[TV Commentary] “Eye in the Sky” Episode 10

Eye in the Sky <天眼>
TVB Drama 2015

Executive Producer: Catherine Tsang
Genre: Crime Thriller
Number of Episodes: 20

Cast: Kevin Cheng, Ruco Chan, Tavia Yeung, Tony Hung, Vivien Yeo

The following is not a recap but a commentary on the particular episode in the title. Major spoilers and Ruco Chan-love alert. Originally posted at www.point2e.com.

THE RELATIONSHIP CHART THUS FAR
Pure speculation. I am now at Episode 10 and it looks to me the 3 of them will have or is having or have had such a relationship as illustrated …

Get it?

So simple!

I am trying to summarise the relationship thing here. Some are speculation at this point. Maybe will change the chart later.

Anyway…

See big half love and big full love and arrows? Tavia loves Kevin who also loves Tavia. But Ruco loves Tavia and Tavia doesn’t reciprocate.

See small love at 3 locations of Tavia? Her head represents her mind telling her it is Ruco since she slept with him. Logic dictates that. But her heart says it is Kevin because she fell for him at first sight. However that bottom love is supposed to be lower, as in her libido or desire is for BOTH.

Simple. So simple!

Now see the green circles around our 2 handsome guys?

Ok… Kevin’s head is his mind and it is thinking of Ruco his brother. However his heart tells him Tavia. Meaning logic dictates he must let his brother win but he can’t deny his heart. Ruco’s logic is thinking of himself and to illustrate his selfishness, his heart loves only himself.\

Now this part we shall have to wait until last episode to see if it is true.

EPISODE 10

Obligatory eyecandy pic of the day …

Really love his look in his intro scene. So handsome!! But that’s not my pick for eyecandy of the day. Just wanted to remind myself why I love his intro scene.

My choice for pic of the day is ….

For a moment I was wondering maybe this was some photoshoot but it is from the series, I think Ep 2? Ep 3? Somewhere early.

KFC Sighting : None

THAT scene : None because Jan has set her sights on someone else, looking the same and there is no THAT scene with THAT person.

Ok back to this episode, which has got to be one of the best .. in parts.. starts great, ends great.

Like I said, he knew he knows she knew they know….everybody knows someone watching over someone, So Ruco ended up some online game and he tells Tony he is being watched, so Tony has to follow Hon Sun and for DAYS… MANY DAYS every night Kevin watches Ruco doing bicycle kick lar, exercise lar… reading lar.. watching shows on handphone lar.. anything but what he expected, Until one day, Kevin switches off the monitor.

So tense!!

Meanwhile Tavia is investigating a case of a business partner who doubts his 20 plus year business partner and ends up solving it and conclusion is business partners are true friends. So Tavia makes some observation like why can’t there be trust, why friends always end up distrusting their old friends, etc etc etc and Kevin sees that in himself and the way he suspects Ruco. So he makes up his mind; he had made a huge mistake. That of course does not answer why Ruco lied about his location. Anyway rains and all that and Tavia acting cutesy and both begins to like one another. Ruco asks Tavia out but Tavia only has eyes for Kevin and she asks him out for a movie date and he agrees and she day dreams about him and draws his smiling face. Yeap, it’s the face she likes.

And the entire time this whole sequence just throws off the tension which I feel like pouring cold water on me, especially when her “boss father” scenes which I feel I won’t waste time recapping. The anomaly is Tavia’s role.

Ruco finds out Vivien is on the move and so the lunch date he asks Tavia is conveniently forgotten.

You know it is already 10 episodes, half way point and if this series has any intention of developing a genuine love story between Ruco and Tavia, it’s a tad too late since any bonding scenes is between Tavia and Kevin. So my guess is Kevin will deny Tavia because of Ruco, Ruco moves ahead, Tavia sees him as some floating device and of course she still misses Kevin, so Ruco dumps her but he blames Kevin hence the final descend to villainhood. Seriously TVB, prove me wrong! This is like been there X 1 million times and done that X 1 billion times. I was hoping Tavia sees the man in Ruco and falls for him only to be disappointed he is who he seems to be and so falls for Kevin but right now, everything is on the surface for me. That’s pretty shallow for me.

Anyway brilliant stuff coming up, the 3rd act of this series. 1st act was doubt, 2nd act ponder and 3rd act is of course discovery!

