Only 2 episodes aired, the ratings exploded! As soon as this drama was broadcast, I was fascinated, and the 2023 spy war drama was a "dark horse"

Looking back at the nearly 20 years of domestic spy war dramas, if it is summarized in one sentence, it is "secret calculation lurks at dawn to change, cliffs disguise kites fly".

What's the solution?

The first half of the sentence is about the beginning of domestic spy warfare, that is, the peak.

Due to the emergence of the spy war drama wizard Liu Yunlong, the domestic spy war thundered in 2006, and went straight to the peak of creation with the birth of "Dark Calculation".

In the next 20 years, no spy war drama surpassed "Dark Calculation" in terms of light and dark wisdom and human nature mining.

2 years later, "Lurking" caught fire.

Record-breaking viewership records, sweeping three major TV awards.

And Sun Honglei Yao Chen's fire made spy war dramas a new popular drama, but it also laid the groundwork for the decline of spy war dramas in the future.

The second half of the sentence is about the turn of spy war dramas from prosperity to decline.

2012's "Cliff" marks that domestic spy war dramas have reached their peak in genre maturity and performance, I think this is not only the peak that domestic spy warfare is difficult to surpass, even looking at Asia and the world, I am afraid that it is difficult to have an opponent, Zhang Jiayi's acting skills have entered the realm, which can be called an immersive performance.

But everything in the world is like this, flourishing and declining.

2015's "The Pretender" is still applauded and sold, seemingly on the downhill road of spy war dramas, stepping on the brakes.

But the play inadvertently laid an important foreshadowing for the subsequent decline of spy war dramas.

Prior to this, although many stars wanted to raise their coffee through spy war dramas, the high threshold of powerful performances made young actors dare not try it easily.

After "The Pretender", a wave of youth + spy warfare surged rapidly, and after the popularity of "Sparrow", almost all traffic students regarded spy war dramas as the best way to prove their acting skills.

However, not every student has the acting skills of Hu Ge and Wang Kai.

On the one hand, a large number of capital manipulation, traffic into the youth spy war drama all hit the street.

On the other hand, "Lurking", "Cliff" and "Before Dawn" have told the story of spy war dramas almost the same, and then Liu Yunlong's "Kite" has deeply excavated the humanity of spy war dramas to the extreme.

So after "Kite", there are no spy war classics.

6 years have passed, although there are occasional explosions such as "Rebel", "Feng Qi Longxi" is such a surprise work.

But most spy war dramas, but wearing the skin of "spy war", draw the bones of idol dramas.

Even "Infernal" starring Jin Dong, Wang Zhiwen, Zhang Zhijian and others has not really boosted the sluggish reputation of spy war dramas.

Have spy war dramas really lost their former charm?

Last night, Jiangxi Satellite TV and Henan Satellite TV made a move.

A spy war drama "Dark War" that brings together Wang Kuirong, Qiu Xinzhi and other good actors, finally starred after six years of broadcasting on the terrestrial channel, can it make "spy war" return to the highlight?

At least the ratings, burst.

In the premiere rating of Jiangxi Satellite TV was 0.3, squeezed into the top three of satellite TV, second only to Hunan Satellite TV and Oriental Satellite TV, surpassing first-line satellite TV such as Zhejiang Satellite TV and Jiangsu Satellite TV, and the ratings of the second episode soared.

But so? But for Jiangxi Satellite TV, a second-tier satellite TV, it is tantamount to a ratings miracle.

After brushing 2 episodes, I feel unfulfilled, the essence of this spy war drama can be condensed into three words.

Understanding these three words, we can not only understand "Dark War", but also perhaps see another way for the future of domestic spy warfare.

01, "dark"

Spy war dramas generally set the tone for the entire drama at the beginning and bury the hook.

And the hook buried in "Dark War" is the first word of the title of the play: the word "dark".

The "dark" in the play, from shallow to deep, is reflected in three aspects.

The first aspect is the "wave undercurrent" of the spy war environment.

In recent years, many spy war dramas have set the background of the story in modern Shanghai, but the background of the story of "Dark War" is after the founding of New China. The story is also not in Shanghai, but in Linjiang.

Although the War of Liberation has been won, the enemy still has left behind a large number of spies, who are hidden among the broad masses and are difficult to distinguish.

The surface calm sea, it can be said that the waves are undercurrent, and it is not very peaceful.

