ALL THAT IS BITTER IS SWEET / 大藥坊 [TVB][2014][R] Funn Lim

Written by Funn Lim

The shorter version is she never seem comfortable in this role.

SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Chinese title
大藥坊

This is
formerly known as Big Apothecary! Better change the name, since most can't pronounce the name anyway. Apo what? Apo then carry what?

Year released
2014

First Date of 1st broadcast
08.09.2014

End Date of 1st broadcast
17.10.2014

No. of Episode
30

Cast & Character
All names in Mandarin. I will change them to Cantonese as I go along.

Du Yan Ge as Du Shen / Dou Sam
Linda Chung as Du Jia Qi/Dou Kai Kei
Pierre Ngo as Du Rong/Dou Yung
Shirley Yeung as Feng Yu Qin/Yuk Kam
Raymond Wong as Zhuang Ji Zu (Chong Kai Cho) and Zhuang Ji Zong (Chong Kai Chung)
Natalie Tong as Xu Jun Yue/Hui Kwan Yuek
Pat Poon as Zhuang Dun Ru/Chong Duen Yu
Susan Tse as Wei Qiu Qing
Ruco Chan as Ding Yi Yuan/Ting Yat Yuen
Sammy Sum as Wei Jun/Wai Chun
Samantha Ko as Pian Pian
Elliot Yue as The General Hui Shung Ming
Alex/Jazz Lam
Ching Hor Wai
Choi Kwok Hing
Bak Yan
Choi Kwok Hing as Dr Sheung

Synopsis and Episodic Thoughts

I wrote detailed episodic thoughts until episode 11. Then I switch to opinion and summaries in my blog until the last episode.

NOTICE
At the time of writing this review I was pretty sure who is Kai Cho and who is Kai Chung. Now that my memory fades a little, I am not so sure so any mistake, I! AM! SORRY!!!! in my Linda Chung voice.

COMMENTS

I am gonna talk about this series on the 3 aspects;

1. Story and Characters

2. The stuff I absolutely hated

3. The stuff I absolutely liked

4. The performances

And I am gonna talk about this series from the perspective of a fan of Ruco Chan and Linda Chung.

If you are ready to take out that champagne for Linda because I am not ashamed to admit I am a Linda Chung fan and seen a lot of her series, do keep that champagne in the fridge. You should bring out the plates you do not ever want to see anymore, a nice cosy corner with a broom ready because if it was me, I would be throwing those plates on the floor screaming "Why? WHYYYYYYYYYYYY? LINDA! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?!?" in that "Linda Chung's Dramatically Betrayed By A Person You Trust And Feeling So Hurt That The World And All Worlds In All Dimensions Simultaneously Come Crashing Down And You Don't Have Your Helmet On Voice" which should have its own entry in the dictionary as a verb; like I just gave that traitor a piece of my mind with my Linda Chung Voice.

STORY AND CHARACTERS

This title is so aptly named in English if you look at the title the opposite. All that is bitter is sweet will eventually become bitter. That's how I feel with the ending. It is not the stupidest ending, that belonged exclusively to Bottled Passion. I mean in recent memory there are a lot of stupid endings so frankly ATIBIS is not THE worst. But it is one of the worst. It is not a genuinely happy ending unless you just want a happy ending for the sake of a happy ending. It continues the run where TVB simply refuses to invest in a good wedding scene which actually completes and ends with a happy couple. But then when I first watched this series, I could have guessed it isn't all rosy and in some ways I got some things right but in many ways, this series really defied my expectations.

The story is cut into 3 segments.

1. Kai Kei and her struggles. This is where the main story is.

2. Kwan Yeuk and her struggles. 

3. Pin Pin and her struggles.

The men are complimentary to these 3 segments. Yat Yuen for Kai Kei and Pin Pin, Kai Cho for Kwan Yeuk and Kai Kei, 2nd Uncle and frankly can't remember who and Ngai Chun for first 3 but it all leads back to these 4 eventually.

Of all the male characters, Ngai Chun had the most to do. Yat Yuen at the end of the day is quite simply the hero and nothing more. Kai Chung is the short tempered rebel with a heart and nothing more. Ngai Chun is the villain, the antagonist to all characters, the go-to evil guy. In fact if there is any compliment to be given for this series, the deaths are very dramatic and probably the highlights of this series. I am sure many of you will clap happily when Ngai Chun died and I was happy for the way he died. 

