It has been over a month since we started working from home, and during this time, we have hardly ordered takeout. We mostly cook and eat together as a family. When we have meals, we need something to watch, which is a difficult problem.
At first, we watched movies, but movies usually last for an hour and a half or even more than two hours. By the time we finish our meal, we haven't even watched half of the movie. It's not suitable to continue watching next time, so we often end up watching from noon until the afternoon or from the evening until late at night...
Then I suggested watching short films, so I invited them to watch "Love, Death & Robots". After watching a few episodes, we felt that it wasn't suitable. Firstly, the plot was too intense, and secondly, it was in English, which wasn't suitable to watch while having a meal.
Finally, I thought of a very suitable drama - "Reply 1988". Because we have all watched it to some extent, and the duration is relatively controllable, it quickly resonated with us. Although it is in Korean, we already know the plot, so it doesn't affect our understanding of the story.
In April, a cold wave is sweeping through Beijing. The wind is howling outside, but indoors, we sit cross-legged and watch "Reply 1988". It couldn't be more perfect.
Soon, we finished watching all twenty episodes of "Reply 1988". What should we watch next? We decided to watch "Young Justice Bao I" - everyone started to reminisce and wanted to revisit the TV dramas they watched when they were young, and "Justice Bao" is undoubtedly one of them. I remembered when I was in elementary school, they would play "Young Justice Bao I" during lunch break. I couldn't wait to finish school at noon and rush home to watch Bao Zheng, Gongsun Ce, and Zhang Zhao. I didn't even want to go back to school when it was time for afternoon classes.
They also recalled their own experiences and sighed at how time flies.
One advantage of watching these suspenseful crime-solving dramas is that we can supplement each other's memories of the details. Although we have all watched "Justice Bao" before, due to the passage of time, we can't remember many details. Moreover, we can't stare at the screen the whole time while eating, so when we encounter something we don't understand, we start discussing it... If there are any inside jokes or funny moments, someone will give a heads-up in advance, and when that moment comes, we all burst into laughter.
The most recent drama we watched was "The First Hero". I only have a vague impression of this drama, but they have both watched it, so we chose it.
The infamous antagonist, Cao Zhengchun from the Eastern Factory, has truly left a deep impression on us. Every time he appears, we can't stop laughing. He is truly the comic relief of the show. There are many aspects of the plot and special effects that can be criticized, such as giving everything the title of "the first in the world" or arrows that can make sharp turns, but it doesn't affect our enjoyment of the show.
Through this experience, I once again understand the phrase, "what is suitable is the best." Goodness is relative, it is not absolute. For example, I think "Breaking Bad" and the recently popular "Better Call Saul Season 6" are undoubtedly high-quality dramas, but they are not suitable to watch while having a meal, especially in the context of watching with others.
On the other hand, those dramas that can resonate with us and have relatively light plots are suitable to watch while having a meal, even though they may have many flaws and may not be considered great dramas.
From this experience, I also reflected on the countless debates on the internet. Isn't it natural for people to argue with each other when they don't understand each other's backgrounds or the needs of their respective situations? Furthermore, the anonymity on the internet amplifies the emotions of these debates even further.
If we didn't put the need to watch dramas while having a meal in a real context and conducted some testing within a certain scope, and if we didn't communicate well with each other and reach a consensus, we wouldn't have had the enjoyable experience of watching dramas together.