破茧而出

Controversial themes, action-packed sequences, and with interesting plot twists to boot, "破茧而出" is one of Mediacorp's more inspired dramas in ages.

From the trailers, soundtrack, sets, costumes to hairstyling, the entire production screams "sleek". Coupled with charismatic leads, a great supporting cast and generally competent acting, what you have is a brilliant cop suspense thriller that gets the viewers tuning in religiously every night.

Rui-en might just have found her breakthrough role as the standoffish policewoman, which suits her ice queen image to the T. She also throws some convincing punches and kicks, and it's a real thrill seeing her kick some ass. However, she does show her soft side and inner turmoils, which adds to the realism of her character.

Yvonne Lim delivers another sterling award-baiting performance as the cheerful psychiatrist turned rape victim turned vengeful vigilante, showing that she's not just a pretty face - she does look really pretty in this show! - and it's not by sheer luck that she's found some success in China.

For the guys, it's really the villains, including Thomas Ong, who stand out. Both Terence Cao and Chen Hanwei appear miscast and floundering, and it's apparent Mediacorp is in need of younger male leads to replace them. Which makes it all the more surprising that "Star Idol" winner Bryan Wong has so far been typecast either as a sissy or a gay...

Besides the various cases threaded together by the CID's concurrent hunt for a terrorist group which takes a leaf from the ideologies of Light/Kira in the "Death Note" series, the title of this serial is also very 耐人寻味. "破茧而出" literally describes a butterfly emerging from its cocoon (茧), but in Chinese, there's also another saying - "抽丝剥茧", which could be a metaphor for the sequential unravelling of evidence before the truth finally emerges. The English title, "Metamorphosis", could also be an allusion to Lim's character's transformation.

The season finale will be shown tonight, and hopefully, it ends on a high note.