Because I'm brushing up on how a clever antagonist is portrayed in different storylines I decided to rewatch Love Me if You Dare, a chinese romantic drama with a criminal investigative spin. I remembered that two of the antagonists were especially smart and manipulative, and on the second watch I focused more on them instead of the romance.
Bad guys like these two seem to be enormous narcissists, that's for sure. To them other people exist only to fulfill their needs. That seems to be true of any psychopath incapable of empathy. The pettiness and need for vengeance is just as extreme. The puzzling aspect in this series was the degree to which the antagonists were obsessed with their murderous fantasties, which seemed over-the-top. Also they never hesitate or show any doubt in themselves, or try to find another way to exist. If you're that smart, why wouldn't you control your impulses and urges, and find ways to address and correct the problems you have, especially with others? Eh, maybe that's why I'm not a psycopath.
The problems I originally had with the series are still there, but knowing them in advance helped me ignore them better. I enjoyed the rewatch, even if I did fast-forward through the most annoying scenes. Available on Viki.com.
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