First Episode 56: 迷雾, Dense Fog

[roddy]

A part of the Grand First Episode Project -- See this thread for more info.

迷雾, an urban corruption thriller from the director of 潜伏, which has been generally well received here.

Just watched the first episode - generally seems pretty good, I'm up for finding out how all the threads come together - if they do - and there are plenty of unanswered questions to wonder about. I'll be giving it a few more episodes at least.

VeryCD (avi), Very CD (rmvb), or online at Youku.

Summary:

As Oceanic Flight 815 comes into land . . . nah, only kidding.

Newlyweds 胡安 and 薛敏 return from their honeymoon. We get a first hint of 胡安 not being quite right in the head as he has a firey nightmare on the plane. Hu an’s colleague 冯仁 turns up to meet them at the airport, with flowers bought on instructions from 小婷. As they load up the car Hu An gets some good news from Feng Ren, while Xue Min is told by her boss she needs to come up with two journal publications to guarantee her job as a university lecturer (we find out later it’s merging with 师大) – while two mysterious figures in a car watch them and decide it’s not yet time to show their hand – and one of them is someone’s husband. . .

In the car we learn that Hu An is rumoured to be in line for a promotion. When they get home Hu An phones a 岳总 and discusses what sounds like office politics about the possible promotion and the other candidates. Xue Min then complains about having to write her articles, and Hu An offers to give 老杜 a call and get him to have two research students to write them for her.

Marital harmony is disrupted by a fight upstairs. Hu An has a look at the woman bleeding on the stairs, then worries about dinner. We also learn that Hu An’s fire dreams are not new.

Dinner: OMG 翟小婷 is the woman from the car at the airport. FIRE！Zhai Xiaoting gets an urgent call and has to leave. . . . with a MAN! Called 陈铭基.

Back home Xue Min gets a call from her mum – dad’s been arrested! Can she go home immediately? Feng Ren drives them back – he’s got connections in her home town and might be able to help. In the car we learn that dad is a bureau chief, Xue Min’s mother died early and she has a step mother and half-sister, and that Feng Ren’s wife runs the company – it’s nothing to do with him. And he also reckons there’s something going on with Chen Mingji and Zhai Xiaoting. A phone call finds out that daddy’s been arrested for bribery – and there’s even proof.

At home we get to meet Xue Min’s sister, and learn that dad seemed to have suddenly come into money. The next morning Feng Ren meets a contact and hands him an envelope full of money. At the next meeting we learn that both dad and the briber (acting on the orders of a boss of Gufeng Materials, now dead) have confessed. The 200,000Y bribe has been recovered, but there is no sign of the woman – presumably a Gufeng insider - who phoned in the tip.

Hu An and Feng Ren head back to the city. The conversation in the car and later between Hu An and Xue Min don’t really tell us anything new.

Back at the office Hu An is told again his promotion is in the bag and that he’s been nominated as an advanced individual. But who is that mysterious woman who wants to speak to him . . .

While back in Yancheng Xue Min asks her dad’s friend 小袋 to look into the Gufeng company, and particularly the woman who told on her dad. Then she heads home.

Accountant 罗薇薇 phones Hu An wanting to meet about a sum of money taken out of project funds. He looks worried. At the meeting in a secluded cafe he claims the money was just moved around within the project - but Luo Weiwei tells him she knows that isn't the case . . .

Characters

胡安 - government official, about to be promoted, and apparently upright and clean-living

薛敏 - his wife, university lecturer

冯仁 - friend of Hu and Xue, business type

翟小婷 - Feng's wife

陈铭基 Finance director of Feng and Zhai's company

薛文博 Xue Min’s dad, head of the Yancheng Quality Supervision Bureau. We don't see him.

薛小莉 – Xue Min’s mentally not quite all there younger half-sister

Mum - don't think she gets a name

罗薇薇 – accountant at Hu An’s work – does she know too much?

某总若干 - there are a few other people who briefly turn up, are mentioned, or are spoken to on the phone.

Words (lacking time to go through these and add pinyin or translations, will try to get back to it.)

特意

转告

新郎

新娘

蜜月

（篇）论文

解析

拜占庭

摊牌

弄僵

人事变动

副处级

正处级

小道消息

高升

官儿迷

仕途

坎坷

半路杀出个程咬金

风凉话

官拜几品

挂到人事处

酌情

省级专业刊物

枪手

原始森林

升官

省得我。。。

喜酒

恩爱

端走

来日方长

眼神迷乱

抓走

质监局

耳目

挺住

受贿

检举

人赃俱在

抑郁症

姐夫

举报

行贿

检察院

垂头丧气

回天无力

掉以轻心

闪失

女婿

没得捞了

致使

追缴

陷害

造孽

神经兮兮

生母

继母

心理发育

熨

皱巴巴

平平展展

贤妻

喜糖

新郎倌

精神焕发

双喜临门

高就

城府

怪异

露面

使（不上）劲

先进个人

业绩

交通导航监测系统

获奖工程

生活作风

正派

隐蔽

窃听器

望远镜

保密局

特高科

流言蜚语

阴沟

翻船

运转

Edited February 9, 2010 at 02:20 PM by renzhe

[muyongshi]

Just saying that it was the same director as 潜伏 really got my attention. The story lined seemed a bit silly to me, but in return for you watching this Roddy, I agree to have a go at it. If tonight doesn't get to busy I'll do it then if not it will have to wait till tomorrow.

