This director is vindictive.

Chapter 219 Is this supposed to be a feel-good drama? Screw you!
Just like Chen Mo said, "I Am Yu Huanshui".

It is real, yet absurd.

The truth is that Yu Huanshui's "misery" is a collection of all the "misery" of middle-aged men today!

Why is it considered absurd?

This is also because, in reality, no one is really as miserable as Yu Huanshui.

However, everyone can see a reflection of themselves in Yu Huanshui.

Perhaps not all of them, but at least one or two of them will definitely evoke a strange sense of familiarity!

Finally, "I Am Yu Huanshui" has officially premiered.

Because it's a mini-series, it naturally can't be as generous as other web series, releasing too many episodes at once.

So the premiere only has two episodes!

The protagonist, Yu Huanshui, was involved in a car accident less than five minutes after his first appearance. This accident ruined his grand entrepreneurial plan.

This also turned this man from a young entrepreneur into a small salesman at a cable company. His former glory was gone, and Yu Huanshui fell from heaven to earth.

People's joys and sorrows are different.

But some things can resonate with each other.

For example, the car accident scene in the first act.

For Zhao Lei, although his experiences were different, who hasn't had a most glorious moment?
He once had a chance to succeed when a childhood friend wanted to get him to start a business together.

But at that time, his salary was quite good, and he had just gotten married, so he did not start a business with his partner.

Now, his childhood friend has achieved financial freedom, while he has wondered if things would be different if he had chosen to start a business with his friend back then.

Let's get back to the show.

What followed was a scene that perfectly illustrated what it meant to say, "What a tragic story for this guy!"

Even Zhao Lei thought that Yu Huanshui was just too damn pitiful!
Of course, Yu Huanshui himself was also a disappointment. After the car accident, he became timid and submissive.

In life, it's fair to say that anyone can step on his head.

At home, he is constantly criticized by his wife because of his income.

Even taking the elevator outside can leave you speechless with a sharp tongue from a difficult neighbor.

At the company, Yu Huanshui, who was always dejected and disliked by his superiors, also demonstrated what it means to be a coward. While others could get away with being late, he had his base salary deducted for being late.

Someone can simply tell their boss and take away the Mid-Autumn Festival gift boxes meant for clients without permission.

As soon as Yu Huanshui took it, he was criticized in a company-wide notice. What's even more tragic is that this unlucky guy even took the red wine from the gift box to his father-in-law's house to brag.

He said the red wine cost tens of thousands of yuan, but when his relative checked it on Taobao, it was only 78 yuan a bottle. How embarrassing is that?

It can be said that the amount of "tragedy" in the first two episodes was outrageously high.

Yu Huanshui wanted to leave work early to pick up his child, so he asked his boss for leave. His boss didn't even look at him and just said, "No."

Forced to work overtime, Yu Huanshui could only watch the heavy rain outside the window and feel sorry for his child who had no one to pick him up.

When he finally arrived at the school by taxi, his son was already soaked in the rain and was crying his heart out at the school gate.

The upstairs renovations were too noisy, but when he went to talk to them, they yelled at him and turned him away, leaving him helpless! Why? Because he felt powerless!

Because of poor performance, he was ridiculed by his former apprentice at the company.

Where does the truth lie? The truth lies in the fact that many ordinary people can find themselves reflected in these events to some extent!

But at the same time, it feels absurd.

Where is the absurdity?
The absurd part lies in the people around Yu Huanshui!

Not everyone has a cheating wife, not everyone has a father who calls without asking if his son is there and immediately demands 5 yuan tomorrow, not everyone has a neighbor who lets his dog urinate in the elevator, not everyone has a group of company leaders who commit crimes, and not everyone has so many hooligans whose attitude towards renovations is more arrogant than that of the people being disturbed!
At the same time, there won't be that many true friends who clearly have money but refuse to pay it back, and who threaten to cut ties with you when you mention it!

The line between reality and absurdity can sometimes be quite mysterious.

