REVIEW: It Takes Two 《对对碰》- Not just about the ending

At first look, It Takes Two may seem to be a show in which there is alot of mindless chasing for a 发财米桶 [Fortune Rice Bucket] , but just like the humble Singaporean hawker centre where the show is set, the characters and plot start to grow on the audience gradually throughout the show. It Takes Two revolves around a group of hawkers in this hawker centre, as well as their hopes and aspirations.

If you are looking for a slice of how the everyday Singaporean lives and goes about his daily business in the HDB estate, this show would be it. Underlying this show is a theme of how Singaporeans are trying to keep up with the ever-rising cost of living and the increasing competition. Almost everybody in It Takes Two was trying to get rich, some through orthodox ways like Hao You Cai, a poor fishball noodle seller who eventually starts to make fishballs by hand to recreate his Master's taste, but most through unorthodox ways, like B-Niu, a 22 year-old who hoped to get rich through becoming a male social escort, Kopi-soh, the drinks seller and resident gossip of the hawker centre, who sidelined as a runner for the underground bookies etc.

Last Friday, It Takes Two 《对对碰》came to a heartwarming end. The ending was nothing to shout about, but I feel that the value of this drama lay in the subplots which unfolded throughout the season. I haven't been keeping up with Singaporean dramas, but I must say that this has been one hell of a funny show (mostly), with endearing characters like Zhang Yang, a loveable half-wit who ended up in Singapore as a loanshark runner, Niu Wuyin, a rival fishball noodle seller and a lustful, greedy man who is taught a lesson, and the not-so-lovely Vivian, a hilarious member of the loanshark syndicate, played by Ann Kok.

Zhang Yang (right)

Vivian while eating :O

SPOILER ALERT

This rant by BNiu was particularly memorable as a hilarious summary of the financial concerns of the 20+ year olds in Singapore. 

"This is a time when you can make $1 billion overnight... and that's what I call success."

But what was so interesting about this show was that beneath the portrayal of chaotic lives led by characters, there were also other themes about Singapore's growing pains, such as how citizens treat the elderly and online witch hunts which we see all too often these days.

Treatment of Elderly in Singapore

Niu Wu Yin's grandfather deliberately let his whole family mistake him for being a rich old man, citing fears that his children would abandon him if they found out he was poor. Right he was about that though, for when two of his children found out he was not that rich after all, they immediately disappeared and left behind nothing but broken promises. That got me thinking if Singaporeans were as callous towards the elderly as portrayed ... and with the recent comments made by the residentsabout how the nursing home built behind their block would affect them [41-year-old Bernard Lau said to ST that 'the old folk will be groaning right into my home']... this sub-plot hopefully provided some food for thought for fellow Singaporeans.

Online Witch Hunts

Luo Na, the foul-mouthed wife of Hao You Cai and a filial daughter, was caught on video by her youngest daughter shoving the Fortune Rice Bucket into the arms of her mother-in-law, causing her mother-in-law to slip and fall. Subsequently, her youngest daughter uploaded this video online for kicks, sparking off an online witch hunt for Luo Na as the 'vicious daughter-in-law.' Interestingly, this episode took place after the racially-insensitive Facebook posts made by Amy Cheong which led to her dismissal from NTUC.

Living in a connected world like ours, hopefully this episode reminded Singaporeasns that sometimes, people do things in a folly which unfortunately went viral online. Hopefully, it also reminded us to take what we see online with a pinch of salt, as such videos may be a misrepresentation of what had transpired. With the rise of social media, such videos and images could make its rounds around Singapore within a day or two, making the situation uncontrollable. 

Conclusion

All in all, I would say this show is worth a watch for everyone living in Singapore for a taste of life in the heartlands and even as a dinner conversation with relatives, because the characters portrayed in the show are so reminiscent of people we've come across in our daily lives. While certain parts were a little too draggy for my liking, most episodes were funny enough for the 45-minute-ish screenings to pass by in a flash. One thing I noticed was that the standard of Mandarin spoken by the younger generation of actors was a far cry from the veterans, with the exception of Ryan (played by Jerry Yeo). That's probably one thing MediaCorp could work on for future Channel 8 dramas.

*Pictures credit to their respective owners.

Update: Yay my submission to ST Communities was published! This is encouraging for my second post. Thank you ST! ^^

Review of It Takes Two in STCommunities