September 29, 2023

Alliance | Open Thread + Reviews

Alliance
A housewife befriends her husband's mistress as she returns to the workforce.
Notable Actors/Actresses
Zhang Xiao Fei: Lin Shuang
Zhang Jia Ni: Jiang Xi
Li Ze Feng: Wei Ming
Director
Screenwriter
(Author: Lang Lang)
Chinese Title
好事成雙
Good Things Come in Pairs
Year: 2023
Episodes: 36

Jump to Reviews | Remarks | Recs | Comments  


Cast


Zhang Xiao Fei:
Lin Shuang		 Huang Xiao Ming:
Gu Xu
Zhang Jia Ni:
Jiang Xi		 Li Ze Feng:
Wei Ming

Zhao Xin:
Huang Jia Yi


Screencaps


[Ep1]
The nail that broke everything.
[Ep2]
Never question why ML is so despicable. Look at his 父母.
[Ep3]
Gu Xu feigning ignorance as to who Wei Ming is.
[Ep4]
Guo Guo, the only girl on the hockey team.
[Ep5]
Cannot cut him, so cut him out of the cake.
Jiang Hai. 
[Ep6]
[Ep7]
The setup.
[Ep8]
[Ep9]
Gu Xu shaking Guo Guo's little hand.
[Ep10]
A child would have better manners than this FIL who throws shells on the floor.
[Ep11]
[Ep12]
[Ep13]
[Ep14]
[Ep15]
[Ep16]
[Ep17]
[Ep18]
[Ep19]
The 3rd woman.
[Ep20]
[Ep21]
[Ep22]
[Ep23]
[Ep24]
[Ep25]
[Ep26]
Happy crying Mom and Guo Guo reunion.
Hair.
Now makeup...
[Ep27]
[Ep28]
Jiang Hai ge and Guo Guo.
I'm addicted to the cleft in his chin. Just his.
[Ep29]
[Ep30]
[Ep31]
[Ep32]
[Ep33]
[Ep34]
[Ep35]
Beat him.
[Ep36]




Remarks


by FanFanX

[First Impression (Ep1-)] This series is not entirely as 狗血 as the first few eps would lead one to believe. It gets better. At least the title makes sense.

[Actors/Actresses] Li Ze Feng is stuck in these zha nan roles now, huh? Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd stick to this series because of Zhang Jia Ni, who is also typecasted for the "other woman" roles. 

I'm crushing on Zhu Zi Jie, who is the slowly maturing Jiang Hai (2FL's didi). He's also in a mini right now, You Complete Me but he's sporting some bad hair there. Ha. 

[Behind the Scenes] 

→ Ep3. When Wei Ming carries Lin Shuang in a dress that is clearly not intended for her. 
→ Ep11. When he goes overboard in celebrating their anniversary.  
→ Ep13. Ming Bo and Jiang Xi's motorbike ride.
→ Ep19. Huang Jia Yi's rain/hotel scene. 
→ Lin Shuang Zhang Xiao Fe really struggles with this door. xD
 
[OST] 


[CP Name] 

♥ Double Joy ♥
Lin Shuang 林雙 + Jiang Xi 江喜
= Shuang Xi 雙喜

♥ Blind ♥
Wei Ming 衛明 + Lin Shuang 林雙
= Shuang Mu Shi Ming 雙目失明
= Both Eyes are Blind
 
Want to see more CP names?  


[Ending] Happy for all except for narcissistic jerkface.



Reviews



Five (5/5)


Four (4/5)


Three (3/5)

Reviewer: FanFanX
Date: December 2023
Aesthetics: B Acting: A+ Plot: A Is this a revenge story? The ultimate revenge isn’t necessarily in knocking down one’s enemies but also in surpassing them by living a much more fulfilling life in spite of their interference. The first few eps of this series are misleading and off-putting. This isn’t exactly a wife seeking revenge against the mistress, or vice versa. Stay for a bit and you’ll be swayed by the sismance, ergo the most unlikely of friendships. This is not a romance. It’s more a sismance between Li Shuang (wife) and Jiang Xi (mistress) and how they each grow as individuals and continue supporting each other in their journeys. It’s encouraging to see Li Shuang’s relationships with her daughter, her parents, and her colleagues. On the flip side, there is such heartbreak in Jiang Xi’s life – her disparaging mother and ungrateful younger brother. The two women hold each other up in their darkest moments, and instead of doing everything for each other, they encourage each other to get back up, stand proud and move forward. I also really love the friendship between Li Shuang and Jiang Xi’s slowly-maturing brother, Jiang Hai, and his adorable kinship with Li Shaung’s daughter, Guo Guo. While I did not like Li Shuang’s ex-husband, Wei Ming, I will say that the actor, Li Ze Feng does an excellent job at making one loathe him as he worsens with each and every episode. He also has some of the most horrible parents, which explains so much about Wei Ming’s delusions of grandeur. And when he tries to step on more powerful people, it is immensely satisfying to see where it goes. Further clarification on this series not having romance: The romance between Li Shaung and Gu Xu is barely worth mentioning because of its very slow progress (and shown more so in flashback interactions). This is the least important relationship in the series. The series would have achieved the same end results with 28-30 eps instead of 36. Overall, this is worth a watch.

Random Recommendation:   

Rating: 3/5

Two (2/5)


One (1/5)




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