Regeneration 新生 (2025) A Recommendation

Jing Boran plays an enigmatic central figure in this seemingly Agatha Christie style mystery. An assortment of individuals associated with the deceased Fei Ke are invited to an unnamed island to bid him farewell at a memorial ceremony held apparently at his behest. As they assemble in curiosity, each have a tale about the time they spent with Fei Ke in Citizen Kane like fashion. According to each telling, the charismatic and intelligent man that they all encountered, single-handedly turned their lives upside down and disappeared without a trace.

Regeneration is an odd name for this otherwise absorbing (and suspenseful) drama. The original title carries a certain ambiguity that fits the show but doesn’t translate comfortably into “regeneration” for the English speaker in me. It’s literal meaning is “new life” which in light of what transpires makes far more sense. To me “regeneration” is Wolverine or Deadpool. Even the Lizard guy from the Spiderman universe. On second thought that could be the point: Healing. A search for a balm. A hope of healing that never comes — only a wound that festers into resentment and bitterness. A fresh start more elusive than the holy grail.

In rather important ways, Regeneration perfectly captures a certain sensibility in contemporary culture — the obsession with and the elevation of victimhood as a virtue. Or arguably THE virtue of our day. Victims are naturally to be pitied particularly when they fall prey to injustice. In a fallen world there are perpetrators and predators. Evil is a reality. However to live in a perpetual matrix of victimhood changes one’s relationship with oneself. A particular lens predominates. The world becomes a battleground where the two sides clash with the most powerful side emerging victorious. The losers are the victims. Hence the framing of oneself as victim provides justification for retaliation and revenge in a bid to garner sympathy. This is not to say that they are no real victims of crime but there is often an irresistible urge to reimagine oneself as a victim not only to appeal to the compassion of others. If one is a victim of larger social forces, then one becomes justified in the systematic destruction of existing institutions and even wanton lawlessness. (The same theme runs through the more recent Trigger with Kim Nam-gil)

In JB Priestley’s timeless classic, An Inspector Calls, the “victim” is a young woman who is somehow connected with the nouveau riche Birling family. Her life is one long tragedy that ends in suicide. An inspector comes calling prodding and pushing buttons getting them all to reveal what they know about the dead woman. He’s not just interested in the facts. His agenda goes much much deeper.

Regeneration rather reminds me of An Inspector Calls not only in its set up but in the way it wants to shift the current conversation about victimhood. While there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, there are always those who only too happy to utilize the discourse on victimhood to let themselves off the hook, to avoid responsibility for one’s own poor decisions and actions. The question of agency is certainly linked to any discussion of culpability in misdemeanours.

While there are a number of mainland actors who would do well playing Fei Ke, there’s little doubt that Jing Boran is at his spectacular best here giving the character subtle layers depending on who is doing the narrating at the time. “Who is Fei Ke” is the name of the game and it’s reassuring that there’s a competent actor at the helm peeling the proverbial onion little by little. Zhou Yiran, a name hitherto unknown to me, is an old schoolmate now journalist who is now trying to make sense of the young man she knew all those years ago. They are both nicely supported by an experienced and competent cast of actors that includes veterans Huang Jue and Wang Yanhui.

Once in a while a gem like Regeneration comes along and proves that the C drama industry can succeed with a mini-series underpinned by a good script. 10 episodes is often all that’s needed to tell a good story with extra time to moralize. I came to this for Jing Boran, with no real expectations although I had heard that there was some controversy about the final act. For me at least everything made sense and came together in a way that was consistent with the show’s stated themes.

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