I watched Go Ahead (以家人之名) back in August/September as it was airing and I loved it so much. Even though the year’s not over yet, it’s absolutely one of my favorites of 2020.
More than anything, Go Ahead is a story about healing, and how important family and friends are. This show is so emotional, and frequently had me laughing out loud and tearing up in the same episode. The pacing was great until the very last episode, which offered a rushed and tidy conclusion. Normally I’d side-eye that 46-episode count, but I would’ve watched additional episodes of Go Ahead. It’s available on YouTube and Viki with English subtitles.
Go Ahead begins with the start of Li Jianjian, Ling Xiao, and He Ziqiu’s bond as kids before jumping to them in high school. Normally I’m eager for the characters to age up, but the childhood and high school episodes are so impactful and well-paced. Li Jianjian is played by Tan Songyun (aka Seven Tan), who I’ve been a fan of since The Fox’s Summer. She excels here at both the humor and the emotional moments, and really pulled off both the high school and young adult look so believably. I love Jianjian’s silliness, her love of sweets, and her career as an artist! It’s so rare to see a main character who is happily living as an artist. Despite her silliness she’s not naive, she’s used to diffusing tension and easing pain with humor, and she’s a loyal friend who stands up to bullies.
