Ghost Episode 2 - Notes

The recap makes it surprisingly clear what the first episode is about. In fact, we probably don't even need to spend 40 minutes telling a story. Just watch the recaps.

The story opens with Eza having breakfast and Zack reading the papers. Just like your average happy family, where the girl eats quietly, and the guy complains about how little press he's getting now that his dead. Quite coincidentially, as it's apt to happen on TV, Eza gets an email with - shock, horror, gasp - revealing photos of Zack with a school girl. Eza, trying quite cooly to tell Zack off (and yet not quite suceeding), says, "You nak sangat cerita pasal you".

• Songs this episode: Won't Go Home Without You by Maroon 5; Bubbly by Colbie Caillat; Magic by Colbie Caillat; The Way I Are (sic) by Timbaland; Don't Stop the Music by Rhianna; Stronger by Kanye West; Glamorous by Fergie; With Every Heartbeat by Robyn; Cry by Rhianna; Rehab by Amy Winehouse; and Realize (sic) by - guess who - Colbie Caillat.
• Like the floating newspaper? So do I. Want to know how they do it? It's all about the Pentium dual-cores, baby.
• If you think the schoolgirl looks a lot like Malaysian Star winner, Melody Yeoh, that's because she is. Chelsia Ng dropped by to don her old pinafore and to flirt around with half-naked actors. And she got paid for it.
• There is actually an account especially created for Eza on gmail. Problem is, you never actually get to see it in this episode, so all of you wanting to send fan letters to her should write to Popiah Pictures anyway.

Finally, the intro titles. Written by Douglas Lim, sang by Chelsia Ng (with Douglas Lim giving... colour). I thought it was quite nice that it told a story of nobody (except the little boy) being able to see Zack, and then he bumps into Eza and their lives changed. However, I miss the good ol' TV titles of the 80's, when we used to insert action scenes between the actors names, like the A-Team and Blue Thunder and Airwolf and have music pumping at full wattage through the speakers. I can but dream.


Zack continues to deny that it is him in the photos, because it doesn't look like his body. I'm sure the female population out there is whispering, "take off that damn shirt and prove it to us". Instead, cowardly Zack just says that that guy on the video is fat. Hey, if that guy is fat, then I, along with most guys that enjoy the occasional nasi lemak, are in some serious trouble. And there's the matter of the birthmark.

David Tan appears on TV, denouncing these photos and promoting his new movie at the same time: Impak Kuat, starring "Jack Imran". When Zack sees David, he suddenly realises that these photos were taken in David's bedroom. Which he has seen. Because, he's been there. During parties. With lots of hot chicks about. Which is just a coincidence, I'm sure. David, it seems, has a motive to do this, because Zack fooled around with the producer's ex.

• I kept telling Naz that Zack was strongly based on him, but I don't think he was too happy about that because of the womanising part. But certainly, the whole confidence thing, and the sense of humour was all Naz. He's also comfortable around the ladies, although he doesn't flirt quite as blatantly as Zack does. Certainly he doesn't say what he might be thinking!
• The scene of Zack and the woman in the car was cut from the final broadcast. Not quite sure why, I guess the whole idea of Zack making out with someone was a little too risque.

Eza meets up with Julie, who's nattering on about the latest gossip in the industry and how Eza should move on after Adzam - two days after the breakup. Zack is just being plain annoying.

• Carmen Soo on the magazine - it's the famous NewMan spread. Why is it famous? In almost every other photoshoot of Carmen, she either comes across as classy or elegant or just plain sweet. In this one, she's... shall we just say, dangerously distracting? Issue number 50, I believe.
• Ping worried about Julie coming across as slutty. She was meant to be fun-loving and adventurous. She was meant to live life to the full and not care about the consequences. The opposite of Eza, in fact. But not slutty.
• Okay... the whole Farra, Hans and Irfan - the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Zack is in the girl's bathroom with Eza. Strangely enough, Eza is okay with this. Eza explains that she is a gossip writer. Coincidentially, her editor calls up to say that Eza needs to meet her deadline, with a story. Eza is persuaded by Zack to tell her editor that the photos of Zack are fake, and that she'll come up with a story.