Before I venture further, I just wanna ask, why the name Kai Kei when everyone struggles to pronounce it? Most sounded like Ka Kei!

Ok, continue.

The story is standard stuff, even if it is supposedly about a strong female character against insurmountable challenges in life to become a success. Ahhh you must have noticed even my short description is inaccurate, that is because this series became different somewhere at the beginning of the series. The trailers, everything misled me to think this is a story about poor little rich Mary Sue who had to learn the hard knocks in life and lead her family to glory again whilst falling for our dashing hero who is dying of a heart disease who she will in the end save. For a series supposedly about the main girl that is To Kai Kei, you know something is gonna go wrong when even the cast sometimes got her name wrong; it is often sort of Ka Kei instead of Kai Kei. For such a series to work, it must wholly be on the main girl and she must be thrown into such situations that we either like her and cheer for her or like her but wonder maybe someone else can do better than her. Problem is I never liked Kai Kei because she was never proactive. She was always the damsel in distress. At the beginning she can't even speak in a timely manner and in the end she can't even count properly. All I can remember of the last scene she saw Yat Yuen and he told her to close her eyes to count to 3, by the time she actually started counting after breathing deep and hard, I have counted to 20. Let's just say Kai Kei redefines ladylike in the annoying slow mo way. Slow mo doesn't mean ladylike by the way. The main problem is that the story is so familiar. Someone did it first and did it better, like Jewell In The Palace which centres on the female lead. In ATISBIS, you get the idea Kai Kei is more of an observer rather than in the centre of it all. It also doesn't work as well because she is not a very interesting heroine. Her situation is dire and interesting but how she goes about it is not. She doesn't have one exceptional moment and towards the end when this series is so saturated with so many characters, our Kai Kei sort of got pushed into the corner and forgotten. There are other more memorable characters in this series and that is why Kai Kei never really fit in. The story does try to show her uniting her family, saving her father, saving people, saving our hero, saving everyone but it never really properly show it all. The limelight should be on her and her actions but the story was too busy with everyone else that there isn't enough focus on her. And I never liked her at all. She seems so weak, so whiny, too gentle and always the cause of everyone's problem that I didn't feel for her at all. And when Kwan Yeuk appears I feel less. When Pin Pin appeared, all my sympathies go to Pin Pin. Like what I wrote in my blog post, like every woman in this series, I detest Kai Kei because she is a non entity in a world where she is supposed to be the supreme entity. 

The story is not standard stuff when it is about Kwan Yeuk. Half the time I was wondering is she nice or is she a bitch in sheep clothing. Well, she is an elegant, educated, practical woman who sees things as they are and a problem solver. She is not Kai Kei, she is who Kai Kei should be. I like Kwan Yeuk even if she was always miserable. Twice falling in love with 2 men who are brothers who both love the same woman. In the end I was never convinced Kai Chung loved Kwan Yeuk but anyway, she got her happy ending and that's pretty awesome. I like how she ended Ngai Chun's life. 

Talking about strong women, Pin Pin is one tough cookie. Her background is not as innocent and protected as Kai Kei or as rich and educated as Kwan Yeuk but she is one street smart girl. Her only flaw is she fell for a guy who refuses to commit but at least in her own tragic way, she got her happy ending. After such cold deaths in Line Walker which I felt nothing, when Pin Pin died and it was a long death scene, it brought tears to my eyes. Could such a giving person ever exist? Someone who so understand how to love and is so unselfish in the sense seeing her death for the man she loved is worth more than living for nothing? She is to me a perfect character or near perfect. Kwan Yeuk had long bouts of jealousy and insane expectations for Kai Chung who never really promised her anything. Kai Kei's head is forever in the clouds that she is so unbelievable as a person. Pin Pin had her faults too but once she think things through, she would gather her wits, come to a correct conclusion and do the right thing, even if it meant her life. For that I like Pin Pin the most even if her character appeared late into the series and died so soon.

Shirley Yeung's character is not worth to talk about much except she is naive. Not naive smart like Kai Kei but so seriously naive you will wonder how she can survive all these years. I never got the impression she ever loved the 2nd Uncle but her ending is good. She smartened up after a lifetime of stupidity.

Let's talk about the men who are complimentary to the women.

