Unriddle

The idea of watching a television show from the small country of Singapore will probably have many potential viewers at first saying, "Why would I want to watch such a show?" To that I say, "Why not?" After all, there are some terrific television shows coming out from Asia, many of them available on Netflix, which is where I found "Unriddle". And it's a very well done police show. It is by no means perfect. While the show never looks downright cheap, the low budget is often evident. And there is some clunky writing here and there, ranging from hard to believe plot turns to supposed surprises being no surprise at all. But the show has more strengths than weaknesses. The two lead actresses do a very good job in their very different roles, and when paired together, generate some excellent chemistry. The show also emphasizes characters, giving them multiple layers and room to grow and evolve over the course of many episodes. And there are no dull spots, despite the fact that there isn't a terrible amount of action. As I said, this isn't a classic show, but it's quite likable and watchable. I just finished watching the first season a few minutes ago, and I am very much looking forward to watching the second season.

Producers from South Korea, and the Far East (Singapore, etc.) are churning out the best 16- and 20- chapter mini-series on the planet at present, and, if you dig on Netflix, you will find them. All themes are covered, particularly in the mystery and law-enforcement lines. Unriddle is another entry. We were delighted with the first season and are ready to tackle the second.

Unlike Hollywood, who aim to produce a sitcom or a crime series that will go multi seasons, in the Far East, they use the Brit approach, which is to create a show with unconventional twists for one season by scripting short movie type episodes (40 to 70 minutes). The story quality stays high, and the possibilities are endless, since one of the heroes of the story may not survive, giving the scriptwriter more freedom to develop a complex theme.

Unriddle (Unravel might have been a better name) tells the tale of a group of investigators with the Singapore police who are pursuing several lines of inquiry. Initially, a gang is smuggling in girls to serve in brothels, but one of the gang, an over-sized tomboy named Bun, breaks ranks to join with pretty Detective Hu Xiaoman as a paid informant. This smart cop and streetwise hustler make a good team. Plots overlap and intermingle, but the main plot involves a group of officers who recover a large sum of unaccounted-for money, and decide to split the profits. A falling-out occurs and the money disappears. Years later, one of the gang is a supervisor and potential love-interest for (major babe) Hu Xiaoman. He disappears, and one-by-one, the original gang bites the dust. Is it the supervisor, stepping out of character, to sneak back & take the gang out?

That is just one of the plot-lines pursued in Season one of the series. When reviewing other series of this kind, I caution readers to book lots of free time to binge-watch these things. Although this one had a few 'draggy' moments, generally the stories move along quite nicely. Performances and camera-work are great. I should have been able to 'sort' this whodunit, after reading so many Agatha Christie novels, but I must confess: this one bamboozled me completely, but in a delightful way.

The quality of so much of this show is not up to what I normally find in the Korean dramas. This is almost 10 years old, and maybe comparable to the K-Dramas at the time. Everything seems a little stilted, and lacking a feeling of realism that I am use to. Hu Xiaoman use of Lin Zhengyi as effectively a partner just does not cut it, and being able to use Lin Zhengyi family (know it is not really a family but similar) just does not hold water. Sorry, K-Dramas to me are generally much better.

This Singaporean drama series was spellbinding. The series was well scripted and superbly cast. The storyline was thrilling and surprising to the very end of the second series. Strong women focus, family dynamics and current social themes added depth to a genre often devoid of relevance. In spite of the cinematography often reminiscent of low budget productions, a few cheesy lines and some wonky subplots, the strength of the leading actresses performance has me wishing that a season three or a possible movie is still a possibility for this police thriller.