Synopsis:
Wen Yi Fan, a reporter, went to a bar called Overtime to meet with her best friend, Zhong Si Qiao. While she was at the bar, she met Sang Yan, a department manager and one of the owners of Overtime. He was Yi Fan’s high school deskmate and the guy she once fell in love with. The two bump into each other, and as Yi Fan pretends that she does not know who Sang Yan is, Sang Yan does the same. After some problems occur, the two accidentally become housemates and get a second chance.
Through living together and spending time, the past unfolds again. Will the misunderstandings be cleared, and will love blossom again between them?
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Review:
The First Frost stars Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan and is adapted from the hugely popular novel Nan Hong (Difficult to Coax) by Zhu Yi. I read the novel before the drama aired, so when I watched it, I came in with expectations and a tendency to compare it with the book.
The First Frost
A Patient Love That Heals, Weighed Down by Excessive Drama
The First Frost tells a touching love story about Sang Yan’s unwavering devotion to Wen Yifan and her journey toward healing from past trauma. Strong chemistry between the leads, heartfelt romance, and well-timed humor are among the drama’s highlights. However, excessive sexual harassment scenes, overly heavy subplots, and implausible character changes weaken the overall experience.
Good Stuff
- Strong chemistry between the lead actors.
- A romantic and emotionally moving love story.
- An engaging blend of humor and flashbacks.
Bad Stuff
- Excessive sexual harassment scenes.
- Overly heavy supporting character storylines.
- Implausible character changes and plot developments.
The drama uses a dual timeline in almost every episode. Typically, each episode opens with Sang Yan and Wen Yifan’s teenage years before shifting to the present. The structure works well and builds viewers’ curiosity about what happened in the past.
The First Frost also enriches Sang Yan and Wen Yifan’s high school relationship through flashbacks. One example is a conversation about the moon, which Sang Yan uses to express his feelings indirectly. Wen Yifan, who actually understands what the boy means, seems unbothered even though she doesn’t accept his feelings outright. There is also the scene where Sang Yan visits Wen Yifan after she moves to another city, helps her find a place to practice dance, and even studies and hangs out with her. These details aren’t in the novel, but they strengthen the couple’s love story.
The drama also translates Zhu Yi’s signature humor to the screen quite well. Several of its funny moments feel natural and memorable. Unfortunately, some of the novel’s iconic comedic scenes don’t translate, such as the first meeting between Wen Yifan and Sang Yan as adults at his café. In the novel, this scene is hilarious because the quiet, innocent Wen Yifan makes a blunder. She pretends not to know Sang Yan but misspeaks, making it sound as if she assumes he and his café offer “special” services.
When Sang Yan tells her that his café is a legitimate business that doesn’t offer anything like that, Wen Yifan replies, “What a pity.” This scene captures Zhu Yi’s signature humor, which typically has characters say or do things that contrast with their appearance and personality. Unfortunately, the dialogue doesn’t seem to have been translated well in the English and Indonesian subtitles, so the humor that works in the novel is lost in the drama.
Still, several other scenes do make viewers laugh. In one, Wen Yifan is shocked to learn that her new roommate is Sang Yan and tries to refuse. During the negotiation, she blunders again and says that Sang Yan can sleep with her, when what she meant was that he could sleep in her room first that night.
The dynamic between Sang Yan and Wen Yifan also feels unique and refreshing. The male lead is arrogant and narcissistic, with an annoying way of talking and behaving, while the female lead is quiet and introverted. Mixed with funny dialogue and scenes and well-chosen music, this dynamic lets viewers feel the sparks of a lovely romance between the two.
The story becomes even more engaging when Wen Yifan realizes for the first time that she likes Sang Yan and decides to pursue him. Because she is introverted, her efforts are minimal, yet they produce fresh comedy.
As in the novel, the romance is overshadowed by the dark secret Wen Yifan carries. Viewers who haven’t read the novel will wonder: What caused Sang Yan and Wen Yifan to part ways in high school? What happened to Wen Yifan that made her sleepwalk? When the answers come out, we begin to see Wen Yifan’s tragic story and Sang Yan’s steadfast love.
