Editor's note: This is a nostalgic theater.

On October 27, 2003, "Triumph in the Skies" (Triumph in the Skies) premiered on Jade Channel as a TVB celebration drama. This 40-episode TV series, starring Wu Zhenyu, Chen Huishan, Ma Dezhong, Myolie Wu, Wu Zhuoxi, Chen Jianfeng, Michelle Ye, etc., is the first time in the history of Hong Kong TV series that the aviation industry is the background, and the film crew traveled to multiple overseas cities for live shooting. The theme song "Time Cantabile" sung by Eason Chan for the series has also become a memory for a generation.

"Up to the Sky" poster

Ten years later, in July 2013, TVB launched "Up to the Sky 2", with Julian Cheung and Fala Chen joining in to compose a new flight movement with Wu Zhenyu, Myolie Wu, Wu Zhuoxi, Ma Guoming and others. With the highest ratings of 41 points, the sequel became the 2013 Hong Kong TV series ratings champion, and won the best drama series at the Thousand Stars Awards Ceremony that year.

If ten years are used as a node, then 20 years later, it will have a different flavor when looking back at this classic in the history of Hong Kong dramas.

Group drama in the aviation industry

As a workplace drama in the aviation industry, "Up to the Skies" is undoubtedly a success. It has given many people a concrete and clear understanding of the profession of pilot, and it is not just a fantasia about handsome men and beautiful women in uniforms. From the entrance interview of flight school to the strict assessment of being promoted to captain step by step; from meeting the various needs of passengers to safely landing in extremely bad weather, it almost covers all kinds of crises faced by pilots as they grow up. , condensed into one drama.

Sam takes a photo with students from flight school

The well-written group scenes are a major advantage of the "Up to the Sky" series. It not only focuses on the professional stories that are common to the public, such as pilots and stewardesses, but also describes the work details of the airport ground staff, catering company, complaint department, and maintenance team (Part 2). It is rare to see one link after another and one thing after another. A series that shows the inside story of the industry from multiple perspectives and in a panoramic manner. Many characters in the play, even minor supporting roles with only a few brief touches, have stories behind them that touch the heart.

Compared with the grand narratives emphasized by some fighter jet themes, the stories that happen on civil aviation planes are more life-like. For example, the twins’ guest sisters reunited at the airport, and Sam (Francis Ng) fulfilled his wish many years later to fly a plane to take his mother home. These plots Being closer to the audience makes it easier to empathize.

The twins reunited at the airport.

“Young people don’t know the fragrance of Sam Gor”

The narrative centered on Tang Yichen, Sam's family, with two parallel lines, is another major feature of "Up to the Sky". Whether it is the middle-aged group (Sam, Belle, Vincent, Zoe) facing the double test of career and love, or the young group (Issac, Zita, Donald, Chris, Roy) constantly understanding themselves and finding the starting point of their dreams in their studies, they always There is one dish that is yours, and it can attract audiences of different ages.

Tang Yichen's family is the main line of the story.

As the absolute male lead in the story, Sam, also known as Tang Yichen (Francis Ng), is not easy to play. On the surface, he appears to be rigid, serious, serious, and in the words of his old friends and family members, in a word, "boring." With such a personality, it is hard to imagine that he has a pair of naughty parents who are like happy enemies, and an equally naughty younger brother. But it was precisely because his parents separated early when he was young and his mother ran away from home that it created Sam's precocious personality. He would hide silently in the old Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, crying for his mother's departure without saying goodbye. When he was in a bad mood, he would go to the rooftop to feed the pigeons with his friends to relieve his sadness.

As the saying goes, "Young people don't know the fragrance of Sam Gor". When I was watching dramas when I was a child, I was easily attracted to the more lively and outgoing Vincent or Issac, but I couldn't get the good taste of Sam Gor. If you don't observe carefully, the audience will be deceived by his superficial character and only remember that he is a Captain Tong who is strict with himself and others, forgetting that he is also a person who can play the erhu at home to "encourage" his parents and chase the people he likes. Eason Chan asks for autographs, makes faces in front of his best friends to resolve embarrassment, and is an interesting soul who also throws out bad jokes from time to time while chatting. What's more, he is emotionally stable (this is better than many people) and always considers others. He is indeed a commendable "bamboo shoot".

Sam who plays the erhu

Sam rarely shows his naughty side

He is the backbone of the entire "Up to the Sky" series, and most of the stories revolve around his career, relationships, and family. It is necessary to maintain professional rigor in the workplace, but also to maintain a persona that is both emotional and life-oriented. Once this character is not played well, the whole show will easily collapse. Fortunately, Wu Zhenyu's performance was just right. Even the unpleasant and suspected "immoral" plots were played by him in a heart-wrenching way.

Not perfect, but true

There is a pair of female characters in the play that can be called the "control group": Belle (played by Chen Huishan) and Zoe (played by Myolie Wu). The plot of "Red and White Rose" has always been difficult to write, and it can easily become bloody and clueless. What's more, the male and female protagonists of this drama are still in love, and the main theme is a two-way red and white rose.

