Dream Garden (2021)

Best psychological drama seen in a while.

I started this drama with no expectations because I was wary of the psychological aspect not being handled well but holy moly was I proved wrong. In fact I started this expecting a cheesy romance as mango TV trailers all showed the romance aspect and once again I was proved wrong.
In fact the romance in this drama is a background. Its a slow burn. Its irrelevant. Therefore fans of romance might need to be patient with this one.
The story happens at a psychologist firm with one of the leads as a co-owner. After a meeting with the fl ,they embark on solving several psychological cases that happen in our daily lives,to us and the people we might know.
They explore each case and resolve it with in episode per episode.
There are many stories that you will relate to and feel like this is dejavu. The stories are educational and the way they handle them is excellent.
Also the ML (Lin Shen) our psychologist uses hypnosis as major way to handle these cases. I don't know much about hypnosis so I can't tell you how accurate it is but I do love how cases are handled with sensitivity.
I'm one of those people who first didn't like the fl character but later learnt she is a minor flaw to the greater picture.
I highly recommend watching this because it might have a story and lesson for you. The romance between the main leads is a pleasant bonus.
Do not let the rating deter u. Many people are harsh to psychological dramas because they're not used to them & consider them boring when they're the most educational & always carry important messages.

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A drama that hooks you in since the very beginning!

The drama is told in reverse order and I really love that because it just hooked me in right away. I loved the cases on the shows, it was very interesting and well done. The characters felt so real and I cried many times. The main leads romance was a slow burn so I didn’t really care about them, and was more engaged with the second main leads more with the FL’s best friend. The main conflict is built up a lot but the ending felt a bit rushed and in your face. However, overall this drama is a really good drama that will have you hooked as the ML and FL tries to help other people! Also Gong Jun did well in this one!

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Storyline

Such a beautiful must watch drama.
Beautiful osts
Perfect acting by ML and FL
Interesting stories
Best supporting roles
The chemistry between the leads and the friendships between the actors are really commendable.
Gives knowledge about psychology for the normal people and the meassage shared at the end of the each story are beautifully put together.
The ML  is an psychologist uses hypnosis as major way to handle these cases. I love the character portrayed by the FL as xiao xiao.
I highly recommend watching this because it has a story and lesson .The romance between the leads and how the FL improves herself in the field of psychology is the must watch.
I first didn't want to watch this drama because of the ratings given .But while watching the drama I regretted my decision of not watching before.
Highly recommended.

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The most accurate Chinese drama potraying professional profession

I am a psychologist. Of course, there's still many things to improved, but overal, it is super good. I don't know why the rating here only 7 (?)
This is the first Chinese drama that do a good job accurately potraying the professional profession.They use the right term, they explain so...many psychological issues with a really good way. It's almost as good as Korean and American in term of this type of drama.
But, sadly, they kind of push it too much to make the storyline to worked. There's no way, someone without psychology background have right to conduct a hypnosis! It can be better if Xiao Xiao is undergraduate or postgraduate psychology student who write blogger then choosing to take Ph.D or certified course because her interest in hypnosis. But here, she is only a blogger who write about love and relationship because 'accidentally' developing interest when giving advice in radio.
I hope it will be more Chinese drama which can depicturing more profession with accuracy like this in the future.

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A very good portrayal of psychology issues

I'm not a psychologist, thus I'm only commenting as a common drama audience.

Like most people, I came to watch this drama thinking that it was just a light romance drama. But, I have to say, I really like the presentation of psychology cases, especially the gas-lighting and the chameleon. It could have happened to any one of us, in fact, I think most of us may have experienced it to some extent, either personally or knowing someone who had gone through a similar condition. Most of the cases are about relationships, be it a relationship between a couple and/or parent-child relationships, as sometimes both occur at the same time.

I also like how the cases were presented, showing what was going on in the mind. I agree with most reviewers that the treatment part was quite bizarre, mainly the education background of the FL which was not clear. What did she study before she became an assistant? But this is a drama, so let your brain relax, and watch it for the entertaining mind.

I highly recommended this drama for people who are interested to understand more about the human mind and relationships,

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Counseling&healing drama w/some romance...the psych aspect is unexpectedly not heavy...I like it!

