If you like to chase dramas, have you found that in recent years, in domestic dramas, young people have always been the protagonists, and middle-aged and elderly people, no matter how good they are, can only play supporting roles. This shows that whether in the film and television industry or real life, "the world is for young people" has become a consensus.
However, middle-aged and elderly people and even the elderly are really not worthy of becoming the protagonists of film and television dramas? In a TV series in which the elderly are the protagonists, the ratings are worrying? Don't dare to shoot?
"The Long Season" tells you with a slow-hot plot, steadily rising popularity and word of mouth: it is not.
Middle-aged and elderly people can also be the protagonists, the key depends on whether you can shoot a sense of reality, shoot a sense of truth, and resonate with the audience!
One
"The Long Season" is based on the old brother as the protagonist of the plot. Among them, Wang Xiang, played by Fan Wei, and Ma Desheng, played by Chen Minghao, are about sixty years old and have just entered the old age, while Gong Biao, played by Qin Hao, is a middle-aged man in his forties.
The shredded corpse case 18 years ago was finally successfully solved, mainly relying on Wang Xiang, Ma Desheng and Gong Biao, three middle-aged and elderly people.
Wang Xiang followed and tracked this case, mainly because the death of his son Wang Yang was related to this shredded corpse case.
And Ma Desheng, the criminal police captain who resigned halfway through, helped Wang Xiang investigate a case, half out of his inability to let go of the unsolved case, and the other half out of a kind of guilt for his old friend Wang Xiang.
At that time, Wang Xiang asked Gong Biao to go with him to tie Wang Yang back, but as a result, Gong Biao took the initiative to find him because Huang Liru took the initiative to show his love, and forgot his friends, completely forgetting Wang Xiang's request for him to find his son together.
And Ma Desheng, Wang Xiang called Ma Desheng at that time, wanting to ask the horse team to help, but the result was wrong, Ma Desheng happened to be beating Shen Dongliang, a pervert who sexually assaulted and controlled his niece, so that he missed Wang Xiang's call.
Wang Xiang went to find Wang Yang alone, on the train track, was attacked by Shen Mo and fainted, and then it happened that Shen Mo asked Wang Yang to flee with her, but Wang Yang was reluctant to give up his parents and family, so Shen Mo jumped into the river in despair to commit suicide, Wang Yang desperately rescued Shen Mo, but he drowned.
Therefore, speaking of which, Ma Desheng and Gong Biao also bear a share of responsibility for Wang Yang's death. Although at that time, no one could have imagined that Wang Yang would actually die.
The shredding case 18 years ago was closely related to the disappearance of a fake Hong Kong businessman, the case of 800,000 bills of exchange withdrawal, the case of Factory Director Song's embezzlement of enterprise and employee assets, and the Wang Yang drowning case.
Two
In the process of finding the truth of the shredded corpse case, "The Long Season" also shows and depicts the lives of some elderly groups in the northeast land.
This middle-aged and elderly group, with birch steel as the center stage, radiates to the surroundings.
01 Wang Xiang, a worker laid-off as a skilled worker, VS Xing Jianchun, a security section chief laid-off at the cadre level
Wang Xiang originally drove a train in the Birch Steel Factory, and he belonged to the factory children of Birch Steel, so he has always considered himself to be red and proud of his Birch Steel identity. An important technical position such as driving a train also brings Wang Xiang full confidence and the respect of his colleagues.
However, with the Asian financial turmoil in 1997, the wave of layoffs gradually kicked off across the country, and the economic benefits of the birch steel mill where Wang Xiang was located in the play also began to decline.
By 1998, the crisis at the birch mill was already apparent. Even factory children like Wang Yang who have not yet joined the work feel it, but Wang Xiang, who regards the factory as his home, is still immersed in the former glory of the factory, unwilling to face the harsh reality.
The bankruptcy of the Birch Steel Mill was affected by the general environment of the times on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was also damaged by the leader of the Song Factory, who embezzled the factory's assets, sold the interests of employees, and enriched his own pockets.
Director Song in the play was quickly arrested, but in reality, a large number of factory directors, after their personal pockets were full, successfully transformed into the general manager or chairman of a joint-stock enterprise, private enterprise or joint venture, continuing to be proud.
And what about ordinary workers? It can only be the fate of being laid off and fending for oneself.
