A cozy suspense show written by a group of truly well-read, avant-garde intellectuals who have a more than functional grasp of the true colors of the big apple, who are so good at word play and rhetoric just annoying enough to make you feel ashamed of your English. However, you really couldn't expect less from our friends who clearly have a strong British taste that has long been renowned for its adorable fixation on eloquence and elegance in speech. Just like what the first impression of Mr. Doherty, one of the creators, would be from his appearance in a 2009 comic-con promotion: polite, well-mannered and expressive. His response, explaining the writers' stand on the Joanlock chemistry certainly won him some immediate applause from the audience, as I quote, 'We just want to explore a great relationship that is beyond gender. There's definitely some chemistry, but not exclusively romantic.' It is clear that the refreshing perspective on the protagonists' partnership is not the only breakthrough that the show has been able to achieve. It is certainly not uncommon for TV shows to make an attempt on a multi-cultural ensemble feeling, but the challenge is how to avoid tokenism - how to shift the views' attention from the token identities, be it ethnicity, gender or skin color, to the beauty and flaws of the character itself. It is hard to say if there is a universal equation to make this possible, but if there is, I believe it will be more about what should be left out than what should be added in. Starting with common sense would be a good idea.
As Ms. Liu said, everyone's got his place; everyone plays a role; that's probably the beauty of the show.
If a bone has to be picked, is it OK to complain about the ultimate test of my listening that Ms. Liu has put me to with her soft slurring from time to time? I have to say it's been a while since the last time I felt this challenged, in a good way, for sure.
第24集完结