All of these factors combined make it seem like the entire cast of this show is full of villains!
But strangely enough, it doesn't seem outrageous or made up!
Because, although putting them all together is absurd and unreal, when taken out individually, they are very real!
The two episodes weren't long, and I finished watching them quickly.

But after watching these two episodes, Zhao Lei was completely dumbfounded! Is this supposed to be a feel-good drama?
I'm going to fuck you!

In fact, the premiere of "I Am Yu Huanshui" was an instant hit.

However, the criticism was also incessant.

"I'm on 8 AM! Is this the most tragic male protagonist in history? Is this what everyone calls a 'feel-good' movie? 'Feel-good' my ass, I'm almost getting depressed watching this!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen two episodes with such an outrageous density of content!"

"I watched it for nothing. I came here hoping for a good laugh, and because the trailer said that after going crazy, the world would become a better place. I understand you use a 'praise before criticism' tactic, but this is just too damn tragic!"

"Yu Huanshui is too pitiful and heartbreaking. In reality, no one could be that unlucky. He also has problems with his character."

"That bastard Chen Mo fooled everyone. I just want to know, what the hell was so satisfying about that?"

"Just one more episode, one more at most. If it keeps going this bad, I really can't keep watching!"

"I watched it, and it felt so realistic. Although I know that Yu Huanshui's friend is definitely lying to him, what can I do? I still have to bite the bullet and ask for it, right? I hope the madness comes soon, otherwise I really can't keep up!"

"Although it's tragic, why did I inexplicably burst into laughter like a pig while watching it?"

However, despite the criticism from many people, the start was simply "disastrous"!

However, the show's reputation was not diminished by the criticism.

On the contrary, many people gave it high praise.

"This level of pacing and intensity, holy crap, it's only two episodes! In other web series, it would easily have been half a season!"

"As expected of Chen Mo, although Yu Huanshui in the first two episodes is practically the epitome of the 'misery' of middle-aged men, I have to say, this show is really well done. At least I didn't fast-forward through the whole thing!"

"Yu Huanshui, what a tragic man. In less than two episodes, he got into a car accident, was cheated on, divorced, and diagnosed with cancer. But things are about to take a turn for the better, and his life is about to turn around! Looking forward to the next episode!"

All in all, all in all.

They really did criticize, but they also really pursued!

The reason why this drama started strong but ended weakly, going from being highly rated with negative reviews at the beginning to plummeting later, was really due to the production team's inexplicable actions.

You can make movies or TV shows, and how netizens or audiences comment is their freedom.

However, the reason why many people later gave this show a one-star rating is because the screenwriter actually got involved, which is hard to understand. What's the point of actively mocking it?
Whether or not someone should engage in boxing is a matter of opinion, but Chen Mo certainly wouldn't pull off so many bizarre maneuvers.

Especially the last episode, to be honest, even Chen Mo thought after watching it, "What the hell is this?!" But in the end, he got what he asked for, and there's really nothing to say about it.

As a screenwriter, you should just focus on writing the story. Why add so much personal touches?

However, as the plot of "I Am Yu Huanshui" progresses...

As more and more episodes are released, the controversy also grows.

Netizens on both sides are arguing fiercely.

Some people think it's too real.

"This drama is so realistic, so realistic that anyone can find themselves in it, such as family, friends, and workplace bullying. You're bound to encounter something like this!"

"The more depressed he was before, the more enjoyable he felt when he went crazy! But after the laughter, there was a strange sadness."

They only go crazy without restraint when they have "cancer"!

"I want to go crazy too, but I don't dare!" "Yu Huanshui did what we all wanted to do but didn't dare to! However, this was based on the premise that he had a terminal illness!"

Another group of people thought it was too fake!

Yes, it just feels so fake!

"No, I admit that this show is indeed well-made in terms of pacing and tight plot, but isn't it too unrealistic? Are there really no good people in it?"

