Psi Eye
| Psi Eye | |
|---|---|
 Ceit Bhoid as Claire Douglas in a promotional still | |
| Genre | |
| Starring |
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| Composer(s) | Toshiko Akiyoshi |
| Country of origin | Gylias |
| Original language(s) |
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| No. of episodes | 60 |
| Production company(s) | |
| Release | |
| Original network | GTV1 |
| Original release | 1 April 2013 – 5 April 2019 |
Psi Eye (often abbreviated "Ψ 👁" in titles) is a Gylian television series which aired on GTV1 in 2013–2019. Produced by Dreamwave Productions, it is a detective fiction series depicting the adventures of Claire and Frank Douglas, a married couple who work as private investigators in the Free Territories during the Liberation War.
Part of Dreamwave's "Psylias universe", Psi Eye became one of Gylias' most successful television shows, and was also a hit in international syndication, albeit shown at later hours due to its explicit content. A licensed video game based on the series was released in 2016.
Plot
The story revolves around Claire and Frank Douglas, an itinerant married couple who travel the Free Territories working as detectives and doing other odd jobs during the Liberation War. Frank possesses psychic powers, which he is learning to control. Due to this, the couple frequently investigate psychic incidents, or aid the home front.
The mystery plots often take a backseat to the comedy of manners aspect created by Claire and Frank's witty banter and the realistic depiction of life in the Free Territories. One of the series' running gags is Claire and Frank's prized Alfa Romeo 8C, now a heavily modified, battered, and discoloured roadster which they use to travel, forcing them to drive slowly and spend much time seeking out gasoline.
Characters
- Claire Douglas
- Played by: Ceit Bhoid
- Claire is a detective and the central character. She has a sharp sense of observation and an intuitive understanding of social psychology, an expertise vital to the success of their work.
- She is proud of her Schottian origin, and invariably speaks foreign languages with a thick Schottian accent. She has a vivacious personality and irrepressible optimism, traits that serve as her shield against the ongoing war. She has a strong sense of justice: willing to indulge in the black market to treat herself occasionally, but despising those who exploit and take advantage of others for personal enrichment during wartime.
- Claire and Frank married young, and possess a strong relationship with a healthy sex life. Claire is in charge in the marriage, making the major decisions and taking the lead in dealing with others, an arrangement that suits the more bashful Frank. Claire frequently expresses the desire that once the war is over, they will join the "leisure class", and lead a comfortable life without needing to work.
- Frank Douglas
- Played by: Lynei Setin
- Frank is a detective and Claire's husband. He has psychic powers, which he is learning to control and hopes to use for the benefit of society and the war effort.
- He is of Gylic origin, and took his wife's surname upon marriage. He has an easygoing but somewhat timid personality, lacking his wife's charisma and social expertise. He frequently jokes that his psychic powers keep him on an equal footing within the marriage.
- Frank and Claire married young, and possess a strong relationship with a healthy sex life. Frank is devoted to Claire and happy to defer to his strong-willed wife regarding major decisions. He finds her vision of themselves in the "leisure class" appealing, but is unsure how this would be achieved.
Several episodes feature cameo appearances from notable Free Territories figures, such as Reda Kazan, Ellen Powell, Jane Ace, Edda Grolli, Alisa Marková, Maija Džeriņa, and even former Delkoran Chancellor Sofia Westergaard.
Production
Conception
The initial impetus for the project was Saira Telyn's desire to turn Ceit Bhoid into a star, a task she approached as meticulously as preparing Louise Bourgoin for her breakthrough role in Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec. Ceit took several minor parts in Dreamwave series, including a voice role in Monster Squad, as Saira and Anise Lyð searched for the ideal role to catapult Ceit to stardom.
Initially, Saira and Anise hadn't considered a new entry in the "Psylias" universe, and had wanted a solo showcase for Ceit. They landed on the idea of Ceit as a psychic investigator, but chose to set it in the past to distinguish it from Le recueil des faits improbables de Ryōko Yakushiji. Once the Free Territories setting was chosen, they quickly decided on Nick and Nora Charles as a model.
The series subsequently spent a year in pre-production, as Ceit worked closely with Saira and Anise to refine her character and tried various co-stars before Lynei Setin was cast as her husband. Lynei was chosen due to his strong chemistry with Ceit, and his understanding that while the duo were central, Ceit was supposed to be the star of the show.
