EPISODE 15

I must say, this is a very good episode. Don't miss this one as our guys go through more training at Solar Airways. The best is of course the actor Tang Chi Fung who speaks such good English. I finally caught his name; Mr Ching. Yep, Mr Ching. And he has most scene with the trainee pilots, now called SO as in Second Officers as they work their way up to be FO as in First Officers so that they can be like Sam and Vincent and Mr Ching, as in SFO I guess meaning Senior First Officers and Sam is on his way to be the Captain. Just add one bar to the shoulder for each rank basically.



We see more flight simulation and for once Sam does not need to train these guys because I don't think he can survice that one 10 minutes scene where Mr Ching did a lot of dialogue in English. I must also mention these young ones will get to sit in the real big planes at the back and observe the captain and SFO (I am not sure if you call Sam this rank but just assume it is correct-I stand to be corrected). Zita & Isaac observed another gwailo captain who is a very good actor but I suspect is a real Captain because he looks, talks, walks and checks out the machinery like one. Sam was also there and Sam was given full marks for his excellent perfect flight and I think landing. However Donald messed things up. Donald was a passenger to enjoy "Zita's first time together" and he asked one of the stewardess (Margaret Chung) to give a card to Zita which she did. Isaac opened it before Zita did and whilst the Captain was speaking over the speaker, the entire plane could here "Itsy bitsy spider came...." (that poem). The captain found it very happy but Sam was furious. He looked behind and saw Isaac holding that card and Isaac didn't want Zita to get scolding took the scolding like a man. In Sam's mind, Isaac was as immature and playful and not serious as ever when I feel, Isaac has grown to be a mature, responsible and serious although still young person. In fact Isaac is slowly becoming my most favourite character in here, apart from Zoe of course.



Anyway they all went to Japan and Zita and Donald visited that Japanese guy whom Zita thought was her father. Then they all found out Zita's birthday was coming. Isaac went shopping and bought her a small but cute musical box which Zita liked very much and Donald bought a small doll which came in pairs and Donald gave Zita one. The other one he kept so that he can recite something to create a postive energy surrounding him and Zita. I always thought Donald was the sane one, so obviously tonight, because of love, he went insane!



Anyway Zita loved that musical box and when she went home she brought it along but forgot all about Donald's gift!



Meanwhile, Sam and Isaac went sight seeing and Isaac was wondering why his brother didn't have a girlfriend after that short affair with Belle. So Isaac tried to hook up Sam with a tourist named Ada. Nothing happened.



At the meantime before the whole Japan tour, Vincent lost his car but he was more worried about the storybook which Belle really liked, also lost. Found the car but the book was gone. Sam saw the same book in Japan and bought it. It is a scene which tells a lot of story by not speaking any dialogue. It was obvious Sam still have feelings for Belle whilst Belle tried to move on. They sat together for lunch and they managed to joke and laugh but it was forced. Vincent on his part transformed their bedroom into a fairytale bedroom, declaring in a very scary analogy that he wants to be the dwarf to Belle's Snow White. Belle was very touched and said her fairytale has already come true. And they hugged whilst Vincent smiled himself silly.



Now why is that analogy scary? I mean did Snow White ever had any ... ermmm... you know...that kind of physical intimacy with the dwarves? Why can't he say I want to be the prince charming to your snow white??



Anyway back to Sam and Isaac and Zoe, now making herself seen more in the presence of her idol Sam. Sam was coming off the plane and saw Zoe being harrassed by that psycho from the previous episode and he walked over and Zoe quickly went to Sam and held on to him. That guy said, "who is this guy??" and Sam looked at Zoe who looked at him and Sam said "Her boyfriend". Zoe smiled happily and said yes and Sam tenderly brushed her hair and told that man to leave Zoe alone, which he did. He then scolded Zoe that she shouldn't be so friendly with everybody and then he left. Paul walked by and teasingly said to Zoe, "Ahhh your boyfriend, contratulations!". Zoe was smiling happily of course but that wasn't real. I love this scene by the way because of Sam's tenderness in brushing her hair AND YET it was nothing sexual but rather like a big brother's gesture. But Zoe was hooked.



Then Sam told Zoe Isaac was looking for her and Isaac found her and gave her a present and then left.