Overall, Bai Jingting, Zhang Ruonan, and the rest of the cast deliver solid performances. Zhang Ruonan is convincing as an introvert and captures a wide range of complex emotions, along with her character’s strength and resolve. Bai Jingting successfully portrays Sang Yan’s contrast: arrogant and narcissistic, yet vulnerable, including the way he expresses love without overdoing it. However, in some scenes their acting feels less convincing. In some comedic scenes, for example, their expressions and delivery are occasionally weak, so moments that should be funny fall flat. Even so, these weaknesses aren’t distracting.
Beyond the touching love story, other elements leave a deep impression, such as the portrayal of the neglect Wen Yifan suffers from her mother and family. Wen Yifan’s physical and emotional trauma is also depicted in a very moving way.
The First Frost skillfully shows how Sang Yan, rejected twice by Wen Yifan, remains patient and chooses to love her from afar. When they finally meet again, he expresses his love through small acts that Wen Yifan doesn’t notice.
There is a point when Wen Yifan feels that her past makes her unworthy of his love. In the end, though, Sang Yan’s patient love lets her rise up and fight for her own happiness.
The First Frost isn’t a drama without flaws, and several deserve criticism. The first thing I noticed is that its tone differs from the novel’s. Nan Hong does tell the story of Wen Yifan’s imperfect life, with heavy themes of trauma from sexual harassment and neglect. But Zhu Yi chose to balance those heavy themes with plenty of comedy.
The drama, by contrast, puts an unbalanced emphasis on sexual harassment. Several harassment scenes involving Wen Yifan aren’t in the novel and feel excessive. One Chinese netizen on Weibo even claimed that the first six episodes contain nine harassment scenes. In my opinion, this is a rather unacceptable and unrealistic mistake.
The development of the supporting characters is also problematic. These are Zhong Si Qiao (Zhang Miaoyi) and Su Hao An (Edward Chen), the leads’ best friends. The leads’ love story is already heavy and moving by the midpoint. Unfortunately, we’re then given an even heavier story for the second couple, from Zhong Si Qiao’s family problems to Su Hao An’s tragic life.
In the novel, these two characters get far less screen time than in the drama. I even deliberately skipped through some of their scenes because I couldn’t stand the heavy mood.
I think the main couple’s and the supporting couple’s love stories should have been varied. If Sang Yan and Wen Yifan’s story is already heavy, dealing with neglect and sexual harassment, the supporting couple should have offered something lighter and more entertaining. This formula is common in other novels and dramas, and it would keep viewers from feeling constant pressure while watching.
The appearance of Mu Cheng Yun, an intern who falls for Wen Yifan, is also worth noting. His portrayal differs from the novel’s. His presence in the drama feels intrusive, and he comes across more like an annoying stalker.
The unnecessary character changes also extend to the main antagonist, Wen Yifan’s uncle. In the novel, he is a good-for-nothing, unemployed drunk. He shows up several times around the TV station compound to harass and terrorize Wen Yifan. He also turns up at Sang Yan’s café with his friends, which leads to a physical confrontation with Sang Yan. He may dare to act against someone he sees as weak, like Wen Yifan, but he is helpless against someone like Sang Yan.
In the drama, the harassment and terror at the TV station compound and the café are kept. But the uncle has been turned into a more devious character. Strangely, he is able to become a security guard at the TV station where Wen Yifan works. This defies logic. Security guards typically must complete training and obtain special certification from the police. They also have to pass several tests, such as health and psychological evaluations, and be certified drug-free. And of course, they must have a clean criminal record.
Yet this lecherous uncle manages to become a security guard at a media company, even though he has been involved in a drunk-driving accident and was reported by Wen Yifan for sexual harassment and attempted rape. How did a man like this pass police certification?
Let’s say he forged his training certificate. Did the TV station where Wen Yifan works not run a background check, so that they didn’t know the uncle’s identity or his relationship to Wen Yifan?
For viewers who focus on the romance and the leads’ chemistry, these flaws may not matter. But in my opinion, some of them are quite serious.
Overall, I did enjoy this drama. But the flaws above make me reluctant to rewatch it because it feels so heavy. Still, if you can overlook the weaknesses I’ve mentioned or don’t think they matter, The First Frost is worth watching, especially if you’re looking for a romantic, funny, and touching love story.
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