Reincarnation of The Super Star (Revive): Episode 1 Recap

Hi there! I’m a long time lurker, first time recapper. Kappy was kind enough to let me try this out and I’m super excited. Now onto the drama.

I haven’t read the novel this is based on, so I’m coming in with almost a blank slate. So far, I’m liking it. It’s fluffy, it’s dark, and everything and everyone is just so beautiful. And I’m always up for a little revenge drama.

Episode 1 Recap

A man (Fu Fang Jun) is driving down the road with the radio on. In Korean, the announcer tells us that popular idol Xie Yi was spotted at a hotel in Seoul. She speculates that he’s probably there to support his actor friend Du Fei, who’s embroiled in a dating scandal in China.

Up ahead, the driver sees an overturned car on the road and steps on the breaks repeatedly. Nothing happens. His vehicle hits the car and then crashes into a tree.

In a flashback, we see that the driver is Du Fei. Xie Yi (Pong Nawat) had told Du Fei to take his car instead because it’s faster. Did he tamper with the brakes?

In a hospital room, a doctor is told to replace Du Fei’s presumably damaged face with a new one. The new face belonged to a race car driver named Mu Zi Che, whose life couldn’t be saved.

Back in China, it’s a year later and we see a slew of celebrities arriving on the red carpet for an award ceremony. The TV announcer enthusiastically introduces us to idol Liu Yi (Viann Zhang), best actor nominee (and attempted murderer?) Xie Yi and actress Lin Xuan (Han Chae Young).

At the hospital, Du Fei watches the ceremony on TV as Lin Xuan reluctantly presents the best actor award to Xie Yi. As if we needed more reasons to dislike him, he proceeds to give an acceptance speech that he plagiarized from the friend he tried to kill, who watches helplessly from his hospital bed.

When Xie Yi leans in to thank Lin Xuan for presenting him the award, she whispers back, “Without him, you’re nothing.” Burn.


And in a moment we all knew was coming, Du Fei’s bandages are removed, revealing Ma Ke’s face. A mystery man watches him react in shock to his new face, promising to help him get revenge.

Everyone gathers at Du Fei’s funeral, including Xie Yi and Lin Xuan. Like the gentleman that he is, he tells her to forget about Du Fei and move on (dude, you’re at a funeral). Hurt and angry, Lin Xuan replies, “Why is it him and not you who’s lying in the ground?” She blames him for not protecting Du Fei and tells him they’re no longer friends.

As Lin Xuan leaves the cemetery, she notices a strange man dressed in black. She calls out to his back and asks why he’s following her. When he doesn’t turn around, she moves closer and seems to recognize him. “Du Fei,” she calls.

He turns around (in sloooow-mo) and of course, it’s Du Fei with his new face. To divert her suspicions, he claims to be her devoted fan. When she leaves without recognizing him, he releases the tears he’s been holding back.

At home, Lin Xuan finds a glass bottle full of tiny candies at her door, but the person who rang the door bell is no where in sight. She unwraps a candy and puts it in her mouth, remembering when Du Fei would tell her to have one whenever she was sad. Hiding in the shadows, the man himself watches her cry.

Du Fei arrives home and enters his bedroom, which is actually the room of the dead race car driver. Apparently, not only did he get Mu Zi Che’s face, but also his life.

Zi Che’s mom calls to him anxiously from outside his door, asking him to eat dinner. It seems they had a strained relationship. He opens the door with a forced smile and she smiles back in relief.

At a cafe, Liu Yi is having a great time wolfing down a piece of cake. Her assistant warns her timidly about gaining weight, but she dismisses him. Suddenly, she spots Du Fei walking down the street, but misses him when she runs out of the cafe.

Later, she tells her manager she saw Mu Zi Che, not knowing that it was actually Du Fei. We find out that Zi Che had left home for a while and Liu Yi, who clearly likes him, had been waiting for him to come back. Randomly, her manager confesses that he likes her, but she tells him firmly that they only have a professional relationship.

