24 March (2019-03-24) – 21 April 2019 (2019-04-21)
The World Between Us (Chinese: 我們與惡的距離; lit. 'The Distance Between Us and Evil') is a 2019 Taiwanese television series written by Lu Shih Yuan and directed by Lin Chun Yang. The series follows the aftermath of a mass shooting at a movie theatre and the fates of all involved: the killer, the victims, the victims' families, the media, and the legal defense team. Contemporary Taiwanese social issues are explored, such as the death penalty, mental health stigmas, journalism ethics, and media sensationalism.
The series has renewed for the second season,[1] with the story happens two decades after the original series.[2]
Synopsis
Wang She (Wu Kang Ren) is a defense attorney whose desire to serve society's marginalized, including defending the shooter, has strained his young growing family. Li Ta-Chih (Chen Yuu) is a young woman working at a TV news station and the sister of theatre shooter, Li Hsiao Ming (Wang Ko Yuan). She has changed her name to escape the stigma of her brother's crime. Ta-Chih's boss, an ambitious woman named Sung Chiao An (Alyssa Chia), lost her son in the theatre shooting. Laden with guilt over her son’s death, Chiao An lashes out at both her employees and her husband, Liu Chao Kuo (James Wen), a newspaper journalist. Wang She enlists Chao Kuo to investigate Hsiao Ming's true motive for the shooting.
Lu Shih Yuan (Dear Ex and Long Day's Journey into Night) was hired as its screenwriter. In interviews with Taiwanese media, Lu described how she and the other creators of the series analyzed mountains of data from sources such as PTT, Taiwan's equivalent to Reddit, to understand themes of interest. After observing the public's reaction to the 2016 "Little Light Bulb Incident" in Taiwan (小燈泡事件),[3] in which a young girl nicknamed "Little Light Bulb" was beheaded publicly on the street by a troubled individual suffering from schizophrenia, she narrowed down the premise and spoke with numerous human rights lawyers, judges, and psychiatrists to form the plot. She lamented that Taiwan lagged behind other democracies like Japan and Norway in producing socially realistic dramas and wanted to help Taiwan in this regard.[4]
Themes
Mental health and the justice system
Attorney Wang She repeatedly discusses how Taiwan’s legal system should have more empathy for the mentally ill and respect international human rights standards. This example and the topic of journalism ethics are unprecedented themes for mainstream Mandarin-language TV.
Journalism ethics
Taiwan’s National Communications Commission censures Sung Chiao An's news program, creating a discussion about ethics in journalism and how media outlets must balance increasing viewership with reporting integrity.
Human nature
The show’s Chinese title 我們與惡的距離, translating to “the distance between ourselves and evil,” captures the main source of angst in the series. Each character struggles with their proximity to "evil", either as victims, enablers, or individuals who, had they made slightly different choices, might have ended up as perpetrators themselves. The show reminds viewers that “evil” and “good” are shades of gray rather than black and white. This level of nuanced moral exploration is another novelty for Taiwanese dramas and Mandarin-language television at large.[5]
Reception
On Chinese review website Douban, the series obtained a score of 9.5 out of 10.[6] In April 2019 television series entered the top 50 popular topics of the multilingual Wikipedia.[7]
^Frater, Patrick (8 November 2023). "'Itaewon Class' Remake 'Fired Up' Sets Taiwan Cast for DaMou, KOKO and HBO Asia". Variety. Retrieved 11 November 2023. At an event held within the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) on Thursday, the two companies also confirmed plans for a second season of "The World Between Us," a 2019 drama series that premiered on Taiwan's Public Television Service and regional streamer Catchplay.
