I watched Go Back Lover (再见, 怦然心动) on a whim because of the short length of 24 episodes. Furthermore, it has been quite some time since I last caught sight of the actress, Xu Ruo Han. So, I decided to give it a go as I expected it to be easy to binge on. While it is indeed quick to finish 24 episodes, this drama is not as breezy as I thought it would be. The quickness comes from the urge to get it over and done with rather than the desire to savor every moment. You can read my thoughts on this drama in my Go Back Lover review below.
My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 24
Type: Romance
Aired: October 2024
Images Credit: WeTV Official Facebook
The Cast Of Go Back Lover
- Xu Ruo Han as Shen Xing Ruo
- Li Yun Rui as Lu Xing Yan
- Ryan Ren as Xu Cheng Zhou
- Wang Yi Jin as Chen Zhu
- Xia Hao Ran as He Si Yue
- Duan Yu as Shi Qin
- Liu Hai Kuan as Yu Si
- Xu Shi Xin as Zhai Jia Jing
- Zhang Lei as Zhang Xu
- Zhao Shi Yi as Yang Tian Jiao
- Hao Wen Ting as Pei Yue
- Zhou Xiao Chuan as Shen Guang Yao
Main Characters
Shen Xing Ruo
Xing Ruo is a program producer and partner of a small media company. She is very intelligent and independent. She has her way of standing up for herself and what is right. Hence, Xing Ruo can be direct and tough. However, she carries with her emotional baggage from her past that is related to her parents.
Lu Xing Yan
Xing Yan is a resort manager. He appears dashing and aloof in front of Xing Ruo who is his ex. But he is still carrying a torch for her all this while. Xing Yan used to be insecure and impulsive but has since matured.
Supporting Characters
Xu Cheng Zhou
Cheng Zhou is the finance director at Xing Yan’s resort. Both men are best friends. Cheng Zhou is a carefree type of person with a lot to say. But he has trouble getting along with the woman he married who is now becomes his ex-wife.
Chen Zhu
Chen Zhu is a cafe owner and one of Xing Ruo’s besties together with Shi Qin. They were schoolmates. Chen Zhu is married to Cheng Zhou but they are now divorcing. She is a warm and sincere friend but argumentative and temperamental with Cheng Zhou.
He Si Yue
Si Yue is a writer. He is a good guy but has a shy and quiet personality. He doesn’t know how to start a conversation with others which makes certain social situations feel awkward for both parties.
Shi Qin
Shi Qin is a trainee lawyer working in a law firm. She is also a good friend of Xing Ruo and Chen Zhu. Shi Qin is divorced after a quick and short marriage. She is timid and shy. She is not one who will aggressively stand up for herself and pursue what she wants.
Yu Si
Yu Si is Xing Ruo’s good friend from college. They used to be flatmates while studying abroad. Yu Si works in a capital investment firm which has investment in Xing Yan’s resort. Both men do not get along as they are love rivals.
Zhai Jia Jing
Jia Jing is a lawyer and the legal advisor for Xing Yan’s resort. She is also Xing Yan’s and Xing Ruo’s ex-schoolmate back in high school. She seems to have a close relationship with Xing Yan.
Zhang Xu
Zhang Xu is Xing Ruo’s business partner and owner of the media company that they are running together.
Yang Tian Jiao
Tian Jiao comes from a rich family. Her father is one of the investors in Xing Ruo’s reality show project. Tian Jiao is a spoilt rich kid who is petty and revengeful.
Pei Yue
Pei Yue is XIng Yan’s mother. She and Xing Ruo’s parents were family friends. She is very fond of Xing Rou.
Shen Guang Yao
Guang Yao is Xing Ruo’s father. However, they have a very strained relationship and Xing Ruo hardly talks about her family.
Synopsis
Xing Ruo first met Xing Yan when she went to stay with his family while in high school. They didn’t like each other at first but slowly fell in love as they spent more time together. They began dating and Xing Yan even proposed to Xing Ruo at one point. However, she turned him down and left for further studies abroad. They eventually broke up.
A few years after the break up, Xing Ruo, who is a program producer, is forced to invite Xing Yan to participate in her reality show on exes. Spending time together rekindled their feelings for each other but the key issue of their last breakup remains unresolved. Will they be able to open up their hearts and talk things over or would their relationship bring them more pain and is best left in the past?