This is also the origin of the title of the play "Dark War".

The status of the espionage war between the enemy and us has changed, with our side in the open and the enemy in the dark.

Only secret war.

And the goal of this secret war is the MiG drawings that the Jiuzhou Machinery Plant and the enemy are trying to capture.

Our strength is a group of New China soldiers and public security officers with the protagonist Lin Xiaohai as the core.

The enemy is a group of enemy elements led by Qiao Taibao (played by Wang Kuirong).

The second is saboteurs lurking among the masses and actually with evil intentions.

There will be a battle between the enemy and us around the MiG drawings and the Jiuzhou Machinery Factory.

And this brings us to the second level of "dark": assassination.

If we say, spy war dramas such as "Infernal" try to complete breakthroughs in suspense and other aspects.

The temperament of the opening scene of "Dark War" is more of a traditional domestic spy war.

The story begins with two late-night raids.

On one side, there is a fierce chase.

Zhang Dongzhi, an accountant of Jiuzhou Machinery Factory, was chased by a group of mysterious people in the middle of the night.

The smoky night added to the suspenseful atmosphere, the patrolling soldiers fired warning shots with submachine guns, and the mysterious man was unmoved, continued to chase Zhang Dongzhi, and finally stunned and arrested with a slap on a corner.

Those who dared to carry out such brazen kidnapping were indeed the remaining agents of the Kuomintang, and the purpose of their arrest was to obtain the MiG drawings in Zhang Dongzhi's hands.

However, just as they were preparing to torture and extract a confession, Yao Guiyang, the general manager of Hongwei Company, suddenly appeared with a group of people, shot down the leading Central Command agent, rescued Zhang Dongzhi, and obtained Zhang Donghai's whereabouts.

This person obviously has other purposes.

At the same time, Lin Xiaohai, deputy director of the Linjiang Public Security Bureau, suddenly received a report: the safe of the Jiuzhou Machinery Factory had been pried open, and the MiG drawings had been stolen.

What is more urgent is that the Zhang Donghai brothers also transferred all the funds of the Jiuzhou plant.

The enemy, already in action. In the fog, our side was not idle.

The third is hidden ambush.

In the face of the enemy forces that were about to move, Lin Xiaohai had already set up a big net: he pretended to release the news of escorting MiG drawings, and came to lure the snake out of the hole.

Sure enough, that night, agents of the Bureau of Secrets with live ammunition swarmed, loaded their weapons, planted bombs, and directly ambushed the delivery vehicle.

However, when they pressed hard, they were greeted by our soldiers who pulled open the defensive steel plate and opened up their firepower.

The two sides clashed, and bullets flew everywhere.

The enemy agents, who were caught off guard, were not able to fight back at all, and were quickly eliminated by our side.

Only the leading soldier was deliberately let go by the ambush fighters, and all he wanted was to live.

Unexpectedly, in order to avoid being captured alive, he directly swallowed poison and died.

This scene, which can be said to be a must-have drama for domestic traditional spy warfare, may not be accurate, but effective, clean fighting, hardcore and sharp ambushes, from beginning to end, people adrenaline soaring.

After this battle, the secret service suffered heavy casualties.

And in the "secret calculation" of all parties, the story slowly unfolds, the tip of the agent's knife licks blood, the battlefield full of bullets, "Dark War" with a strong rhythm opening, set the tone of the whole drama tense and exciting.

After the conflict, four suspense followed:

Who instructed the Zhang Donghai brothers to steal the MiG drawings and transfer the funds of the Jiuzhou Factory?

Who is Yao Guiyang who received them?

If he wasn't from the Secret Service, why did he do so much?

Inside our side, is there an undercover agent of the other party?

Thinking of this, can you still resist not watching it...

Suspense is always the killer feature of spy war dramas.

The director of "Dark War" clearly knows this.

In the first 2 episodes, he used a few strokes to outline an intricate and extremely attractive suspense situation for us.

The next word, just walked quickly.

02. "War"

Dark wars, there will be darkness, there will be wars.

Dark is thrilling, it is a sneak attack in the night, and each shows its own ingenuity.

The war is a clear knife and a clear gun, and the two sides of the enemy and ourselves are fighting head-on.

And "Dark War", through three thrilling storylines, perfectly integrates this word and spy war.

The first "war" is the butterfly war.

Or rather, the beauty meter.