What I like:
- This psychology drama is unexpectedly not that heavy! Throughout the drama they r presenting different kinds of cases by showing mixed characters who r basically have mental problems n need counseling... like how ur life partner can manipulate u to stick with him by messing with ur confidence... or how someone could be like a chameleon n trying to be u by scheming n lying to get that affection n attention, n some other situations... I find this part really interesting... n I like how they conclude each of the stories...
- The supporting actors they use for those cases r the people u often see in other dramas, so acting aspect is so far so good...
- ML&FL r visually good, n I like their chemistry... romance part is a bit slow burn, they r officially together in eps13, but they already acted like a dynamic duo early on, they r always together n even live together for a while, so for me it’s enough... I like their characters too, she is naive n at first a bit judgy, but she is a lovely person that’ll grow on u... ML is the typical handsome cold person who is smart n good at being a psychologist, he is FL’s mentor in this Psych aspect... I always like this kinda relationship, the working side by side to tackle problems kinda couple...
- The Psych Team & friends... I like how they r this one big family, no backstabbing people, also lots of funny dialogues between the leads n their colleagues... the comic girl n also FL’s manager r ok, they got romantically involved with the Psych Team members, no luv triangles between them...
- I like how the plot moves, it’s a good pace for me, I rarely skipped! Mostly r interesting, I just skip sometimes when the villain is on the screen, that guy plays a lot of bad characters in other dramas, he is good at it, n I always hate him for it, that’s why I can barely stand him...

What I dislike:
- Some annoying dubbings here n there that don’t match the lips movement, especially with the leads... but lots of dramas r like that nowadays, so it doesn’t bother me that much...
- This drama airs only 2eps per week! It took extra patient to wait till the new eps is out...

Last 3eps hasn’t aired... so i’ll give the summary when it’s all finished... but so far so good, n I definitely recommend it if u r interested in watching a psychological kinda drama... however this isn’t the thriller psycho kind, this is the studying people with mental problems n trying to heal them kind...

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Mediocre drama series saved only by a great soundtrack

Could not connect with the at times difficult-to- follow plot line of Dream Garden. It started out kind of cool with the whole concept of hypnosis, waking up a person’s inner sub-conscious mind to resolve deep seated conflicts in their lives. However, half way through the series, I had difficulty connecting with the characters and lost interest in seeing their individual life conflicts resolved, I truly feel bad for Simon Gong, because he seems like a decent actor and deserves more. Could not wait for the series to end and basically kept it on for background entertainment. I would not recommend watching this drama for the reasons stated above. However the OST is memorable and imo the best thing about the entire drama series.

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Incredibly underrated and league apart from the classic Chinese dramas.

I have never seen a cdrama as beautiful and meaningful as this- the usage of stories of numerous characters from the beginning till the end to depict various psychological issues and the involvement of the protagonists in resolving them was extremely well executed. The bigger story of the antagonist deserves a page of its own but I would like to briefly highlight here too how gorgeously his arc was portrayed that I feel sympathy rather than anger towards him.

As for the leads, I really couldn't have asked for better actors to portray the roles of Lin Shen and Xiao Xiao. Not going to lie, I did start the show because of Gongjun's visuals but definitely stayed for his incredibly captivating acting skills. As for Qiao Xin, I did not know of her before watching the show but now that I do, I would be looking forward to her upcoming projects because she is amazing too. I wish these two have more projects together in future because their chemistry is undeniably good.

I can write on and on about all that I admired about this show but I would like to conclude on the note that we are in dire need for more such shows which incorporate romance and depth of the plot in such a commendable manner. Yes, there might have been a few instances of inaccuracies in terms of the use of hypnosis and treatment techniques but there were also moments where I genuinely got to learn something new about psychological theories in addition to my available knowledge of the subject since I have studied it for 2 years.

I hate how terribly underrated this series is for Chinese dramas of this quality being summed up within 16 episodes are unheard of as far as I know. I binged watched this in 3 days and am incredibly going to miss the story that had absorbed me completely but most of all, I'll miss the characters who conveyed many beautiful messages in their own beautiful ways. In all, the series is a 'must-watch' and deserves more recognition than any other Chinese drama I can think of.

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Just no!

This show really irritated me, it was so implausible. Add to that the acting that wasn't very good, the dubbing/editing that was off and distracting, the FL makeup that was too orange and her hairstyle that looked like a duck tail, her calling him Mentor even when in a relationship, she became a counselor after watching an online video, way too many drinking scenes, unexplained things in each of the different stories, and the fact that the overriding theme of the show seemed to be that no one could keep track of their phones! People always seem to have their phone in their hand, not in a pocket or purse, yet when one person calls another, they hardly ever answer. Phones dropped on public transportation, left on tables, etc. , it just got absolutely ridiculous.

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Psychological Cases

Basically, Dream Garden is like a collection of psychological cases that are string together to create a drama with romance as the icing on the cake. The protagonists will encounter people that are afflicted with various psychological problems which they will need to resolve. These include delusional, gaslighting, and controlling behaviors. Each case could take about 2 episodes for a resolution. Therefore, characters related to each of the cases will come and go. Only a small number of core characters will remain throughout the drama.