Go Back Lover Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)
Go Bck Lover has a happy ending. The dating reality show comes to an end. During the last segment, Si Yue confirms that he and Shi Qin will continue to be together after the show. Chen Zhu is pregnant but thought Cheng Zhou doesn’t want the responsibility of being a father after she said something she shouldn’t during an emotional moment. In fact, Cheng Zhou has gone to attend a dad-to-be class. He reassures Chen Zhu that they will be good parents and he will strive to do better to give their child happiness.
Xing Ruo proposes to Xing Yan. Her perspective on marriage has changed and she wants to be the one to take the initiative after having rejected Xing Yan’s proposal in the past. Xing Yan accepts her proposal and also asks her to marry him as well. She says yes.
The drama ends with the 3 couples going on a road trip. When Xing Ruo suggests holding a wedding as that has been Xing Yan’s dream all along, he comes up with the traveling idea instead. This also gives Xing Ruo a conception for her next reality show project.
When Did The Leads Get Together Again?
Xing Ruo and Xing Yan have a heart-to-heart talk in Episode 11. After she asked for a breakup in their past, she did call him back. But he didn’t answer because he was miserable and got drunk. They have missed each other and end up sleeping together after their talk. In Episode 12, Xing Ruo tells Xing Yan that they should think properly about their relationship after their night together. She needs time to mull things over and claims that they were just being impulsive the night before. Later on, Xing Yan tells Xing Ruo that he is willing to be with her and won’t expect anything more from her that she couldn’t give. She labels him as a trial boyfriend in Episode 16.
In Episode 19, Xing Yan asks Xing Ruo to give him a chance to love her after her father’s passing. He assures her that he will constantly learn to see things from her perspectives. She accepts his request. After Xing Yan got into a car accident in Episode 20, Xing Ruo’s perspective on marriage changes in Episode 21. The experience of almost losing him moves her to want to make up for the time and opportunities that they have lost in the past.
Why Did They Break Up?
The cause of Xing Ruo and Xing Yan’s breakup is revealed in Episode 9. After she rejected his proposal, she left for further studies to Germany. Xing Ruo told Xing Yan that her parents’ unhappy marriage had made her resistant to the idea. However, they can’t let go of each other and embarked on a long-distance relationship. They broke up after 6 years of dating because she still didn’t want to get married while he wanted the security of being married to each other. Xing Ruo felt pressured and asked for a breakup.
Is There a Love Triangle?
Yu Si is also in love with Xing Ruo but they have been good friends all along. He provokes Xing Yan by telling him that he also has feelings for Xing Ruo in Episode 8. Yu Si dares Xing Yan to tell Xing Ruo about it as doing so will just make Xing Yan seems like a petty and jealous guy. Although Xing Yan kept the information to himself, he still ends up quarreling with Xing Ruo over Yu Si in Episode 9. Xing Ruo doesn’t know about Yu Si’s feelings for her and hence, she feels that Xing Yan is being unnecessarily controlling.
However, Xing Ruo realizes that Xing Yan’s negativity towards Yu Si is valid when Yu Si confesses his feelings to her in Episode 19. She rejects Yu Si and tells him that they can only be friends. Xing Yan will always be her choice if there is indeed a life partner for her. Yu Si accepts the rejection. In fact, he wants Xing Yan to quickly wake up from a coma after an accident in Episode 21 as he doesn’t want to see Xing Ruo feeling miserable.
Xing Ruo’s Parents
Xing Ruo’s childhood experience is revealed in Episode 18 when she relates her story to Xing Yan. This is after she learned that her father had just passed away from cancer. Her father was a famous artist while her mother was a pianist. They were a happy family initially but misery set in not long after with cracks in her parents’ marriage. When her mother died, her father seemed relief instead of sad. Xing Ruo also saw him being in a relationship with her head teacher. Hence, she left home to stay with Xing Yan’s family and refused to see her father again. With Xing Yan’s advise, Xing Ruo agrees to deliver a speech to honor her father during his funeral.
However, the funeral is a farce and her father is still alive although stricken with cancer. It is her father’s ploy to see her again with Xing Yan being caught in between in Episode 19. This caused Xing Ruo to be angry with Xing Yan for deceiving her. She then tells him she hates her father because he drove her mother to commit suicide when he insisted on a divorce. Xing Yan apologizes for being presumptuous when he shouldn’t have taken the liberties to decide for her when it comes to her father.
Xing Ruo’s father dies soon after from cancer. She goes to see him on his deathbed and they recall their happier times in the past. She thanks him for those memories and he wants her to be happy before breathing his last.
