attractive and permanent. Then he invites over some friends he met on the radio: Joel and Tess. Bill gets shot one night bur survives, but its Frank who starts succumbing to an illness and finally having one last good day together, they take their own lives.
It was surprising to see a warm, rich, love story being dedicated for full one episode in an otherwise actin packed series. I can only imagine, this episode getting mixed reviews. It slows the tone, but at the same time, it is an important piece of art and television that shows love and companionship in a way that we are not used to seeing or even heard or imagined. The couple's relationship is depicted through gorgeously written and heartbreakingly performed snapshots and intimate details, such as their growing strawberries after years without tasting them. It illustrates that love, beauty, and peace can still be found through human connection even after the apocalypse. See, if you don't have the context of the overall show, this episode may not mean much to you, because you have to understand the apocalypse that these people are in which they have created this beautiful world around them, all alone, just the two of them in peace, love and harmony. Both the actors playing Bill and Frank are just superb. Bill has to first show his paranoid, macho side slowly turning into gentler human being. As Frank is the kind hearted human who wants to see positivity in people and life. It’s a supremely effective portrayal of the concept that without love, living is merely surviving. That love only continues to blossom throughout, complete with all the nuanced irritable moments that any relationship brings. Frank and Bill's final day is remarkably touching from start to finish. It's devastating yet tinged with melancholy due to the fact that it's so rare for someone to be able to say a proper farewell in this world. This is truly a wonderful piece of TV. The episode will feel slow, very slow in fact, especially in the context of the overarching show, but the brilliance lies in giving the audience a beautiful reminder that love is open for all to find, no matter who and where you choose to discover it with. It's heartbreaking, poignant, and achingly romantic. And with some brilliant acting and direction, this is a truly a winner. I will not go into the debate of how this was mostly not a part of the original video game, because who cares!! This is an episode, just like love, that lives long in the memory after experiencing it. (8/10)
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