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Review: Who’s the Murderer Season 3 (明星大偵探 第三季) (2017)
I'm here with my thoughts on Season 3 of Who's the Murderer! On the whole, I thought this season was as good as Season 1, and better than Season 2. Spoilers.
Format
For the two-part cases (Hotel Horrors and Blame for my Beauty), the cases were held at realistic venues rather than in the regular shooting set, which was fun and gave the showrunners more freedom because they had actual full-scale sets to work with.
In this season, there were also a lot more PSA-themed episodes, focusing on promoting good behaviour (e.g. no bullying, mental health awareness, etc.). While this season did include some cases based on popular TV shows, I think they weren't as obvious, and integrated in a way that was more natural.
This season did reintroduce the clips at the end that played out the true murder. They are a bit of a slog to get through, especially since the actors are not the actual players. Usually, I'd skip them unless there were some things about the murder that I didn't quite understand.
In this season, we also saw some guests promote their personal projects a bit more on this show. The biggest example would be people promoting their new singles as a part of the plot or part of their characters' backstories.
Cases
I'm not going to give ratings for the cases this time because I don't think there was as big of a quality disparity in the episodes as there were in the last season. It's been over two months since I began this season so I admit that my memory of case specifics are a bit hazy. Instead, I'll give my overall impression based on what I remember of the episodes.
Episode 0: Detectives' Dignity
This was the introductory episode, where the pairings had to escape their respective rooms. I thought this episode was fun as an introductory warmup episode.
I do think that Zhang Ruoyun and Wu Lei had slightly easier escape rooms, but I think that was acceptable considering they were guests. Xiaobai and Guigui's escape rooms were more to do with logic and puzzles. I did think that He Jiong and Sa Beining's escape room was a little less obvious so I was pretty impressed that they were able to figure a way to get out.
Episode 1: Hotel Horrors: Part 1
This was the first case that was held at an actual venue, which was cool. Maybe it was a bit of a novelty, but I do think that having a real building to work with (rather than sets made to seem like full-scale rooms) enhanced the experience for both the players and the audience.
The theme of this case was the idea of bullying and how it can really hurt someone. Many of the suspects of this case had bullied one of the other suspect's sister, forcing her into suicide, and that was definitely highlighted as very serious.
I was also impressed by how easily Wu Lei fit in in the team. Most guests seem a little timid on their first episode, but he rolled with the jokes quite well. Zhang Ruoyun isn't a first time guest but it was nice to have him back on because I kind of missed him in the second season.
Episode 2: Hotel Horrors: Part 2
The second part of Hotel Horrors revealed that the hotel was actually a hospital for people to switch bodies. Again, I do think that this show shines when they invoke magic or science fiction or strange laws, and it was very interesting seeing the cast logic their way into figuring out which soul was in which body.
I also thought it was interesting that there was actually a secret room in the hotel that the showrunners could use to build the secret lab, and that was definitely a big part in the immersive experience.
Episode 3: Dark Fairytale
This was the first case that was back at the film set. What was interesting was that we saw that "actual" murder happen, when the victim (the Queen) drank the poison and died.
I don't know who decided that Wei Daxun was going to be the princess. He handled it as gracefully as he could have, but...were there really no female celebrities available? This also happened in Season 1 when Guigui played a young master in the Mermaid Island episode. Anyway, I think Wei Daxun handled as well as he could given the circumstances.
I did feel that Wang Yuan was a bit stiff in his role, but I'll admit he had a tough part trying to be the lover of the Princess ^^;;
We also see that Wei Chen has become a regular season guest. I think his vibe is kind of like what I expected from Zhang Ruoyun in his guest appearances. He's mainly the handsome guy but also funny (unlike Xiaobai who is the handsome boy lol).
Overall it was still a fun case. There was a magical aspect to it, which as you know by now, I am a huge fan of when it comes to the cases.
Episode 4: Midnight Hotpot
I think this case was a little more serious. I think it was trying to be a bit like the Reply 1998 case in Season 1 in terms of atmosphere and style.
It was marketed as a hotpot themed case, but in my opinion it just ended up being a normal case with normal people.
