I watched this drama because of the director's brilliant work in The First Half of My Life and The Rise of the Phoenixes. As per Shen Yan's previous works, Modern Marriage also featured characters who are nuanced, flawed and very real.

The drama highlights the struggles faced by parents juggling work and raising young children. Main couple decided that Mum would stay home to care for their daughter. She rejoined the workforce when her child started preschool. Her daily stresses between school runs, childcare, career demands and house work are all so relatable. Her step by step achievements and growth alongside with her husband made me cheer for them. My initial frustration with their lack of communication eventually melted away.

Three other couples with different arrangements give insights into universal issues faced by parents everywhere.

The setting is also quite interesting. The world of venture capitalists is not familiar territory for many of us.

Acting was pretty solid all around, though not in the same league as the actors on The First Half of My Life.

A thoughtful drama that was a good break from the mediocre romcoms that I've been watching lately. Haha.