Trapped (HIStory 3)
Aug. 9th, 2019 03:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrTrapped is a great 10 episode enemies-to-friends-to-lovers Taiwanese m/m romance drama. The HIStory shows all have standalone plots, so don't be put off by it being the third one. The two leads are an adorkable yet driven police detective and the seemingly cold but secretly angsty mob boss Tang Yi he's been obsessed with arresting for the past four years. But then they have to work together! And save each others lives! And untangle the DARK TRUTHS OF THE PAST.
AND THEN THEY KISS
A LOT
:D
Here's a trailer.
I suspect the depiction of Taiwanese police and organised crime is ever so slightly romanticised, and there was generally at least one point per episode where I thought "Ok, this is just silly". But on the whole it was exactly the kind of fanfic-esque ridiculousness I enjoy, with lots of hurt/comfort and FEELINGS. There's jokes, fight scenes, dramatic twists, mild angst, and (found) family drama, and while the acting and writing aren't always SPECTACULAR I was invested in all the characters and pretty happy with how the arcs played out.
Also the two leads are endearing and cute.
The few female characters spend a lot of time saying "No, it's too dangerous ;_;", but are at least sympathetic. There's barely any drama/discussion around about queerness, and it's always vastly overshadowed by the cops vs robbers conflict, especially since Tang Yi is already openly into dudes.
Someone asked me on tumblr if it's in the BL genre, eg aimed at women, and I think so? It has that feel.
I found the two background romances moderately cute, but they might be squicky for some people. I'll describe them under the cut for anyone who'd rather go in totally unspoiled, but the show isn't very subtle about who it ships.
Content notes: an (unromanticised) rape attempt, and what I think was an implied suicide. There's also a bunch of mild violence, and the moral ambiguity of BEING A MOBSTER is only mostly glossed over.
More info, mildly spoilery:
One romance is between a 31 year old woman and the much older guy who's been her bodyguard since she was a child. He doesn't look much older (his actor is 34), and it had a knight/princess vibe I was into.
The other romance is between the second-in-commands of the leads: a cheerfully cold and clever mobster in his late twenties, and a cheerfully idealistic policeman in his early 20s, who has the personality of an especially naive twelve year old. They're definitely both into each other, but it felt kind of unbalanced.
The rape attempt is not between any of the couples, and it's framed as a bad thing done by a bad person for bad reasons. It doesn't go much further than forced kissing, but I still found it mildly triggering.
AND THEN THEY KISS
A LOT
:D
Here's a trailer.
I suspect the depiction of Taiwanese police and organised crime is ever so slightly romanticised, and there was generally at least one point per episode where I thought "Ok, this is just silly". But on the whole it was exactly the kind of fanfic-esque ridiculousness I enjoy, with lots of hurt/comfort and FEELINGS. There's jokes, fight scenes, dramatic twists, mild angst, and (found) family drama, and while the acting and writing aren't always SPECTACULAR I was invested in all the characters and pretty happy with how the arcs played out.
Also the two leads are endearing and cute.
The few female characters spend a lot of time saying "No, it's too dangerous ;_;", but are at least sympathetic. There's barely any drama/discussion around about queerness, and it's always vastly overshadowed by the cops vs robbers conflict, especially since Tang Yi is already openly into dudes.
Someone asked me on tumblr if it's in the BL genre, eg aimed at women, and I think so? It has that feel.
I found the two background romances moderately cute, but they might be squicky for some people. I'll describe them under the cut for anyone who'd rather go in totally unspoiled, but the show isn't very subtle about who it ships.
Content notes: an (unromanticised) rape attempt, and what I think was an implied suicide. There's also a bunch of mild violence, and the moral ambiguity of BEING A MOBSTER is only mostly glossed over.
More info, mildly spoilery:
One romance is between a 31 year old woman and the much older guy who's been her bodyguard since she was a child. He doesn't look much older (his actor is 34), and it had a knight/princess vibe I was into.
The other romance is between the second-in-commands of the leads: a cheerfully cold and clever mobster in his late twenties, and a cheerfully idealistic policeman in his early 20s, who has the personality of an especially naive twelve year old. They're definitely both into each other, but it felt kind of unbalanced.
The rape attempt is not between any of the couples, and it's framed as a bad thing done by a bad person for bad reasons. It doesn't go much further than forced kissing, but I still found it mildly triggering.
