Taiwanese Drama [Drunken to] Love You (2011)
Grade:
A-
30
Episodes, about 40 minutes each
Lin
Xiao Ru's plans to spend her annual vacation in Las Vegas are
derailed when her pilot boyfriend of 4 years suddenly cancels on her
with only the statement that someone needs him more than she does for
explanation. The distraught Xiao Ru ends up drinking all night with a
stranger: successful interior designer Song Jie Xiu, who had
attempted to propose earlier that day to his
supermodel-turned-actress girlfriend of 8 years. With a ring in his
pocket and two broken hearts between them, the intoxicated pair wake
the next morning to find themselves legally married! Jie Xiu's
girlfriend Tang Ai Wei discovers the marriage, but in order to keep
her very first movie role, she asks the two to remain married until
filming is completed. Meanwhile, Xiao Ru finds out the reason her
pilot left was to take responsibility for the flight attendant he
impregnated. What happens when Jie Xiu steps in to help Xiao
Ru save face, gives her a shoulder to cry on, then goes out of his way
to “lend” her some happiness? Will Xiao Ru grab hold of the
happiness she's found, or will she surrender to Ai Wei, since Jie Xiu
wasn't Xiao Ru's to take in the first place? How will Jie Xiu's
estranged mother feel about the arrangement? Will the orphaned Xiao
Ru ever find her own mother?
*For
a Taiwanese drama, this was a VERY good show, on par with most Korean
dramas and an even better plot than some, despite “cheesy”
elements and tropes. The intro has cute animation and music (if you can get past the lyrics about "doing it" all night...), the fairly
lighthearted script has decent pacing, plus there is great chemistry
between the leads. Rainie Yang is a super cute actress with clothes I
would love to own, and I really liked her character, aside from the
tendency to be more self-sacrificing than necessary. Joseph Chang
reminded me a little bit of Keanu Reeves as far as his looks, and my
favorite acting moment is when the serious Jie Xiu finally allows his
mother to hug him – he tolerates it for a few moments, but then he
starts rolling his eyes and shaking with annoyance the more she fawns
over him, until she lets go and he walks away in a huff. Hilarious!
I
will say this is definitely an ADULT show, as it covers topics such
as abortion, premarital sex, and even rape, but they handled these
topics without a lingering nasty feeling to it - not more than a
PG-13 rating's worth. I definitely liked it much better than the
**first show, “Fated to Love You” - better pacing and no awkward
“several years later” separation between the characters. I'd
watch this again!*
**This
is supposed to be the second installment in a three-part series, with
“Fated to Love You” (2008) as the first, but I could find no
clear information about a third installment. Fun fact: I recognized
FOUR actors from “Fated to Love You” in this show, and now I know
why!
