I have literally written, deleted, re-written, deleted, edited, and finally just abandoned a full-out analysis or overview of this show because…. it’s just too good? It’s like Coffee Prince. Some shows you should just watch – and let them take over your life as only the best shows do.

Season 2, the conclusion to this show, is rumored to start airing in July…. so I wanted to drop something before then to try to inspire as many people as I could to watch Season 1 now – so we can all watch the final season together.

So here is why you should watch Lost You Forever – Season 1:

The YEARNING!

The absolute pure longing going on this show will give you heart palpitations. This show had me talking to my television, kicking my feet into the air, crying into my ice cream, sighing and screaming as I watched these romances unfold.

But other than the harem of hot guys our leading female has gathered around her and the coma inducing sizzle of pent up lust and desire between so many people… it’s just an amazing character-based drama.

Lost You Forever is about how good qualities and ideals can be warped by trauma, twisted into dark attributes instead of positive things. The four main characters are all good people with good intentions but their perception of the world and their behavior has been catastrophically shifted by extreme experiences (torture, abuse, family members trying to kill them, strangers trying to kill them, these are not fun times). Even when they are aware of their faults they are unable to overcome how trauma has rewired their brains.

In this way the antagonists of this show are the protagonists themselves. There is no villain or evil within the story that is greater than the destructive forces within our good guys. This is a show about internal battles and wars.

Because of this, the show truly stands out from the norm and shines as a deeply moving and emotionally gripping tale. More than they are failed by others, the characters fail themselves, becoming their own worst enemies. It is difficult to imagine anyone viewing this show and not seeing hints of their own destructive patterns and behaviors in the narrative. And just as we are our own biggest critics as well as our own greatest cheerleaders, you will be both frustrated and sympathetic to the characters in the show… hating them in one episode, rooting for them in the next.

Whether it is ambition, loyalty, or duty, the three men in this story are unable to grasp it without tearing themselves apart. Ambition at the cost of humanity, loyalty at the cost of love, and duty at the cost of freedom.

BACHELOR #1 – THE COUSIN

The ambitious brother/cousin of our leading female, who has been faking his personality for so long I doubt he even knows who he is without a mask… but ooo la la in those scenes where he’s fake smiling but turns around and that smile just slides off his face to reveal this ruthless, cold expression of calculating emotional void. I squealed.

Even when he’s genuinely happy it feels weird and strained, as if he’s uncomfortable with the whole concept. He’s the biggest psychopath/sociopath in the show but you probably won’t realize it very often cause he presents himself as this extremely polite, reasonable, even charming rich guy in most eps. I really loved this creepy repressed dude, despite his creepy repressed crush on his “sister.” Honestly, it was just more fuel on the fire to my “this guy is deeply troubling and I am intrigued“ verdict.

BACHELOR #2 – BEAUTIFUL MALEWIFE

Tortured and abandoned, our next leading man was literally plucked out of the mud by our leading female. After she saves his life he becomes utterly devoted to her – like a dog, honestly. A beautiful, elegant dog. My goodness, this man is just beautiful.

Every time they show his hands on screen, I lose my mind a little – his fingernails are perfect oval glass. Just like the leading female, I want to brush his hair and tuck him into bed and fuss over him like the lovely flower he is.

Who’s my good boy?

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His shy little smile makes me crumble into a million pieces.

I would die for him.

But like I said, ain’t no one perfect in this show. And this ethereal angel baby, whose greatest asset is his undying loyalty and devotion, tears himself apart trying to serve two masters.

BACHELOR #3 – MONSTER BOY

Our third leading man isn’t even a man, he’s a monster thank you very much, and demons don’t bother with men and women, it’s just male and female (the gender politics of the demon race! I love they brought this up on two separate occasions in the show). He’s a stunningly gorgeous nine-headed serpent demon war general and he is here to use and abuse you if it serves his purpose.

While doing so, he might also offer you a shoulder to cry on or take you for a nice walk on water… but don’t be fooled, this guy is very clear as to where his priorities are. Work always comes first for our serpent baddie. And he’s very good at his job (assassin murder machine deluxe edition).

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He’s your weekend boyfriend, your vacation hook up, your sexy side dish. The guy you can be yourself with because you don’t have to worry about seeing him the next day.

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Like everyone alive, I adored him from the very beginning… lounging about on tree limbs, feeding cute creatures to his gigantic bird, blackmailing our female lead to work for him after he had her whipped and literally stepped on her. Uhm… stop making violence sexy, sir.

He’s cruel, he’s confident, he’s capable. But he’s also broken and lonely and needs love, don’t you baby? I can fix you I know I can, ouch stop biting me you ridiculously handsome beastie, or don’t, you know, whatever…

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Listen, I know he’s everyone’s favorite. He’s my favorite too. He’s a vampire who drinks poisons like cocktails, how can we not love him?

Only the best shows can make you want both sides of the love triangle with equal fervor, I get it, I do. But the OTP is obvious. What we want and what we need are often different things. But our leading female is smart. What she wants and what she needs are the same thing.

OUR LEADING LADY-MAN

The female lead is a “dude” for about half the show until she returns to her female identity (as things go in Xianxia shows – why are they all so freakin’ gay? I luv it). She values trust above all else but her fear of abandonment causes her to constantly test those around her, forcing them to impossible standards, never fully committing lest she be let down again. The security she demands is unreasonable, for there is no bond that can never be broken or a partner that will never fail you. Things and people are malleable and make mistakes. Relationships that last are built upon mending, refining, and forgiveness.

This actress was born to play this role. The female lead is so feisty and playful and smart. I was happy when she was happy and devastated when she was sad. I am deeply attached to her life story and need season two.

So that’s it for now. Just… watch it. Dissolve into the steamy pile of emotions.

Though I will warn you the first episode is jarring. The opening scenes were pure confusion and melodrama, so don’t be thrown off by it – just TRUST. It’s a lot, with murder and mayhem at funeral, crying children pledging to watch out for each other forever, random bullying, and more pledges between the two orphaned kids who are prompted separated for decades. With only ten minutes to left in the first episode, we jump to the “current time,” get a short explanation of the politics of the show, and see of our now grown royal orphans. From then on it’s smooth sailing – and I’m talking NO SKIP episodes, just excitement and humor and romance and thrills and chills and devastation. So stick with it through the bumpy first ep.

Oh, and in this show the deities, humans, and demons all live in the same world. There are three kingdoms (well, two by the end of the first episode), but they are not divided by the people and creatures that live in them. There’s no heavenly realms or demon realms in this one. As I’m new to Chinese fantasy, this threw me off for a while, so I thought I’d mention it here.

Lost You Forever S1 – Overall Rating 10+/10 – A Flawless Story About Flawed People

We’ll see how it all wraps up with the second season, but right now in my world it’s tied with Till the End of the Moon for favorite Chinese drama. I’ll be back after Season 2 for a full spoilery mess review full of pics and gifs and memes… promise.

Until then… enjoy for this funny F-M-K game with light spoilers for eps 1-13.

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