What could possibly go wrong when you throw a fierce imperial officer and a tiny loud-mouth constable together to form the ultimate crime fighting team? Answer: An action-packed tale full of twists and turns, all stuffed inside a fluffy comedic basket full of nuts.
I picked up this series to help pass time while under voluntary house arrest, all thanks to the infamous COVID-19. Its trailer left me with pretty low expectations from the start: oft-reoccurring tropes of frenemy to lover, angsty love triangle, odd couple romcom, etc...etc.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent pacing of this odd little story, as well as the casts' ability to add more depths and dimensions to their otherwise stereotypical roles in wuxia series...all with the exception of the impish Constable Yuan, played by the adorable Tan Songyun. This boisterous little oddball is undoubtedly one of the goofiest and funniest female protagonists in Chinese costume dramas to date (although that conniving grandmaster from Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain is not far behind on the list).
You won't be disappointed if you're a sucker for romance. Both the female lead and her dark counter part, imperial officer Lu Yi played by Ren Jia Lun, had great onscreen chemistry that's truly endearing. As expected in a romcom, the two characters ended up falling for each other, but thankfully the script didn't drop the instant-love trope on this odd couple. Instead, there was a decent amount of character development before their slow-burn romance ignites. On the other hand, audiences looking for angsts will definitely not be disappointed in later episodes.
I think "Under the Power" is a drama that contained a variety of elements that will please most viewers; everything from mystery, crime, comedy, to romance...you name it. After all, we can certainly use a bit of mindless entertainment in times like this.
I hope everyone stays healthy!
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