Many people will say when evaluating "Up to the Sky" that the last 1/4 of the plot becomes more and more complicated as it is written. This is mainly because after the death of Vincent, Belle fell into a state of longing for things and people, became insane, and even had to rely on imagining that her husband would return. Alive, the state of surviving with one breath. And the emotional entanglement between her and Sam that was constantly being cut off and messed up has become a source of frustration for many people.

But the author believes that this scene is Chen Huishan's best performance. It tears apart the most fragile and vulnerable corner of human nature bit by bit and displays it bloodyly in front of the audience: this half-dream and half-awake state contains love, guilt, pain, and regret. Rewatching this play many years later, I understand and digest the dramatic tension in it. This kind of madness is also what life is like.

Belle who lives in memories and cannot let go.

To be honest, this way of writing by the screenwriter actually does not please the audience, because most people looking for a love drama are looking for a perfect closed loop of "go round and round, the love is still her", that is, the routine ending of traditional drama conflicts. From falling in love at first sight in Italy at the beginning (the shooting method of the first two episodes gave the author a romantic filter for Italy), to supporting each other when encountering difficulties in the middle and later stages, there is no doubt that Sam and Belle are each other's soulmates. . But sometimes, timing determines everything, and missing fate is just a matter of a moment. Sometimes falling in love doesn't necessarily mean staying together. Retreating to being friends is also a rational choice for adults.

The fate begins in Italy, which is full of fate.

Furthermore, Sam's personality has always been to put friends first. Even if there is pain and struggle, even if he has to do it all over again, he will still choose friends first. Most of Belle's choices were based on so-called "fate". This is the most romantic aspect of her fairy tale princess-like personality. However, when this kind of personality is placed between two people, it is romance; when placed between three or four people, it is torture.

When there are three people walking together, one of them will feel like he is under the car.

As Belle's control group, Zoe's personality is the most direct. She is clear about her goals. If she has love, she will speak out, and if she has love, she will use actions to win the other person's heart. In the later stage, once she can't find a reasonable support point for love, or thinks that her illness will hinder the other person, she will break up with him in a cool way.

Zoe looks like a happy and cheerful little girl, but in fact, she also has a decisive and mature side.

During this review process, the author also discovered another "control group", which is Sam's younger brother Isaac (played by Wu Zhuoxi). Although he has a carefree personality when he appears, subtly, he seems to be imitating or consciously learning Sam's way of doing things. This is reflected in his work, and also in his handling of the relationship with Donald and Zita: he is bold and careful, caring about his friends, but at the same time, he is unwilling to destroy the balance of multiple angles. In terms of love, he is unwilling to do anything. The one who took the initiative and might hurt his friends gave in step by step, which actually caused the emotional dilemma of the young trio. If you think about it more deeply, you can say that he copied his brother's handling method with one click. This contradictory and hesitant personality brings a new triangle dilemma to Isaac in the sequel.

Isaac also chose to give in in his relationship.

However, the "imperfections" in the personalities of these characters are precisely the basis for the "Up to the Sky" series to be realistic enough. Struggle and swing are also part of human nature. It shows from one aspect that pilots are also human beings, with their own weaknesses and emotions. Billiards require collisions to score points, and growth also requires collisions. Only by modifying and improving one's own personality can one feed back the work and truly become a responsible and responsible Captain.

It must be mentioned that "Up to the Sky" has witnessed the growth of TVB's most energetic and energetic generation of new actors. They stood on the same starting line 20 years ago and have been in the entertainment industry for many years. The stories they experienced are in a certain situation. To a certain extent, the trajectory is similar to that of the Young Five in flight school. Nowadays, some people are slowly accumulating strength, and they have become TV stars from transparent supporting roles; some have left TVB, or gradually faded out of the entertainment industry; some have participated in "Beyond the Troubles" to challenge stages other than acting; and some have gradually taken up roles in big IPs. ...Looking back, isn't it just another "cultivation system"?

forever fivesome

Ordinary songs for ordinary people

The airport is a container of joy, anger, sorrow, and a place full of stories. Everyone is a passenger on each other's journey, and they are also the protagonists of their own flight in life. In the words of Vincent (played by Ma Dezhong), "There are joys and sorrows here, gatherings and separations, those who are destined to grow old together, and those who are not destined to pass by. When you are in authority, there are many things that you cannot see clearly. , as long as you step aside and be a bystander and look back, you will realize that there are many things that are beyond your control."

Eason Chan's song "Times Are Like a Canticle" also sang: "The weather is not as expected, but we have to go, we have to fly, and we can't wait for you to say goodbye, no matter if there is a chance or not." Maybe one day, our life will be full enough , The sea is open to all rivers, and it can also face ordinary things calmly, humming the ordinary song of time.

Imperfection is life.