Unriddle 2 - ep 13
I’m enjoying Unriddle 2 but that was some sloppy writing in last night’s episode. So, the police found a strand of hair in a cap left behind by a kidnapper. The forensics team tests the DNA on the hair and tada, matches it to a guy named Hongbo. Anything wrong with that?
You can glean certain information from a DNA sample, like the gender, or if the person has any genetic disorder etc but in order to identify who that DNA sample belonged to, you need to match it to another sample taken from a specific person. How in the world did the police trace the DNA to Hongbo when they didn’t even know who the guy was?? I’m not sure if the Singapore police have a DNA database and assuming that they did, I doubt it contains the DNA profile of the entire nation (unlike say fingerprints which the police will surely have a wider database of since we use a biometric passport). At least if Hongbo had been to prison or something I could take it that his data was collected by the system but he hasn’t so how in the world? Anyway, the police miraculously match the DNA collected from the hair to Hongbo when they don’t even have anything to do the ‘matching’ with but they can’t find out where Hongbo lives? Uhhh, ok.
Such technical complaints aside (I’m spoiled by CSI), I am intrigued by Hongbo’s family and their relation to the kidnap/murder case though they are very dysfunctional and creepy. Let’s see, Hongbo is crippled and wheelchair bound while his sister Lelin is a deaf-mute. Their stepdad is a scumbag who abuses his stepson physically and stepdaughter sexually and he makes Hongbo watch when he rapes Lelin. Someone please shoot this sorry excuse of a human already. Mommy is mentally unbalanced and spends her days in an incense-filled room chanting prayers while turning a blind eye to the abuses happening in front of her. However, as we find out more about Hongbo through Da Bao and An Ni, I get the feeling that the siblings are not entirely the helpless victims they appear to be. Is their mother right in suspecting them of murdering their youngest sister (mom and stepdad’s daughter) many years back? How is Hongbo linked to the kidnappers? What of Hongbo’s claim that he and Lelin kidnapped his mom and stepdad in their previous life which is why they have to pay for their sins in this life by tolerating the abuses?
The siblings don’t actually look this happy in the show. Haa. I don’t know if it’s just me or what, but I get incestuous vibes from Hongbo and Lelin. The way she holds his hands, the way she stares at An Ni when An Ni gets too close to her brother, the way Hongbo strokes Lelin’s face when she sleeps … let’s just say I would freak out if my brother touched my face that way.
I mentioned in my previous post that I was pleasantly surprised by Elvin Ng’s performance and now, I must compliment Romeo Tan and Julie Tan (no relation) for their portrayal of the messed up siblings.
I know Romeo Tan has acted in a few dramas but I can’t name a single one because none of his roles made an impression. Well, this role in Unriddle 2 definitely has. The character itself is extreme for one and I think he managed to show Hongbo’s agony without being overwrought. I expect more dramatic scenes for Hongbo in the later episodes and hopefully Romeo Tan will handle them well.
I have a much deeper impression of Julie Tan from ‘A Tale of 2 Cities’ and ‘A Song to Remember’ where she did a commendable job for a newbie but I never really took to her perhaps because I didn’t fancy her characters in those dramas. As Lelin is a deaf-mute, Julie Tan has not spoken a single line so far but she manages to convey her emotions through her facial expressions without exaggerating it to a point where it’s laughable (unlike May in Roy Mai!).
Final random comment, I always laugh when Da Bao 大包(literally means big bun) introduces Xiao Man as her cousin Xiao Man Tou 小馒头 (means small bun). A nice pun on both their names!
You can glean certain information from a DNA sample, like the gender, or if the person has any genetic disorder etc but in order to identify who that DNA sample belonged to, you need to match it to another sample taken from a specific person. How in the world did the police trace the DNA to Hongbo when they didn’t even know who the guy was?? I’m not sure if the Singapore police have a DNA database and assuming that they did, I doubt it contains the DNA profile of the entire nation (unlike say fingerprints which the police will surely have a wider database of since we use a biometric passport). At least if Hongbo had been to prison or something I could take it that his data was collected by the system but he hasn’t so how in the world? Anyway, the police miraculously match the DNA collected from the hair to Hongbo when they don’t even have anything to do the ‘matching’ with but they can’t find out where Hongbo lives? Uhhh, ok.
Such technical complaints aside (I’m spoiled by CSI), I am intrigued by Hongbo’s family and their relation to the kidnap/murder case though they are very dysfunctional and creepy. Let’s see, Hongbo is crippled and wheelchair bound while his sister Lelin is a deaf-mute. Their stepdad is a scumbag who abuses his stepson physically and stepdaughter sexually and he makes Hongbo watch when he rapes Lelin. Someone please shoot this sorry excuse of a human already. Mommy is mentally unbalanced and spends her days in an incense-filled room chanting prayers while turning a blind eye to the abuses happening in front of her. However, as we find out more about Hongbo through Da Bao and An Ni, I get the feeling that the siblings are not entirely the helpless victims they appear to be. Is their mother right in suspecting them of murdering their youngest sister (mom and stepdad’s daughter) many years back? How is Hongbo linked to the kidnappers? What of Hongbo’s claim that he and Lelin kidnapped his mom and stepdad in their previous life which is why they have to pay for their sins in this life by tolerating the abuses?
The siblings don’t actually look this happy in the show. Haa. I don’t know if it’s just me or what, but I get incestuous vibes from Hongbo and Lelin. The way she holds his hands, the way she stares at An Ni when An Ni gets too close to her brother, the way Hongbo strokes Lelin’s face when she sleeps … let’s just say I would freak out if my brother touched my face that way.
I mentioned in my previous post that I was pleasantly surprised by Elvin Ng’s performance and now, I must compliment Romeo Tan and Julie Tan (no relation) for their portrayal of the messed up siblings.
I know Romeo Tan has acted in a few dramas but I can’t name a single one because none of his roles made an impression. Well, this role in Unriddle 2 definitely has. The character itself is extreme for one and I think he managed to show Hongbo’s agony without being overwrought. I expect more dramatic scenes for Hongbo in the later episodes and hopefully Romeo Tan will handle them well.
I have a much deeper impression of Julie Tan from ‘A Tale of 2 Cities’ and ‘A Song to Remember’ where she did a commendable job for a newbie but I never really took to her perhaps because I didn’t fancy her characters in those dramas. As Lelin is a deaf-mute, Julie Tan has not spoken a single line so far but she manages to convey her emotions through her facial expressions without exaggerating it to a point where it’s laughable (unlike May in Roy Mai!).
Final random comment, I always laugh when Da Bao 大包(literally means big bun) introduces Xiao Man as her cousin Xiao Man Tou 小馒头 (means small bun). A nice pun on both their names!