[roddy]

Yep, that's how I ended up finding it. You can see similarities - there's a lot of suspense and tension, and it's all about who knows what and who knows who knows what. Your male lead this time is a lot less competent, basically he's just bumbled into a bit of a mess (as far as we know, maybe he'll turn out to be a criminal mastermind), and there's a lot less humor - virtually none. Annoying bits are the wife being a bit whiny, and the sister ("hmmm, we need a depressed person. Put her in dungarees and mess up her hair, that'll do"). What might be interesting is seeing the way the business, family and friendship relationships all work together - people are constantly phoning friends in this or that 局, borrowing huge amounts of money on no more than a say-so, finding it completely normal that a friend of the familiy turns up and leaves 50,000Y behind, etc.

I'm not getting through it at the same rate I went through 潜伏, but I'm five or six episodes in and I can see me finishing it as long as it doesn't go off the rails.

[muyongshi]

Some of the best intro music on any show I've watched so far: pretty intense.

I am very much intrigued by this show and as long as I can find them I think I will watch at least a few more. There seems to be a lot "hidden" under the surface and I am really unsure of how to read 胡安. My gut tells me his is a good, honest, well meaning guy and that things just aren't going to go well for him and he will make/made so minor mistakes that will turn out to be huge.

Better than the description that Roddy typed. Sorry Roddy!

[roddy]

Will be interested to see how far you get. I'm at about 10 or 11, and while I'd still rate it as pretty good, it's lost me a bit by veering away from the political and business corruption aspect to being more about the psychology - nay, psychiatry - of the characters. And having read a spoiler or two online, I think that's just going to continue. I'm also fed up of 胡安 being confronted by flames everywhere he turns - you'd think he'd be used to it by now. We've also got the rather dubious plot device of someone . . ah, you'll know it when you see it.

[muyongshi]

I will try and get as far as you do Roddy, I think our attention spans are about the same.

I am also really curious about the history of the fire. That is one of the "hidden" things I was referring to. But I could see it get very annoying too!

Unfortunately it doesn't seem like youku has the complete series, and neither does sohu. Haven't checked tudo yet though.

[roddy]

It's all on verycd if that's any use.

I think our attention spans are about the same.

Thanks, I think.

[muyongshi]

I guess what I meant by that was our interest in shows seems to hold out for about the same amount of time, usually anyway.

Now, I'm trying to decide how that should be taken....

[roddy]

I know what you mean - I think we both have the same excellent taste and great mind.

To be honest there has been an episode or two which if they'd been nearer the start might have had me dismiss the whole series as melodramatic nonsense - the one where they head to 南多 being one of them. And as I said, spoilers I've seen don't give me too much confidence that there's going to be much of a reality-based plot in the future。 However I've already got a bunch of episodes downloaded, 胡安 is well played even if I'm not convinced by the plot he's been given, and I've got a soft spot for 罗薇薇 (bet she dies ).

[muyongshi]

Finally found a decent copy of the whole series here on tudo. I don't like them to much, too many issues in the past but oh well. At least I can watch a few more now.

[muyongshi]

I've watched a few more. My feelings about the characters all seem to be pretty accurate so far. It still seems to building the story, and pretty slow. It's not a huge "grab you" type of show. Pretty slow paced. I wish there was a little bit more clarity on where things are going or why they are happening. They are keeping it pretty elusive without any sort of clues. Somethings are obvious but most aren't. I agree with you on the 罗薇薇 thing. I had originally thought that there might be a chance the writers would use her to throw a curve ball in the story line and she be the one to bring down the house and bring the great ending, which would "cure" her at the same time, but now.... I'm pretty sure she's a goner.

[roddy]

I've kind of stalled on this around episode 13 or so. If you get that far and are still watching maybe I'll pick it up again.

[muyongshi]

Actually just last night, I got half way through 14? or 13.... anyway, and I just got went, boring and turned it off. I might still keep watching but the whole thing with the story line turning away from 小婷 and finding her, unwraveling the mystery, to more about their paranoia and issues at work, and family. It was just to big of a change for me. Especially with the whole thing off 胡安 starting to seem a bit more odd/crazy, it's turning me off. But who knows, if I get in the mood, I may start to watch it again.

[Gleaves]

Gave the first episode a watch. I enjoyed it. It definitely requires you to pay attention to follow the plot, which I like from a studying perspective. I'll probably download a few more episodes and watch it when I'm in the mood for something heavy/serious. I'll give 潜伏 a try, as well.

[roddy]

潜伏's better. This one is a modern setting though, so you might find the language easier to follow, and / or more interesting.