Ruco follows Vivien who changed clothes and another girl looking like her walks away but Ruco isn’t fooled. He recognises her perfume and follows Vivien and at the same time novelist Susan who earlier asks Ruco if he could inform her whenever he sees Vivien around so that she can interview her as an inspiration for her new book calls Susan who comes and follows the wrong Vivien. Vivien’s suspicion gone and says to her fake she knows who is following her. Ruco calls Tony and informs him looks like Vivien knows there is a camera in her room but luckily he is not exposed. So game is still on.

Kevin and Ruco become best buds again. Ruco asks Kevin when he began to like being a detective and Kevin explains when he was a kid he was mostly alone as parents had to work. He always observed people and one day he stumbled upon a detective mystery book and that was what he was obsessed with since then. Ruco finds that story funny as Kevin says “But there is a side effect to all those reading of those books” and Ruco asks what would that be, “Don’t tell me it made you very smart?” and Kevin says “It makes me very suspicious of people. I always believe people are by nature bad and that is why I only believe the eye in the sky (surveillance cameras)”. Ruco smiles knowing perhaps Kevin was right as he says “Well, I am your opposite. I believe that people by nature is good”. Hence some philosophy in this scene! Deep yeah?

Remember the date? Kevin leaves early so that he can go watch movie with Tavia. Ruco stops him and asks where he is going and Kevin admits he is going for a movie but doesn’t say with who. Ruco smiles curiously when he notices a bunch of Indian looking angry men says over the phone “Mr Pittman, he is out!” and they follow Kevin and Ruco knows who is Mr Pittman (the guy he offended or dealt with in Manila and clearly a case of mistaken identity” and so Ruco follows. Kevin drives away, Indians follow and Ruco drives as well. He calls Tony and then he sees Kevin ambushed and kidnapped. He follows them and sees Kevin being beaten badly as Mr Pittman does not believe Kevin is not Ruco as Kevin keeps denying who he is.

At this point I suddenly remember how come Kevin stopped looking for his twin brother? Wouldn’t he want to know why an angry man like Mr Pittman is looking for his twin? Why is the investigation stopped? I will tell ya why. TVB forgot.

Anyway Ruco drives the car to rescue Kevin and Kevin sees Ruco, surprised and Tony is hidden somewhere and there are gun fight and we see the brothers doing some acrobatic stuff and shoots and kills stylishly (Ruco, so handsome in his uniform) when a bad guy points his gun as Ruco and Tony shouts “Ga La! Be careful!!” and Ruco gets shot in the arm and in that moment, Kevin feels the pain in his arm and he looks at Ruco in shocked, like he suspects, he knows, maybe, maybe not and Kevin goes to Ruco to help him as Tony arrives with car and save them.

At the hospital Kevin finds out Ruco is fine but needs some CT scan. He faces Tony and asks why Tony is there and well, Tony’s story is really unbelievable since he supposedly DOESN’T KNOW Ruco that well. So he leaves and Kevin follows.

Meanwhile, Tavia arrives at the cinema, glad that she is just on time but well… Kevin never came, never called, couldn’t call him. Poor girl. However, my question is for someone who feel this date is so important and with her ideal man and hero, whoever he may be as long as he has THAT face, how come she arrives looking like she always does? How come she doesn’t make a special effort to wear sayyyy a dress, and let her hair down? Come on TVB! Be consistent but NOT THIS consistent! Can’t you let Tavia have a pretty moment other than when she is about to sleep and she lets hair down and that’s the only time I find her.. rather pretty. Who on earth will wear what she wore on a first date with her hot dream date?! Anyone would have made an effort. So annoyed.

Tony arrives at home, tells grandma Ruco is hurt and grandma doesn’t believe when there is a knock and grandma opens the door as Tony shouts “Don’t open!!” but too late. It is Kevin who politely tells grandma to leave them to talk and he knows Tony is Tai Fu Lung. Wait… is it Tai Fu Hung? Can’t remember lar. Anyway Tony knows he is now stuck as Kevin confronts him who is he to Ruco and is Ruco Ga La and who is Ga La. For someone about to find his long lost twin he sure looks very very angry. Maybe he doesn’t know Ruco is his twin but is a lying person named Ga La. He nearly hurt Tony who refuses to say anything when Ruco rushes in (poor man just had a CT scan!!) and says emotionally to a rather angry Kevin “Let him go. I am Ga La Chai, also known as *** (can’t remember the name he used, but I suppose his adopted name but shouldn’t be a name Kevin recognises) and… I am your twin brother” and Kevin’s eyes widened.

