Recently, I've been wanting to get into Chinese dramas, and when I looked for recommendations on Youtube, The Untamed made a frequent appearance on ranking lists. To be honest, I was hesitant about starting it because I'm used to Korean dramas and their run length of 16 to 20 episodes while The Untamed had a total of 50 episodes. However, since we're all in quarantine, I decided to take the leap of faith and start this drama. After watching the first two episodes, I think this drama is definitely a keeper!
Premise
Let's first set the scene. The drama starts off in the past, precisely 16 years ago, with a bloody battle. Wei Wuxian (played by Xiao Zhan) watches over this fighting from afar, noticeably injured, with voices telling him that he was the one who caused this destruction. He steps back and prepares to fall off the cliff when Lan Wangji (played by Wang Yibo) catches him at the last second, refusing to let go. The two exchange a deep look, one of longing, regret, and love. No words are spoken until Jiang Cheng (played by Wang Zhuo Cheng), presumably Wei Wuxian's brother, comes from behind and attacks Wei Wuxian, causing(?) him to fall off the cliff. The flashback ends there, and we're back in the present, where Wei Wuxian wakes up after being brought back to life by some sort of sacrificial ritual. Episode 1 continues to follow Wei Wuxian as he ponders over his past life and gets used to his new identity.
The middle of Episode 2 is where Wei Wuxian meets Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng for the first time since his reincarnation. Lan Wangji seems to recognize Wei Wuxian (even with Wei Wuxian's face hidden behind a mask) while Jiang Cheng suspects it's him but cannot confirm his identity. This is when the show switches back again to the past, 16 years ago, with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng walking closely together and joking around with their sister, Jiang Yanli. Presumably, this is the happy relationship Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng had prior to the bloody battle of Episode 1. Episode 2 ends right here on a happy note.
Initial Thoughts
I really like the premise of this show! I think that switching between the past and present is generally a risky move since the timeline can be hard to follow if not done correctly, but The Untamed maneuvers this quite well. I'm actually glad the writers started off with Wei Wuxian's death and the presence of both Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng in that scene to show the importance of their characters in relation to Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji's face of horror when he tries to save Wei Wuxian raises the question: What was their relationship? While Wei Wuxian's death is quite surprising as the drama's first scene, the show immediately switches back to the present, where Wei Wuxian is clearly alive and well due to some unexplained sacrificial ritual. This puts the audience back at ease since they know Wei Wuxian will come out alive despite whatever happens in the past. The switch back to the past where Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are on good terms is yet another surprise. The two joke around innocently like nothing is wrong. This logically raises many questions. How did this friendly sibling relationship turn into one killing the other? How did Wei Wuxian turn from such a cheerful and innocent character to a conflicted and tormented character shown at the beginning of Episode 1? These two sides of Wei Wuxian foreshadow his character development and draw the viewers in to follow his story.
I know I'll continue to watch this drama, and I hope you will too!