Watch Your Back

Plot Synopsis

"Watch Your Back": A Gritty Crime Saga Where Trains, Thieves, and Human Drama Collide

Buckle up, thrill-seekers! China’s latest crime dramaWatch Your Back(originallyHuangque) isn’t just another copshow—it’s a time-hopping, soul-searching rollercoaster set against the clattering wheels of China’s railway system. This series serves upequalparts adrenaline and existential angst, wrapped in a neon-soaked early-2000s aesthetic. Trust us, you’ll want to guard yourpopcowhile watching.

Time-Traveling Tension: When thePast Bites Back

Meet GuoPengfei (played by Guo Jingfei, serving rugged charisma with a side of midlife crisis). In 2004, he’s a jaded anti-pickpocket copin southeLicheng, nursing a liver transplant and chasing cornea thieves. Flashback to 1994: A younger, hotter Guo trains under his mentor in northeDayuan, only to have his fiancée vanish mysteriously. The show’s dual timelines don’t just connect crimes—they stitch together a man’s fractured soul. Director Lu Lunchang layers this with Hitchcockian suspense, turning crowded train cars into battlegrounds where razor blades glint like daggers and slow-mo chases feel likeMission: Impossibleon a budget.

Fun fact: Watching GuoPengfei outsmart "Razor Gang" thieves using origami-level folding techniques to steal wallets?Pure dopamine.

A Rogues’ Gallery You Can’t Look Away From

Licheng Railway Station isn’t just a setting—it’s apulsing ecosystem of hustlers, heroes, and morally ambiguous beauties. Zu Feng steals scenes as Foye, a crime lord masquerading as a genteel watchmaker (think:Patrick Bateman with a better wristwatch collection). Then there’s Dr. Li Xiaolian (Qin Lan, ditching her usual sweetheart roles), a glamorous medic in figure-hugging qipao dresses who’s got more secrets than a locked evidence room.

But the real MVPs? The anti-pickpocket squad. There’s no-nonsense squad mom Hua Jie (Guo Keyu) who can fry dumplingsandinterrogateperps, and Li Hongqi (Zhao Bin), a copdrowning in debt and regret. Even the thieves getpersonalitypoints: The show’s"Razor Clan"vs."Tweezer Gang"turf wars makeOcean’s Elevenlook like amateur hour.

Trains, Trauma, and thePrice ofProgress

Beyond the heist-of-the-week thrills,Watch Your Backdigs into China’s gritty Y2K-era growingpains. Migrant workers’ hard-earned cash vanishes in seconds. Cops battle systemic rot. And yes, there’s a cult subplot involving Guo’s missing fiancée that’ll make your skin crawl. The show’s title—Huang que(黄雀)—is a cheeky nod to an old Chineseproverb:"The mantis hunts the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."Translation? Everyone’s being watched.

Pro tip: Keepan eye on those recurringpocket watches. They’re not justprops—they tick away like moral compasses gone haywire.

Why You’ll Binge It

PartTrue Detective,partThe Wireon rails,Watch Your Backis more than cat-and-mouse games. It’s about the fingerprints we leave on each other’s lives. Guo Jingfei’s rawperformance? Chef’s kiss. The scene where he fistfights a thief atopa speeding train? Iconic. And that bittersweet finale? Let’s just say you’ll need tissues.

Catch it now:Streaming on iQiyi and CCTV-8 since March 18.Perfect for fans of morally gray characters, retro aesthetics, and stories where the real crime is… well, being human.

P.S. If you finish this anddon’tcheck yourpockets for missing items, you’re braver than we are.

Guo Jingfei
Guo Pengfei

Qin Lan
Li Xiaolian

Zu Feng
Fo Ye

Chen Jingke
Li Tang