[Review] Love SOS (TW-2013)

Love SOS (愛情急整室) ended quite a few weeks ago and given how I feel about it, I wasn’t very motivated to write this review. But at least I will have something to show for after spending so many hours watching it? When it was announced originally I actually had a little hope for it, and boy, was I wrong.

 

For a more detailed story outline and character profiles, they’re in this post here.

 

I’ve collated some of the thoughts I posted already in the Weekly Roundups, to give you an idea.

 

Love SOS Ep 9 – this drama has officially been relegated to background noise. I play it on TV but 80% of the time my eyes are on the computer. Why am I watching this again? I do like the theme & ending theme songs though.

 

Love SOS Ep 10 – There are only three episodes left but I still don’t feel any deep connection between the OTP? Actually, is Daniel and Jian Man Shu really the OTP? I’m seeing more development between her and the 2nd lead Patrick Li. But that ‘I have feelings for her because she’s just like my dead ex-girlfriend’ is just too creepy for it to go anywhere. I really should’ve abandoned this long ago but yeah, I’m one of those people who don’t like dropping a series especially when there’re only a few eps to go. I’m sure Daniel can act better than this, judging from the reviews of Lanling Wang I’ve been reading.

 

Love SOS Eps 11 to 13 – Speaking of crappy dramas I don’t know how I managed to finish this. I would’ve dropped it if it was any longer. Looking at some comments on Lanling Wang Daniel Chan is stealing the spotlight but DO NOT, just don’t think about watching Love SOS for him, really. It’s pretty horrible.

 

So what went wrong? Everything it seems. Plot. Characters. No Chemistry between any of the leads. Annoying side characters. Wow.

 

Plot – it got caught up in all the unnecessary crap

Well I said I had hope for it when I read the story outline and character profiles, and seemingly Love SOS had some ingredients of an average idol drama. But all the side plots were over the top and unnecessary. I’m pretty sure early on it spent at least half an episode on this ‘mob boss’ subplot, and this other annoying supporting character who’s like… a gigolo. (OK, so I don’t think he was actually a ‘prostitute’ but more like an escort?) I think they’re supposed to be comic relief but I’m not laughing! And please, don’t get me started on the ‘evil woman’ who is Tian Yu (Daniel Chan)’s stepmother. Every time she’s flirting with one of the other employees, or the old man (who is Yi Jie / Amber An’s father), I want to vomit. It is wrong on so many levels.


Yeah all of these side characters are wacky and pretty redundant

 

No chemistry between the leads

So the first half of the drama went by without much happening, I’m here to watch the love square writers! And you guys forgot one key ingredient – some chemistry between our OTP Daniel and Jian Man Shu! Throughout the whole 13 episodes I only remember ONE scene where I thought, hmmm ok, I like the development between this couple! I know it’s such a clichéd storyline, but in the early episodes Tian Yu and Tong Lin (Jian Man Shu) were pretending to be a couple but Tian Yu’s mother, was opposed to the marriage. I was enjoying that part of the story (you know, where the mother will try to separate them etc etc) but for some reason the writers decided that wasn’t interesting enough. They ended this meddling mother part very quickly and replaced it with the meddling second lead, rich girl Yi Jie. (Amber An) From that point on, I kind of lost interest in the main couple altogether.


There’s probably more chemistry oozing from this photo than the entire drama

 

I remember saying in the very beginning there could be some potential for second lead Shao Xiang Feng (Patrick Lee) to steal some of the limelight from our main character. But the premise of his story is never going to go anywhere unless he can let go of the past. To cut a long story short, he’s attracted to Tong Lin because she reminds him of his dead girlfriend, Yang Ling. He also blames himself for her death, which makes him quite mopey for 90% of the drama. It was only in the last 2 episodes or so, that he finally let go of the past and became a worthy candidate to fight for our female lead. By then, it was too late. There was a time somewhere in the drama I liked the interactions between him and Tong Lin, but because it’s too creepy since he would always have some flashback about his dead girlfriend, it just spoiled everything.

 

Annoying side characters, oh that includes the female leads

I’ve already touched on a few characters that makes me want to roll my eyes everytime they appear on my screen. But this extends to half of the love square – the rich girl who whines and speaks in a very loud pitch most of the time Yi Jie, and even lead female Tong Lin was one of those ‘annoyingly helpful’ people who thinks everything is her business. There is a line between being kind and nosy. Tong Lin in my opinion crosses that line quite often. At least she has a normal voice. If she speaks like Ping An (Amanda Zhu from Borrow ur Love) my head might explode.

 

So the females of this drama are mostly loud / obnoxious / strong personalities but the males – are quite dull in contrast? After 13 episodes I don’t feel like I ‘know’ Han Tian Yu at all? He seems fairly reactive to everything that happens in the drama so he wasn’t that interesting at all. Similarly, the plot revolved so much on Xiang Feng feeling guilty over his ex-girlfriend there wasn’t anywhere else his character could go.

 

Overall – I think it’s fairly obvious how I feel about Love SOS. Wouldn’t recommend it anyone, maybe except my arch enemy? LOL Oh I almost forgot, the theme and ending songs (Daniel sang both of them) are probably the best things about this drama!

 

 


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2 responses to “[Review] Love SOS (TW-2013)”

  1. heisui Avatar

    Usually dramas that go down the cliched route at least have chemistry between the OTP. So no chemistry in this drama = a big warning sign! T_T” Too bad, I guess I’ll have to find a different drama to watch for more Daniel Chan! >__<

    1. kat Avatar
      kat

      Seriously I don’t know what route this drama was going down. It was littered with useless subplots and annoying side characters!!! Daniel Chan looks a little weird in this drama. :S

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