Tears on Fire (2021)

a painful watch

Came here after seeing some recommendations about this on Chinese Youtube. And where to begin... I have so many thoughts and it's just so difficult to put them into proper words...

All in all, an amazing drama with an amazing story that brings out such raw emotions. Each of our main characters have incredibly fleshed out lives, and almost complete character arcs (I say this because I'm looking forward to a second season with recurring characters). They're relatable and human like the rest of us are, and I really appreciate how much show has brought to light some issues that are not always talked about. Social commentary done in this drama was also very well interwoven into our character's lives, and I especially loved how show never failed to steal a jab at widespread corruption issues here and there. I also loved how each scene was a build-up to the big issue. A mere 10 episodes, but each felt so compact and so complete.

My favourite aspect about this drama would be how each character is written. From our main characters to our supporting characters, almost each and every one showed character growth. It really is nice to see change for the better in some characters that I initially disliked. It might seem slightly idealistic, but I'm willing to believe in good.

This isn't one I'd be willing to rewatch often, simply because of how emotionally draining and grounded to reality it is, but it's definitely one I'd recommend. It's a really well-made story with great acting across the board (regardless of how small their role is), and I can't wait for Season 2!

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This is my first review ever and I'm not a drama reviewer by any stretch of the imagination, but so far this drama has almost nothing about it on MyDramaList and I do want to encourage people to give this drama a chance.

To go straight to the point, this show comes from a very mature, tender, and yet mostly unsentimental place, and wishes to humanize a crucial part of society that media (at least in Taiwan) ignores except to occasionally heap vitriol and bad press upon. It's a drama with a deep love for these workers, a hatred for lobbying and for corruption within bureaucracy, and yet it presents itself in a way that is often moving and always watchable. It's not a story-based drama as much as a character-based one, and it does what it does very well.

An argument could be made that this show idealizes those within this line of work, and to be quite honest, I don't know nearly enough real-life firefighters to be able to confirm or deny this. However, this show takes the idea of "emergency workers" and makes me care more about them in real life, and that is valuable even if certain aspects are slightly drama-fied. You always feel like you're watching people instead of characters or ideals, and the meticulousness with which these lives are portrayed, as well as the amount of sensitivity that the show has for them, stays long after the show has finished.

The show is pretty short at 10 45-minute episodes, but it uses its time very effectively. Also, on a technical level, it is absolutely fabulous - the acting is impeccable, the script is really funny and moving and hits all the right notes, and it just *feels* polished and competent (lol, again, not a drama reviewer, hopefully you know what I mean.). I watched it on Netflix Taiwan - hopefully it'll be out on other platforms soon.

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