Episode 5: NZND: Time Has Not Been Kind To Us
The NZND case of this episode. At this point, however, the NZND cases have turned into regular entertainment industry cases. Sa Weixiao ended up being the culprit. At first, I wondered if that would have implications for NZND cases in the future, but I guess that they could write it off as this being a case that was supposed to be set in the future anyway.
I admit I was a little uncomfortable with Xiaobai's costuming with the dreadlocks and tattoo. I was like "...is this stereotyping rap culture?" I don't think I'm an authority to comment on the phenomenon as a whole, but I'll just say that the costuming made me question it a bit.
Episode 6: Bees of Doomsday
This was another science fiction episode, this time about the dwindling bee population leading to an agrarian apocalypse. The theme of this episode was pretty obvious, and the players even communicated a message about environmental awareness at the end of the episode.
I think this was the first episode with Pan Yueming as a guest. He seemed a bit lost when he first went clue-hunting but I think he got the hang of it. I like how he fits in, as the quiet guy who occasionally has quips.
This episode was also the return of Yang Rong, whom I enjoyed watching in Season 2.
Overall, I enjoyed the case, in terms of the premise and worldbuilding, in terms of the acting, and in terms of the props.
Episode 7: Unable to Triumph in the Skies Again
I quite liked this case. It was originally another airplane related case, but it turned into a Groundhog day case. I thought that the Groundhog Day/Happy Death Day reveal seemed a bit irrelevant when it happened, but it later turned into an important piece of information that helped the cast solve the murder.
I became a fan of Xiong Ziqi after watching him in Twenty Four Hours, so I was really excited to see him on this episode and I thought he did great. Of course, he fit in in terms of the comedy, but I didn't think he was lacking in terms of brainwork either.
I thought the airline costumes were pretty cute, especially Wang Ou's qipao-styled flight attendant uniform.
I am usually a fan of there being solid evidence to point towards the murderer in each case. While I don't remember there being solid evidence, I remember someone pointing out that each murder weapon was related to tools. In addition, it was pointed out that the reason why the victim couldn't figure out who his murderer was was probably because it was somebody he wasn't suspecting at all, i.e. someone whom he didn't know wanted him dead. I thought this line of logic was pretty cool and made this episode memorable for me.
Episode 8: Carefree Inn
The theme of this case was mental health awareness. The case eventually revealed that Pan Dagong was encouraging those with mental health issues to commit suicide. His own mother had commit suicide due to mental health issues, but had told him upon her death that she was finally happy after dying, which had given him the wrong impression about death being a solution for mental health issues.
I thought the setting itself was pretty interesting. I really felt in the zone, with the inns being raised a bit so that the dock felt real.
The dogs had no reason to be there, but they were GREAT. Everyone had a fun time with them. I believe they are the types of dogs who are professionally hired to be in shows and such, because I think I remember the white poodle being in Youth Travel Notes.
We saw Xiaobai really put his brain to work in figuring out the complex sequence of events before and after the murder.
Episode 9: Werewolves: Prequel
This was a fairy tale-themed episode. Yan Rujing was a guest on this episode. I read that she became well known in a debate show, which is cool.
Apparently this case was based on a werewolf game app, which seemed to be based on the werewolf/mafia party game, which is interesting. The case ended up being more complex than just that though.
Anyway, I thought this was an interesting case. The props and setting were pretty in-depth and immersive (including the NPCs), and the cast were pretty good and thinking their way through the case.
Episode 10: Fantasy Dream in Kunlun
I think this case was based on Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, which was really popular at the time. I haven't watched the show, so I don't know which characters were based on actual characters in the show.
I thought the way that they incorporated props was cool. For example, for the master's "memory crystals," they just used photos in glass photo frames, but I still kind of understood what kind of look they were going for just using my own imagination.
Near the end, it was revealed that all of the characters were NPCs in a video game. However, it didn't really explain much except for the victim's behaviour (why he kept asking Guigui to spar with him), so it seemed like in this case, they could've left that out.
