Summer’s Desire Episode 1

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I just finished watching the first episode of Summer’s Desire  last night. And it became an instant drama imprint for me. It’s funny that I can’t sleep, thinking about it. I toss and turned, and thus I know that I really…really… really have to make this post. Personally, I can say that the series is in par with all those hypes and anticipation. And frankly, the premier episode caught me by surprise- in a very, very good way.

Dude, the episode was fast! I even wonder if they’ll be able to stretch the airing time to 16 episodes (the usual number of episodes per Tdrama). I felt that they covered the whole Volume 1 in the first episode already! However, I’m glad that the production staffs followed the story, literally, by the book. I liked the novel and I believe that the drama adaptation is just as good.

(You may read the novel recap at Tammy’s blog-  http://tamarako.wordpress.com )

Yeah, it was indeed fast, like a marathon or something. And so, it’s advisable to read the novel first or even just the first few chapters to keep track. It gets a bit confusing in the middle part, well, coz the drama wasn’t presented in the usual sequential order as in the book, but uses the interweaving flashback elements.

RECAP or NOT to RECAP

I’m still contemplating if I’m gonna make a recap or a summary. The two means differently for me. 🙂 The recap is more detailed and comprehensive, while the summary is… just a summary- shortened and generalized version of something. Well, since my first hand experience with recaps proves to be as challenging as learning a totally different language, if you know what I mean, it’ll be easier if I just make a summary.

SYNOPSIS

Summer’s Desire is a love story so intense, dark and complicated that it defines and redefines the laws of love, hate and obsession. Theirs was a love that consumes and destroy.

Five years ago, Luo Xi and Ou Chen fell in love with Xia Mo. However, their love for her was too strong that they fought for her with possessive and fiery desires. With Ou Chen’s wealth and influence, he succeeded in driving Luo Xi away. But, he didn’t win the game either. He gains Xia Mo’s hate and lost his memory in a car accident.

Five years later, with some random twist of  fate, the trio met again. Luo Xi is now a famous super star and Xia Mo is a hard-up artist trainee/assistant who supports his sickly brother’s medical bills and tuition fee. Ou Chen, on the other hand, still struggles to find the answers to his long forgotten past.

THE LEAD CHARACTERS

Yin Xia Mo (Barbie Xu)- an orphaned girl: pretty, ambitious and strong-willed. She loved her foster family, especially, her brother Xiao Cheng. She’s willing to sacrifice everything for the one’s she love. At school, she was both feared and admired coz she was the girlfriend of Ou Chen and the “sister” of Luo Xi.  She hated Luo Xi but somehow she see’s herself in him. For the past five years,  she is continually haunted by her past. Though she lived contented and satisfied before, bumping into Luo Xi and Ou Chen again will change her life.

Luo Xi (Huang Xiaoming)- an orphan like Xiao Mo. He was  also adopted by Xia Mo’s foster parents so they became instant siblings. His good looks and charms made him every girl’s dream guy. Everybody is fooled by his smiles, except for Xia Mo who sees the evil glints in his eyes.  Though Xia Mo hates him for being arrogant and misleading, it seems that she’s the only one who knew him most. They form a special bond that clings to both love and hatred. Later on, he learned to love her but is hurt when she sent him away without any traces of remorse. He vows to have his revenge but his love is getting the most out of him.

Ou Chen (Peter Ho)- the powerful and rich young master. He is extremely manipulative and possessive. He gets what he wants and  wreaks everything that comes his way- even Xia Mo’s “brother”. Though it seems that he already have everything, he is threatened by Luo Xi’s very existence. He uses his influence to “eliminate” the threat but it caused him to lose Xia Mo in the end. After a fateful car accident, he also loses his memory. He can’t remember Xia Mo or the life he had before, but bits and pieces of a girl wearing a green headscarf haunts his dreams. He decided to come back to Taiwan and puts the puzzle together.

SUMMARY

I know that this is supposed to be a summary but I love drama quotes, so I’ll be inserting  lines that I really like.