• The idea that Eza was a gossip writer was there from the very beginning. The idea was this: Eza is a quiet girl, but she has an alter-ego, Nadia, who writes gossip columns. Actually, she gets her tips from Julie, and just works behind the scenes. Until Zack meets her and gets her to help him solve his murder, of course. Somewhere between the charcoal smudge and the final product, things changed a little.
• The whole point of this was to (a) give a reason why shy Eza would go out in to the glitzy entertainment world to help Zack; (b) create a parallel between the Eza who pretends to be glamorous but stays at home, with the Eza who finally gets out and sees the crap that floats around in the biz. That second bit kind of disappeared too.
• Another censor: Eza says, "Kau pergi mampus-lah", but all we see are her lips moving. Nice reaction by Zack, by the way.

Back at home, Eza and Zack discuss on how they are going to get into David's bedroom. Zack says it's easy, in the sense that it's easy women that David loves. Eza just needs to go in and persuade him. Eza protest that her goods lie above the neck and not below, but Zack shows her what kind of clothes she needs to wear.

Eza walks out of the lift in David's office, uncomfortable with the clothes that are too tight. She auditions for David Tan, and although she is clumsy at first, she is coached by Zack and ends up giving a performance that is... well... it's sexy, at least for David Tan. He invites her to his party.

• The original scene in this script was actually quite good; you could feel the tension rising. However, in the performance, something was lost. This is quite unusual given that Ping both wrote and directed the scene. Perhaps Ping's idea of sexy is... well, not my idea of sexy. Having said that, Ping loved writing this scene. He has an overactive imagination.
• Kin Wah is really hamming it up as David, which is quite funny given that he was also helping out coach the actors for the other, more serious scenes. There is a large element of slapstick in the whole episode anyway, but it's not something I really like - it's a little out of sync with the rest of the series. However, when Eza says "takada lah ... first time aje" - now that's acting.
• I just realised it would be better if Eza was sitting on a couch. Because she's casting you see. Geddit?
• "Belum cuba mana tahu?" or a variant is that one phrase that just keeps cropping up over and over again. I used it first in Impian Illyana, and I think it's managed to slip into every series I've worked on since then. This is Ping's line, which makes up for the fact that I didn't work it in anywhere in my episodes.
• Zack obviously doesn't know Eza that well yet. As Eza is leaving the office, Zack calls her Eza Azzrul. Hell, no, it's Eza AZMI! Like Dzof AZMI! Okay?

Julie comes by Eza's place with a boy in tow. She's meant to be there to help Eza dress up for Jimmy's party, but she seems more interested trying to foist her date upon Eza. Eza is a little shocked at this, but not as much as Zack when he sees how much Eza's transformed after her makeover.

• Julie's mannerisms and the way she talks in this scene is pretty much the way Carmen Soo does so in real life. Surprising, perhaps, but unfortunately I think it works against her character as Julie. Carmen is nice, winsome and disarming. Julie is meant to be a little more brash, with a large dose of confidence, but somehow always manages to get people to get things done her way. One is a girl you might take home to meet your mother; the other is one you wouldn't take home to meet your father in case he falls for her too.
• If the boyfriend looks familiar, it's because it's Joel Neoh, the winner of the first season of The Firm. That's right, if you join a Popiah Pictures production, you too have a chance of joining more Popiah Pictures productions.
• So Eza changes into a slinky evening dress while in her bedroom, with naught but a beaded curtain between her and a stranger outside (and Zack too, of course). Progressive, and yet not so realistic.
• Music by Colbie Caillat.

Eza and Zack turn up at the party. It's a veritable who's who of KL social life, including Sham - Zack's biggest rival in all ways: films, publicity and, of course, girls. Zack leads Eza to David Tan's bedroom.

• Ah, the first party scene. At one point we had a party or nightclub scene in every episode. Ping was fretting because it would expensive to shoot. Actually, I think he just doesn't like working with crowds. Me, on the other hand, was thinking he could use his stable of talents at The Talent Factory to liven up things.

The duo enter David Tan's bedroom. How they just walk in without anyone stopping them, I have no idea. They snoop around and discover a hidden camera, aimed straight at the bed. Suddenly, they are interrupted by Sham walking in with some pretty young thing. Honestly, with this much traffic around, you might as well hang a red lantern outside and sell tickets for the show. As Sham is getting it on (or 'on down' or 'it up' - I never swing with the slang too much), Zack notices that he has a birthmark just like the guy on the video.

