Art Deco, opium dealings, and cutting off tongues… China then is different from China now, but that short period of time before World War II still fascinates people with how different the country could have been. Tencent Picture took advantage of that fascination through their microdrama Provoke, mixing in a revenge plot that comes straight from the film noir popular at the time. Of course, there’s only so much plot points one can fit into less than 15-minute episodes, and because of this, the camera lingers a bit too long on the cast’s gorgeous faces in order to stretch out the story for 25 episodes. That being said, the whole production is so stunning to watch that fans of the genre might be willing to forgive that the story is spread too thin. Provoke might have been more cohesive as a movie, but it’s intriguing enough to binge as is after the end of a long work day.
Synopsis
In the early twentieth century, to take her revenge, Jiang Ying, the top singer in the New Fairyland of Tang City, has an elaborate plan to marry Du Jingchuang, a wealthy businessman. Du Xunyu, Du Jingchuang's son, is suspicious of Jiang Ying's ulterior motives, but his identity as the fake son is nearly exposed by Jiang Ying instead. They're against each other at every corner under the same roof, but they gradually find out that they seem to be old friends in the past. Those two avengers, who were walking alone, have become each other's guardians. Meanwhile, Du Jingchuang, their common enemy, is secretly watching all this...
Storyline
Early 20th century. In the glittering city of Shanghai, nightclub singer Jiang Ying ensnares the attention of local entertainment mogul Du Jing Chuan through one of her performances. His son Du Xun Yu suspects that she’s only out for his money, but not all is as it seems with her, and their connection threatens to reveal the secrets both the singer and heir are hiding.
TLDR
C’mon, Tencent… Don’t be shy… If you just removed the recap scenes, end credits, and shorten the slow-motion shots, this would have been an excellent 2 hour movie.
What stands out
With the world’s attention span collectively decreasing with the rise of short-form content, television shows can feel too long to be worth investing hours into it. Chinese dramas have been experimenting with the format through shorter episodes for lower operating costs and shorter productions, but new period revenge drama Provoke doesn’t skimp on the luxurious sets and costumes that recall pre-World War II Shanghai Art Deco. Every scene is gilded, hazily lit, and just so gorgeous to watch. That being said, the pacing of the show is off. With each episode clocking in at less than 15 minutes, some episodes end too abruptly, some episodes rely too much on its insistent scoring for comedy, and some episodes drop serious revelations with not enough time to process. Somehow, this just makes it all the more tempting to binge the entire series in one sitting, but Provoke could have prevented all these issues had Tencent chosen its story to be a film rather than a show.