Compared with the secret bureau that uses a large number of agents at every turn, Yao Guiyang's killer weapon is a beautiful agent under him.

She first rushed to Shanghai, knocked on the door of Zhang Donghai, the director of Jiuzhou Machinery Factory in Linhai City, who was smuggled to Shanghai, and then used Yao Guiyang's excuse to trade with him to make him sign the documents for transferring the funds of the Jiuzhou Factory, and then strangled his neck with steel bars, took out the other party's seal, and retreated all over.

Then she traded with Zhang Dongzhi, who held the MiG drawings, exchanged fake US dollar bills for the other party's drawings, calmly pressed the bomb remote control in her hand, and blew Zhang Dongzhi, who was driving the vehicle they provided and was ready to run, to pieces.

At this point, the MiG drawings and Jiuzhou factory funds conspired to obtain by the Zhang Donghai brothers all reached Yao Guiyang's hands, and with the death of both brothers, this secret was known to no one except the female agent.

The second "war", night battle.

Just when Yao Guiyang was secretly arranging, the head of the secret bureau played by Wang Kuirong was not idle.

He photographed spies infiltrating the Linjiang Jiuzhou factory again, wanting to steal the drawings and determine the location of the core machinery.

Obviously, he wanted not only drawings, but also to blow up the machine plant.

However, the black-clad squad disguised by the Secret Bureau had just sneaked into the machinery factory to pick the lock when it was discovered by our soldiers on patrol.

In the night, a contact battle in the building quickly began.

Gunfire rang out throughout the night, submachine guns, grenades, and fire.

Enemy agents quickly jump out of the window to escape, and the scene seamlessly transitions from the interior of the building to the outside, doubling the thrill value.

Our soldiers clenched their hands, and there was another thrilling gunfight.

The cold wind howling at night in the river has become the most cold background sound.

In the end, the enemy agents were completely annihilated, the night raid operation was completely unsuccessful, and the tension was full.

The third "war" is the secret war.

It can be seen that the secret bureau agent led by Wang Kuirong's role is not Lin Xiaohai's opponent at all.

The next plot climax is undoubtedly the battle of wisdom between Lin Xiaohai and Yao Guiyang.

Lin Xiaohai, who has experienced hundreds of battles, was soon appointed as the deputy leader of the special investigation team.

And this appointment actually has another deep meaning, that is, our side has noticed Yao Guiyang's changes, but there is no evidence, Lin Xiaohai is the goshawk that we photographed to find Yao Guiyang's clues.

His task is not only to find out the truth of the series of cases in the Jiuzhou Factory, but also to dig up the spies hidden within our side.

Yao Guiyang already had a new plan, he tried to move forward by retreating, pretending not to take a stake in the Jiuzhou Factory, but in fact secretly supporting the new agent and trying to grasp the actual control of the Jiuzhou Factory.

Inside Linhai City, the undercurrent is surging, the clouds are thick, the enemy has emerged one after another, the hunters have laid traps, and the next thing is the moment of secret war between the two sides.

And the audience gradually followed the rhythm of the director, entered the story situation, and immersed in the viewing experience that only spy warfare can bring.

The storylines of these three secret wars are not only integrated into the overall framework of the story of "Dark War", but also cleverly use suspense to show the charm of traditional spy warfare.

Gunfire, beauty scheme, escape and wit fight have made the audience deeply into the play.

03. "Spy"

So, does "Dark War" work?

To be honest, the quality of the series is not good, and the production even has a bit of drama temperament.

The drama was filmed in 2017, 6 years ago, and the picture texture, shooting technology, and editing skills cannot be compared with spy dramas such as "Infernal".

But the drama was well rated when it was broadcast on terrestrial channels such as Oriental Movie Channel and Jiangsu Film and Video Channel, and it was broadcast on Jiangxi Satellite TV and Henan Satellite TV, and it was reported on the first day of good ratings, why?

Is it because the audience has poor taste?

I think the real key is that the coolness of the series is even better than many so-called spy dramas in recent years.

Compared with many spy war dramas, they always try to complete the upgrading and transformation of traditional spy warfare in a new way.

"Dark War" is a comprehensive return to traditional spy warfare.

First of all, it is an eclectic approach to commercial elements.

Looking at "Dark War", you will find that its main line is the spy war wit battle of this format, but at the same time it incorporates multiple elements such as beauty tricks and characters' emotional entanglements.

