‘Desire’ Episodes 1-3 Review: Visuals & Exposition Overload
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Chinese series ‘Desire’ (垂涎) is set in the fictional Omegaverse universe, which luckily for viewers unfamiliar with the genre, is explained in great detail in the first episode of the drama. All you need to know is that humans can be divided in three biological classes: Alphas (dominant), Betas (neutral with low fertility), Omegas (submissive, fertile and can get pregnant regardless of gender).
Based on a novel by Nong Jian, ‘Desire‘ also introduces a fourth biological class: the extremely rare Enigma, a one-in-200-million rarity capable of dominating even Alphas. The story follows protagonist Hua Yong (Huang Xing), a beautiful, wealthy Enigma and heir to a business empire, who takes on a fake identity to romantically pursue Sheng Shao You (Qiu Ding Jie), a handsome, top-tier Alpha, and an influential pharmaceutical tycoon. Another subplot explores a possible romance between Shen Wen Lang (Jiang Heng), Shao’s business rival, and his assistant Gao Tu (Li Pei En), an Omega pretending to be a Beta due to family baggage and past trauma.
The first episode is slow, and serves a lot of exposition to explain everything in the plot. While the guide to it’s Omegaverse dynamics is necessary, a lot of other long explanations over character motivations and their work is far too wordy. Huang Xing as the mysterious enigma Hua Yong looks like a porcelain doll, he’d got eerily perfect features, not sure if it’s the make-up or some kind of post-production filter. That said, Huang Xing’s portrayal of Hua Yong is on point, he looks like a cold, scheming brat, almost-always in character as a ‘poor damsel in distress’ for Shao You, because that’s just his type.
Visually, ‘Desire‘ is stunning, with grand set designs that bring to life the glamorous world of powerful alpha men in a fictional country simply called “P.” Hua Yong resides in a jaw-dropping mansion, complete with infinity pools and breathtaking views. Much of the early story unfolds in sleek offices and luxurious lounges, all styled with a professionally polished, high-end aesthetic. The background music however doesn’t do much to elevate the mood in the series, dominated by bland piano pieces so far.
Hua Yong teams up with his buddy Shen Wen Lang and goes undercover as an intern at his firm, just so he can conveniently pop up wherever Shao You is. With sneaky charm and zero shame, Hua Yong starts low-key ‘training’ the Alpha like a Pavlovian pup, seducing him bit by bit with daily cookie deliveries and perfectly timed appearances. Interestingly, Yang Peng Cheng who plays Song Huan Cheng, manages to steal the scene in his very small appearance in the first episode of ‘Desire’ as Shao You’s ex. But after that, it’s a ‘Hua Yong-Shao You’ show.
Among the four leads, Li Pei En’s Gao Tu is the only working-class character, and also the one with most baggage. Gao Tu relies excessively on suppressants and painkillers to hide his Omega identity, while flashbacks reveal his mother encourages him to do so. In the present, he is clearly in love with his Shen Wen Lang, someone very vocal about hating Omegas, so it gives Gao Tu more reason to suppress himself.
A major subplot in ‘Desire‘ revolves around Shao You’s mission to find a cure for his father’s rare cancer. His pharmaceutical company is heavily investing in R&D while also eyeing rival firms for valuable research and breakthroughs. One name that catches his interest is the elusive, socially distant heir of a company called ‘X’, and of course, that mysterious billionaire is none other than Hua Yong. The best bit so far is how Hua Yong always stays in character of the ‘poor pretty boy’, almost always on the verge of tears, to milk Shao You’s emotions, while masking his manipulative, dominant, cold side with flair.
Going by the first three episodes, ‘Desire’ is rich in visual details, has a gorgeous cast, but the storytelling is choppy, the dialogues too long, over-explaining scenarios and slowing down the pace. But the whole ‘omegaverse’ setting gives ‘Desire’ an edge due to the novelty, with Thai-series ‘Pit Babe’ being the only other ongoing live-action title in this genre.
You can watch ‘Desire’ on YouTube, Youku, iQIYI and WeTV.
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