For a skilled worker like Wang Xiang, no matter how bad it is, he can also drive a taxi, drive a train, or work as a driver for the boss.
But for middle-level factory cadres like Xing Jianchun, who have no skills and expertise, it is actually more difficult to re-find employment after being laid off.
In his later years, Xing San'er made a living by selling license plates. This is an irony for him to defend his position as section chief. Originally, he was a person who defended the property of the factory, but he first resold the factory assets in partnership with the people of the factory, and after being laid off, his bad habits did not change, and he still did illegal things.
Xing San'er has been wearing the black tweed coat that reflects her identity and demeanor 18 years ago, one is vanity, nostalgic for her past majesty, and the other is to cover up the urine bag that has to hang on her body all day because of uremia.
The elderly Wang Xiang still eats with his own skills and lives calmly and safely (except for the death of his son Wang Yang, which is a heart disease); The elderly Xing San'er, secretly selling fake license plates to make money, lives meticulously.
He got uremia, and half of it can also be seen as retribution for the bad things he did when he was young (selling factory property, framing Wang Yang, a junior, etc.).
02 Gong Biao's two sons who were laid off by dual-income workers
At first, Gong Biao liked Huang Liru, but Huang Liru was actually the lover of the factory director. Later, Huang Liru saw through the true face of the factory director and prepared to find Gong Biao as a takeover man, but later, although she had a miscarriage and could not give birth, Gong Biao still expressed her willingness to marry her.
Marrying her beloved girl, or nurse factory flower Huang Liru, and after she was laid off, it can be said that it is one of Gong Biao's few highlights in life.
But it was also the beginning of the tragedy of his life.
As a college student, Gong Biao should have a better future than those front-line workers after leaving Huagang Steel. However, Gong Biao drove a taxi with his cousin Wang Xiang for the rest of his life, mediocre and inactive.
Huang Liru followed him, and at first he may have hoped that he, a college student, could do something to make a good life, but in the end, his dream was shattered, Gong Biao has always had no skills, and even took the money that his wife planned to use to open a beauty salon to buy a taxi that was soaked in water and was about to be scrapped.
Throughout Gong Biao's life, he basically belongs to a role in playing soy sauce.
In the family, Gong Biao's status is insignificant, and in society, Gong Biao is even more inconspicuous, and even among the old brothers, Gong Biao has always been a little brother who follows Wang Xiang and Lao Ma and obeys the arrangement.
In the big factories of the 90s of the last century, dual-income couples were very common, and once they were laid off, it was a double and devastating blow to a family.
Gong Biao's two sons were young when they were laid off, and there was no child drag, and they still lived like this, and the life of those laid-off workers who have a family and a mouth, old and young and sick people, life can be imagined.
For example, Li Qiaoyun and Quan Li.
03 Li Qiaoyun, a laid-off female worker with a leukemia son
Li Qiaoyun and Quan Li are both employees of Huagang Steel. When the efficiency of birch steel is getting worse and worse, and even the salary cannot be paid, it is more difficult for families like them. What's more, they also have a leukemia son, and it takes a huge amount of money just to treat the child.
Therefore, Li Qiaoyun, a middle-aged employee, had to put down the dignity of a female worker and go to Victoria to accompany wine to earn money in order to treat his son and maintain his family.
Looking at the oldest her, sitting in the middle of a group of tricky little sisters and a group of colored men, looking helpless, watching her quietly spit wine on the towel, and being discovered by the guests when they were questioned, who can not sympathize with this bitter woman?
In order not to be laid off, he would rather smash his legs.
In his later years, Qiaoyun sent away his son and husband, and comforted each other with Wang Xiang for warmth. However, when another suitor appeared in her life, Wang Xiang voluntarily withdrew.
Because, the other suitor is a retired teacher with a high salary, Wang Xiang knows that Qiaoyun is not easy, and he should enjoy a little blessing in his old age.
But at the end of the finale, Qiaoyun returned to Wang Xiang. A simple woman like her still stays by Wang Xiang, who was born in the same factory, lives more comfortably and understands each other better.
Some people say that in the finale, Qiaoyun and Wang Xiang got together again, which is Wang Xiang's fantasy. I think not.
Because on the screen, the time is clearly displayed, 2017. If it were an illusory imagination, there would not be such a specific time.
