It took us a bit, but Kmuse and I finally found another Chinese drama to recap together. It’s funny because Kmuse liked one and I watched it and wanted to tear my hair out because of the cheese. Then I liked a different one and she thought the lead guy wasn’t attractive at all. The problem with recapping most Chinese dramas is they’re so dang long. It’s too much of a commitment for this working girl. But we happily landed on Memory Lost. It aired in 2016 and this last week Dramafever started putting up one episode every weekday. They originally aired three seasons, twelve episode each,  for a total of thirty-six episodes.

Drama Geek: If you’re unfamiliar with our recapping style, we don’t do step-by-step recaps. With this drama, we decided to do a quick overview of the “case of the week” and then give our top five favorite moments from the three episodes we recap.

KMUSE: It is the only way to keep our sanity.

Drama Geek: The synopsis that DF has is SUPER long, so I’ll condense. Two hot detectives both lost their memories five years ago. They are still capable of doing their jobs because they apparently didn’t lose those memories just the ones about…. um…. stuff. They end up on a case together and sparks fly, sexy fight scenes ensue (I may have rewatched their first meeting a few times) and then peeing contests about who is a better detective commence. Kmuse: This is a much better synopsis and marks all the important bits.  Also, don’t feel bad about rewatching their sexy first meet.  It was superbly done and their chemistry was off the charts.

A quick breakdown of the main characters:

Bai Jing Xi is a lollipop-loving criminal psychologist who runs a well-oiled team. They respect her and she’s smart and very capable. She can be a bit hot headed sometimes, but what woman wouldn’t need to be in that environment.

Kmuse: She has a great style.  Although I wonder how she can run in those heels they always have her wearing.  I can only assume this is PPL (Paid Product Placement) and I am just ignorant of what brand of shoe they want me to buy.

Han Chen scoffs at criminal psychology and prefers good old police work. He loses a point in my book when he says he hates women police officers the most, but I think eventually I’ll be able to forgive him. He can’t remember his past but he has a feeling he has a fiancé and can’t give up on finding her. He tends to sit and ponder a lot while looking at a faceless drawing of a woman.

Kmuse: He is sexy and a slight jerk.  I adore this kind of character who develops into a sweet boyfriend by the end of the show.

Xu Si Bai a doctor, wannabe chef, part-time medical examiner and full-time one-sided crusher. His doe-eyed glances at Jing Xi are cute at first but by the third episode, I’m left to wonder if he has a collage of her photos in his room and he looks at them every night before he goes to bed. Okay, so he’s not that creepy, but he does give off a weird vibe.

Kmuse: I wasn’t thinking he was that creepy until Ep 3 where he went in for the kiss while Jing Xi was sleeping.  And while we are on the subject, could they have found a more uncomfortable looking couch for her to nap on?  The floor looks more comfortable and it detracted me from 2nd Lead’s stalkerish behavior.

Shi Heng is your standard police sidekick. Perky, hard-working, and always good at labeling elephants in rooms when no one else wants to.

Kmuse: He makes me laugh. Two thumbs up.

The Case of the Week:

Drama Geek: Their first case is straight up NIGHTMARE city. Literally. The victims are drugged and then taken from their beds and staged somewhere else. The scenes are elaborate and look to be someone’s perfect dream. That’s the creepiest thing of all. While the girls are drugged they have these wonderful dreams only to wake up and realize they’ve been raped. The first victim is friends with a woman who knows Han Chen and that is why he gets involved. The rapist leaves behind semen and pictures taken while the girls are asleep, but neither of these things brings them closer to finding whoever is doing this. Of course, he doesn’t show up on CCTV footage either. By the end of the third episode we have a second victim and a long list of suspects that they’re trying to narrow down.

Kmuse: I can’t decide if it is a blessing or not that they don’t have strong memories of being violated.  I guess the not knowing who or why might actually be worse.  Either way, this is one horrible way to wake up.

Top 5 Moments:

Makeshift swimsuits and mistaken identities

Drama Geek: Our two amnesiac lovers meet when Jin Xi is running a sting operation and she mistakes Han Chen for one of her bad guys. Hey, he was just lounging in a hotel room when the bad guy went into his room. How was she to know he was an off duty cop? Anyway, the bad guy gets away when they engage in hand to hand combat that ends with them rolling around on his bed and her burrito wrapped in the comforter. HC 1/JX 0

Kmuse: Hahahaha She looked so sexy and stylish in her makeshift swimsuit. Not to mention her sexy attire just made the fight scene between our leads all the more steamy. I really enjoyed their first meet and look forward to many more clashes to come.