Do you believe in fate? A fate that is forever tangled together, tightly tying the three of us. Ou Chen was the young master who provided my adoptive father with his job but Luo Xi was like me, an adopted orphan. They were both extremely popular in the school. But because of me, hatred ran deep between the two. Neither of them could accept the other in his sight. Under this hostile situation between the two, a series of misfortunes occurred. Perhaps, I am inauspicious. I made them unhappy. Fate also seemed to despise the three of us associating like this. Thus, it brutally separated the three of us. Bubbles under the summer rays, though beautiful, can also easily be vanished. I am Yin Xia Mo.

Five years later…

Fans and media men swoon over the famous star- Luo Xi at the airport. He made his debut two years ago and gained immense popularity as the years pass by. When a reporter asked him for a message ,he faces the camera and meaningfully answers: “I left five years ago, finally I’m back”.

Meanwhile, Xia Mo lives a rather simple life. She solely supports her sickly brother, Xia Cheng, and works hard for their daily expenses. Eventually, she became the personal assistant of her former classmate, now a famous actress, Yao Shu Er. While her best friend Zhang Zen En, serves as an assistant to a rival artist, Wei An.

Show business proves to be a tough and complex world; rivalry between artists’ grows by the minute. When Shu Er’s greatest nemesis Wei An recommends her cousin, Pan Nan, to be the next artist to debut, she also pushed Xia Mo. Of course, Xia Mo is quite surprised but welcomes the opportunity.

After returning to Taiwan, Luo Xi seems to be a totally different person. He becomes interested to help some newbies. His assistants find this odd, since he didn’t want to work with other people before. Of course, he’s only interested in one person, Xia Mo.

Meanwhile, Ou Chen is in France. He just woke up from the same disturbing nightmare he had for the past five years- a girl walking away, leaving him the green headscarf.  His “girlfriend” comes in to help him but he feels totally nothing seeing her. He then practices fencing and willingly subject himself to be hit a couple of times. Somehow, Ou Chen desperately tries to know what pain really  feels like.

Because he’s mean and crazy, he gave his “girlfriend” an apple, and told her to  put it above her head and stand still in front of the target board. The poor girl is scared but obeyed just the same. To her shock, he really did try to shoot her with an arrow. She cries in horror and accuses him of being too cruel. But Ou Chen is being a jerk and reloads the bow, preparing for another shot. He remembers the same scene, only the little girl didn’t budge when he tried the stunt. Finally, he stopped the bizarre act. Ou Chen:  “Perhaps I love you before, but I have no feelings toward you now”.Argg! He’s just plain mean. Would it hurt if he said it nicely?!

He then decides to return to Taipei, hoping that he’ll find what he really lost and remember the true meaning of pain.

Back in Taiwan, Xia Mo is trying her very best to pass the auditions. Unexpectedly, she became friends with Pan Nan. Other talents try to pull them down and bully them around,thinking that Pan Nan and Xia Mo used devious and crafty means to get the slots.

In one of the rehearsals, Luo Xi suddenly appears. Everybody felt ecstatic, except of course, Xia Mo. She dreads the meeting far more than anything else.

Luo Xi (talking with the coordinator): Do you know why I came here to help? Because there’s someone in here that is an old friend of mine. I’m in debt to her in the past, so I want to repay her now. Therefore, I hope you guys can help me take good care of her”. *All the while he was looking at Xia Mo.

So the coordinator gathers the girls. Luo Xi looks at them one by one, but he stared at Xia Mo longer than necessary. He even tips her face when she looked the other way. They kept staring at each other. And Luo Xi smiles, when she gave him the same defiant look as  she gave him five years ago. He then turns to Pan Nan and they laugh happily. So, the friend was Pan Nan?!

Just as Xia Mo thought that everybody already left, she was taken aback when she sees Luo Xi waiting for her. By the way, Luo Xi’s car is totally wicked! I love the car!

And so they had the first ever talk after 5 years.

Luo Xi: I’m Luo Xi.

Xia Mo: Hello.

Luo Xi: So you’re only going to give such a subtle response when meeting an old friend?

Xia Mo: *stands and extends her hands* I’m very happy to see you again.

Luo Xi: *Slowly took her hand but didn’t let it go just yet* Don’t you know that when we were at the airport and you said that you wouldn’t think of me anymore, I really thought that you would forget about me.

Xia Mo: You’re not someone who can be forgotten easily.

