One Take is a Singaporean web video series produced by Not Safe for TV. It follows James (Salif Hardie) and Claire (Tan Hui Er), two Singaporean youths with wildly divergent paths. James must contend with his own family problems, while worrying that he’s started a family of his own. Even though Claire has gotten a scholarship to study overseas, her decisions clash with her family’s expectations.
Every episode shows 5 minutes of their lives in different years, from 2009 to 2019. All episodes are available on their Instagram
profile. Episode 1 starts here.
This show provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Samuel. He is heard banging on the doors of James’ and Jasmine’s rooms, shouting at them. James claims that Samuel abused Jasmine to the extent that “she flinches everytime someone touches her”, and “can’t breathe” when she sees people getting angry.
- Adorably Precocious Child: Jonathan still waves to James as his mother brings him away, despite the bad blood between the two adults.
- Alcoholic Parent: Samuel was one. James immediately calls him out for it during his job interview.
- Apathetic Clerk: James tries to ask one for help in the music store, before meeting Claire again.
- Armor-Piercing Question:
James: I thought we agreed...
Alicia: On?
Alicia: On?
- Backhanded Apology: Alicia gives one to James, placing James in the wrong for being uncontactable when she needed him.
- Bait-and-Switch: New viewers would think the monologue starting Episode 2 is Jasmine’s thoughts, but it’s actually Alicia’s call to James after she realises she’s pregnant.
- Beat:
- In Episode 4, after Claire’s father finishes shouting, he turns to realise that the entire restaurant has fallen silent.
- James and Samuel meeting each other over the table at a job interview.
- Berserk Button:
- For James, hearing people slander Claire based on her scandal.
- Also for James, Samuel.
- Camera Perspective Switch: Midway through Episode 4, the camera subtly moves from third person (looking at Claire) to first person (from Claire’s point of view).
- Call-Back: In Episode 5, Claire points out the MP3 player that she’d lent to James in Episode 1.
- Calling the Old Man Out: James delivers a verbal beatdown along this line to Samuel.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Jasmine lights a stick after being chased out of the house in Episode 2. James takes a drag from it too.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Claire releases one when she realises her nude photos were leaked.
- Contrived Coincidence: James just happens to miss Jonathan – Alicia’s son with him – running behind him in the music shop.
- Dirty Old Man: The two students in the music store use the Hokkien/Teochew word – chee ko pek – to rationalise why Mr Randy would hire Claire.
- Domestic Abuse: Jasmine and James were previously abused by their father, Samuel. These effects spill over to the next series.
- Dramatic Irony: Kate and Ahamad discuss the pitfalls of child rearing, completely unaware that Alicia is also pregnant.
- Dysfunctional Family: James, Jasmine and Samuel.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: Averted. James wears the Guards formation patch on his Army uniform, but nothing else is made of it.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo: Alicia refers to James as Jonathan’s uncle while talking to her son. However, averted by the last episode when James calls himself “daddy” while talking to Jonathan.
- Forgiveness: James seems like he wants to forgive Samuel: referring him to another company, asking about his own condition. But it’s hard.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: James’ laptop wallpaper is Jonathan.
- Gentle Touch vs. Firm Hand: When confronted with Claire’s nudes being on the Berkelee website, her father tries to solve the problem and comfort her, while her mother starts to scold Claire for her perceived foolishness.
- Get Out!: James, to Samuel.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Alicia reveals that after Episode 3, she couldn’t go through with the decision to abort her baby.
- Good Parents: Samuel claims to be one, highlighting his efforts to keep James and Jasmine in school.
- Happily Married: Implied of Kate and Ahamad, which strengthens them as foils to Alicia.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: Alicia reveals that she gave up her chance of going to university so she could take care of her son Jonathan.
- Insistent Terminology: Samuel insists that he was an alcoholic, and is no longer one now.
- Internal Reveal: It takes Kate and Ahamad the whole taxi ride to pick up the hint that Alicia is pregnant.
- It's Not Porn, It's Art: Claire visits an art gallery with this theme, and with her nudes in it.
- "Jump Off a Bridge" Rebuttal: Claire’s mother asks her this word by word about her boyfriend Bryce, substituting “bridge” for “cliff”.
- Little "No": James says this straight to his father’s face once he sees him at a job interview.
- A Mistake Is Born: Jasmine claims to be this. Samuel's words, and his concern for her, prove otherwise.
- My Beloved Smother: Downplayed. Claire’s mother is more reprimanding of her daughter but this is justified by the situation Claire is in.
- My God, What Have I Done?: James’ face visibly says this once Alicia tells him she gave up on university to raise Jonathan.
- My Greatest Second Chance:
- Discussed by Samuel. He believes in them. James… doesn’t give him one directly.
- Claire has received one from her parents, as she is going overseas to study again, promising them “no distractions”.
- "Not So Different" Remark: The male student in the music store tries to invoke this to James, saying that many people have seen Claire’s nudes. It doesn’t go well.
- Nuclear Family: Claire’s family stands in contrast to Jasmine and James’ Missing Mom.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten:
- Two random students bring up Claire’s nudes scandal in the music store, and judge her solely based on that.
- Claire herself discusses this trope with her friend in the art gallery.
- James has this mindset towards Samuel's parental abuse of him and Jasmine. Initially.
- One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: This happened between Alicia and James.
- Panicky Expectant Father:
- James technically is one, though he has no access to Alicia or his child.
- Ahamad discusses this trope but mentions that it goes away after birth.
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Playing Against Type: Gurmit Singh, best known for his comedic work on shows like Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, is now playing The Alcoholic Abusive Parent and his episode is full of drama. - Playing Catch with the Old Man: Jonathan does this with James, but he doesn’t know that James is his father. Too bad James’ relationship with Alicia doesn’t allow for this to continue much.
- Questionable Consent: Alicia is very drunk in the first episode. She gets pregnant that night.
- The Reveal: Over a phone call, James reveals that he eventually hired Samuel, who is covering for him in his absence.
- Single Parents Are Undesirable: Averted, Alicia is engaged even while raising a five-year-old child alone.
- Sleep Deprivation: Samuel mentions going through this to work long hours and support the family.
- Slut-Shaming: Claire is on the receiving end of this in her music store.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: The upbeat Pokemon theme song (specifically the lyrics “I know it’s my destiny”) play as Claire’s dire predicament is discussed.
- Speak in Unison: “I mean… I’ve done this before anyway.” Said by James and Claire, though not to each other.
- Split-Screen Phone Call: James and Claire are shown side-by-side on a split screen in the final episode, making a phone call. It’s as if they are talking to each other… but they’re not.
- Strawman U: Averted. Claire is admitted to “Berklee”, but the “radical-left political flavoring” listed on the trope page isn’t discussed.
- Sympathetic P.O.V.: Samuel’s monologue during his job interview.
- Teen Pregnancy: Alicia.
- The Oner: This show’s filming style.
- Wild Teen Party: Episode 1 begins in one, but it's more subdued than most examples.