Episode 11: Blame for My Beauty! Part 1
This case took place in a plastic surgery hospital. I thought that it would incorporate plastic surgery as a plot device (as it did in the plastic surgery clinic case in Season 1), but it really just ended up being a piece of background information and a setting.
Thise case also took place off site, which was fun. I thought the cast was relatively strong. The guests were Yang Rong and Da Zhangwei, whom we have not seen for a long time.
I did think that the method of locking the room seemed really specific. What I mean by that is that it seemed strange that there happened to be a really deep groove in the room, and the murderer happened to have a ice orb mold that fit the key. But it wasn't a huge sticking point, just a small pet peeve.
Episode 12: Blame for My Beauty! Part 2
The second part of this two-parter went a little meta, just like the two parter from the last season. It did also include a creepy song sung by a little girl. In this case, the fact was that the characters' regular lives were being broadcast as a reality show (like the Truman Show), which explained a lot of weird coincidences. In addition, all of the characters who'd been wronged were actually the wrongdoers themselves, and when they arrived on the island, they were brainwashed into believing they were the victims.
This plot twist was dramatic, but I loved it, and I thought it was interesting how the players used this information to deduce who the murderer was. They were wrong in the end, but I think it was still fun to watch.
Episode 13: The Robbery of Bullion
This was really a mini episode. Half of the episode was taken up by flashbacks. It was just a series of mini games to recovery the gold bars.
Overall
I was a bit disappointed in Season 2, but Season 3 raised my overall feelings on the show. I felt that in this season, they didn't try so hard to force things in the show, whether it was unwieldy murder methods, uninteresting motives, sponsorships, or aspects of IP shows.
There were a few one-time guest stars that were a little shy. However, Wei Chen and Pan Yueming were introduced as regular guests and I thought they were fun to watch. In addition, some of my favourite guests/former regulars returned for an episode or two, such as Zhang Ruoyun, Qiao Zhenyu, Da Zhangwei, and Yang Rong.
Instead of jumping straight to Season 4, I'm going to watch Who's the Keyman, since this spinoff aired before Season 4. I'm not really sure what to expect from Who's the Keyman in terms of game format, but it seems much of the Who's the Murderer casts and regular guests appear on that show as well, so I'm hoping it's a show with a similar feel.
Format
For the two-part cases (Hotel Horrors and Blame for my Beauty), the cases were held at realistic venues rather than in the regular shooting set, which was fun and gave the showrunners more freedom because they had actual full-scale sets to work with.
In this season, there were also a lot more PSA-themed episodes, focusing on promoting good behaviour (e.g. no bullying, mental health awareness, etc.). While this season did include some cases based on popular TV shows, I think they weren't as obvious, and integrated in a way that was more natural.
This season did reintroduce the clips at the end that played out the true murder. They are a bit of a slog to get through, especially since the actors are not the actual players. Usually, I'd skip them unless there were some things about the murder that I didn't quite understand.
In this season, we also saw some guests promote their personal projects a bit more on this show. The biggest example would be people promoting their new singles as a part of the plot or part of their characters' backstories.
Cases
I'm not going to give ratings for the cases this time because I don't think there was as big of a quality disparity in the episodes as there were in the last season. It's been over two months since I began this season so I admit that my memory of case specifics are a bit hazy. Instead, I'll give my overall impression based on what I remember of the episodes.
Episode 0: Detectives' Dignity
This was the introductory episode, where the pairings had to escape their respective rooms. I thought this episode was fun as an introductory warmup episode.
I do think that Zhang Ruoyun and Wu Lei had slightly easier escape rooms, but I think that was acceptable considering they were guests. Xiaobai and Guigui's escape rooms were more to do with logic and puzzles. I did think that He Jiong and Sa Beining's escape room was a little less obvious so I was pretty impressed that they were able to figure a way to get out.
Episode 1: Hotel Horrors: Part 1
This was the first case that was held at an actual venue, which was cool. Maybe it was a bit of a novelty, but I do think that having a real building to work with (rather than sets made to seem like full-scale rooms) enhanced the experience for both the players and the audience.
The theme of this case was the idea of bullying and how it can really hurt someone. Many of the suspects of this case had bullied one of the other suspect's sister, forcing her into suicide, and that was definitely highlighted as very serious.
