ZOMBIE’S T-DRAMA REVIEW: Someone Like You Episode 1

It feels like forever since I last wrote a drama review but I guess that’s what happens when the holidays take over your life and you don’t even have time to breathe, let alone watch a drama. However, now that the new year is well under way and things have finally (somewhat) settled back into their normal routine, it’s time to get back to watching dramas and writing reviews and I’m kicking off the new year with a brand new T-drama, Someone Like You.

Starring Kingone Wang and Kirsten Ren, Someone Like You seems to be drawing a lot of attention for its cast and for good reason. I loved Kirsten Ren in In A Good Way and I’m excited to see what she does with the character of Wang Yu Xi as she doesn’t seem to be your typical drama lead. I’m also excited to see how Kingone Wang plays the part of the wounded and aloof heir, as Fang Zhan Cheng is exactly the type of character I love and with such an experienced actor playing the part, I have no doubt, Zhan Cheng will quickly become one of my favorites. Of course I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t squee a little bit over the fact Bii has provided us with the theme song for this particular drama. I’ve been head-over-heels for him since he did the theme song for Love Around and I love, love, love that I get to listen to his voice for the next twenty weeks. *sigh* (I also love his cameo in the opening scene, so much so I very nearly fell out of my chair when the camera tilted up on that opening shot and he was the one standing there. Oh holy flip! My heart stopped! *ahem* Sorry, fangirl moment…)

As far as the story goes, things seem to be off to a pretty good start, well, at least for us, the viewers. Things for Zhan Cheng aren’t going so well but that’s to be expected. You’ve got to have a story start somewhere and sadly, this story begins with tragedy. At least we had a fun introduction to Zhan Cheng before his life fell apart. I liked that our first encounter with Zhang Cheng was in the middle of a high-stakes bet and though I felt like I was watching the Taiwanese version of The Fast and the Furious for a bit, it wasn’t a bad thing. (Truth be told, I found my heart pounding during that race, especially when it started raining and they were zipping around those corners… I was certain one of those men was going to end up dead! Thank goodness I was wrong!) Being allowed this glimpse of Zhang Cheng before he steps into the role of the sweetly devoted fiance, we now know that he’s a bit cocky, he’s a risk-taker and he’s not afraid to step up to a challenge which, I have a feeling, are all points that are going to come into play as this story progresses. After the death of his fiance, Zhan Cheng seems to have given up all of his spunk, choosing to live a miserable life full of self-pity and unnecessary guilt and I think it’s going to be up to Yu Xi to help Zhang Cheng find his old self again.

I suppose if Zhang Cheng can’t find his old spunk, he might be able to borrow some from Yu Xi as she seems to have it in spades! Truth be told, I’m really loving Yu Xi at the moment. She’s such a nut and I love that she and her mother are a couple of innocent con-artists. (Can you really have an innocent con-artist???) Maybe that’s not the best way to describe them but in my zombie brain it works. I guess I see them as innocent because they’re using their unethical ways to earn enough money to pay for the hospital bills of Yu Xi’s brother and that seems like such a noble cause. How can you get mad at people who are trying not to get buried under a mountain of medical bills? I know I can’t but maybe I’m a bit more lenient than most when it comes to this subject as it hits a little too close to home… Not the con-artist part, mind you, just the mountains of medical bills. (Have I mentioned lately how much cancer sucks???) Moving on… With Yu Xi’s brother in the hospital and Liang Ruo Han making such a big deal about organ donations at the beginning of this episode, I have this suspicious feeling these two are going to be somehow connected. It wouldn’t surprise me if Yu Xi’s brother’s life is saved by an organ donated by Ruo Han. This just seems to be the type of drama where that happens and you know there are going to be all kinds of tears when the truth comes out. (Should this suspicion of mine turn out to be fact.)  Of course at this point we don’t even know what condition Yu Xi’s brother is in, as his last appearance was in the hospital two years ago and we all know a lot can change in two years. Just look at Zhang Cheng.

I must admit, I’m a bit disappointed in Zhang Cheng for letting himself go the way he has. As a once strong and prosperous individual, I hate to see him so full of depression and guilt and I really hate to see that he’s refused to take any steps towards correcting his vision, even though he’s had the ability to do so for years. It’s obvious he’s inflicting this injury upon himself as a way to pay penance for his “crimes” but the simple truth of the matter is, he never did anything wrong! The accident was totally the truck driver’s fault and the only thing Zhang Cheng is guilty of is wallowing in self-pity for far too long. This is where I hope Yu Xi can work her magic. Now that she and Zhang Cheng have been thrown together, it’s time for the real fun to begin. I have a feeling these two are going to practically kill each other before they realize they love each other and I’m really looking forward to that. I know, I’m kinda messed up but what can I say? The “I hate you so much I can’t see that I actually love you” relationship is one of my favorites and this relationship between Zhang Cheng and Yu Xi is set up perfectly for that. Zhang Cheng is repulsed by Yu Xi’s crudeness (at least in comparison to Ruo Han’s perfection) and Yu Xi will probably never forgive Zhang Cheng for “peeping” on her, even after she realizes he’s blind. I hope to see a lot of fireworks between these two as their relationship grows from hate to love but I guess, as with any drama, you can’t get your hopes up too high as you’re liable to be disappointed. Still, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

As much as I like how things have been set up with this first episode, I do find myself asking a lot of questions. First of all, how much time passed between the accident that took Zhang Cheng’s eyesight and the time Ruo Han passed away? It was obviously enough time for Zhang Cheng to make a decent recovery but how long did that take? I don’t know why it bothers me to not have an answer to this question but it does. Second, what’s up with Yu Xi’s brother? Is he still sick? Has he gotten better? Is he dead? I really hope he’s still alive and well but what if he’s not? Would the mutual loss of a loved one bring Zhang Cheng and Yu Xi closer together or would that whole organ donation theory be more powerful? Third, how much longer does Zhang Cheng think he can keep up this ruse? It’s been two years since he first lost his eyesight and the media is apparently on a quest for blood. They’re more than eager to rip him apart over his eyesight (which really doesn’t make sense to me but whatever) so shouldn’t Zhang Cheng be doing something about this? Maybe he wants to stay blind for the sake of his lost love but he’s still got a life to live and a company to run and he needs his eyesight back, whether he’s willing to admit that or not. Fourth, how are Zhang Cheng and Yu Xi going to handle the media once word gets out the girl he “assaulted” at the spa is now working for him. No matter how you look at this new arrangement between the two, it doesn’t look good. Will rumors about these two spread? If they do, how will these two handle the situation? See? There are so many questions I want answered and it’s driving me nuts that I can’t find an answer but I suppose that’s a good thing as it means I’ll be back next week to see if can make anything out of whatever happens next.

You know, despite all the questions I’ve just asked, what I really want to know is this… What do you think of Someone Like You so far? Are you enjoying it? Are you as interested in finding out what happens next as I am? Do you have any thoughts, ideas or theories you’d like to share? You know it’s only fun reviewing a drama when I have someone to talk to so be sure to let me know what you’re thinking by leaving me a comment below!