□Zhong Yuqing (Suzhou City University)
Recently, the domestic palace drama "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" has been judged by netizens on various social platforms, triggering heated discussions. Netizens judged not only the lead actor's "pouting" acting skills, but also the lines that were not in line with the times and the unreasonable logic of the story. On the contrary, Wei Yanwan, the supporting character in the play, has received sympathy and love from netizens, and there are endless second-generation works surrounding this character. Why is the villain character
so popular among everyone? First of all, in the plot, she initially just wanted to do her duty as a palace maid, but she experienced scandals, being bullied, working as a coolie, etc., so she awakened, and later she took the opportunity to become the emperor's maid. Concubine, she didn’t know anything at first, but she learned archery, Kunqu opera, and dance and became proficient in everything. She worked hard to survive in the palace like a little strongman. Although she was sentenced to death in the end, she fought hard and worked hard. Pass. On the other hand, the heroine Ruyi is designed as a great heroine who is as light as a chrysanthemum, but she does things with double standards. When framed and framed by others, she only says: "I can't argue with you". Once these two characters are compared, one can clearly see their superiority. Netizens say that Wei Yanwan is an underestimated heroine of Shuangwen. Everyone looks down on her, but she is the most up-to-date.
Why in recent TV dramas, the protagonists are judged everywhere, but the supporting characters are loved by the audience? The essence is the awakening and progress of the audience's self-awareness. In other words, there is a profound contradiction between the audience's growing aesthetic needs and ideology and the still backward productivity of the film and television industry. After the audience has the right to speak and choose, the creators who are separated from the masses can no longer keep up with everyone's mental state and desire for expression.
For example, the white porridge quotation in the 2023 summer hit "My Earthly Fireworks": "He made me a bowl of porridge, and it felt like home for the first time." It was judged and rebelled by a large number of netizens, and even CCTV.com Entertainment has criticized this, mentioning that in this era of sobriety and independence, the audience has generally questioned the monotonous and outdated concept of "love above all else" in the play. The routine is simple and easy to use, but it will be resented by the audience. You can't find new continents with old maps. Creators should keep up with the audience's aesthetics. On the contrary, Meng Yanchen, the supporting actor in the drama, has received unanimous praise from the audience, and his second-generation videos are everywhere on Station B.
In the past, the supporting characters served and worked for the protagonist, but truly good supporting characters are flesh and blood. Only when the protagonist is good and the supporting characters are good can a drama withstand the judgment of the audience and the test of time. In future film and television dramas, producers should pay more attention to this aspect. Not only should the protagonist be polished more carefully, but more importantly, there will no longer be puppet-like supporting roles. Careful thoughts should be added when designing the characters. , there must be sufficient motivation to change for the better or for the worse. Only by keeping up with the audience can we win the hearts of the audience.