I was also impressed by how easily Wu Lei fit in in the team. Most guests seem a little timid on their first episode, but he rolled with the jokes quite well. Zhang Ruoyun isn't a first time guest but it was nice to have him back on because I kind of missed him in the second season.
Episode 2: Hotel Horrors: Part 2
The second part of Hotel Horrors revealed that the hotel was actually a hospital for people to switch bodies. Again, I do think that this show shines when they invoke magic or science fiction or strange laws, and it was very interesting seeing the cast logic their way into figuring out which soul was in which body.
I also thought it was interesting that there was actually a secret room in the hotel that the showrunners could use to build the secret lab, and that was definitely a big part in the immersive experience.
Episode 3: Dark Fairytale
This was the first case that was back at the film set. What was interesting was that we saw that "actual" murder happen, when the victim (the Queen) drank the poison and died.
I don't know who decided that Wei Daxun was going to be the princess. He handled it as gracefully as he could have, but...were there really no female celebrities available? This also happened in Season 1 when Guigui played a young master in the Mermaid Island episode. Anyway, I think Wei Daxun handled as well as he could given the circumstances.
I did feel that Wang Yuan was a bit stiff in his role, but I'll admit he had a tough part trying to be the lover of the Princess ^^;;
We also see that Wei Chen has become a regular season guest. I think his vibe is kind of like what I expected from Zhang Ruoyun in his guest appearances. He's mainly the handsome guy but also funny (unlike Xiaobai who is the handsome boy lol).
Overall it was still a fun case. There was a magical aspect to it, which as you know by now, I am a huge fan of when it comes to the cases.
Episode 4: Midnight Hotpot
I think this case was a little more serious. I think it was trying to be a bit like the Reply 1998 case in Season 1 in terms of atmosphere and style.
It was marketed as a hotpot themed case, but in my opinion it just ended up being a normal case with normal people.
Episode 5: NZND: Time Has Not Been Kind To Us
The NZND case of this episode. At this point, however, the NZND cases have turned into regular entertainment industry cases. Sa Weixiao ended up being the culprit. At first, I wondered if that would have implications for NZND cases in the future, but I guess that they could write it off as this being a case that was supposed to be set in the future anyway.
I admit I was a little uncomfortable with Xiaobai's costuming with the dreadlocks and tattoo. I was like "...is this stereotyping rap culture?" I don't think I'm an authority to comment on the phenomenon as a whole, but I'll just say that the costuming made me question it a bit.
Episode 6: Bees of Doomsday
This was another science fiction episode, this time about the dwindling bee population leading to an agrarian apocalypse. The theme of this episode was pretty obvious, and the players even communicated a message about environmental awareness at the end of the episode.
I think this was the first episode with Pan Yueming as a guest. He seemed a bit lost when he first went clue-hunting but I think he got the hang of it. I like how he fits in, as the quiet guy who occasionally has quips.
This episode was also the return of Yang Rong, whom I enjoyed watching in Season 2.
Overall, I enjoyed the case, in terms of the premise and worldbuilding, in terms of the acting, and in terms of the props.
Episode 7: Unable to Triumph in the Skies Again
I quite liked this case. It was originally another airplane related case, but it turned into a Groundhog day case. I thought that the Groundhog Day/Happy Death Day reveal seemed a bit irrelevant when it happened, but it later turned into an important piece of information that helped the cast solve the murder.
I became a fan of Xiong Ziqi after watching him in Twenty Four Hours, so I was really excited to see him on this episode and I thought he did great. Of course, he fit in in terms of the comedy, but I didn't think he was lacking in terms of brainwork either.
I thought the airline costumes were pretty cute, especially Wang Ou's qipao-styled flight attendant uniform.
I am usually a fan of there being solid evidence to point towards the murderer in each case. While I don't remember there being solid evidence, I remember someone pointing out that each murder weapon was related to tools. In addition, it was pointed out that the reason why the victim couldn't figure out who his murderer was was probably because it was somebody he wasn't suspecting at all, i.e. someone whom he didn't know wanted him dead. I thought this line of logic was pretty cool and made this episode memorable for me.
