Endoh’s Dungeon

The Little Nyonya literally took Singapore by storm and topped the list as the most watched Channel 8 drama in 15 years. I harbored little hope when I first came across details of the drama. Following the 2-hour finale of the show, I was certainly wrong. Not only has the show kept me gripped to my chair episode after episode, it was both educational and entertaining to watch.

The entire story was delivered on a narrative cum flashbacks format, with aged and dying Yue Niang (Xiang Yun) relating her life story to her modern granddaughter Anqi (Felicia Chin). The main characters of the show were definitely Huang Juxiang and Yue Niang. Both characters were played to near-perfection by Jeanette Aw. It must have been quite a challenge playing two characters over two generations with so much in similarities, but yet so different in many other ways.

Admittedly, I was never a local drama fan. Most dramas I have watched as a teenager left me in so much torment that I ceased watching them altogether. Having to convince myself to catch this show is a huge daunting task in itself. Which, I am glad I did.

What I love most and remember about the show is the artistic value when showcasing the Peranakan culture. For someone who’s from the Hakka heritage, it was quite an eye-opener. The impressive props and artifacts aside, I appreciated the explanations of various Peranakan practices easily available throughout the show in the form of the elders educating the young.

The other thing I truly enjoyed was the intriguing relationships between so many individuals in a big family living under one roof. I always craved for shows that venture deep into their characters and personalities. The Little Nyonya executed that pretty well on all fronts. For most parts of the show, I was asking myself why didn’t Juxiang do this? Why did Yue Niang did that? If a drama leads me to think deeper, I think I’ll like it even more. Of course, it’s a different perspective from those who watch dramas strictly for entertainment sake.

Strangely, The Little Nyonya seemed like a combination of two novels, The Rose of Singapore by Philip Neville and The Bondmaid by Catherine Lim. Not in entirety, but the strength of the women in the 1950s when all odds were against them. Also, the helplessness towards the status of women and the resilience of a small handful of women who believed that their destinies should lay in their own hands. The only exception? The Little Nyonya was about… nyonya of course.

What seemed perfect isn’t really perfect. I thought the pace of the story was so nicely done, you just can’t afford to miss a single episode. This good pace was finally broken by the last 3 episodes, which was really disappointing. Particularly, the finale yesterday felt like driving through a Formula One race. Overnight, everybody disappeared. Granted, the focus was on Yue Niang towards the end. But still, it is hard to imagine the pretentious and evil characters in the story would eventually get away with their deeds.

Did Gui Hua (Lin Mei Jiao) eventually realized how unfair she had been to Juxiang and Yue Niang? What happened to the influential and benelovent Chen Lao Tai (Li Yin Zhu)? Yue Niang married Paul… and? What about the lives of Chen Xi (Qi Yuwu) and Libby (who is she really) other than a basketball team she bore for him?

Yue Niang was brought away when she was a small little child, how did she find her way to the Huang family? It was said she was passed around, but the actual show saw her sharing that she found her way there by herself. Could she possibly remember in the chaos of World War 2?

I would like to think that there’s too much discrepancies in the final episodes, until viewers are left disconnected.

I did come across some comments in Mediacorp forum, where viewers cited countless mistakes ranging from filming to specific Peranakan details. I had to agree that Mediacorp made travelling from Melaka to Singapore seemed all too easy. Probably even easier than to get from Yishun to Ang Mo Kio. With the transport system and vehicles in the 1950s, is that possible? I am sure this is debatable.

Someone even mentioned, that a modern condominium was spotted at a corner of the screen in one of the episodes when Juxiang stepped out on the streets. I didn’t catch it. I think these are negligible to me when such a good storyline has occupied my mind totally.

As for the new actors, their performances were far from satisfactory. The way they spoke on screen and acted their roles reminded me of Ivy Lee in her earlier days. However, Ivy Lee has matured in her acting. If these young actors are to get any further, I supposed they need to brush up their skills. Most of them looked too fake, unlike Xiang Yun and Jeanette Aw. Even Ah Tao (Huang Hui) looked more convincing than the entire lot of new actors combined. I would love to see Huang Hui more in other dramas. I see some real talent in her. She’s just so natural at playing her role.

Surely, The Little Nyonya is far from being little. She’s a petite girl who can deliver a real nasty bite should you rub her the wrong way. With such a strong storyline binded with helplessness, tears, torment, sympathies, resilience and rage in complete package, how can anyone not love the show? If it impressed someone like me who doesn’t even watch the local productions, it certainly deserve its spot at where it is now - at the top!

Maybe I should get myself a Nyonya wife. LOOK AT THE FOOD! My God!

Can someone tell me if Mediacorp is going to produce this into a DVD? Hahaha… please?