“Bright Eyes in the Dark” Ending Saddens Fans

Airing its final episode recently, firefighting-themed drama Bright Eyes in the Dark trended on Weibo hot search for its bad ending, when the supposed demise of the male lead Lin Luxiao played by Johnny Huang (黃景瑜) left netizens heartbroken!

Praised for Realistic Portrayals

Praised for its realistic depiction of challenges faced by firefighters, two of Johnny’s co-workers had lost their lives and one broke his leg in rescue missions even before the final episode, reflecting the real-life risks of the professionals, with viewers remarking it was more a career drama than idol drama.

Hints of Johnny’s Sacrifice On the Job

The stronghold of the team, Johnny lost touch with other team members during a forest fire, while Zhang Jingyi‘s (張婧儀) character Nan Chu waited anxiously at the scene for him. When he finally appeared having successfully rescued three missing victims, Lin Luxiao and Nan Chu had but an emotional reunion before he was quickly whisked off to another rescue mission – portraying the heartaches and worries of firefighters’ loved ones.

As everyone thought he was making his triumphant return, the timeline then shifted to a Chinese New Year gathering where Johnny’s character was seen with his colleagues who had sacrificed and the one who broke his leg, with everyone appearing fine. When Lin Luxiao asked where are the rest, he concluded that it should “only be the four of them” celebrating the new year, which suggested that all four had lost their lives.

Nan Chu, a dancer, was also seen performing to firefighters watching her with somber expressions, with seat number “34” left vacant for Lin Luxiao. Looking at his empty seat while on the verge of tears, Nan Chu said gently, “You are away safeguarding everyone, while I watch over you” – her words echoing Lin Luxiao’s words at the series’ beginning that “My life belongs to the nation, but my heart is with you”. Although it was not blatantly stated, viewers interpreted that Johnny’s character had sacrificed, and took to Weibo to express their unhappiness!

Seeing fans’ heartbroken comments during a livestream where they caught the final episode together, Johnny exclaimed several times that “I am not dead”, while Zhang Jingyi also smilingly described how the open ending is a good ending. Despite this, netizens mostly interpreted the conclusion as a tragic one, only that both leads tried to brand it as an “open ending” as they could not bear for fans to be overly upset.