The Forbidden Flower

Presentation

For more…

Overview

Synopsis

He Ran is an 18-year old woman who hides a secret. One day, she meets Xiao Han, a gardener in his 30s. She immediately falls in love with him. Both souls are lost, in need of comfort and irremediably attracted to one another. But will they be able to overcome the obstacles that come their way?

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

I don’t know where to begin. I binged-watched half of the drama because the chemistry and the passion between these two was just transpiring through the screen. Their relationship is beautiful despite the age gap. They are just two souls in search of comfort and there’s an undeniable bond between them. Their love is strong but also challenged by all the external factors – time, family, and sickness. And that’s exactly this last point that broke my heart and made it difficult for me to watch the second half of the show. I was expecting a happy romance but ended up being afraid of the ending and reluctant to watch. The storyline also took an unexpected turn mid-drama when they introduced He Ran’s mother and her relationship with a younger man which interestingly mirrors her daughter’s. It was so abrupt that it broke the pace and kind of got me out of the story. Apart from that, the show tackles important themes like suicide, grief, sickness, love, lies and relationships strained by variables outside of your control with a certain poetry. You have themes like flowers, paintings, the fish, the island… that really participate in the making of the imaginary of the drama. It’s a good watch, but definitely prepare tissues. You have been warned.

Analysis

• Characters
• He Ran
• Xiao Han
• Chou Jia Rong
• Zhang Yuan Qi
• The romances
• The lead romance
• The mother’s romance
• Themes tackled
• The symbols
• Hainan island
• The painting
• The flower
• The fish
• The ending

Characters: The drama is led by four main characters, two young adults and two older ones, who are intricately connected to one another.

He Ran: He Ran (Xu Ruo Han) is a young, determined, stubborn, innocent and genuine woman. She’s spent her life imprisoned in her house or in the hospital due to her illness. Therefore, she longs for freedom and independence. At home, her mother suffocates her and controls her life. Though He Ran knows that she does it out of fear of losing her, she can’t stand her overprotective behavior. Meeting Xiao Han (Jerry Yan) is a breath of fresh air. His presence brings her warmth, calm, reassurance and comfort. She doesn’t feel judged or forced to do anything and can truly be herself. Being with this man is also a good way to rebel against her mother’s wishes. Topped with her intense feelings for the male lead, He Ran goes all in. However, I think He Ran’s youth is also synonymous with immaturity. When she learns that her sickness is back, she doesn’t say anything. She runs away and refuses to confront her fears. She’s a coward and doesn’t say a word to Xiao Han, leaving him wondering why she’s gone. This was unacceptable behavior for me. She’s the one who went after him, but she abandons him the minute it gets too hard. Xiao Han deserved an explanation from the moment she discovered her relapse. Otherwise, it just gave the impression that she toyed with his feelings.

Xiao Han: Xiao Han is a silent, calm and stoic man who lives in isolation. He’s been hurt by a woman before and has withdrawn into himself. He’s content with his simple existence. But He Ran awakens him. She makes him feel intense emotions like love, passion, pain, anger. His quiet and taciturn world brightens with her arrival, but is also set into flames. I think Xiao Han’s main defect is that he bottles his feelings up too much. He doesn’t vent his anger or says when he’s hurt. He keeps his suffering to himself and carries a sort or resignation. But he learns how to express himself more thanks to He Ran.

Chou Jia Rong: He Ran’s mother (Huang Yi) is a mother who’s forgotten she’s also a woman. She’s professionally accomplished with a successful career and financially established, but her personal life is in shambles. Her husband was a famous painter who got leukemia. He couldn’t withstand it, so he committed suicide. Later on, her daughter became sick with leukemia as well. So, she’s moved mountains to keep her alive. She’s become overly protective, authoritative and controlling. She suffocates her daughter. I felt very empathetic for her. As a wife, she feels like she’s been abandoned by her husband. As a mother, she feels like she’s failed. She’s not done her grief properly, but tries to hold on for her child. Her full attention is on He Ran because she’s deeply scared of being alone and losing everyone she loves. She’s lived tragedy after tragedy and has forgotten that she was also a human being. She’s also a woman who has the right to live and exist for herself.

Zhang Yuan Qi: Zhan Yuan Qi (Yu Xiang) is He Ran’s senior at university. He shares some personality traits with her such as determination, stubbornness and great confidence in his feelings. When he meets Chou Jia Rong at work, he’s moved by her pain but also her self-confidence and rage. She’s driven, decided to make it through despite all her wounds. He falls in love with her and chases her. Even when she rejects him, he holds on and proves that he’s a stable pillar. His constance is his greatest strength for me.

The romances: The drama perfectly portrays characters who are in pain, alone and in dire need of comfort. Whether it’s the primary or the secondary romance, female leads are desperately trying to hold on and are carried by strong male leads who can provide unconditional love.

