Evidently The Oath didn’t have a large enough budget to get the actors back in the studio to record dialogue. Wind on the microphones affects many scenes.
Sound design is a major let down for The Oath. “Bottom Slim” is the name of a brand, and this award was given at the after party. In 2013 she won “Bottom Slim Sexiest Legs” award. Bad casting or direction could easily have spoiled this role.īetween 19, Ann Kok has been nominated for a Star Award 10 times and won only once. She is in turns both vulnerable and self-assured. Inner demons can taunt even people as attractive and intelligent as Zhiyi who have so much going for them.Īs the obsessive and despairing lover, Zhiyi never overacts, whether she is pressing her authority as a lawyer, drowning her sorrows, or contemplating self-harm. But life has many colours, and the show explores the causes and effects of depression without trivialising them. It might be hard to imagine someone of Zhiyi’s poise succumbing to depression, unable to move on, even if her ex is the dashing Christopher Lee.
When Guoen returns to Singapore to practise in his father’s clinic, Zhiyi tries to reignite their passion. Zhiyi has lost her way since her 10-year relationship with Guoen ended with him leaving to study traditional medicine in China. In the subplot, Ann Kok plays Yè Zhīyí (叶芝仪), a lawyer with unfulfilled potential. Ethical issues explored include organ donation, the pitfalls of a private hospital system, and maintaining a hospital’s reputation in the face of unsuccessful surgery.
#Phim the oath singapore drama full#
But the surgery scenes are full of tension and Ix Shen plays lead surgeon Dewei with gravity, although his descent into bitterness seems out of character. Melodrama does emerge in the latter stages. The Oath does a better job here than Taiwanese hospital drama, Wake Up, because of its research, tight script and lack of cheesy hip hop scenes (not that I don’t like hip hop). The Oath could have benefited by further exploring the history and theory behind acupuncture, or 针刺 (zhēncì).īut while it lacks in this area, hospital ethics is explored in more detail. Acupuncture targets qì (气) points, which can be seen as an expansion of the Indian system of chakras. I am less convinced with the herbal remedies, but some of them, like in Western medicine, have been tried and tested over hundreds of years.Ĭhristopher Lee, Jesseca Liu, Ann Kok and Ix ShenĬhinese medicine takes a holistic approach, viewing the body as an organism that must be balanced. My knowledge of Chinese medicine is not deep, yet I was intrigued by the acupuncture demonstrations, delivered with humour and detail. The Oath highlights the strengths and weaknesses of both and does not pass judgement. In Singapore, the two disciplines are more rigidly separated. Western medicine prevails in Singapore, while China, it is not uncommon for GPs to work alongside traditional practitioners, even in hospital. With its emphasis on rigorous testing through experimentation, Western medicine is given due respect. The Oath’s main theme explores the difference between Chinese and Western medicine. Although Guoen and Dewei were classmates in medical school, a controversial incident prevents Guoen from obtaining his medical licence, sending him down a different path. Lead surgeon Dewei harbours secret feelings for Minfei, but she is falling for Wú Guóēn (吴国恩) (Christopher Lee), creating the ever-present love triangle that is a staple in modern drama. The love triangle, staple of modern drama Her superior, Guān Déwěi (关德伟) completely opposes it, even to the point of trying to undermine it. Minfei is a talented young surgeon who doesn’t believe that traditional Chinese medicine has a place in modern practice. Jesseca Liu does a fine job as surgeon Yáng Mǐnfēi (杨敏妃). Ann Kok is feisty, alluring and vulnerable, capable of playing a conniving witch, as in Bountiful Blessings, or an insecure lawyer, as she does here in The Oath. I can watch Ann Kok and Christopher Lee all day. It would be very hard to make a bad show when the four leads are Christopher Lee, Jesseca Liu, Ix Shen and Ann Kok.