“The Long Season” is a brilliant Chinese 'Rust Belt' Noir

Sorry, should be in ~tv. Excerpts

This is also a story about being old. Everyone’s bodies are failing; protagonists and antagonists alike are diabetic, arthritic, or plagued by other ills. A stakeout has to be interrupted by frequent bathroom breaks and naps because, as one of the characters says, “We’re old, and it’s hard for us to stay up. … Coffee goes right through me.” Often, it’s a deliberately slow show, taking its time with the characters’ everyday complaints, quips, and small actions of clambering out of cramped cars or cooking at home—but it’s never boring.

There’s one problem with the show as currently available: The English subtitles are mediocre. They’re mostly not terrible, but they’re clunky, clearly not done by a native English speaker, and include a few outright mistakes and deeply confusing phrases. Wang, for instance, takes pride in being an “elected vigilante” when he’s talking about being on the local neighborhood committee. A professional retranslation could seriously help the show reach an international audience.

And while state media have praised the show, this strikes me as clumsy bandwagon-jumping on the back of its popularity, not a concerted campaign. Take the Global Times piece that claimed the show “presents the warm, sunny, bright and vibrant autumn in Northeast China, or Dongbei in Chinese, as well as the enthusiasm, positivity, optimism and humor of local people” and that it “meets Chinese people’s demand for quality productions that deliver positive messages.” That’s like praising Chinatown for being a film about how important family is in sunny Los Angeles.