Nora Elena

Well, after reading countless reviews/recaps/blogs about the current sensation sweeping the nation (depending on which nation you’re in – well, whichever that nation it is, consider it err, swept), Nora Elena, I’m tempted to do my own write up about it. I had wanted to wait until the series ended to write an overall review of it but like many others I feel compelled to blog this all consuming virus out of my system.

I can’t recall the last Malay series that I’ve watched in its entirety. The reason I started watching this was quite simply the intriguing storyline piqued by my interest in Mr. Aaron Aziz. Hehe. I can’t exactly remember how I came across the promo for the series, but I think it was through FB, the source of all modern day info nowadays. Being a fan of Aaron Aziz, i thought I’d check out what new series he will be in and since it will be on TV3, reminded me that my mom will be watching it as she is a fan of the Akasia slot on TV3. Since disowning her stepchild, Astro, a few years ago, TV3’s Akasia slot has been my mom’s source of entertainment as she watches at least 2 Malay series 4 days a week (another is on TV2 at 4.30PM). That from someone who watches mostly HKTVB dramas. You know, come to think of it, I think my Chinese mother watches more Malay dramas than my Malay mother-in-law. LOL.

Ok, so the story of Nora Elena, can essentially be divided into 2 parts. Pre-Cameron Highlands and Post Cameron Highlands hehehe. I loved the first 12 episodes of the series. I have to say it started off really really well. The momentum was there. We see how Nora Elena survived an attack 10 years ago and is now engaged to Saiful Idham and working in KL. All is well til she meets Seth Tan. Hence starts the “love triangle” although there was never a doubt that Elena’s heart always belonged to Eid.

Admittedly I had not read the novel in which the drama is loosely based on. So I can’t do any fair comparisons between the two. I did manage to flip through an online version of the novel (with pages missing and only half of the novel) out of curiosity as I have heard from some that the Seth Tan in the drama is more timid compared to the scheming Seth Tan in the novel. I mean, looking at Aaron Aziz’s cute innocent face, how can that be the face of a schemer? :p So I think they were trying to make the drama Seth more passive in the sense that he loved Elena, but he would not intentionally plot to steal Elena from Eid. But because of circumstances beyond his control, he somehow managed to get her through no fault of his own. I’m sure this is to make it seem like the main protagonist is a good person through and through, so that viewers would root for him. As if we needed the extra incentives.

The first 12 episodes was about how Seth kept making cute puppy eyes at Elena while her relationship with Eid unravels through a series of misunderstandings. With an impending wedding, and the groom throwing in the towel at the last second, the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself to Seth. The sexual tension in these episodes was unbearable. The scenes between Seth and Elena were so cute and sweet, you can’t help but fall for them as Seth tries to declare his feelings to Elena. It is his patience and persistence that we love. So, the premise was set with viewers rooting for Elena to forget about Eid and accept Seth’s proposal. Every episode was rife with questions of when is the wedding gonna happen? And when it finally did (phew!), it was onto the next question of when is Elena gonna start falling for Seth? Or when is the “honeymoon” gonna happen?!

So, that was all Pre-Cameron Highlands. Because we all know that after Cameron Highlands is where Elena has “accepted” Seth . Ironically, this is where the show started losing it's momentum. Scenes with Seth and Elena are of course the core attraction for many watching the drama. After Elena has accepted Seth, I was hoping for more intimate scenes of them together – well nothing major since this is afterall a MALAY drama, but seeing them actually in 1 bed would have helped. Or at least more body contact which he is now allowed but instead we hardly see anymore of the scenes which made the drama the talk of the town and Seth the new Casanova. I’ve seen many Malay dramas with more risqué scenes (male lead topless lying in bed with female (clothed), male lead kissing female lead (on the forehead)), so I don’t know why none of these scenes were included here. It’s as if the writers were toeing some kind of invisible lines which in the end actually made the scenes between the two leads seemed very awkward. Many complained there was a lack of chemistry between Aaron Aziz and Siti Saleha as husband and wife (some speculated due to the age gap (?!)) but in my opinion, it was due to this “awkwardness”. It was if they were worried that Aaron’s real wife, Diyana, was gonna jump out of nowhere and say, “AHAH!”. I think they could have let loose a little on that to achieve a better effect and capitalize on all the chemistry that they’ve built up in all the prior episodes. Hey, a peck on the head, if not a hug etc. I mean, the guy has waited 10 years for this, so you’d think he would make use of every chance he got. But the closest we got (thus far) was him smelling her headscarf after he took it off (okay, that was cute). I’m starting to wonder how she even managed to get pregnant!

See, it doesn’t even take long for mundane married life to set in and our beloved couple to be besieged by one problem after another. Well, a drama is nothing without the endless conflict, right? We slowly see Seth now morphing into Eid. No longer the unsuspecting, loyal, love sick Seth waiting patiently trying hard to win Elena’s heart, but the jealous, irrational, hot tempered Eid, waiting to pounce on every mistake. All thanks to Yvonne, of course. Yeah, that woman needs to be shot. Are you blind, Seth? Really, your “best friend”?!

And now I can see since Eid is out of the picture, they are trying to pull Amir into another love triangle with Seth and Elina. I think they should have stuck with Eid at this stage in the show, I mean no point in dragging in a new angle since you can’t develop it further because the show’s about to end already. However, this really has been a well acted drama from all of the actors & actresses involved. The cute and funny DIla, the adorable Malik especially when he is with Zira, even Kak Pah, Makcik Jijah, Pakcik Nordin & Pak Ali who manages to act so “sempoi”. They could all have their own spin off series. I can see it now “Malik and Zira take Penang”. LOL.