The lead romance: Xiao Han and He Ran have a passionate, but tumultuous relationship. Their first encounter is a twist of fate that turns their existence upside down. He Ran only wanted a haircut, but she’s fascinated the moment she lays eyes on Xiao Han. It’s clearly love at first sight. Following this intimate scene, He Ran starts tracking Xiao Han down, hoping she’ll get a chance to reconnect with him. Despite her enthusiasm and efforts, Xiao Han is very stoic. He’s conscious that they are world’s apart, so he doesn’t want to get involved with her. There are indeed many hurdles for this couple, starting with the age difference. He Ran is freshly graduated, while Xiao Han is in his 30s. The female lead is young, naive, innocent and clueless. On top of that, she comes from a wealthy background, while Xiao Han is only a gardener living on an island who’s content with the bare minimum. They are at different stages of their lives, have opposite personalities and don’t evolve in the same spheres. Yet, they burn for each other. The tension, chemistry and fire between these two transpire through the screen. Though Xiao Han doesn’t show it, he’s madly attracted to He Ran. That’s why he gives in. Unfortunately, He Ran’s sickness gets in the way leading to a series of misunderstandings, bad communication and suffering for both characters. When she finally confesses that her leukemia has relapsed, Xiao Han can spend his last moments with the love of his life and send her off properly.

The mother’s romance: Interestingly, the mother’s romance mirrors the daughter’s but in reverse. When He Ran is the young one who chases after Xiao Han, her mother is the oldest in the relationship and falls for Yuan Qi. At first, she doesn’t pay attention to him. He annoys her and is a bother because he’s seen her at her worst. This is a side of her life she never shows to anyone, especially at work. Yet, Zhang Yuan Qi is quite perceptive and has read her like an open book. Jia Rong’s first reaction is to reject her junior’s advances. However, he slowly forces her to open her heart. She finds herself at ease, loved and supported in his presence. He brings her stability, awakens her as a woman and makes no void promises. Contrary to her husband who abandoned her for example. Yuan Qi is also patient and attentive. He knows that she needs time to accept her daughter’s death at the end, so he gives her space. To me, they are the ultimate couple of the drama. Jia Rong needs someone strong by her side and Yuan Qi is mature enough to handle this relationship. They are a moving combination of souls.

Themes tackled: The Forbidden Flower tackles many serious themes at once. Combined together, it makes the perfect combo for a melodramatic romance that also focuses on family and friends. Amongst them you have obviously grief and sickness which are central and at the core of both relationships. Mother-daughter relationship is a satellite theme that really evolves from a tense and suffocated bond to mutual respect and acceptance of the other’s choices. But you also have suicide, family’s reluctance or pushback when it comes to relationship, lies and misunderstandings.

The symbols: The drama perfectly mixes romance and poetry using a good number of symbols conveyed by the beautiful aesthetics, impeccable cinematography and the overall sensuality of the show. It all creates a captivating imaginary that supports the narrative.

Hainan island: The island is the allegory of freedom for He Ran. It’s a place where she can finally go out of the house, where she meets Xiao Han and where her love story blooms. It’s a safe heaven that makes characters forget about external circumstances that work against them. This is where love exists contrary to the city which is synonymous with the couple’s breakup.

The painting: He Ran’s father used to be a famous painter. One of his last works was gifted to Xiao Han. Not understanding its value, the gardener has hung it in his entrance. When she first sees the painting, He Ran is moved. It’s as if her father had somehow predicted they would meet or as if he was watching over their love after his passing. Many people try to get their hands on the painting, but Xiao Han protects it fiercely. It’s the last legacy of his lover’s father, but also He Ran’s.

The flower: At the beginning of their relationship, He Ran makes a bet with Xiao Han. If the flower that only blooms once a year does it during the night, they would become a couple. She unfortunately falls asleep and can’t see the outcome of the bet. But Xiao Han sees that fate plays in their favor. The flower blooms. Although he lies to He Ran because he’s still against the relationship, he can’t say that this was not a sign. On a bigger scale, flowers are literally everywhere in the show, each carrying a different meaning.

The fish: The fish is a symbol of vulnerability echoing He Ran’s fragile nature. She’s sick and so is the fish when Xiao Han rescues it. Later on, it becomes the symbol of their promise. Xiao Han buys another fish, mirroring the couple and symbolizing their journey together, even after death.

The ending: The ending was particularly rough and emotional. He Ran succumbs to her leukemia, leaving behind her devastated mother and destroyed lover. Nevertheless, the impact she’s made on these two characters is ever-lasting. Her death comes with renewal for her mother. She can finally start anew and free herself from her burdening past. As for Xiao Han, he’s learned love. The only part I didn’t like with this ending is the promise she asks Xiao Han to make. She wants him to wait for her and never find love again. This was extremely selfish of her in my opinion. That is if you consider that He Ran dies. The drama deliberately offers a confusing ending blurring the lines between life and death and leaving viewers to decide for themselves the outcome of the relationship. I personally think she dies and that Xiao Han is left with her presence in everything that he does and everything that he sees.