While recent years have shown an increase in BL (boy’s love) Chinese dramas centering around the homoromantic/homoerotic relationships between men, one may be wondering where all the Sapphic ladies are? Well, look no further than Couple of Mirrors. Set in Republican-era China, the 2021 Chinese drama series produced by Huanyu Film centers the story of two very different women Xu You Yi (Zhang Nan) and Yan Wei (Sun Yi Han) who come from different walks of life only to come together to be embroiled in a tale of passion and murder.
What Is 'Couple of Mirrors' About?
The drama starts with a glamorous party celebrating literary star and socialite Xu You Yi’s new book. As seen from her first appearance, Xu You Yi seems to have it all — a flourishing career, a rich husband, a prosperous social life filled with glamour and beauty. Yet when a mysterious murder occurs at her party, Xu You Yi comes to find her entire life quickly unraveling. As events unfold, Xu You Yi soon discovers that her picture-perfect life is not what it seems. As the audience learns, her seemingly doting husband Zhou Heng (Liu Zhi Yang) has been secretly having an affair with her best friend/ business manager Zhang Wan (Anna Fang) for the past few years of their marriage. Meanwhile, after her former best friend is killed in an enigmatic shooting, Xu You Yi becomes the primary suspect for the murder.
Meanwhile, there’s Yan Wei, a talented and seemingly cold photographer with a dark past. Yan Wei keeps a solitary life to herself, working in her shop by day, acting as a sharp-shooting assassin at night. On the surface, she appears to need nothing and no one. Yet on the night of a fire in a police-station, when she runs into Xu You Yi, the socialite safely guides her out and helps cover for her under suspicion from the police.
Having no one else to turn to, Yan Wei offers her home to Xu You Yi, where the two find safe harbor with each other, even as their combined worlds increasingly become darker.
'Couple of Mirrors' and Morally Gray Sapphics
People always love morally gray sapphics, right? Trained as a child soldier in her early life has prepped Yan Wei with a set of deadly skills as well as a belief that her life will ultimately be a lonely one, at odds with the world around her. Yet as the audience soon learns, her violence isn’t quite senseless. Behind each of Yan Wei’s actions is a reason. In Yan Wei’s past, she was friends with a young girl who was later tragically killed in a hit-and-run motor accident.
As the audience eventually learns, it was Zhang Wan behind the wheel of the car. She ran away from the scene of the crime, but as it turns out, the killer in the first episode documented the accident while also delaying medical attention for the young girl, which resulted in her death. When the law is unable to find moral retribution for the young girl, we see Yan Wei take vigilante justice into her own hands.
'Couple of Mirrors' Showcases an Odd, But Balanced Pair
“Opposites attract” is a saying for a reason. At first glance, the two female leads are opposites. Xu You Yi is a high femme optimistic softie with a liking for makeup and fashion while Yan Wei is more of a soft butch with a more pragmatic and pessimistic leaning towards life. However, these differences highlight the yin and yang dynamic of their relationship in which they balance each other. Xu You Yi’s humor and kindness bring a softness to Yan Wei, inviting deep conversation and laughter into the other woman’s life, including calling her by a very cute nickname “Wei Wei.”
Meanwhile, beneath Yan Wei’s gruff exterior is a tenderness and fierce loyalty, as seen in a moment when she spoils Xu You Yi by buying her delicious food and gifts, or simply guarding her from those who wish to harm her. Plus, with most of the male characters being literal trash, is it any wonder that these women, in addition to being the sweetest together, are the logical choice to be shipped?
Emotional Intimacy Takes the Place of Physical Intimacy
In all honestly, though the show never becomes explicitly intimate in its showcasing of the interactions between the two leads (i.e. no kissing, etc.) the intimate undertones between Yan Wei and Xu You Yi are immediately noticeable. From their first interaction together in Yan Wei’s photo shop, we see Xu You Yi posing for a couple’s shot with her husband (just around the time she first learned about his infidelity) and Yan Wei acting as the photographer. In that initial scene, we see Xu You Yi as being highly uncomfortable, posing like a stiff and pretty doll beside her husband who basically sees her as such. Yet Yan Wei focuses her attention on Xu You Yi, making sure she is comfortable while still looking dignified. In that simple scene, there is visible insight into the two women’s dynamic with each other. Yan Wei sees Xu You Yi for who she is. Unlike the other people in Xu You Yi’s life who see her as a naïve wife or helpless victim, Yan Wei sees Xu You Yi as a fully-fledged human being with her own talents, pains, and desires.
Throughout the show, we see the two women supporting each other, with Yan Wei providing a literal home for Xu You Yi safe from her cheating ex-husband’s clutches, while also caring for her, and Xu You Yi providing for Yan Wei a loving tenderness she has been denied in her early life. Overall, if you’re looking for a historical costume drama with vintage Sapphic-coded leads and a hint of noir, then check out Couple of Mirrors. And cross your fingers for a Season 2!