• Honestly, this was written before Health Minister thing. Or the Edison Chan thing. It was just a coincidence. Or perhaps it's just something that happens so often that somewhere around the world someone is putting on a naked performance in front of a hidden camera. Think about it.
• Something about the scene got me thinking. Eza can see Zack in mirrors. But she can't see him on camera. Okay, so you say it's because light goes straight from Zack to Eza via reflective surfaces, but the camera interprets it through CCDs and the like. All right, but it can't really be light that Eza 'sees' because no light I know willfully reflects for one person, but not another. So obviously Eza sees Zack because Zack's presence muddles around with Eza's brain cells so she thinks she sees him. But then, she should also think she sees him on camera. Maybe the camera is too much effort for the brain cell bending stuff. And don't get me started on the shadows.

We're back at the party, where David Tan makes Jimmy give his two cents worth of Zack. He's reluctant, but he goes on to say wihtout him I'd be no one, nobody can replace him, let's party!


Aha. The Datin. Cheng-cheng-cheng. I wonder if anybody remembered her from episode one.
Yasmin previously acted in a teledrama called Nasi Lemak Dina in which Ping was involved in as Exec Producer or something (I didn't really understand how it all worked). She has large eyes which are pretty. These two statements are unrelated.

Jimmy slinks away with Sham. They do the dirty deal behind the scenes - "I'll make you bigger than Zack ever was". Between Sham in someone's private bedroom, and Zack's ex-manager and his biggest rival, you'd think somebody would have noticed them slinking away. Obviously a lot of slinking in the 'away' direction must happen in KL celebrity parties.

• Is Jimmy a two-faced bastard? Yes? He must be the prime suspect, then.

Datin Faizura runs into the bathroom, tearing up. Zack! You bastard! Why did you have to die?
Either she must really love him, or we have a case of schizophrenia coming up. So she's not a prime suspect, but she's 'involved'. Hell, who isn't?

Maybe Farouk. He just jumps into Eza's path to rescue her from David Tan. Only thing I'd have to say to Eza is, "What's a guy like that going to a party like this without a date?". Probably looking for a date himself, that's what.

• Meet Farouk, played by Nas-T. Some of the show's fans like him. Really like him.
• Farouk was formerly named Derek. And then for some reason they changed him. I quite happy, because it was tough differentiating between Derek,, the Datuk and the Datin. Tongue twisting does not make for effecting story breaking.
• Okay, so Ping writes these one-liners, and between him and me, I'm probably more likely to use them in real life. But I don't. Because I have standards.

Meet Adzam. And his new girlfriend, Haflin. Surprise, Eza.

• Man, is Adzam a nerd or what. Adzam is also the name of somebody we both know, so I always had him in mind what I wrote the stuff. But he's a nerd in a good way.
• Haflin is played by January Low, whom I think has a great future, although it's not always on screen in this show. And she dances too.
• If you think this Adzam/Eza/AnybodyElse triangle is going to be milked for all it's worth, all I can say is 'moo'.

Naz talks to Eza. Eza is annoyed, because Adzam has a new squeeze. Ini pasal you lagi ke? Zack tries to consoles Eza.

• Problem with this scene is, January isn't a bimbo.

Eza finally figures it out. She realises that the girl with Sham in the video knows she's being filmed. She sees that the tape is labelled 'Baby'. And by holy coincidence, they actually have Sham's handphone. That has the name 'Baby' in its contact list.

• I do not like how the clues fit a little too nicely. The fact that they get the handphone is the bit that annoys me. They had no reason to take the handphone, it was just a God Machine coincidence.

Eza arranges to meet up with Baby. Who then launches into one long exposition. So, Sham was embarrassed by Zack. David Tan was upset with Zack. It was meant to come out before Zack died, so that he would be embarrassed. But funny how life works, eh?

• Notice it's set in Starbucks. Ping loves Starbucks.
• Eza actually blackmails Baby to get her to do the 'right thing', which is a little strange.
• The big question that goes unanswered (and to me, represents a rip in the reasonable-plot continuum), is who actually leaked the photos, then? Eh?

The end is Eza talking to us, explaining what the theme of the story is. What would we do because of love?

• I don't normally think these talkovers are a great idea. It's like what Doogie Howser or Meredith Gray does to bang into our heads, "Hey, look, this is what the story is really about, OKAY?". But in this case, it has a heart, and it makes you feel something. Which is what is really important.
• Incidentally, this theme also explains a lot about the whole mystery of how and why Zack died. Like I said, it's about love. It's always about love.

And then, the end after the end is the Psycho girl cutting out photos. Just a teaser to leave you a little on edge.