The title Psi Eye was chosen as a pun on P.I., while the symbol abbreviation "Ψ 👁" also nodded to "private eye".
Writing
The production team defined the series' tone as "cozy mystery happening during the Liberation War". Early on, they made the decision to avoid on-screen violence, instead using the setting and background details to hint at the ongoing war. The explicit, extensive, and celebratory portrayal of Claire and Frank's sexuality served as a counterpart to the wartime setting, and amused both the producers and actors, who created a self-imposed challenge to work at least one sex scene into each episode.
Extensive research was undertaken to ensure accuracy of period details. While the mundane aspects of the home front were kept realistic, the producers manipulated or exaggerated certain details for humorous effect, resulting in a portrayal closer to the stereotypical "chaotic territories populated by androgynous women getting by on pluck and wits" that Sofia Westergaard was amused to see sprout from her accounts of the Free Territories.
Since the series was built around her, Ceit was closely involved in the writing process, and was given the intellectual rights to her character Claire Douglas as a result. She personally picked her character's wardrobe, in particular her signature blue coat, beret, and scarf.
Soundtrack
Toshiko Akiyoshi was hired to score the series, a choice that enhanced its prestige as she was one of the few surviving musicians whose career had started in the Free Territories, and was equally famed for her work on Kleptechne.
The soundtrack was written in a jazz style. The producers requested a simple trio format — piano, bass, and drums — similar to her early albums, which she obliged. Large parts of the soundtrack were performed by Toshiko unaccompanied.
To compose the score, Toshiko would play a finished episode while sat at her piano with a portable recorder, and improvise while watching the episode. She would then note down what to develop and what to record with her trio. Some parts of her soundtrack were taken directly from her improvisations.
Filming
In a further homage to their inspiration, the production crew read about how The Thin Man was filmed and proceeded similarly, with an abundance of first takes and improvisation. Much of Claire and Frank's characterisation was fleshed out through improvisation between Ceit and Lynei. Ceit enjoyed the fast-paced production, telling Gylias Review that "it forces you to think on your feet, which is exactly the quality you want in a detective."
Most outdoor scenes were shot on location in various Gylian national parks and reserves. Indoor and street scenes were shot in various studios and sound stages.
The producers plotted the characters' itinerary using a map of the Free Territories, taking into account the years in which the action took place. Upon seeing the map, Ceit quipped, "Wow, it's the Magical Mystery Tour!", and the nickname stuck.
For filming, the crew consulted maps and photos to accurately reproduce period locations, and cast actors who were from the respective areas to ensure proper accents were used.
Reception
Psi Eye was a significant critical and commercial success upon airing. It was acclaimed for its strong central relationship between Claire and Frank, densely-packed repartee, subtle juxtaposition of the ravages of war with the adventure comedy at its core, and wholesome sex scenes.
As Saira had hoped, the series turned Ceit overnight into one of Gylias' most popular actresses. The majority of reviews highlighted her portrayal of Claire. Silhouette praised her "droll and infectiously engaging" turn as Claire, while Surface wrote that she "makes Claire a spirited, principled, heroic protagonist".
Psi Eye began to be uploaded to Proton TV during its run, and was released on DVD shortly after it finished airing. It was a ratings success, attracting as many as 15 million viewers. It was also successful in international syndication, although foreign broadcasters had to show it after the watershed due to the sexually explicit content.
Ceit was particularly eager to capitalise on its popularity, using her intellectual rights to produce licensed merchandise of Claire Douglas. A video game based on the series, an adventure game with RPG elements, was released in 2016.
After the first series of Psi Eye was a success, Ceit told Saira she wanted to "wring out every last drop of quality from Claire Douglas and then have her and Frank drive into the sunset victorious". This was exactly what happened: the show ultimately reached 60 episodes, making it one of Gylias' lengthiest fiction series. The final episode, broadcast on 5 April 2019, wrapped up all the show's storylines and had a happy ending, with Claire and Frank driving away towards new adventures. Ceit joked in an interview:
"This was my overnight success, the role that'll be my epitaph. I decided to be a glutton with it — to gorge on all the good stuff so no one else could. I was very amused by this image of fanfic writers hitting the table in frustration and complaining that I've used all the good bits and there's nothing left!"
Ceit has emphasised after the end of Psi Eye that she has permanently concluded Claire Douglas' story, and will never reprise the character in another production.