The drama has also left many questioning whether a man like the charismatic Seth really does exist in real life (not to be confused with the equally charismatic Aaron Aziz), with many wishing that they can meet/marry someone like him. Well, I’ll tell you the answer once and for all. YES. Someone like that does exist. And yes, we have all met/dated/and even married someone like Seth. Remember the guy that was so sweet to you when you first met? The guy that would blow off his friends just to spend time with you when you were dating? The guy who told you he loved you? The guy who held your hand and comforted you when you cried? The guy who took care of you when you were sick? The guy who bought you flowers for Valentine’s Day, your birthday or for no reason at all just to make you happy? The guy who proposed and said he will be the best husband you can ever have? <--- ok, i just added that one in cuz I actually fell for that line.

Yes, that was the guy that we all know early on in our relationship. He may not be that same romantic person now, many many years later, after 10 or so years of marriage and a dozen or so kids, but I think we should be glad to know that and remember that we did indeed experience something of the sort in our lifetime. For the singletons, there is hope for you yet. Well, especially after this drama, I’m sure many men would try to emulate Seth’s persona, let’s hope, for the betterment of their own selves and people around them.

The madness will be over by next week. I can’t help feeling that the ending will be a bit rushed after the slower pace of the beginning. I have been downloading the show online to watch because I don’t get TV3 (and countless other channels) included in my Astro package in this region. But next week, I’ll be watching the ending LIVE with my mom when we go back to my hometown for a holiday. Wonder what it will be like watching it live and with subtitles. But for now, I’m gonna go rewatch the earlier episodes and relive the glory days gone by :p

13/6/11 1.47AM

Oh, the pain and hurt in their faces. Sobs sobs...



Ok, just watched episode 21 and felt compelled to RANT. First of all, thank you to whatever powers that control the internet for the unbelievably speedy connection tonight, something unseen since the dawn of mankind. Downloaded in a mere 30 minutes? My, my, what did I do to deserve this? Well apparently, nothing. So I get punished by this episode.

Of course this is deemed the "revelation" episode in which Nora found out that the person that actually raped her all those years ago was her own husband, Seth. Ok, a few things wrong/I don't like in this episode:

1. The rapist tore the necklace from her and threw it onto the ground. The purpose being? If Nora is basing her suspiciouns based on the necklace itself, since it was thrown on the grown, Seth could have found it and kept it since he was in love with her. What they could have done was have the rapist purposely tore off the necklace and put it in his pocket as a memento. That way there would be no question of a doubt that the person who has possesion of the necklace is the rapist, as Nora would remember him taking that from her and keeping it.

2. Nora Elena returning to the scene of the crime to look for the necklace! Helloooo. For someone who had just been raped, they would be too traumatized to even face going back to the crime scene, let alone go wandering there all alone looking for her necklace again. As many would know, the perpetrator will also always go back to the scene of the crime (either to cover his tracks, to relive the moment, or re-commit the crime). So under no circumstances is it logic for a young girl who had just gone through a traumatizing experience to go back to the scene of the crime, ALONE, unperturbed, for whatever reasons.

3. Seth confessing that he did it because he felt horny after watching some dirty movies with his friends and Nora just happened to be there at the right time at the right place. This takes away the nobility that they built Seth up to be. Not to mention the essence of what Nora truly meant to him. I mean, they took pains to paint Seth as a through and through good guy that would not even think of stealing someone else's fiancee, to a sex maniac? I admit, I had not read the book, but I think diehard book fans are jumping all over this. Now I know why they had to retitle the drama to Nora Elena instead of using the novel's title of Kasih Yang Suci. Because, I think (I think lah, cuz I didn't read the book) in the book, the reason Seth raped Nora was because he wanted to "booking" her. So in a sense it means that Seth was already in love with Nora and clearly wanted her for himself and he did what he did because of his "pure love" for her hence the title, which is now tarnised and hence unusable.

Ok, I can understand why the writers would choose to change point No. 3 lah. This is probably to avoid people imitating what will then be perceived as acceptable behavior – to rape someone as a way of “booking” someone you love and because you love them anyway, then that makes it ok. Which of course, is not. Hence inspiring a host of “noble rapists”. So they of course had to modify it to be something that was born out of lust and hence is a very wrong act to commit. But couldn’t they have done it in a different way? This truly tarnished the noble nature of the story. Ok, I think I’ve overused the word noble here. Forgive me. It’s 2AM and the effects of the cough syrup is just kicking in.

What I like though:
1. The superb acting from my man Aaron Aziz. He can really make you feel his pain and the suffering he has gone through all those years. You can't help but feel for him and want Nora to forgive him because he truly makes you believe that he has repented - even the moment after he had just committed the crime. The one mistake that marred his entire existence. That tarnished the pureness of his love for the one person he cared most about. (Wahh man, this drama's making me sound corny. Note to self: slap yourself hard, woman!). But I heard they cut his close up. Maybe it was for the health of the nation that we didn't get to see his teary eyes. Otherwise, I think the ER in every hospital would be very busy.

2. Siti Saleha was awesome as Nora. Her hurt and pain. The betrayal she felt.

3. I liked that Seth refused to let Nora out of the room when she asked him to move. I like it when Seth is all persistent and especially when he refuse to relent. In a sense he is forcing Nora to face the situation instead of running away from it. Forcing Nora to forgive him. Yes, you CAN force someone to forgive you. Especially if you're Seth Tan. Forceful. Me likey.