The old brother in the play, Gong Biao died unexpectedly in a car accident, Lao Ma had a stroke, and then Wang Xiang, can't he still give him a happy ending?
Moreover, Wang Bei in the play is indeed very filial to Wang Xiang. Therefore, when several factors are combined, I would like to be sure that in the finale, Wang Xiang and Li Qiaoyun are happily together, and Wang Bei also went to Beijing to study at university.
Looking at these characters laid off from Birch Steel in the play, it can be said that none of them mix well.
"The Long Season" truly reproduces the northeast of that era, the bitterness and hardship of laid-off workers to fend for themselves, how can there be so many counterattacks and miracles?
Combined with the period drama "The World", the tragic situation of Zhou Bingkun's good brothers after they were laid off is even clearer.
As an old industrial base, the northeast once had a glorious historical moment, but later, the country's economic center of gravity shifted south, most of the heavy industry enterprises in the northeast were forced to reform or shut down, and a large number of laid-off employees left familiar posts.
There are so many jobs, and the overall economy is backward, so along with the difficult life of laid-off workers, it is the overall decline of the northeast economy.
Although the school is still the same, because of the geographical location of HIT and the overall economic environment is backward, the attraction of this prestigious university to high school graduates and parents is far less than it was back then.
Three
Why is "The Long Season" so stamina? So that many audiences who don't like to watch suspense dramas or don't like life suspense have also entered the pit to chase dramas and give high evaluations?
It is because the play actually expresses the reality of the Northeast era through suspense cases, and talks about life and fate through suspense, which has aroused the public's empathy.
Among the old brothers, only Lao Ma is not a person of Hua Gang. However, because of the shredding case, Lao Ma and Hua Gang have a lifelong relationship that is difficult to get rid of.
In 1998, Lao Ma was basically locked, and Shen Dongliang was the one who posted Shen Mo's nude / photos and report letters on the school's publicity board, and he was also convinced that Shen Dongliang was a perverted villain who sexually assaulted his biological niece.
At that time, the director had actually asked Li Qun to be in charge of the shredding case, and let Ma Desheng take charge of the 800,000 bills of exchange case. But Lao Ma was indignant and ran to Songhe privately to question Shen Dongliang, and in the face of Shen Dongliang's shameless face, Lao Ma couldn't help but beat him up.
Because Lao Ma was beating Shen Dongliang at that time, he did not receive Wang Xiang's call for help in time, which indirectly led to Wang Yang's drowning, so Lao Ma insisted on continuing to investigate the case of broken corpses. As a result, he was ridiculed and criticized by the director.
Geng Zhi's old horse, so he took off his police uniform and stopped working. Lao Ma's career was rewritten.
Li Qun, who took over the bill of exchange case, was promoted to a meritorious position and later promoted to deputy director.
Ma Desheng and Li Qun, capable and straightforward, lost their jobs, incapable but energetic, and were promoted to officials. What a replica of real life and irony.
In his later years, Lao Ma, together with Wang Xiang, continued to investigate the case of broken corpses. Regarding the grudge and feud between Shen Dongliang and his niece Shen Mo, Li Qun, as the deputy chief, was puzzled, and Lao Ma after the stroke took the initiative to run to the police station and told a story to "Xiao Li", explaining the criminal motives of Shen Mo and Shen Dongliang, as well as their hatred for each other, one by one, and finally exchanged for the transformation from "old horse" to "horse team, it has to be you" in Li Qun's mouth.
The elderly Wang Xiang looks like an old man who is a slow taxi driver, and the old horse is an old guy dancing Latin in an old university, but it is such an old guy, with his rich work experience and life experience, he has helped the police solve unsolved cases spanning 18 years, and at the same time, they have untied their hearts.
This drama reminds young people: don't ignore the elderly around you!
In their wrinkles, there is the wisdom of life; Under their gray hair, there are countless life experiences in their work and life; Their breezy smile hides the love and hate, happiness and sorrow of the past years.
Which middle-aged and elderly person has not had fiery youth, romantic love, wayward years, and fanatical pursuit?
But in this life, people can only "look back" when they wake up in the middle of the night, and more often, they are as Wang Xiang instructed: "Look forward, don't look back!" ”
(Text/First Dewdrop)