At the Moment review: An anthology of warm and optimistic stories

In At the Moment, 10 different stories of love and heartbreak unfold in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

In the first episode, after watching Wei-ting audition for a dating reality show, Chang Yung also joins it as a wildcard. As they bond, they figure out whether this show is just a popularity contest or whether they can find true love.

In the second episode, a delivery man and a single mother come to understand each other after getting involved in a series of misadventures.

In the third episode, Pei-ming’s habit of comforting every other person who is sad often lands him in trouble. He soon finds someone who isn’t exactly sad, but Pei-ming wants to comfort her. A time traveler and an alien strike up a romance during the pandemic in the fourth episode.

In the fifth episode, Chia-hao welcomes his homeless intern into his house. Unexpected feelings might complicate whatever they have. Joe attempts to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend and go back to how they were in the sixth episode.

The seventh episode sees two heartbroken souls come together after finding out that their respective partners are cheating on them with each other.

In the eighth episode, a husband and wife struggle to face society as they swap traditional roles. In the ninth episode, journalist Hsin-lan reunites with her best friend from school after her husband’s passing. They get a chance to pursue a romance that was taboo back in the day.

In the finale, TV show producer Chou Li-wen comes under fire for making a bold casting choice. She finds love at a time when all of her colleagues are trying to sabotage her.

Performances

The ensemble cast of At the Moment completely stands out in their respective episodes. All the couples have the right chemistry to portray the kind of relationship that is demanded by the script.

The actors also work well with each other and take charge based on whose story is being told. All the characters keep making a small cameo in each other’s episode, and none of the actors give any such aura that will have eyes on them only instead of the actors whose episode it is.

The script and the actors have to be praised. This not only shows how small the world people live in is but also how a person is the star of their own story.

Positives

At the Moment brings fresh and diverse love stories that are unlike each other, though the emotion is the same. A viewer will find themselves in at least one of these stories. Most importantly, the show finds itself to be more on the hopeful side without being cheesy.

The conflicts in the episode are strong yet simple, and one can never guess how the story is going to end for the main characters. Furthermore, a person gets completely absorbed in these stories and the world the characters of these stories live in.

When a new story kicks off, everything feels fresh. It’s just a matter of time before the characters establish themselves, and they will have viewers forget about the previous story and be hooked on this one.

At the Moment clearly understands what it takes to create the atmosphere needed to have the viewers invested. All the stories do take time, but one won’t feel that the show is slow. Even the emptiest spaces and silliest conversations tell a lot about the characters.

Lastly, a beautiful love story or a heartbreak needs a beautiful song. The series does have such a soundtrack that goes well with the scenes.

Negatives

All the stories are dreamy—at least most of them. At the Moment also has cringe-worthy moments in some of the episodes that will make one roll their eyes.

The push to provide something unique has led the show to have some unnecessarily complicated episodes. The episodes are stretched too, as the characters sometimes keep doing the same thing.

Verdict

At the Moment has cracked the code of building a promising relationship between two people. The show will have viewers wondering if the two characters in an episode will end up together.

With dreamy but touching and hopeful stories, At the Moment is a compelling anthology, with hardly a lackluster episode.

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Also Read: At the Moment summary and endings explained: All episodes