More commercial elements are included, which has a good effect on enhancing the audience's sense of comfort and enhancing the viewing experience.

Secondly, it is the hardcore spy war style of strong dramatic conflict.

Although the traditional spy war has an old-fashioned plot and a blunt story, problems still exist.

But what "Dark War" wants is a simple and crude spy war style.

The first two episodes, whether it is a car chase or a gunfight, whether it is emotional or intellectual combat, all came to "make the audience cool", and the story has always maintained a state of hard conflict and strong rhythm.

Compared with "Faith" starring "Infernal", Qin Junjie and Kan Qingzi, another spy war drama "Thin Ice" in the first half of this year, although this drama is relatively poorly filmed, it has hearty actions and fights, the story advances at high speed, and the sound of gunshots and bullets constantly stimulates the audience's adrenaline.

Finally, it is a more solid shaping of the characters.

Although the starring role is generally famous, the main characters of "Dark War" are played by old actors such as An Zehao, Wang Kuirong, Li Xiuxian, Qiu Xinzhi, Wang Hucheng, and Li Haiming.

The overall role is full and three-dimensional, vivid, and unlike those spy war dramas, there are always a few actors who are dragging their feet.

The villain Qiao Taibao played by Wang Kuirong is the leader of the enemy's entire plan, vicious and scheming, for Wang Kuirong, this kind of role is handy.

Although the character design is far inferior to "Dark Calculation", Wang Kuirong's performance is obviously monotonous, but there is no pressure to hold the role.

And An Zehao, who starred in the past, has played the villain many times, but this time he challenged a positive role for the first time.

This "unconventional operation" not only brings freshness to the audience, An Zehao also really controls the role, and the sense of pressure of the character is no less than the popular male protagonist in the spy war drama, and even its appearance is more convincing.

The deputy mayor in charge of Linjiang's economy in the play played by Li Xiuxian is difficult to distinguish between good and evil, and seems to have a unique preference for Yao Guiyang, and even accepts gold bars from the other party.

Is he a moth inside our side, or is he putting a long line to catch big fish?

Li Xiuxian completely performed the feeling of the character's old fritters, and he was full of human feelings and worldliness, and he couldn't see his sincerity.

It also makes the character more confusing. After watching the two episodes, I think my previous worries about his performance are completely superfluous.

Of course, the most exciting acting skills in the first two episodes are also the mysterious villain Yao Guiyang played by Qiu Xinzhi.

In recent years, Qiu Xinzhi's domestic dramas have been soft, and he has participated in "Knife in the Snow" and "Ordinary Road", but most of the roles he played before were positive roles.

I didn't expect him to play the opposite role so well, on the surface he looks elegant and calm, and he is calm in any situation, and he seems to be pushing his heart to anyone.

In fact, he has a ghost in his heart and is ruthless.

Qiu Xinzhi's performance is very relaxed, just like in his own living room, and he can't see what he is thinking in his heart.

Such a person is truly terrifying.

Finally, it is the core of the entire show.

Of course, we can see the divine drama attribute of "Dark War".

But why do audiences love to watch? Because it pursues the strong excitement and strong attraction that many spy war dramas have abandoned in recent years.

In fact, it is not easy to shoot a spy war drama tense and exciting from beginning to end.

It needs to stand up to rigorous scrutiny in logic.

It is necessary to follow the experience of the type, but also the director's excellent control and powerful interpretation.

"Dark War" actually did not meet the standard.

But pushing the traditional spy warfare style to the extreme, looking old-school, but everywhere is significantly good-looking and enjoyable.

On the contrary, like many spy war dramas, you want to explode the scene, you want to burn your brain endlessly, and you want to be affectionately sadomasochistic.

In the end, it is often a trade-off.

Over time, everyone's expectations for spy war dramas will naturally decrease.

"Dark War" takes another simple and crude traditional spy battle route.

Which spy drama style is right? I don't think there's a need to step on one because the audience is diverse.

The future of domestic spy warfare still needs to be supported by spy war dramas such as Zhang Songwen's "Lonely Boat", Huang Xiaoming's "Lurker", Zhang Yi and Liao Fan's "Huan Yan".

But it also needs such an imperfect but good-looking spy war drama as "Dark War".

As long as the audience of spy war dramas is still there, spy war dramas will have a future.