Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Re-watch value: 1 out of 5 stars
Synopsis
*partially taken from Dramafever*
Wei Ru (Rainie Yang from Drunken To Love You) and You Yan (Yan Yu Lin) have a simple relationship. They aren’t rich, but they still to enjoy life, even if it means eating three packs of instant noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are, however, very serious about their relationship and sincerely trying to achieve something in life while staying together.
One day, opportunity comes knocking at Wei Ru’s door, as her company wants to send her to Shanghai, with both a promotion and higher pay. However, the lovely couple cannot imagine living so far together, let alone running a long-term, long-distance relationship. With so much uncertainty in their future, can the two pick the right life plan, or will their dreams shatter in this struggle between option A and B?
Rambling
*beware of spoilers*
I gave this quick show a shot ‘cause I didn’t want to commit to another show currently airing. (I’m getting tired of waiting for new episodes of I’m Not a Robot.) At 6 episodes, it was definitely a short show, but damn, at an hour and a half per episode, you FELT it. It was slightly agonizing to get through.
Life Plan A and B was borderline sub-par. There was too much that I didn’t like for this to be ranked with other 3-star shows.
The premise is this: What happens when one decision impacts the rest of your life? What would have happened if you chose the other option?
Well, in this show, we don’t have to wonder, we follow Wei Ru as she lives out two very different lives—Plan A and Plan B.
Plan A = Wei Ru moves to Shanghai by herself
Plan B = Wei Ru stays in Taiwan with You Yan
I hated how both lives (A and B) seemed to blame any bad outcomes on Wei Ru’s willfulness and “selfishness”… as if a woman who knows what she wants and pursues her career is a threat to her own happiness. Bull shit.
I personally don’t think Wei Ru should have stayed with You Yan in the first place. Early on when she mentions that she could get promoted and relocated to Shanghai, he says, “What about me? I’m just letting you know, if you’re not here, I’ll stray.” WHAT? He literally told her that he would cheat in a long-distance relationship. Douche.
I also didn’t like how Plan B consisted of Wei Ru getting saddled with being the primary caregiver to You Yan’s Dad BEFORE they get married. I know filial piety is a huge deal, but those are not her parents. What’s the deal? And in Plan A, You Yan throws it in her face that she didn’t stay, that she wasn’t by his side, that she left him alone. I mean, had she pursued Plan B, she would have become a beast of burden in that household. Everything her friend warned her about was absolutely true: in Plan B, they never appreciated her or the sacrifices she made. It angered me to no end. How about that nightmarish mother-in-law?? She was a nagging bitch, always putting her down and treating her like a servant. Hell no. I firmly believe Plan B Wei Ru stayed in her tiring life because of her loving father in law, the only ray of light. He was the father she never had, so she craved and treasured him.
In Plan A, we come to find that You Yan didn’t actually cheat on Wei Ru but simply planned to visit her in Shanghai to get her to give up on her life there. When he sees her success abroad, he decides to just bite the bullet and break up with her, knowing that there’s no going back to how things were. He also embraces her cheating accusation as a bitter way to quickly end things. It’s unfathomable why he would legit run away and leave her begging him to stay and not break up when later, after apparently driving around in a taxi with his thoughts, he decides to go back to the spot where he ditched her to reconcile. There he witnesses the drunk Wei Ru kissing her boss Yi Chao in an alley. I think You Yan breaking up with Wei Ru in a fit of emasculation and then catching the front end of her one night stand is tired, uninspired writing. I wished that they had committed to his cheating, but they had to keep him blameless. It’s really Wei Ru’s fault that they couldn’t get back together; she’s the one that ended up “cheating.”
At one point, I thought both Plan A and B were going to get abortions, but not the case, only Plan A got one.
That whole situation (the one where Wei Ru gets pregnant from the one night stand with her boss) was pretty busted. Although Wei Ru and Rong Yi Chao’s relationship turned into equal parts fuck buddy and life coach, they both stopped short of falling in love with the other. Interesting dynamic they had as well, with Wei Ru knowing all about the other women he sleeps with during the week. Yi Chao was always super sketchy though, especially when he made Wei Ru leave zero trace of her presence in his home.
Even so, it took me completely by surprise when he disappears after embezzling millions from the company. But did he leave all the cash with Wei Ru for safekeeping? Or was that just a portion of the millions? Why did he assume she would never turn in the money and admit to their connection? Gaping plot holes.
Speaking of holes, I got helplessly confused during the last couple episodes when the A and B timelines converged? Why was Plan A Wei Ru suddenly speaking with Plan B Wei Ru? What did Plan A Wei mean when she basically said “we should join together now”? How would that have worked?
It all came to a head during the hotel scene. Plan A Wei Ru meets with a blubbering You Yan after years apart and demands to know why he left her and throws herself at him in an attempt to get back together. Meanwhile, Plan B Wei Ru shows up to the same hotel for a wedding anniversary tryst surprise from You Yan. With both versions of Wei Ru in seemingly adjacent rooms, I thought for sure we were going to get jerked around and You Yan would say no to Plan A Wei and show up at Plan B Wei’s room. But it didn’t happen…
Plan A You Yan shuts down Wei, saying he could never cheat on his wife after all the sincerity and sacrifices she’s made (LOL), and then leaves to meet up with his waiting Plan A wife in the same hotel for their wedding anniversary.
MEANWHILE
Plan B You Yan shows up drunk (from a work event) to the wedding anniversary suite and he passes out while Wei whispers to him that the expensive hotel stay is cheap, since it singlehandedly saved their marriage (she found the hotel receipt and thought he was creepin’).
This whole racket was rude; it did the show no favors. I don’t appreciate getting confused over such a poor story.
In the end, Plan A and B have happy endings, and whatever. Plan A Wei Ru (the stupid voiceover) says they both won.
Do yourself a favor and pick Plan C—skip this one.
Did you see Life Plan A and B? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!
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