Episode 8: Carefree Inn
The theme of this case was mental health awareness. The case eventually revealed that Pan Dagong was encouraging those with mental health issues to commit suicide. His own mother had commit suicide due to mental health issues, but had told him upon her death that she was finally happy after dying, which had given him the wrong impression about death being a solution for mental health issues.
I thought the setting itself was pretty interesting. I really felt in the zone, with the inns being raised a bit so that the dock felt real.
The dogs had no reason to be there, but they were GREAT. Everyone had a fun time with them. I believe they are the types of dogs who are professionally hired to be in shows and such, because I think I remember the white poodle being in Youth Travel Notes.
We saw Xiaobai really put his brain to work in figuring out the complex sequence of events before and after the murder.
Episode 9: Werewolves: Prequel
This was a fairy tale-themed episode. Yan Rujing was a guest on this episode. I read that she became well known in a debate show, which is cool.
Apparently this case was based on a werewolf game app, which seemed to be based on the werewolf/mafia party game, which is interesting. The case ended up being more complex than just that though.
Anyway, I thought this was an interesting case. The props and setting were pretty in-depth and immersive (including the NPCs), and the cast were pretty good and thinking their way through the case.
Episode 10: Fantasy Dream in Kunlun
I think this case was based on Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, which was really popular at the time. I haven't watched the show, so I don't know which characters were based on actual characters in the show.
I thought the way that they incorporated props was cool. For example, for the master's "memory crystals," they just used photos in glass photo frames, but I still kind of understood what kind of look they were going for just using my own imagination.
Near the end, it was revealed that all of the characters were NPCs in a video game. However, it didn't really explain much except for the victim's behaviour (why he kept asking Guigui to spar with him), so it seemed like in this case, they could've left that out.
Episode 11: Blame for My Beauty! Part 1
This case took place in a plastic surgery hospital. I thought that it would incorporate plastic surgery as a plot device (as it did in the plastic surgery clinic case in Season 1), but it really just ended up being a piece of background information and a setting.
Thise case also took place off site, which was fun. I thought the cast was relatively strong. The guests were Yang Rong and Da Zhangwei, whom we have not seen for a long time.
I did think that the method of locking the room seemed really specific. What I mean by that is that it seemed strange that there happened to be a really deep groove in the room, and the murderer happened to have a ice orb mold that fit the key. But it wasn't a huge sticking point, just a small pet peeve.
Episode 12: Blame for My Beauty! Part 2
The second part of this two-parter went a little meta, just like the two parter from the last season. It did also include a creepy song sung by a little girl. In this case, the fact was that the characters' regular lives were being broadcast as a reality show (like the Truman Show), which explained a lot of weird coincidences. In addition, all of the characters who'd been wronged were actually the wrongdoers themselves, and when they arrived on the island, they were brainwashed into believing they were the victims.
This plot twist was dramatic, but I loved it, and I thought it was interesting how the players used this information to deduce who the murderer was. They were wrong in the end, but I think it was still fun to watch.
Episode 13: The Robbery of Bullion
This was really a mini episode. Half of the episode was taken up by flashbacks. It was just a series of mini games to recovery the gold bars.
Overall
I was a bit disappointed in Season 2, but Season 3 raised my overall feelings on the show. I felt that in this season, they didn't try so hard to force things in the show, whether it was unwieldy murder methods, uninteresting motives, sponsorships, or aspects of IP shows.
There were a few one-time guest stars that were a little shy. However, Wei Chen and Pan Yueming were introduced as regular guests and I thought they were fun to watch. In addition, some of my favourite guests/former regulars returned for an episode or two, such as Zhang Ruoyun, Qiao Zhenyu, Da Zhangwei, and Yang Rong.
Instead of jumping straight to Season 4, I'm going to watch Who's the Keyman, since this spinoff aired before Season 4. I'm not really sure what to expect from Who's the Keyman in terms of game format, but it seems much of the Who's the Murderer casts and regular guests appear on that show as well, so I'm hoping it's a show with a similar feel.