2nd Couple
Chen Zhu and Cheng Zhou are divorcing. But during the participation in the dating reality show, Cheng Zhou is jealous and secretly follows Chen Zhu when she is arranged to go on a date with Yu Si in Episode 12. Cheng Zhou overhears Chen Zhu telling Yu Si about her expectations that Cheng Zhou couldn’t fulfill such as being considerate and more attentive. As a result, he is sure about a divorce when Chen Zhu tries to talk things over with him. He tells her that it is hard for him to change to accommodate her tantrums and expectations.
However, Cheng Zhou changes his mind and apologizes to Chen Zhu in Episode 13. She refuses to accept and insists on a divorce. But Xing Ruo and Shi Qin advise Chen Zhu to make an effort to get back Cheng Zhou if she still loves him. Cheng Zhou also gradually becomes more attentive and considerate towards Chen Zhu in Episode 20 while she tries to train herself to become a gentle wife in Episode 21. She discovers that she is pregnant in Episode 24.
3rd Couple
Si Yue is part of the group of friends that helped Shi Qin to stand up to her abusive ex-husband in Episode 5. He is interested in her and asks her to join Xing Ruo’s reality show program in Episode 6. However, they are too shy and socially awkward during the show in the beginning. But as they warm up to each other off-camera, they become more and more comfortable together in Episode 14.
Trouble starts when Shi Qin sees Si Yue together with Jia Jing in Episode 16 and is angry with him for it in Episode 17. She wants to quit the reality show to give way to Jia Jing although Si Yue tries to pacify her. This is after Jia Jing told Shi Qin that she and Si Yue have been regularly meeting each other for a long time. But Si Yue couldn’t tell the truth as he had promised Jia Jing to keep her problem a secret.
Jia Jing has been seeing a therapist as she was mentally abused by her mother since her schooldays. Her mother kept comparing her to Xing Ruo and the fact that her father left them because she was born a girl. Si Yue happened to witness it and saved Jia Jing from committing suicide. He has been her pillar of support since then. However, Si Yue insists that he has no feelings for her and that his heart belongs to someone else.
Xing Ruo helps Si Yue to meet Shi Qin again in Episode 20. He tells Shi Qin about Jia Jing’s issues to clear their misunderstanding. Si Yue then confesses his love to Shi Qin and they become a couple.
The Villain
The villain is not Yu Si as viewers may expect but Jia Jing.She instigates Shi Qin’s ex-husband to create a ruckus during a livestreaming of the reality show in Episode 22. An altercation between him and Si Yue ensues which causes negative publicity for the program. Xing Ruo suspects a mole inside the production team and Jia Jing is flushed out. She pretends that she has lost everything including Xing Yan with the reality show being suspended. This encourages Jia Jing to gloat and admit to what she has done on Episode 23 as there is no solid evidence to charge her for any crime.
Jia Jing blames Xing Ruo for ruining her life. Back in high school, she felt that she was the only girl who was close to Xing Yan. But Xing Ruo’s arrival changes everything for her as Xing Yan’s attention was focused on Xing Ruo instead. Jia Jing also deleted the call record from Xing Ruo on Xing Yan’s phone while he was drunk when Xing Ruo called to try to patch things up after their breakup.
Jia Jing gradually worked to get close to Xing Yan for the last few years. However, Xing Ruo showed up again to spoil her plan. Jia Jing is also unhappy that Si Yue has got close to Shi Qin as he has been the only one she could talk to about her problems. She sees Si Yue as her possession and is revengeful when he chooses Shi Qin. So, she tampered with his car but Xing Yan ended up as the victim when the latter borrowed his car.
Unbeknownst to Jia Jing, all her confessions are being secretly recorded by Xing Ruo. As a result, both Jia Jing and Shi Qin’s ex-husband are detained and jailed.
Go Back Lover Review – Complicated Second Chance Romance
Go Back Lover is about a couple who have broken up for a couple of years reuniting for a reality show. They have known each other since high school and you will get short flashbacks about their life then at the beginning at each episode. I guess they provide a glimpse into past romantic journey and hence, it is easier to relate to their current feelings and the reluctance in letting go. The setting where the second chance romance will take place is a reality show whereby the female lead is also the producer.
The theme of the reality show is exes. This is why the male lead ends up as one of the guests. The upside to this setting is the drama feels a little different from the usual. They are in a reality show and there are certain missions and challengers/love rivals in the picture to spice things up. The downside is this reality show thingy doesn’t feel believable. It is just a convenient plot to have the leads and their friends stuck together to rekindle their romance. Many things happen outside of the reality show including the crucial events in the story.