"Wife cheats, son is indifferent, friends are hypocritical. How tragic is this person's life! It's too unrealistic; at least in reality, this could never happen, right?"

"One or two items can be considered realistic, but when put together, all that's left is absurdity!"

"Why does this feel a bit like 'Goodbye Mr. Loser'? It's totally a salaryman's fantasy!"

Controversy arises naturally from differing opinions.

Chen Mo completely ignored this. To put it bluntly, the audience didn't care what Chen Mo was thinking.

There's a saying that goes, "What do you, an actor, know about characters?"

Once a TV series is produced, what it actually expresses becomes largely irrelevant to the director and screenwriter.

Different people will naturally have different opinions after seeing it.

What you think is not important, what matters is what I think!
In fact, Chen Mo had never experienced anything like Yu Huanshui's ordeal in either of his two lives.

But that doesn't stop him from filming this drama! He doesn't know anything about Yu Huanshui; he's never experienced Yu Huanshui's life.

"So, which side of these people's statements do you agree with more?" Zhang Yuqi asked curiously.

"I disagree with both sides! Because ordinary people's lives are full of hardships. That's the essence of this drama! And I never expected this drama to resonate with everyone. In fact, for example, what resonance could you possibly have after watching this drama? Isn't that nonsense?" Chen Mo said with a faint smile.

In Chen Mo's opinion, why is this drama so controversial?
Because many people see themselves in Yu Huanshui, they naturally resonate with the character and find the show very realistic.

However, you can't expect people of all ages and with different experiences to find common ground in it, can you?
After all, not everyone is middle-aged, and young people don't have as many of Yu Huanshui's troubles.

They haven't even started a family yet, and they haven't even gotten married, so what kind of resonance can they possibly have?

This show is not intended for everyone.

Rather, it is a specific audience group, such as middle-aged men with families, who will have a deeper understanding of this drama.

Conversely, this drama is actually not very friendly to female viewers, even without the mysterious actions of the screenwriter in the previous life, just from the perspective of the plot alone.

Female viewers definitely won't like this show.

Because in this drama, the portrayal of Yu Huanshui's wife is simply too unlikable for female viewers.

In fact, there isn't a single character that female viewers will like! But everyone has their own stance, a gender stance, and an identity stance.

Do you dare say that there aren't any "villainous" characters in this show? That they'd like a show like this? That's bullshit!

Therefore, Chen Mo never thought about pleasing all the viewers; pleasing a portion of the viewers would already be a success!

"Sister Binbin, what about you?" Zhang Yuqi asked Fan Binbin.

“I think this drama will be criticized even more harshly later on, especially since there isn’t a single good woman in it. Director Chen, aren’t you afraid of being criticized at all?” Fan Binbin asked.

Chen Mo rolled his eyes and said, "Then why don't you say that not only are there no good women in this drama, but there are also no good men? Even Yu Huanshui isn't a good person or a good man in the traditional sense, okay?"

"Besides, so what if you get criticized? Haven't your works been criticized enough? And you're still doing fine, aren't you?" Chen Mo chuckled.

This naturally earned him eye rolls from Zhang Yuqi and Fan Binbin.

Chen Mo's version of "I Am Yu Huanshui" has made many changes to the plot, mainly the last episode.

To be honest, Chen Mo really didn't understand what the screenwriter was thinking when he saw that last dialogue in "I Am Yu Huanshui".

Anyway, he directly deleted those brainless conversations. Why would he discuss such topics with a bunch of kidnappers? Was he out of his mind? Besides, those conversations were poorly written, or rather, childish.

Would a normal person really talk like that?

Moreover, that dialogue was practically provoking trouble. If the screenwriter did this, people who work with words might understand because they have a lot of ideas, but Chen Mo really couldn't understand why the director in his previous life would film it like that.

Look at how other countries handle things. In dangerous situations, like the Titanic disaster, women and children are put on lifeboats first. To everyone, this is perfectly reasonable. Nobody sees anything wrong with it.