One major issue about this kind of drama that revolves around a profession would be its accuracy or the lack of it. I’m not a psychologist and hence, I can’t comment whether the patients’ treatment and the characters’ actions in Dream Garden would fit reality. But you know it would be farfetched for someone who has not studied psychology to be hired as an assistant to the partner. This is how it is in the drama. So, I suppose you just have to treat it as pure entertainment and not nitpick on the details and accuracy from a professional angle. Otherwise, it would be very hard to get into the story.

Fairly Interesting Cases
As Dream Garden relies on psychological cases to move the story along, its success would depend on how interesting and convincing these cases may be. Personally, I find the cases to be fairly interesting. I think the brevity of each case helps to minimize the boredom as they do get resolved within 2 episodes or so. It also provides some insights into how people could be psychologically affected by the behavior of those closest to them.

However, I also think you must have some level of interest in the subject to find this drama worthwhile. This is because it is not a thriller or a suspenseful drama like Stealth Walker. The protagonists are mainly trying to help people with their psychological issues and hypnosis are constantly used as a solution. Hence, some may find it repetitive. With each episode being an hour long, it can certainly feel drawn out for those who prefer more excitement.

On top of that, there is also a revenge factor as part of the plot. This is the last case which is used to prep the viewers for a climatic ending. But it falls short and it is the least convincing case of the lot to me. The perpetrator obviously needed psychological help but the drama must have a villain. So, he seems like a convenient choice as a way to end the story.

Slow Burn Romance
Would I watch Dream Garden for the romance? My answer would be no. In fact, the whole drama could stand on its own without any romance being included. But I guess viewers always like some sweetness in a drama and a matching pair of on screen lovers does sell. Just like in The Lion’s Secret, the couple in Dream Garden officially get together rather late in the drama. However, they do spend a lot of time together from the very beginning which should satisfy that craving for some fluff and sweetness in their interactions.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for your sugary fix, I would still say that this is not the drama to watch. For that, you are better off watching You Are My Glory or Forever And Ever. In Dream Garden, the cases is the meat of the story while the romance simply offers a sweet distraction to make the drama less heavy throughout. Yes, there are also kisses towards the end of the drama when the couple started dating to spice things up. But it doesn’t automatically transform it into a great love story as the drama is not meant to be one.

Acting And Chemistry
Simon Gong is as good-looking as always and he does have the necessary acting skills to give viewers a satisfactory portrayal of his characters in all his project thus far. So, there is nothing much to complain about either with his portrayal of Lin Shen in Dream Garden. He depicts Lin Shen as a capable professional and does that convincingly.

Bridgette Qiao plays Xiao Xiao who is more impulsive and expressive compared to Lin Shen. Xiao Xiao is not an instantly likable or adorable character but the actress still managed to make her grow on you as the drama progresses. I think Bridgette Qiao did well with what she was given. Xiao Xiao is supposed to be smart but she ends up being rather dumb when it comes to the second male lead. So, I can’t blame the actress because that is how her character was written.

The chemistry of these 2 leads is great for a drama that is not entirely romance-focused. They are sweet when it needs to be and they look good as lovers. At the very least, I think Bridgette Qiao has much better chemistry with her co-star here than with Hu Yi Tian in You Complete Me. Perhaps the easy banter between them and Lin Shen’s cheekiness at times help with the couple vibes in Dream Garden.

My Verdict – Neither The Best Nor The Worst
I would say Dream Garden is neither the best nor the worst of the lot where Chinese dramas are concerned. Whether you would enjoy it would depend on how much you want it to mirror reality in the psychology field. If you think the cases presented and the leads’ actions as psychologists are unreal, then the drama’s watch value will go down the drain. To me, the cases are pretty interesting. While I do get the feeling that the leads’ behavior doesn’t seem professional at times, I also didn’t have the urge to question and nitpick over the details. So, I guess if you can just treat this as a drama and not expect the story to strictly adhere to the standards of the profession, then this would be more enjoyable.

Having said that, the sore point for me is the way the villain’s story is told. The female lead completely lets down her guard with him when she has been very astute in sniffing out the psychological problems of others around her. You might also roll your eyes over all the “coincidental” meetings each time he shows up in front of her. In other words, the execution of the revenge plot falls short to me. Since they have also identified a villain, his case could have been a suspenseful and thrilling end to a psychological drama. Unfortunately, this aspect is totally missing from Dream Garden.

So, for this Dream Garden review, I would only give it a score of 7/10. Without sufficient excitement, the romance is a sweet distraction and helps to make up for the shortfall. Overall, it is an average drama for me with little rewatch value. Give it a try and you should know within the first few episodes if this is up your alley.

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