In 2019, a seemingly inconspicuous Chinese drama exploded.
It was made by Taiwan's China Television (CTS) and broke the highest rating record of Taiwan Television in 13 years after its broadcast.
On Douban, more than 70,000 people rated it with a high score of 9.1, which was the second highest-rated Chinese drama of the year (after "The Distance Between Us and Evil").
At that year's Golden Bell Awards, it won three awards: "Best Miniseries Award", "Best Supporting Actress in Mini-Series" and "Drama Program Editing Award".
That's right, this brilliant drama is "The Cultivation of Ordinary Women".
After two years, we finally waited for its sequel, and today we will talk about it -
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Director: Chen Changlun / Yan Yiwen
Writers: Yan Yiwen / Huang Xinxuan / Fan Zhiqi
Starring: Xie Yingxuan / Wu Yihan / Tianxin / Xia Jingting / Yang Liyin / Chen Zhusheng
Premiere: 2021-08-08 (Taiwan)
Episodes: 10
As of now, the Douban score is 9.6, and the "Best Chinese Drama of the Year" is booked in advance.
In terms of ratings, "Common Girl 2" also made a start.
After the first episode was broadcast, it set a record of 3.59 and easily squeezed into the first echelon of the historical ratings of Taiwan dramas.
The reason why "Common Girl 2" has achieved such impressive results is inseparable from a strong production lineup.
It not only retains the core creators of the previous game, but also adds more new faces.
For example, the familiar Taiwanese actor Tianxin ("Pawnshop No. 8", "A Handful of Qing"), and the Wangfu Band, who participated in "The Summer of the Band", all have wonderful cameos in the play.
In terms of story, "Common Girl 2" also inherits the previous work, telling the story of what happened after Chen Jialing returned to her hometown in Tainan.
In the words of director Yan Yiwen:
"If the first season aims to present the cultivation of a vulgar girl, then the second season allows us to see how 40-year-old Chen Jialing has done her best to start writing another chapter of her life."
First of all, I will give you a brief review of the plot at the end of the first season:
Emotionally, Chen Jialing ended a love relationship that has been in love for 4 years and is about to enter the palace of marriage.
She returned to her hometown and began to associate with Cai Yongsen, a classmate of Qingmei Bamboo Horse and primary school.
At work, she quit her position as a board assistant who was superficially beautiful and actually resembled a maid.
She was admitted to the English tour guide license and planned to do business in her hometown to receive foreign tourists.
In addition, Chen Jialing also bought a long-abandoned "haunted house" in her hometown despite her family's opposition.
She built a warm home for herself, from designing the exterior and layout of the space to the selection of furniture.
In the first episode that has just been broadcast, it is about the contradictions and bonds between Chen Jialing and her family after starting a new life.
From the beginning of insisting on buying this "haunted house", it doomed her to various differences with her parents.
Young people and the older generation have completely different concepts and styles of behavior, and naturally there are a lot of jokes.
For example, the elders are very much in feng shui, and the first thing after buying a house is to ask Mr. Feng Shui to check and point out.
But in Chen Jialing's eyes, these are all tricks to cheat money, she drove Mr. Feng Shui out and threw the so-called town house artifact outside the door.
In addition, the aesthetics of the elders and the young people are not on the same level at all.
Chen Jialing's mother started from pragmatism and chose dirty and wear-resistant sofas.
And Chen Jialing prefers white sofas, and she must also bring a chaise longue.
Although they are all small and trivial, the friction and contradictions between her and her family can be seen, which also reflects Chen Jialing's character of always being loyal to herself.
In fact, the reason why Chen Jialing is so rebellious against her parents' arrangements is also influenced to a certain extent by her childhood experience.
Like the previous season, "Common Girl 2" also uses a two-line narrative of memory and reality.
Inheriting the timeline of the previous season, Chen Jialing recalled that Chen Jialing in this line has entered the middle school and entered a new stage of learning.
In the case of her parents' education is not high, Chen Jialing entered the middle school and became the focus of the family.
In particular, Chen Jialing's mother broke her heart for her to go to school.
In order not to affect her studies, her mother confiscated her cartoons, did not allow her to watch TV, and took her to cut her hair short.
Not only that, every day she changed her tricks to make various dark dishes to supplement her brain and body, which made Chen Jialing miserable.
It can be seen that her mother's discipline of Chen Jialing has reached a very exaggerated point.
She almost never asked Chen Jialing's opinion, and she imposed her thoughts on Chen Jialing.
And this kind of education method with too much control is also an important reason for Chen Jialing's rebellious psychology.
For young Chen Jialing, her mother has become an "alien" she does not know.
These delicate and trivial family life plots, I believe everyone has more or less experienced.
Our parents discipline us harshly, our complaints and incomprehension about our parents, and so on.
And this sense of reality, which originates from reality, is one of the magic weapons that move people's hearts in the "Common Girl" series.
Of course, the first episode is not only intended to present the real way parents and children get along, but more importantly, to explore and explain the reasons behind it.
When Chen Jialing was forced by her mother to be unbearable, she finally broke out and told all the complaints and doubts in her heart:
You're not my mom, you're fake
My birthday is the number one
What I like the most, what I'm most afraid of
If you can't say it, it means you're fake
Unexpectedly, although the mother was angry, she could answer her questions one by one without thinking.
You are December 9th
Born at 2:58 p.m
Why do I remember so clearly
Because I gave birth to you for almost two days
Your favorite rice noodle soup in the wet market
Add pepper without celery
Eat two bowls each time
Your favorite thing is singing while taking a shower
Your favorite thing is to rent a videotape with your dad
You are most afraid of flying cockroaches
This is arguably one of the most touching episodes of the first episode, and it also responds to the old saying: "Knowing the son is like a father, and knowing a daughter is like a mother." ”
The mother also took this opportunity to further explain the reasons for the strict discipline of Chen Jialing.
Many years ago, she lost the opportunity to continue her studies because of her family, and she also had regrets in her life.
She herself only has a middle school education, so she understands the importance of learning better.
She didn't want Chen Jialing to repeat her mistakes, so she would be particularly strict in learning this matter.
No matter how close people are, it is difficult to avoid conflicts and estrangement.
And the closer the person, the more we expect and demand from each other, and the higher the emotional concentration of investment.
But no matter how much confrontation and contradiction you experience, communication and understanding are always the way to reach love.
Coincidentally, at the end of the first episode, there is the same expression:
When Chen Jialing's younger brother accepted the marriage proposal of a same-sex lover, the family not only did not oppose and question, but invariably felt happy and happy for them.
The father also prepared the text of the speech, telling the apologies he had made to his son over the years:
Amin Dad is sorry for you
Since Jin Dexing handed it over to you
I can't do anything for you
But you're doing a great job
You've been a sweet kid since you were a kid...
Family is the person who always wants you to live well and live better than yourself.
It is also the person who will always tolerate you no matter what choices you make, even if you fight against the whole world.
These nuanced presentations of family life are the core of this drama that moves the audience and resonates.
As of now, "Vulgar Girl 2" has just aired an episode, which has earned the laughter and tears of the audience, and has received extremely high ratings and word of mouth.
I hope that in the next plot, we can maintain such a production level and never end badly.
The title of "Best Chinese Drama of the Year" can truly be deserved.
*This article is written by Ah Wei