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...
Supermarket manager Simon is trying to have the most inclusive workplace having launched an accidentally transphobic advertising campaign. A female dwarf, Millie, and a tall, black woman, Beefy don’t cut the mustard, so he thinks the answer is to look up “transgenders in the area”. He remembers that his employee Tim has a trans roommate Olivia, who is inherently lazy. Tom emotionally blackmails her to join the job. Simon assures her “We want you to be as loud and as proud as you like". Liv is charismatic and clever, but she is also lazy, workshy, irritating, jealous and selfish. Liv keeps making excuses in the name of "gender realignment" surgery but in reality, she does;t want it, so she is later horrified to discover Simon has started a fundraiser for said surgery. Each episode just follows different shenanigans with these 4-5 characters with Liv and her trans identity being at the center of it all. Her total lack of interest in taking the job quickly translates to a total lack of interest in doing the job. Olivia immediately realises that she is essentially unsackable – one word from her and Simon’s reputation as a monstrous bigot is set in stone.
This is the weirdest supermarket you will ever see which has literally no customers. The characters are stacking shelves, mopping floors, and working the night shift. But this show takes the increasingly grim persecution of a sexual minority and turns it into comedic fodder. Plenty about it feels generic, and certain characters are underwritten; but sitcoms are like that. Simon is one truly funny character. He tries too hard to be an ally to Liv, and he’s more sincere in his efforts to get things right. I thought Millie was very funny. He was a superb actor and got some really funny lines. She brings a sweet comic touch to the overly kind, eager-to-please shelf-stacker whose good nature is frequently exploited by Liv. Although silly jokes are to the fore, there are depths here, too, as it becomes increasingly clear that Liv’s lonely, and is grappling her way to some sort of relationships with her workmates the only way she knows how, by playing the fool. The actor playing Liv is also the show creator and clearly she wanted to do something different. With just 6 episodes, the sitcom is an easy breezy watch with just enough laughter and drama in every episode. Do not. Try to see this as a politically correct show. Just sit back and laugh and enjoy and you will be ok. (6.5/10)
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