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In? On? At?

I've heard web dramas described as snacks for longer drama lovers, in that new actors are given the chance to get experience and show their chops before they can star in the latter. I don't know if that's true, but these short episode/limited series productions are becoming very popular on Viki, with fierce debates on whether or not they're worth the watch. I've watched two now and I think they're charming in a slightly goofy, wholly gratuitous, completely implausible way.

Since I fell hard for Ryan Ren in Moonlight last year, I decided to watch two of his web dramas, the first being Love in the Edge of Divorce. Aside from the prepositional poor choice, this is a very melodramatic series about two people forced to marry to each other for a business merger but never meet, and then when they do they fall in love. The female lead then does literally everything she can do to keep the male lead from discovering she's his wife. Yes, it's that silly.

Ryan Ren is a powerful, mesmerizing actor who commands every scene he's in, and basically owns the production. He's wildly romantic and menacing, and so focused on his wife that he totally convinces you he's in love with her. Even his smallest actions are brilliant.

Problems: with the story, unfortunately, a lot. I think the writers threw everything that causes romantic misunderstandings into the production, from secret babies to hateful scheming relatives to jealous rivals. Everyone but the leads seem to be nasty (they're not, but they're presented that way.) The plot twists are sometimes multiples, and after a few episodes it gets to be a bit like whiplash. You'd have to be a Brooklyn Bridge buyer to believe any of it. There are also some forced clinches, seductions and an (thankfully failed) abduction when the male lead's mother tries to have the female lead's baby aborted against her will, all of which westerners aren't going to find at all PC.

That said, just the chance to see Ryan Ren act again was amazing. Can't wait to watch the next one he's in. Available on Viki.com.

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