The First Frost review: Bai Jinting and Zhang Ruonan's C-drama almost keeps up with Hidden Love

3.5/5

Story:

Sang Zhi's brother Sang Yan has fallen in love and gone through heartbreak with his girl. The story explores their romance as life brings them closer 16 years after their break-up.

Review:

A spin-off from Hidden Love, The First Frost starts with a heartbreak instead. This is followed by a fast-paced car chase sequence, which might appear random but surely has a lot connected.

This time we explore Sang Zhi's brother Sang Yan's love story. It begins with a broken heart and much after he graduates from the university.

You tend to miss Victor Ma in the role, but Bai Jingting fits in just as perfectly. He has the arrogance yet softness that is required for a character like Sang Yan.

Ruonan has a whole world to explore after the standards were raised in the original series, and she manages to do justice in her role of Wen Yifan. A horrific incident is all it takes to bring her into limelight, and all of that is explored in the first episode of the C-drama itself. The sensitive topic is handled with care, which happens to turn her character graph around.

Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu are back, but we do not have the OG actors. Liu Chutian and Wu Yuheng have stepped into the roles played by Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan, and appear only briefly.

The chemistry between our new leads develops slowly, which has essentially contributed to the magic of this franchise. This chemistry, whether stealing romantic glances or cussing out friends while loving them eternally, is what keeps you hooked to The First Frost just as much as you did Hidden Love.

Staying true to Sang Yan's storyline, we see moments where he protects in public and even more so in private. In times where the line between green flag and red flag thins down, the love story fits right in.

Destiny brings out leads together time-and-again, which was the case even with the original series. The execution works well even here.

If you thought Sang Yan the brother raised standards, wait till you see him as a boyfriend discovering his girl's secret years after they fell apart. The drama also perfects the unexpressed desires, leaving you with hope for the couple that was fated to a cruel destiny.

Verdict:

Although you tend to miss Victor Ma, who was suited to play Sang Zhi's brother in Hidden Love, Bai Jinting brings his charm to The First Frost, a story about Sang Yan's tragic love. This one is out to steal your heart, even if it is not the level of Hidden Love.