Altogether there are 3 couples in the drama and the main couple’s relationship is the most complicated one. They have unresolved issues that led to their past breakup which stemmed largely from the girl’s side. The real reason why would not be revealed until much later. As a result, you may not be able to relate to the female lead for much of the drama.
Character Flaws
The female protagonist is one who doesn’t believe in marriage. She rejected her boyfriend’s proposal in the past because she witnessed her parents’ unhappy marriage during her growing up years. That excuse will seem flimsy to some especially when the male lead is close to being a simp. He has never stopped loving her despite her rejection. After they reunited for the show, she also seems to be stringing him along at first. I guess she has that live-for-the-moment type of behavior when it comes to love because she has no confidence that it can last.
Therefore, the female lead will appear as selfish to some viewers when the guy is obviously in it for the long-term but needs to adjust his expectations to fit her wants. This is the character flaw that you will need to get past in order to enjoy the romance. To me, I have no particular issue with her behavior because that is just how she views love given her past experience. But if you find her to be inconsiderate and the guy is reduced to a simp, then I’m not sure if you will still be able to enjoy the dama.
However, there are a lot of kisses and skinship for the benefit of viewers. In a way, the kisses are like bonuses that are thrown out to compensate for the not so great characters and script. They will certainly make you sit up and take notice even if you are not particularly fond of the couple.
Annoying Parties
Although Go Back Lover only has 24 episodes, there are 4 annoying characters that you will have to put up with. The lucky thing is they don’t appear that frequently to annoy you throughout the drama. One of them got phased out pretty quickly too and no longer appear after a few episodes. But 4 despicable characters are still a lot in one drama to me.
The third-wheelers subplots are cliche stuff that you would have seen in many romance dramas. The villain’s story at the end of it all is also nothing new. Hence, it is not a great script in that sense. These annoying parties will come and go but when they are present, you’d just wish they quickly disappear. That is how irritating they can be. This is also when you want the story to just move on and get it over and done with rather than dragged on needlessly.
Personally, I don’t think it is necessary to have so many of such characters in the first place. The subplots for them are brief and underdeveloped anyway given the drama’s short length with 3 couples thrown in. I think the time could have been better spent on the female lead’s character growth which is lacking in the story.
Acting & Chemistry
I like watching Xu Ruo Han in Go back Lover and I think she did what she could with what she was given. It is not a great script but she brought out the toughness and intelligence that are inherent in the character. She has also gotten more daring with more matured roles compared to her earliest drama, Perfect And Casual. Go Back Lover is not as steamy as The Forbidden Flower though whereby she struck up pretty good chemistry with a veteran actor in that project.
Li Yun Rui has always played supporting roles such as in The Oath Of Love and Love Like The Galaxy. Go Back Lover seems to be his first lead role. I have no complaints but his performance didn’t leave me with a deep impression either. Perhaps Lu Xing Yan is not a role that will really bring out his acting skills as he is a simple character written to be longing for his ex all along.
Both Xu Ruo Han and Li Yun Rui have great chemistry together. It is not a totally awesome kind of chemistry but you would like it enough to give it passing marks and enjoy their interactions. Their kisses appear natural and they are comfortable enough with each other to make those scenes seem real for the viewers.
My Verdict – Not A Compelling Romance
I suppose it is hard to make a second chance romance drama truly memorable. The last one that I watched, Our Interpreter, was also a flop. You really need a compelling story of why a pair of lovers broke up and a strong reason for them to get back together again. Whether Go Back Lover succeeds in this aspect is really debatable. The fact that the female lead’s aversion towards marriage is only revealed in the last quarter of the drama may leave viewers questioning her flippant attitude towards her relationship with the male lead for a substantial portion of the story.
Apart from the main couple, there are 2 other side couples in the drama as well. Hence, this is not an emotionally in-depth romance drama but one that has to split the screen time among 3 couples within 24 episodes. The second couple who is undergoing a divorce is pretty pointless to me with their constant arguments although they are mainly done for comedic relief than anything serious. The third couple is sweet with their shyness and introvert personalities. Even with 3 couples, the drama is kind of draggy in the middle to me.
Overall, I would give Go Back Lover a score of 7/10 for this review. It is a one-time watch kind of title just like most romance dramas. Watch if you are a sucker for second chance romance or a fan of the leads. Otherwise, this is not a must-watch production but one that you can put on your list for those times when you can’t find anything else more interesting.
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