Finger Pulling

Drama Geek: Did I say I liked their fighting scenes? The second time our OTP (One True Pairing) meet is when Han Chen is called to his friend’s house to help out with the first victim’s case. Jing Xi gets flustered when Shi Heng starts with his hero worship for Chen so she spouts off things she’s deduced about the case even though she doesn’t usually make an assessment until she’s reviewed all the evidence. Han Chen deflates her balloon when he pokes holes in her theory. You know, the one she admits she pulled out of her ass later on. After leaving the victim’s apartment, things get heated again and we get more hand to hand combat which ends in both of them all yoga twisted around not wanting to let go because they’ll lose. I’ll call this a tie because they break away at the same time when Si Bai shows up.

Kmuse: Shi Heng’s fanboying might be one of my favorite moments of the episode.  He was just so cute and, well, a fanboy.  I wonder if he went home and refused to wash his hand because Han Chen shook it?  As for our OTP.  Every time they are on screen together it is a joy to watch.  I was surprised Jing Xi didn’t recognize him right away, but I guess she was busy getting twirled up in the bedding to really focus on his attractive features.

I’m kickass and can run in heels like a boss, but not if it means I have to climb up high.

Drama Geek: Right before they discover the second victim, Han Chen sees a suspicious guy and a foot chase ensues. Jing Xi and Shi Heng happen to drive by and Jing Xi gets out and hauls ass in her stilettos. She totally keeps up with them until the suspect climbs up onto some storage crates. Han Chen launches her up on top, but after that, she’s frozen in place. I’m pretty sure her fear has something to do with those lost memories, but Han Chen has no way of knowing this. He gives her hard time but inevitably pushes a bunch of crates over so that she can step down. There was something about this scene that reminded me of old movies. It just had a very Audrey Hepburn movie feel to it.

Kmuse: Where did Hang Chen find those perfectly shaped boxes that were easy to push around? Hmm. I don’t know. So many aspects of this scene didn’t work for me. First, is the immediate decision that the perp was acting suspicious and the possible killer. After a longer look…sure. But just from one quick glance? However, I am willing to let it pass since I am enjoying everything else so far. Also, running in those shoes is a true skill that few possess. She deserves a slow clap for that action alone.

Elaborate Crime Scenes

Kmuse: I think that we should take a minute to appreciate the beauty of the crime scenes that our rapist creates. The elaborate details that go into setting the mood are fascinating. It is something that would usually be considered very romantic, think the big events that boyfriends do for their girlfriends, and turning it into a twisted version. They truly are a slice of a fairytale brought to life in a very twisted and creepy manner.

Drama Geek: Agreed. The rapist takes time to set up these elaborate scenes and he also takes measures to not “hurt” the victims (yes, I totally get the irony of that statement) when he rapes them. I think he somehow feels he’s blessing them with something special. As if it really is all for them. Which just makes it SO much creepier.

Dream a little dream

Kmuse:  The writer has made the concept of dreams a huge part of this plot. Whether it is the twisted dreams of the rapist’s victims or the memories of our leads trying to come back via a dream, dreams remain the focus. It will be interesting to see if this theme continues into the next grouping of episodes, and so far, I am as curious as our lead’s to see how this all pans out.

Drama Geek: The most twisted part was watching how happy the victims were when they were in the dream. I would say the even looked euphoric when describing the dream to the police. I do hope after this case is wrapped up that dreams continue to play a part in the theme. I like the dynamic they give to the show.

Overall Thoughts:

Drama Geek: Chinese cop dramas definitely have a formula so the setup is familiar but what drew my attention to this drama is the female lead and her chemistry with her partner. I have a weakness for kickass women and always hope that they’ll keep their toughness throughout the entirety of the drama. Fingers crossed. I think everyone already knows that Jing Xi is Han Chen’s forgotten fiancé, but it will be interesting to see them discover the truth together. The synopsis says that whatever danger took their memories away will threaten them once again, so we’ve yet to meet the Big Bad. I look forward to seeing that unfold and fingers crossed they’re worthy of our heroes.

Kmuse: I can’t wait to find out how our leads lost their memories. Not to mention, how they are going to fall back in love? This is a really fun show, and I’m glad we branched out to cover a crime drama.

Til our next memorable recap,

Kmuse & Drama Geek

Dramas With A Side of Kimchi