AND IT STOPPED THERE!! Ahhhhh the climax!! Have to wait 2 days for what happens next!! Nooooooo!!!!!!!!

This ONLY family portrait will be very poignant. I am already crying inside!

Anyway, great start, great end, wasted time with the really distracting Tavia story of her father. I don’t mind her story with Kevin or Ruco but anything else like those cutesy comedic moments throw off the pace and kills the pace. Like I said, Tavia is a vase and even if a vase, give her justice and use her right! And dress her right also!

Performance wise, Kevin is wonderful, especially that scene where Ruco got shot and he felt the pain and the realisation, that how come I feel it too, could it be?! You can see it in his face. Kevin is not the most expressive actor but in the right role, he shines and this is the right role.

Tony is also doing fine, funny when he should be, serious when he should be but seriously, not leading man material. Sidekick is best for him, like Jazz Lam.

Tavia looks pretty with her hair down but I wish I could grab her specs and throw it away and also use a tissue to wipe the brown lip liner from her lips that makes her lips so brown! Give her some red please! I can’t say her acting is bad; I mean Tavia is a wonderful competent actress and she shows she can be cute and all that but this is eye in the sky, this is a story of 2 brothers, if she is to be the reason for the quarrel, I can understand some of her scenes. But to force her into the core of the story with a story of her own and all those investigations is throwing the potential of this series into “salty water ocean” (literally). I feel so heart sick for this series. I feel so bad for Tavia. It could have been something but I am becoming so annoyed with Tavia not because of her acting but because she doesn’t fit into the story in the flow of it. This story can do without her and cut the cutesy stuff like father, friend, detective agency, mentorship with Kevin and you will be left with a hard core dramatic story of 2 brothers and their descend to hatred for one another or whatever.

Ruco.. oh Ruco… scheming, playful, flirty, action man Ruco. Perfection physically, fine specimen on how to be a man’s man whilst wearing showy glasses and a great example of an actor who well.. acts very well. But tonight I feel as handsome and as wonderful Ruco was, Kevin takes the Best Performance mantel for that moment of realisation.

I am however not thrilled with the fact that Kevin doesn’t seem too concerned looking for his twin anymore. I mean if I was someone looking for my win and I am confronted with a Mr Pittman and I am a great detective being bashed, whilst I deny I am who he thinks I am, I will surely be so eager to know when Mr Pittman last saw my mysterious brother, how he was, where was he. etc to trace him. And then I realise for the past few episodes Kevin was so busy chasing strangers he stopped finding his brother. He in fact sounded tired of being mistaken and pissed. Basically there is not that bridge to cover the next reunion scene in an emotional scene. If only there is a small scene of Kevin still looking or checking some website in Manila or whatever, that bridge would have had a more emotional impact in the would be reunion scene.

As for Jan and her obsession with the Kevin face, I suspect she gets very confused when she sees Ruco’s scar on his chest and is badgered into a relationship with someone whom she ever slept with because of his looks and not the man he is unlike Ruco thinking Tavia is waiting for him as in not his face but him as a person. Again I feel Jan is being set up as someone incredibly shallow and a tweak would have made Jan a more sympathetic character. Right now I find her an anomaly, sometimes an annoyance and mostly just a plot devise and nothing more. I don’t feel her more involved in the story than any other female character and not properly developed. And if she pushes the specs up the nose of her bridge again I will scream. Imagine, she constantly does that, to show nerdy cutesy whatever and yet during moment os emergency and panic, that spec seems permanent glued to her face. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the specs on her when she is doing surgery. Not Tavia;s fault but the characterisation is seriously flawed. A really nice cute girl in a serious drama is fine; but in Eye In The Sky, to forcefully push Jan into the core storyline to me is just making this great series seems pretty ordinary at times.

And seriously, where is the EYE IN THE SKY?? Why not name it The Canon Of Mysteries or The Nikon Conspiracy or Con Camera?

RELATED ARTICLES

• [TV Commentary] “Eye in the Sky” Episodes 1 to 3
• [TV Commentary] “Eye in the Sky” Episode 4
• [TV Commentary] “Eye in the Sky” Episode 5
• [TV Commentary] “Eye in the Sky” Episode 6
• [TV Commentary] “Eye in the Sky” Episode 7
• [TV Commentary] “Eye in the Sky” Episode 8
• [TV Commentary] “Eye in the Sky” Episode 9

This commentary is written by Funn Lim, a Contributing Writer at JayneStars.com and was originally posted at www.point2e.com.