Luo Xi: I’ve hated you before. I hated you for not putting up a fight at all and sent me out of the country. It felt like I was a toy that was outdated and not refreshing anymore. But I’m very grateful to you now. If you hadn’t decided to send me out of the country, I wouldn’t have the chance to enter showbiz. And I wouldn’t have this kind of achievement and status today. *he kisses the palm of her hand*

Xia Mo: Let go of me. *pulls her hand away*

Luo Xi: You’re just like before. You were clearly the one who gave me your hand. No one forced you. But now, you want to take it away so coldly.

Xia Mo: It’s from such a long time ago. If you can’t forgive me. I’ve got nothing more to say. If you want to laugh at me or take revenge, do as you wish. But I hope to have settle it today once and for all.

Luo Xi: Yin Xiao Mo. Why do you have to be so cold and heartless? You don’t believe that I was once crazily in love with you?

Xia Mo: In this world there will never be anyone that you’ll truly love. Even if there’s a miracle where you fall in love with someone, you will never confess to her. You’ll only hide from her. Because deep down inside, you don’t trust anyone.* then wipes her hand with the table-cloth*

Luo Xi can only smile. Her gesture is quite symbolic- a token from the past. If you’ve read the book, there was a scene when Xia Mo wiped her hands just to calm Ou Chen’s rage when he saw her held hands with Luo Xi.

Luo Xi offers her some help in the audition but she declines outright.

Judgment Day! It’s time to choose who among the 5 girls will get the coveted top 2 slots. They are grouped into 2 and will perform in an open area. Pan Nan did great. And so did Xia Mo, well, until she got the stage frights. She stopped singing midway, but then Luo Xi saved her and asked the viewers to support her. They became the talk of the town, and Xia Mo, an instant rising star.

All the while, Ou Chen sees the commotion. His limo , by accident, is parked  near the stage. After seeing Xia Mo, he felt something weird inside. Ou Chen(in voiceover): “Who is she? Why does she make my heart ache, just like in my dream?”. He tells his butler, Xi Meng, to have a drink coz they have something to celebrate. Xi Meng inquires what is the celebration about.

Ou Chen: It has been five years, I’ve finally waited for this moment. My heart finally knows the feeling of pain”. *He instructs Xi Meng to invistigate who the girl is*

With Xia Mo’s shaky performance, Luo Xi offers her some help in overcoming her stage frights. He brought her in an empty theater and encouraged her to sing for him. She did sang confidently well. But it seems  that the lesson is not yet over.

He lets her sing in five different bars. In one of the bars, Ou Chen was there. He was captivated once again as he heard Xia Mo’s voice. This time he knows her name and mutters to himself: “Yin Xia Mo”.

Xia Mo thanked Luo Xi for helping her. But Luo Xi has a lot in his mind.

Luo Xi: You’re wrong. I should be the one thanking you for loving me. It’s because you have feelings for me that’s why you resisted me so much from the start. Because you have feelings for me that’s why you haven’t forgotten me after all these years. Because you have feelings for me that’s why you trusted me, and were able to relax and sing for me.

Xia Mo: Probably, you misunderstood.

Luo Xi: Xia Mo, sometimes it makes things boring if you’re too repressed and calm.

Xiao Mo: It’s still better than being toyed by you.

Luo Xi: Toyed with? Did your heart race just now?

Stops her with a kiss.

Xiao Mo: *shoves him off* If this is how you wanted to be repaid, I don’t owe you anything more then. *Walks away*

Luo Xi: *Catches up to her* You like me.

Xia Mo: Sorry. I don’t like you.

Luo Xi: “smiles* Really? Is it really hard to admit that you like me? Just admit it. You and I walk the same path. That’s why when we first saw each other, we were destined to fall in love. Because I fell in love with you without reason, that’s why I was so childish to do things that you hated in order to attract your attention. You hated yourself for being attracted to me. That’s why you repelled me so strongly. Isn’t that so? Xiao Mo, this is our fate. Why must you resist it? Why can’t you accept it? Since you and I are destined to be in love.

Xia Mo: Stop trying to hypnotize me. I know what you want to do?

Luo Xi: *smiles again* Really? *and kissed her once again.This time she didn’t avoid the obvious attraction. She even responds*

All this was witnessed by someone (Ou Chen?!), and flashes them an almost blinding headlight.