We have Kai Cho, the calm beloved first born of Chong family and the lookalike (not twin) Kai Chung, the rebel of the family. Kai Cho is quite a charmer. His death scene which was the 1st major death scene was horrific and major and very upsetting because he is such a nice guy. Everyone likes him and he is Kwan Yeuk's adonis as much as Kai Kei is his goddess. However he appeared briefly and died and then came same actor, different character, Kai Chung who is the annoying righteous guy who is the Incredible Hulk of this series; he is perpetually angry. When he is not perpetually angry, he is suddenly as meek as a mouse, especially when it comes to women. He is the rebel but with a conscience and a heart. But I never really liked him much and sometimes he disappears from the series and from Kai Kei's life. 

Then there's Ting Yat Yuen, the hero of our series, literally. He saves lives, he is a nice guy, he trades with a conscience and a heart. He believes he will die before he is 35 and so he lives as he says;

"..I live my life calculating the risks because I will soon die when I reach 35 and I don't want to waste my time and risk whatever time I have"

Interesting. Usually when people know they're dying, the story is almost always how they live life without calculating the risk and to the fullest since calculating time and risks would be too much of wasting whatever precious time he has. Anyway that is why he doesn't want to commit because he can drop dead anytime soon. At the very start I know he won't die because that will be contrary to the purpose of Kai Kei. I was right except Kai Kei did not save him. I suppose he had time to spare after the age of 35 by the fact that perhaps the disease skip a generation perhaps? I do not know. I consider this a plothole.

This is one character that is as helpful as he is noble. He is a bit like Kai Chung except with a cooler head. He is more like Kai Cho minus the wealth and education but he isn't stupid. He is a very appealing character, probably will be popular with viewers, except his only problem is he has no purpose. The fact that he will die when he is 35 is just a motivator. His entire singular purpose in this series is to help and assist Kai Kei. There is no Yat Yuen without Kai Kei. When Pin Pin appears, at least there is some individuality for Yat Yuen but again he is there to save and help Pin Pin. There isn't much dilemma when there should be since he chose Kai Kei over Pin Pin, even if he never really did promise Pin Pin anything. So Pin Pin had no just cause to be butthurt by Yat Yuen's refusal. I just feel at times Yat Yuen is the overhelpful pedesterian who has no legitimate story in this series. Quite a waste of a good character.

Then there's Ngai Chun, who is rather intriguing. The villains are rather intriguing. What is intriguing is he is a competent police but dirty corrupted and sadistic. But he is also defined by his worshipping of Kwan Yeuk as his goddess and admirably so. He is gentle, caring, attentive and sort of speak the truth when he is with her. He never really take advantage of her, never tried to kiss her, the only intimate thing he did was to gently wipe the tears from her face. And I so want to like him, and I do and of course that is wrong because he is supposed to be the villain and so he has to do villain stuff. He is always that sort of guy who has a sadistic cruel streak but I thought maybe Pin Pin is there for a reason. Well, not quite. Maybe Kwan Yeuk will change him but not quite. Since Kwan Yeuk is deadset on Kai Chung who has no other woman for him, Ngai Chun will be the "sacrificial lamb". Oh towards the end he is was evil and his ending justified. But I just wished why can't black isn't always black, white isn't always white? I find him more character than that annoying Kai Chung!

There's To Yung, the 2nd uncle. I thought maybe he has hope to be a better person, like how it was in Safe Guards but nope, in the end still rotten to the core. You can't say he is evil but he is definitely a selfish bad man who prioritises his own interest over another. Whatever he does, his first question is "What do I gain from this?". His ending is proper although he disappeared from the screen many times.

And finally the old ones. Plenty of old people in here with many scenes that overshadow the younger cast and obviously Kai Kei. They're the fathers and mothers.

There's General Hui Shung Ming who is quite a revelation. Like Ngai Chun (before his downfall at the end) he is intriguing. I so want to hate him but I end up emphatising with him. There is no doubt General Hui is a harsh cruel man who is as arrogant as he is brash. But he also loves his daughter very very much. Even his daughter is exasperated by his constant meddling in her love life but in the end it was all for good intentions. Any father who thinks the world of his daughter will do the same thing he did, minus the whole gun pointed to the head thing. He is also working in a highly pressurised work. But I can't understand if he is so rich, why not just cut the bs and just retire? Because he loves power too much? But he loves his daughter more! In the end he is ready to confess his sin and frankly he died a decent man at the hands of the dastardly Ngai Chun. A good ending in my opinion.