Xie Yi gets a package delivered and as he closes the door, we see that the delivery boy is Du Fei. The package contains a picture of Du Fei (with his old face) and Xie Yi freaks out. His shady manager consoles him, saying he had personally handled Du Fei’s ashes, so he’s definitely dead. But it’s a tell-tale heart situation, and Xie Yi’s guilt is making him feel like his ex-friend is still watching him from somewhere.

At ESE (Xie Yi’s management company), an employee runs to meet Feng Jing (Joe Xu Hai Qiao), the director. She tries to hand him the documents of potential recruits for the upcoming auditions, but drops half of them in her haste. When she bends to pick them up, he stops her, saying coldly that the entertainment industry is based on luck. He doesn’t need those who fall on the floor before they even get on the stage, so to speak.

While overseeing the auditions, Feng Jing unfeelingly rejects performer after performer, until Du Fei arrives to perform a scene from Equus (yes, that Daniel Radcliffe play). Xie Yi, who is also present, recognizes the lines immediately. He remembers a time when an instructor had called Du Fei a natural actor while labelling him as an idol.

After Du Fei’s performance, Feng Jing claps and throws him a tube of Pond’s, ordering him to go wash his face. I know it’s product placement, but what?

As Du Fei is leaving, Feng Jing stops him and forces him against a wall. He gets all up in his personal space, and compliments him on his plastic surgery and acting skills before leaving him in confusion. Outside, Du Fei gets a phone call telling him he failed the audition. Something’s fishy.

Later that night, he sits in his car thinking about the accident that almost killed him. When he sees Xie Yi, he drives straight at him.

Thoughts

This was a pretty good first episode. The set up was quick, so now we can get straight to the plot. I just wish they didn’t reveal the villain so soon.

I was curious about this drama because of Ma Ke, but it’s Xu Hai Qiao that got me excited. I’ve only ever seen him in Journey of Flower (where he was adorable and sweet), so it was a surprise to see him do a 360 here. Feng Jing is super cold, almost robotic, but there’s something subtle in his eyes in certain scenes that tells me the robot has a heart. I’m sure!

Ma Ke still overacts, but maybe it works for a drama like this. The rest of the cast is pretty likeable too. Zhang Xinyu’s character reminds me a lot of Dilraba’s bratty character in Diamond Lovers and Han Chae Young is very, very pretty.

  1. 6 thoughts on “Reincarnation of The Super Star (Revive): Episode 1 Recap

    *waves* hi Lily!!! new family member! i like to consider myself one even though i rarely post anything. LOL!

    thanks for the recap! joe xu is super hot in here, im taken aback. does he know ma ke’s true identity?!! how?!! maybe he’s in privvy with the plastic surgeon? and i found it sooo funny that the plastic surgeon is Korean. LOL! a subtle stab at their obsession with going under the knife.

  2. 6 thoughts on “Reincarnation of The Super Star (Revive): Episode 1 Recap

    Hey frea! Thanks for the welcome : )

    Yeah, I spend all my time staring at Joe. He’s sooo mesmerizing in this.

    Good point. I’m wondering if there’s a specific reason why the accident happened in Korea, aside from the fact that Korea is so in right now.

  3. 6 thoughts on “Reincarnation of The Super Star (Revive): Episode 1 Recap

    Frea, you’d be amazed at the speed Lily conjured up this recap!

    Joe’s intensity in this drama just further proved how Journey of Flower really downplayed everyone’s skills.

  4. 6 thoughts on “Reincarnation of The Super Star (Revive): Episode 1 Recap

    Wow! Didn’t know you were following and recapping this drama series. Thanks for helping everyone understand the synopsis of each episode. 😀

  5. 6 thoughts on “Reincarnation of The Super Star (Revive): Episode 1 Recap

    I just watched the first episode and then basically went hunting for pics (there are not many) and everything else I could find. I’m already hooked! I will definitely follow your recaps. 🙂
    Am super sad that only the first episode has subtitles right now. I need more! Patience was never my strong suit.

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