Next scene we have Zoe hearing the story about Ada the tourist and Zoe was immediately jealous. The next day Zoe heard Sam was meeting a woman named Zoe at the cafeteria, she immediately took Paul with her and guessed that the young woman before her was Ada. In a hilarious scene, Zoe asked Paul "Is she pretty or am I pretty? I think I am prettier". Exactly what I would expect from a young girl would do! Then she saw Sam walking to another table to an older woman. Zoe was shocked, Ada so old. Zoe was speculating and all and then she just stood up, walked up and introduced herself in Japanese. That Ada looked bemused and said she doesn't understand Japanese and Zoe said aren't you that Ada form Japan and Ada replied she is Sam's teacher's wife! Zoe looked very embarrassed and Sam teased her in a bemused way saying "Don't tell me you and Isaac still playing that game?". Zoe walked back to her seat smiling very happily.



Tomorrow, Zoe will make her move. GOOD!!!



I love today's episode because of the many sub plots and hidden plots. I want to see a further development in the story between Isaac and Zoe. Isaac treats Zita like one of the guys but he treats Zoe differently. I am not sure the scenes are deliberate or just supposed by me, because I have this feeling Isaac is attracted to Zoe without really realising it yet. Will there be more on this? Will this escalate to brothers vying for the attention of one girl? For once I don't mind watching this kind of plot because it will be interesting. On one hand I like Sam's maturity, stableness and quiet authoritative dignity but he tends to be boring. You know, uncle type. Isaac I like very much because he has proven himself as capable and mature and yet fun to be with, loyal, trustworthy and very charming once he get pass his "I AM YOUR UNCLE" phase. So very hard to choose. And I can see why everybody loves Zoe, because she is sincere, friendly and very cute. Zita on the other hand is a tad too serious but just as nice.



Or maybe these are all flukes, all red herrings. But I would love to see Isaac with Zoe together though I already know the ending of course. Just a wishful thinking.



Other than that today's episode is a very educational one, as we learn more about pilots and what they do.



I must mention this; I absolutely love Solar Airways' logo and planes although it looked painted on. I love the name Solar Airlines/Solar Airways. And everybody looks so good in their uniform. And I was wondering why are the pilots carrying such big black bags. Apparently that's their standard luggage bag! Very stylish.



Now back to the flight scenarios. I hope to see one where our heroes get placed in a situation of life and death, where they had to make tough decisions to save their passengers to show some heroism. Will there be one? Hope so.



Last but not least, performances.



Francis Ng still rules. Bosco and the rest had little to do whilst Sammul's Donald was just too silly in tonight's epispde. Sad thing though, parents were never there. I don't think I have seen Donald's mother.



Myolie Wu rules in here with her very mischevious smiles and dagger stares at the girl named Ada. Her behavious and demeanour really is very young. I find her performance very satisfactory and absolutely brilliant. I was right all along. The first time I saw her to now, I think I have always repeated my opinion that she is one diamond in the rough, with special care and good cut will become a very beautiful brilliant gem. Thus far my opinion has never been wrong. A great talent.



Flora is ok tonight, standard fare from her but I am sure her fans will still love her no matter what.



Michelle Ye is scary tonight, because one scene she was lying on her stomach on her bed listening to that musical box given by Ron's Isaac and her expressions reminded me why I hated her in the first place. If she practised self control like what Raymond Lam is doing these days, I believe she can be as good as everybody else, in fac better than everybody else. She spoils it all with her over acting and opera- expressions.



I realise right now there is not one knock out handsome guy in this series, but there are many stylish ones thanks to the uniform. Francis looks good, Bosco looks good, even the no show actor Kenneth Ma looks good. But the one that impresses me with most is Ron Ng. He may be bad in everything else but this role suits him well and his chemistry with Francis Ng is undeniable. He is at his best when he is with Francis and Myolie. It's true; a great co-star will indeed bring out the best in you, sometimes, not all the times, sometimes. For example, I can't fault Charmaine Sheh's performance in An Herbalist Affair because Roger Kwok made her do better than she usually did. In here, so did Francis Ng. You can see the effect actually. I really like Ron Ng here but I guess you can't be great in every role since basically he isn't a very good actor. He is good here because his character suits him.



That's about it. Nothing much to say. I realise my episodic thoughts for this series are quite brief, and thus far I have yet to see some real drama. Hopefully there will be some soon.



One thing I must mention. Ever notice how come Vincent was never the instructor, apart from the fact that he was getting married at that time? And that why he never had flying scenes with some other people apart from that disastrous first episode? I really do think Francis Ng's Ennglish improved quite a bit but I dread to see Joe Ma speaking English, so all he did in here is basically hang around Flora's Belle. You will see him in uniform but very rare. He's like the most free pilot ever.



And the themesong sung by Eason Chan. Boring song but you know I have been brainwashed because that tune is now in my head but I hate that song. Hate it! And in the ASTRO awards, this song lost to Raymond Lam's themesong in Survivors' Law, which if I remembered correctly was as boring as this one.