a perfect pilot episode

I attempted to watch this show twice and got stuck about ten minutes in each time, because the modern day setting confused me and the intro with him as a baby - while interesting - was also confusing. I didn't know what was going on. Is this a time travel story? Is this fiction? Either way, it didn't really grab me. However, upon a third watch I made through the whole episode and after that I was hooked. This is a great opener because I think it sets up a number of things very effectively: 1. Who Fan Xian is as a person. The child actor playing young Fan Xian is unbelievably good, and so well cast and well suited to the role. Often I find the backstories in dramas boring because they are basically a vehicle for exposition. This one certainly had exposition, but it left you with more questions than answers and did a lot to establish some of our central characters all while happening (mostly) in the lead's childhood. Fan Xian is clearly very bold, smart, innovative and talkative, sneaky and determined. We get to seem struggle and fail, as well as persevere and succeed, all the while being hilarious. But there is a discerning edge and depth to him that hides beneath the surface, which we get to see more of as the series progresses. 2. The world is established for us. Believing in and being intrigued by the world of Joy of Life is part of why I enjoy this show so much. There are so many interesting politics and people and histories to explore, most of which get revealed over the course of the show. In this way it reminds me a bit of the early seasons of Game of Thrones, when there is this vast world and history and cast that feels like it's being unearthed bit by bit for us. I'm always left with so many burning questions at the end of every episode. Who was the man in the wheelchair? What is the Overwatch council? Why is his father only sending for him now, and is there a greater significance to the Red Knights? Who is Uncle Wu Zu, REALLY, and why does he never age? Perhaps greatest of all, who was Fan Xian's mother and how did she die? 3. The tone is set. This show manages a very delicate balance of comedy and drama that I think few others have. The comedy is actually, genuinely, hilarious, and that lightheartedness is a key part of the show because it's a key part of who Fan Xian is as a person and his outlook on life (to live in the moment, to have joy in life). However, there is an ominous aspect to the show that I think is also established in this episode. We get this sense of foreboding from his teacher and from his grandmother, the feeling that there is a storm coming for Fan Xian, and some kind of dark force or power that wants him dead. Overall, just a stunning opening episode. So much is established, so many questions are raised that I'm desperate to get answers to, and you end the episode with the feeling that you're on the edge of something great.

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