There's To Sum, Kai Kei's dad. For me To Sum is on the same page with General Hui, both as arrogant, as self centred, as self assured, as perfectionist. The only difference is To Sum has tact whilst General Hui lives in a world wen he doesn't need to be tactful. Both are good fathers, raising decent daughters. Both love their daughters very very much and think the world of them. However To Sum has the disadvantage if thinking his medical knowledge was complete, and nothing can harm him. In the end he was absolved from the death of Kai Cho who he thought he dramatically killed due to medical negligence. He didn't know the lingchi was poisoned by General Hui's biochemical factory. However I still think he was right to be imprisoned. Part of the reason why Kai Cho died was because To Sum was too arrogant to accept there may be flaws with his pills and his diagnosis. In some ways his diagnoses was flawed because he didn't pay enough attention to the symptoms, such as blackened fingernails. He was so confident that he didn't observe the basics of medicine; observe and diagnose. He jumped straight to medicine. He felt he deserved to be jailed which was great but how he accepted that fate was done in a very profunctory nature. I wanted to see how he finally accepted his part of the blame but the process was too short. And he has the shortest greatest dilemma ever; wife pregnant with his brother's son and all solved in the space of 5 minutes. No great dilemma for him. I do like his ending though; simpler clothings, back to being the physician rather than the businessman.

There's the mayor and his wife, who both are more accepting of a girl whose father pulled a gun and tried to kill their youngest son (and not to mention also a possible terrorist and homocidal maniac) rather than a girl whose father negligently killed their beloved older son. The father is meek who is lucky to have married a smarter more capable wife, much like how in the end Kai Chung the not so smart guy marrying Kwan Yeuk who is obviously the smarter one. They are major players in the story and I enjoyed their dilemma and interactions but I never quite warm up to the cowardly mayor and his smart wife who unfairly blamed Kai Kei for every jinx coming their way.

Finally, the supporting of the supporting. If Kai Kei is lead, Yat Yuen is supporting, then whoever next to Yat Yuen is supporting him and frankly I really like the silly tastefully comedic trio whose name I never quite catch. I know the actors, well 2 of them at least but did not catch their characters' names. They were witty and funny without sounding inappropriate. No silly cute music at the worst possible timing. Their comedy is subtle and I find them cute and did their job well in supporting the main cast. I don't feel they're time wasters.

THE STUFF I ABSOLUTELY HATED

Some are performance based, some are writing based.

I absolutely hated the way there is ordinary people slow mo and then there's Kai Kei slow mo. Even in emergencies, she doesn't break away when someone is holding her back. Instead she will stand still and finish whatever line when at the back of your mind you're thinking "Kai Kei, Kai Cho is dying! Hurry for god's sake!". Her interpretation of time is 10 seconds slower than we are and whilst it is not fatal, but 10 seconds is enough for a dying weakened body man to run away from her and into nowhere. And she never stood up to run and find him. Even when our hero is beaten to a pulp, it took her 10 seconds to register any reaction such as like you know, saving him? When she is walking she tends to trip a lot because you know, she is a gentle soul living in the protective coccoon of her father's love that she has never climbed onto planks and into boats without wobbling. She can't even carry anything without wobbling. She can't even fret at a shorter time. Her fretting is 10 seconds. The way she was there to warn anyone of any danger, when she faced some difficulty, she actually walks away when she should be pushing, running, panicking. She is hardly hard pressed for time.  That is what I absolutely hate. The Kai Kei Time Factor. By the time she is done fretting, I could have finished half the pack of popcorns.

I absolutely hated the illogical story abot Kai Kei insisting the herbs in her foreclosed Sheung Chun Toong to remain exactly where they are. In the end it was Yat Yuen who moved them to a secure location which Kai Kei should have thought that in the first place.

I absolutely hated Kwan Yeuk's condition for a while. Was she a vegetable? Was she immobile? Was she crazy? Or was she just too traumatised for anything? Which is which?

I absolutely hated the notion chinese medicine can cure everything with 1 dosage, 1 acupuncture exercise, etc. 