If we apply this scenario to a kidnapper who has taken a group of hostages, we could similarly request that the kidnapper release the women and children first. While the kidnapper might not agree, making such a request is perfectly reasonable.

It is perfectly reasonable to let women and children board the lifeboats first, or to let the kidnappers release the women and children first, and no one would question that.

Why criticize someone just for the sake of criticizing them? What's the point?

A web series is meant to entertain everyone, but they've gone and made trouble out of nothing. It's outrageous!
Simply put, there are some things that everyone knows how they are, things that even so many professionals can't solve, yet you, a screenwriter, are meddling in things that don't concern you, and you've ruined a perfectly good show like that.

Closer to home.

The popularity of "I Am Yu Huanshui" is unprecedented. Although it is short, it is indeed concise and powerful.

It has received a rating of over 8.5 on the internet, and because Chen Mo omitted the most frustrating part of the final scene, the situation from the previous life did not occur.

Although there is a hierarchy of contempt in the film and television industry.

For the mainstream film industry, online films are not even considered real films.

The hierarchy of movies, TV series, web series, and online movies is deeply rooted, but that doesn't mean it can't be broken!

However, this is all based on one premise: the quality of the work!
What right do you have to look down on other high-quality, highly-rated TV series when your movie is so bad?

Which movie do you watch that dares to say it despises a TV series like "In the Name of the People"?

Who dares to look down on a phenomenal, wildly popular, high-quality drama like "My Love from the Star"?

Similarly, although "I Am Yu Huanshui" is just a web series, at this time, no one felt that Chen Mo had lowered his status.

On the contrary, many viewers gave it a thumbs up.

"Chen Mo truly lives up to his name; single-handedly, he has elevated the quality of web series!"

"As expected, film directors make TV series in a different way. You can see the influence of the film in the tight plot of 'I Am Yu Huanshui'!"

"Looking at it this way, it really is true! A good movie has almost no room for padding. Chen Mo completely approached this series with the mindset of making a movie!"

"And the key point is that this web series is just as profitable and influential as a movie, right? I really hope more movie directors will make TV series!"

Because of Chen Mo, "I Am Yu Huanshui" had a much higher starting point than its predecessor, and its popularity was also much higher.

Chen Mo has achieved both fame and fortune, which naturally attracted the attention of many film directors who saw the potential for financial success!
The key difference is that TV series are different from movies. Movies need to be tested by the market to see if they make money.

However, for TV series, especially web series, as long as the cast is luxurious enough, such as a movie director bringing in a few big-name stars to act, there will always be people willing to pay for it. To some extent, investing in a famous director to make a TV series is definitely less risky than investing in their movies!

However, the drama "I Am Yu Huanshui" also had a rather interesting impact.

"Holy crap, after watching 'I Am Yu Huanshui,' I can't get used to watching other shows airing at the same time without fast-forwarding!"

Could "I Am Yu Huanshui" open a new chapter for web dramas?

"Have you forgotten that Chen Mo has several web series and mini-series planned? Is he trying to disrupt the entire market?"

"It's actually not impossible! After getting used to this kind of fast-paced drama, watching other storylines just feels a bit strange!"

Will it have any impact? Chen Mo smiled but didn't answer.

There will definitely be some impact, but it won't be significant.

It's just that there will definitely be more and more web series and short dramas like "I Am Yu Huanshui" in the future.

However, this does not prevent other "padded dramas" from still being the mainstream, because it is obvious that long dramas will definitely make more money than short dramas!
Moreover, there will be even shorter and more concise online dramas in the future, even more compact than web series mini-series like "I Am Yu Huanshui".

It just goes to show that the market is diverse! Some dramas can be filmed in one episode just by cooking in a kitchen, but that doesn't stop some viewers from liking this slow pace. Some people even like watching this kind of uninformative plot. And some novels are just about everyday family life, without any highs and lows, just a straightforward narrative, but people still like them. It's the same principle!
(End of this chapter)