It’s the New Year, are you running out of dramas?
Don't worry, on February 23, that is, tomorrow, the "big move" that Fog Theater has been waiting for – the 16-episode human crime drama "Evil" will finally be broadcast.
To be honest, after reading too many "suspense formula compositions", I have become somewhat immune to this type of subject matter. But "Destroy Evil" is different. Just looking at the trailer and lineup, the word "quality" is almost engraved on my forehead.
This drama is adapted from Remy's novel "Oldboy", directed by Teng Huatao, and starring Ren Suxi and Wang Xiao. Rather than saying that it is a traditional anti-drug drama, it is a sharp blade that pierces the depths of human nature.
Today, I will talk to you about why I dare to assert that "Extermination of Evil" will be a dark horse in crime dramas in 2026, and may even be scheduled to be the best of the year.
1. Cast: This is not acting at all, it is simply a "fighting between gods" acting field.
Our domestic entertainment audience has been poisoned by "paralyzed faces" and "staring eyes" acting skills for too long. When is the best time to watch a show? It's just to watch a group of people who are really good at acting get together and act "with all their fists and punches".
In this regard, "Abolition of Evil" is simply "outrageous" in its extravagance.
First of all, Ren Suxi + Wang Xiao, these two names put together are the "Wang Zha" with guaranteed ratings.
Let’s talk about Ren Suxi first.
The female detective Hu Wenjing she plays is by no means the cold-faced and ruthless crime-solving machine you think of.
There is a shot in the trailer that impressed me deeply: her eyes have the sharpness of a police officer, but also the fatigue and softness of a single mother.
The great thing about Ren Suxi is that she can always use the smallest expression to make you believe in the real existence of the character.
What she has to face this time is the dual torn relationship between family and workplace. How to stick to the bottom line under heavy rules. The tenacity of this character. Apart from Ren Suxi, I can't think of anyone else who can play it so penetratingly.
Let’s talk about Wang Xiao again.
This talented actor who plays the role of father Cheng Ken this time, the setting alone makes people feel nervous. An ordinary father who risked his life to save his daughter and slipped into the abyss of crime.
In the trailer, he has a line: "My surname is Cheng, Cheng who has traveled thousands of miles, is diligent and diligent." How sad is this sentence? The name carries the expectation of his father's "progress of thousands of miles", and he is a "diligent" person at heart, but in the end he was forced to go to a dead end by fate.
Wang Xiao's role is not a villain, but an "ordinary person" crushed by life and struggling between family affection and conscience. This gray area is the most testing of acting skills.
In addition to the two leading actors, the supporting cast can also be called a "sweeping monk" level existence.
Cai Wenjing plays the careerist Li Xiaoya who wants to escape from the small town, Li Zefeng (yes, the "Xu Huanshan") plays the secretive Cheng Xiaodong, and Ye Zuxin plays the vicious Ding Lai, as well as Dong Qing, Wang Youjun and so on.
When this lineup stops there, it's not acting at all, but "pushing the limits of acting skills."
There is no traffic meat, only a gathering of all the talented people. This is not only a respect for the audience, but also an oath to the confidence of the work.
2. Plot theme: When "acquaintance society" encounters drugs, it is the people's hearts that are torn apart
If the actors are the skeleton, then the plot is the soul of "Extermination of Evil". The ambition of this show is not just to make you guess "who is the murderer".
First, it is real enough and sharp enough.
The story takes place in a coastal town-Nuanhai Town. The human touch that was supposed to be a society of acquaintances was completely broken by a bag of drugs that disappeared inexplicably.
The series does not raise its perspective to high-level games in the clouds and fog, but digs deep into the soil, focusing on how ordinary people are swallowed up by desire.
There is a line in the trailer that made me think about it with horror: "Who said drugs must be sold to drug addicts?" Criminals disguise new hallucinogens as drinks, candies, and even use the guise of "smart drugs" and "quick weight loss pills" to infiltrate students taking postgraduate entrance examinations and speculators eager to succeed.
This setting puts the chill of crime right down our backs – sin is all around us, perhaps disguised in the most ordinary of forms.
Second, it explores the "grayscale" of human nature.
The dual-line narrative technique used in "Extermination of Evil" is extremely clever.
One line is about the policeman played by Ren Suxi searching for the truth; the other line is about ordinary people like Wang Xiao and Cai Wenjing who were pushed into the abyss by fate.
This is no longer a simple confrontation between good and evil, but a dilemma about "choice".
When the father played by Wang Xiao takes risks for his daughter, can you simply define him as "bad"? When a person stands on the edge of good and evil, one step forward is hell and one step back is despair, what will he choose?
This kind of soul-piercing torture runs through the entire play.
As conveyed on the poster, everyone has a heart crushed by life, but everyone also has complex motives.
This in-depth exploration of socialist suspense makes "Evil" transcend traditional criminal investigation dramas and have a sense of realism.
3. Trailer texture: movie-level visual impact, every frame is full of details
Finally, I must highly praise the quality of the trailer for "Extermination of Evil". To be honest, based on this preview, I already dare to predict that this drama will be a hit.
The first is the strong contrast in visual language.
There is a shot in the trailer that is a stroke of genius: the screen is divided on the left and right. On the left is Wang Xiao, who is hidden in the shadows with a gloomy look, and on the right is Ren Suxi, who is brightly lit and has firm eyes.
One light and one dark, one good and one evil, without any lines, the sense of confrontation between the characters' fate has already overflowed the screen.
At the same time, the editing rhythm of this drama is sharp and full of tension.
Starting from the shot of falling into the water, the superposition of broken glass, poured pills, and water pouring in sea water instantly pulls the audience into a damp, depressing and uneasy atmosphere.
The horror of burying a body in the middle of the night, the suspense of the secret on the ceiling, and the tension of the fight on the corridor. Although the violence is not overly exaggerated, the sense of urgency that is surrounded by dangers hits the heart directly through the screen.
Next is the line that tortures the soul: "Do you believe in fate?"
Ren Suxi's answer was: "I used to believe it, but now I don't." This question and answer is not only the character's confession, but also the theme of the entire play.
The people in the play may be struggling with whether to succumb to the "fate" of desire, but outside the play, we are also thinking: when evil breeds, should we just go with the flow, or stand up?
In addition, the officially released group portrait posters are also very creative. A drug bag is used as the background, surrounded by characters with different looks. The intricate positions hint at the complex network of relationships in the small town.
This microscopic composition is full of artistic sense, and it also indicates that in this Rashomon of human nature, no one can escape intact.
All in all, "Extermination of Evil", which will be released on February 23, not only has director Teng Huatao ("Snail House" and "City Within a City")'s precise control of social reality, but also has the strong logical narrative of "Genius Basics" screenwriter Nie Chengshuai, as well as a group of powerful actors who regard drama as their destiny.
What it wants to talk about is not only how to "eliminate evil", but also why "evil arises".
At the end of this Spring Festival season, if you want to watch a hard-core drama with muscles, flesh and blood, and thoughtfulness, you’re right to lock in Mist Theater’s “Extermination of Evil.”
Let us follow Ren Suxi and Wang Xiao into the undercurrent of Nuanhai Town and witness this ultimate game about human nature and redemption.
