Those of you who know me know that I love a strong fantasy drama. I am open to any type of fantasy. Ghosts, Vampires, Aliens, you name it and I am there. So when I heard that Rainie Yang was in a new drama where she was being haunted by her ex-boyfriend I was totally on board. At least until I started watching and the show quickly struck out. So join me as I analyze where things went wrong in the Chinese drama The Ex-Man.

Strike 1 – Boring and Unlikable Characters

I understand that we often have leading men in dramas that are complete jerks. Most often those jerks are hiding secret soft centers. Meaning, they only need the love of a good woman to drag out their better qualities. I can live with drama jerks. What I can’t live with are boring drama jerks. I don’t know about you but I was practically in a coma when our leading man Dai Hai An (Lan Cheng Long) was on screen.

I was more invested in dissecting his wannabe hipster wardrobe than anything he actually did. Really? Sandals in the workplace? What a total waste of a pretty jawline.

Before you think I am only picking on our leading man, just wait. I have a ton of things to say about our lackluster leading lady Oing Ai. For one, watching her be “in love” is like watching paint dry. I swear I thought her boyfriend was actually her brother for the first 20 minutes. A boyfriend who seems very serviceable. At least as a driver, since they mention that he caters to her driving needs. Which is all we know about their four-year relationship. I thought that apathetic indifference was something that should come after being married for 15 years? Not before you even reach the wedding night.

Strike 2 Bad styling…………so much bad styling

You know you are watching a sub-par show when you think about outfits/hairstyles and can instantly pick out over five that make you shudder. And sadly the leading man’s questionable footwear isn’t even in top 3. It looks like the show’s stylist tried to make every character look distinct and different. By giving them freaky bangs, dried frizzy die jobs, and possible toupee. Don’t even get me started on the lighthouse bedecked wanna be 70s porn stash coworker. His porn stash and over the top vibe made me wince anytime he came on screen. You just can’t do that and expect a viewer to take this show seriously.

Strike 3 – Boring & Bad Writing

All things said, if the story had been more engaging I would have overlooked the horrible visuals. But it wasn’t. It was a snoozefest and by the end of episode one, I didn’t care about any of the characters. Which is sad since the cast had some promise and I liked multiple actors involved. But what is a kaddict to do when the actors you like are given crap dialogue and non-engaging characters? You finish the first episode and call it quits. Maybe even engage in some rage blogging. With so many awesome options out in Dramaland right now there is just no room for mediocre, let alone boring bottom of the barrel dramas.

Final Thoughts:

The idea of a girl being “haunted” over thoughts about her ex-boyfriend had the possibility of being really fun.  Even if it is a situation where the haunting is all in her head I could have gotten on board.  But you can’t have a first love show when the girl has obviously moved on again (happily if boring).  Especially when the guy is only reconnecting with her after he went and made it big.  I don’t like how the concept was fleshed out and I am happy to call it quits.

So take my advice and give The Ex Man a skip. If you need a Rainie Yang fix I suggest going back and rewatching Drunken to Love You. Sure the last third of the drama is crazypants plot but that beats boring any day.

Til our next drama adventure,

Kmuse

Dramas With a Side of Kimchi