We explore what worked for Ch8 drama series Unriddle 2, and what could have been done to make it a better production
After four weeks of intense murder cases and mystery-solving by Hu Xiaoman (Rui En) & co., the 20-episoder whodunit finally came to a climatic end yesterday.
While Season 2 saw a slight dip in viewership numbers compared to season 1 (813,000 till episode 18* versus season one’s 880,000), numbers don’t usually translate into a show’s popularity and represent how well-received a series is these days. The widely-anticipated sequel of Ch8 drama series Unriddle 2 was much-talked-about when it premiered four weeks ago and even trended worldwide on Twitter for a couple of hours when its debut and finale episode aired.
For sure, Unriddle 2 ain’t for the weak-hearted and the young; it’s not your typical 7pm or 9pm series to chill and unwind to after an intense day at work. Season two was darker, more gripping, and TV viewers saw the investigation team delve deeper into a slew of dramatised deaths and psychotic murder cases. Pandora’s Box was unearthed and unlocked with each passing episode as the death of characters formed an indiscernible bond between the victims and the ultimate perpetrator.
Apart from a meatier and more action-packed storyline, we also saw Unriddle 2 tie up loose ends from the first season with more focus on the growth and development of characters. After one fruitful season of partnership, Xiaoman’s faith and trust in Zhengyi (Chen Liping) is left to dangle precariously as the former begins to doubt everyone, including herself, when she is left to deal with her innermost demons and fears.
While young viewers lauded the production of a more intense and riveting crime series, there were others who commented that its violent scenes were inappropriate for the 9pm timeslot on TV.
Here, we look into what the drama did well and what can be worked upon to make it a more wholesome series.
Unriddle 2: The Good
The Good: Partnership between Hu Xiaoman and Lin Zhengyi (Dabao)
The uncanny friendship between Hu Xiaoman (Rui En), a CID officer and her mole cum pau seller, Lin Zhengyi aka Dabao (Chen Liping), was a hit with TV viewers from the get-go. Audiences loved their sleuth pairing and Xiaoman’s dry, icy humour versus Dabao’s frank and bubbly ways spoke of the inexplicable connection and irreplaceable trust they had in each other. This season, the duo took their friendship to another level as they coped with personal losses and dealt with their inner insecurities and moral weaknesses. Even heroes have the right to bleed, but it takes a trusty sidekick to lead one back on the right path as the once cool and collected Xiaoman faltered, succumbed to her fears, and marred the line between upholding justice and observing the law.
The Good: Strong and concise storyline
There’s no time to waste when it comes to story development for Unriddle 2. Right from the start of the first episode, Xiaoman & co are left to fend off threats from a new enemy called Asura and deal with the death of Hong Chao, whose life was sacrificed in-exchange for the rest’s safety when they were held hostage. Yuze finally gets some form of closure of his ex-girlfriend’s death in this season. We see the light of unanswered cases which are in fact, snowballed to form a chain of murder cases that are seemingly instigated and plotted by Jieyu, whose ultimate aim was to cause the downhill of Xiaoman. Props to the writers for a job well done in terms of cliffhangers and last minute plot twists.
Unriddle 2: The Questionable
The Questionable: Short and fast cuts between scenes
While some found it dizzying and confusing to be fed with these sporadic cuts and swift camera movements, this directorial decision can be considered befitting of a series as fast-paced as Unriddle 2 to create an adrenalin rush and keep viewers on the edge of their sofa seats.
The Questionable: Dark nature of the story
We laud the producers and writers of Unriddle 2 for their brazen decision to morph and move the drama series into darker and unchartered territories, despite the knowledge of possible flak and criticisms that will come their way when the drama airs. Happy and lighthearted moments were sparse and far between the entire season and they veered away from the typical family-friendly series that we’re more used to and showed viewers a grimmer and lesser-seen side of local productions. While we think it’s a commendable move towards more heavyweight material, it feels as if this darker sequel was produced with two aims in mind: to satiate demands and requests of fans from the original series and to outdo its first season with more amped up crime cases and violent action scenes.
The Questionable: Last episode of Unriddle 2
Two points that came to mind after tuning in to the last episode: Why was there a sparked increase in the use of English between the main characters (with the exception of Lang Feng who has been doing it throughout the season)? Is this another open-ended ending with no concrete conclusion in sight?
What was originally perceived to be the answer to a riddle within the original riddle, has escalated to form yet another new riddle at the end of season two. While some are satisfied with the ending as it spells the prospect of a possible third season, others felt cheated and duped with yet another open-ended ending. So, will this spell the possibility of a third season to the “never-ending” TV series? Viewers who are crossing their fingers and hoping for a big fat ‘YES’ will be disappointed — there may be a couple of loose threads unexplained for, but the production team currently has no intentions of producing another sequel to Unriddle 2, as said by writer Peng Kai Yi during a recent LIVE chat with fans. No harm to keep hoping and wishing though, you never know if they might just accede to your requests for a sequel or spinoff if the demand remains.
Unriddle 2: The Bad
The Bad: Inappropriate timeslot on TV
Not programmed at the most ideal time slot, this is one show parents wouldn’t want their kids tuning in to before bedtime; especially not with that many violent and cold-blooded, gruesome murder scenes. It would have been more suitable to push back the airtime to a much later timeslot to cater to more mature audiences and young adults.
The Bad: Attempt to cover all bases in a short series
Too ambitious were the production team of Unriddle 2 as they tried to achieve too much within too short a span of time. In 20 episodes, they ramped up the dark and suspenseful story, brought in more action and violent scenes, doubled up the amount of drama and introduced fresh and new camera angles. There might have been too much intensity, shock and mind-boggling events for a layman TV viewer to take in and absorb. First-time viewers of the series not in the know of what happened in the prior season might also be turned off, overwhelmed, and left confused.
Source: Xinmsn
Categorised in EN, Ratings 节目收视率, Unriddle 2 最ç«ææ¡£ 2, xinmsn.
