Local drama serials take their spin on the love game 2013-3-7
By: Foong Woei Wan
Something has gone to the head of Channel 8 crime drama C.L.I.F.2. It's romance,

I'm afraid.
In some parts, the show is like its old self, wielding its police credentials proudly. An early episode has a multitude of officers shutting down a mall to stop a young lone gunman: such a multitude, it looks like a massive Zhang Yimou production, just the thing to warm the hearts of Chinese nationals in Singapore, perhaps.
Later, there is a sly bit about the benefit of traffic fines: Sometimes, if you are a homicide suspect, a speeding ticket may serve as your alibi. Aren't you thankful for the traffic police?
In other parts, however, the drama is getting unnecessarily soapy.
Now, Joanne Peh and Qi Yuwu are fine actors and make a cute couple. A scrap of a scene, where he recreates her favourite dish when she is recovering from a gunshot, is enjoyable because they are that believable together.
But dragging them (as well as Rui En and Li Nanxing as police officers) through humdrum relationship problems to perk up a nation-building police show feels excessive.
Worse, it seems such a criminal waste of Peh and Qi's acting talent.


