Islanders – Series Review & Episode Guide

It's the year 2013. Li Xianhong is the chairman of Philo Culture Group, a well-known company in Taiwan. It started as a publishing house and grew into a chain of bookstores across the country. Over time, it expanded into other creative industries. Now, Xianhong has his sights set on China. He believes this move will be highly profitable. Despite the political tension between the two nations, he argues that introducing Taiwanese culture to Chinese audiences is a form of soft power.

Rong is Xianhong's devoted executive assistant. Hardworking and highly competent, he attends to the chairman's every need. Rong is also secretly in love with him. That crush started back when Rong was a teenager. Xianhong once visited his high school and delivered a charismatic speech about political freedom. It left such a strong impression that Rong later applied to work for the man he admired. To this day, Rong still looks up to his boss. Despite their closeness, their relationship has always been strictly professional. Nothing romantic ever happened between them.

Rong is dating Patrick, a university professor. Patrick is also an old friend of Xianhong, and the two first bonded through their student activism. In fact, Xianhong was the one who introduced Patrick and Rong by inviting them over for dinner. Before long, the two men started seeing each other. Patrick is genuinely in love and wants to settle down together. However, Rong is still hung up on his boss, fixated on someone unattainable. Even after having sex with Patrick, he still fantasizes about Xianhong.

Xianhong is straight and married. His wife, Ya-ru, comes from a wealthy family, but their marriage is loveless. At home, they barely speak and live more like strangers than a couple. Instead, Xianhong carries on an affair with Xiaowen, the CEO of Philo Culture Group. More recently, he has also taken an interest in Lilian, a young influencer who returned to Taiwan after living in the US. He's drawn to her looks and her easy confidence. Xiaowen tries to impress her, and she appears receptive to the attention. Despite the age gap, the two begin to flirt.

Lilian, who goes by Lily among her friends, is a photographer. She returns to Taiwan after a breakup with her girlfriend in the US. Lily is close with Qiong, a Philo employee who introduces her to Xianhong. As Xianhong tries to court her, he tags along while she catches up with her friends. Many of them are politically active, especially Ax, who takes issue with Taiwanese investors in China. When Ax and Xianhong finally meet, their debate turns heated. Xianhong's controversial remarks are caught on camera, dragging both him and Philo into a public scandal.

Islanders opens in full soap opera mode. The first two episodes focus on everyone's relationship drama. Oh my god, he's thirsting after his boss! Holy crap, she's hooking up with a married dude! And guess who's at the centre of this chaos? Xianhong, the sleazy chairman. His web connects them all. While the spicy sex scenes and gratuitous nudity are appreciated, I want a meaningful plot. Not just a messy story about who's screwing who. Thankfully, Islanders gets more sophisticated as it goes on.

A major storyline deals with Xianhong's plan to take his Taiwanese business into China, until he causes controversy with a badly timed comment. Oops! Maybe don't say that on camera! His PR disaster allows the series to tackle heavier themes, especially the political tension between Taiwan and China. Each character has a different perspective: Xianhong (old school), Ax (opinionated), Lily (couldn't care less), and others stuck in the middle. As the viewer, you might pick a side. Or you'll sit on the fence and see merit in multiple arguments. Either way, Islanders forces you to face a tough issue and figure out where you stand.

For a series that started with love triangles and secret affairs, Islanders gets surprisingly political. There are tons of conversations about societal issues in Taiwan. You might pull a Lily and go, "Nope, too much. I'm out." Or you could pay attention and learn about a world outside your little bubble. I'm into how the story shows the generation gap. Xianhong keeps clashing with the younger characters because he has different views on family, money, and freedom. Do I agree with him? Hell no. I still found it interesting to hear his opinions and compare them with my own beliefs.

Yes, there's a gay subplot in Islanders. Rong's hot professor boyfriend (played by the hunky Chris Lee 😍) constantly dotes on him. Yet, Rong still pines after Xianhong, who's married and a total pussy hound. Watching him throw away a perfect relationship for an unattainable love is so frustrating! Rong & Patrick have a steamy hookup in Episode 1, but they drift apart for the rest of the series. If you're a BL fan hoping for a lovey-dovey arc from the gay couple, I've got bad news. You're gonna see most of their romance at the start, and then it's downhill from there.

While Rong has plenty of screen time, Patrick is underdeveloped. With so many storylines competing for attention, the gay romance barely gets focus. It doesn't satisfy me like a proper BL drama would. Honestly, I have the same complaint for all the couples. Even the straight ones. Everybody falls in love too damn quickly! They meet, flirt for a moment, then jump right into bed like a scheduled activity. None of the relationships actually seems genuine. Instead, they're more like plot devices. It's hard to be fully invested in the story when the romances feel so shallow.

The story gives great material for Sara Yu (who plays Xiaowen) and Yusuke Fukuchi (who plays Jay). Both deliver emotional performances, and so does the rest of the talented cast. Visually, the series looks gorgeous. The muted colours add a slightly sad vibe to every scene. Overall, Islanders proved to be an interesting drama with complex themes. It has a decent ending that encourages us to think bigger and broaden our perspectives. Do I feel super passionate about the series? Eh, it's not one of my favourites, but I walked away thinking, "Yeah, that was pretty good."