I absolutely hated the ending. So did Yat Yuen die? When he disappeared before her eyes, I thought she was imagining things and I was like "Oh dear, Ruco dying, YET AGAIN". And then I heard he actually DID disappear before her eyes. So the poison nearly killed him, right? Whilst he got rid of the poison his exertion shortened his already short lifespan because he tried to help the jinx called Kai Kei.  So that should mean he should be dying soon. And yet had the energy to disappear, much like how Kobe did to hilarious effect in Line Walker. It was not figuratively; we are talking literally. And in the end Kai Kei climbs a hill in Yunnan and from afar she sees a guy and she smiled widely. Of course that's Yat Yuen although we are not shown Yat Yuen, probably because Ruco wasn't available for filming. It was just a silly end. Eithe he dies (and all pronogsis was telling us the viewers that) or show Kai Kei actually CURING him as promised. Nope. What we got was like perhaps 5 years later, pharmacy reopened, became a success, Kai Kei a successful doctor, likes picking herbs herself and climbs up mountain and sees Yat Yuen. Or maybe she was falling from some cliff and was imagining things and that was her personal heaven where the dead Yat Yuen was waiting for her. I find the latter a better ending than the crap I saw on TV. It does not justify at all that Kai Kei is a great doctor. DaeJanggeum, THIS IS NOT!

The underwater kiss. TVB, there are kisses and there are CPR. Which is which? And it is so funny Kai Kei is saved by the kiss of life and next thing it was Yat Yuen who was sinking to the bottom of the lake and so she had to drag him up for another session of... you guessed it! Kissing.. CPR I mean.

I absolutely hated the inconsistency in the Chong family's hate towards Kai Kei. Sometimes they do, and with such venom that they declare Kai Kei as a jinx (well, me too) and sometimes they don't, and could even emphatise with them. It disrupts the flow of the story for me.

I absolutely hate the following items;

1. Yat Yuen's hat! Get rid of the hat!

2. Kwan Yeuk outer mini top, she is forever in one.

3. Those silly pants of those GROs in Pin Pin's bar. Ugliest pants ever.

4. The short period of time from no remorse to deep remorse by To Sum.

5. But the most important one that I hated the most was Kai Kei's neck scarf, perpetually on her neck save for 3 or 4 occasions. It is like winter is always there, she is perpetually cold. Or maybe she is hiding the stranglings marks of fellow viewers who hated her. I wanted to rip off that scarf from her neck. I wanted to shred it to pieces. I don't get why her costume is so uninspired and worse, is is THAT cold all the time?

Of all my hates, the scarf is my number 1 hate. 

THE STUFF I ABSOLUTELY LOVED

The deaths. Fantastic. 

Kai Cho was poisoned to death, accelerated by negligence by To Sum. His death scene was so sad, so poignant, t sets the tone for the grief to follow. Everything was perfectly set up. 

General Hui was shot point blank on his temple by Ngai Chun. You know Ngai Chun will kill him but how? Using the general's favourite golden gun and without any time to prepare. Blood splurting, perfect set up and perfect execution, pun intended.

To Yung's death was well deserved and was glad he suffered. He was shot in the back by Ngai Chun anyway, so he was probably dying but in his dying moments he punch a hole or something onto the cylinder with the biochem warfare in it and some splurted on his face and it basically acted like acid. Not a good looking death. But I was glad he died.

Ngai Chun's death was as sudden as General Hui, except this time it was Kwan Yeuk who shot him on the temple with her father's golden gun. Great death!

Pin Pin's death was the saddest. Knocked from her bicycle and even slapped by Ngai Chun, she basically succumb to her injuries but she died a very very happy woman.

I absolutely loved Pin Pin for her generosity and Kwan Yeuk for her classiness. These 2 girls defined this series for me.

But I absolutely loved that one scene where Ngai Chun was arrested for act of terrorism so to speak. First he taunted Yat Yuen about Pin Pin's death and so Yat Yuen basically beat the crap out of him. Then he made Kai Chung very angry who ended up punching and beating him. In the space of a few minutes, he taunted the Minister Wong who was always the cool headed one but he got so angry this time he kung fu kicked the table which hit Ngai Chun so hard he flew back. Oh what a satisfying scene!!

THE PERFORMANCES

The Good

Ruco Chan is good in a role that is like sleepwalking for him because he has done the cheeky nice fella so many many many times. Whilst his role is not well defined, his performance is good enough for me. Won't win him the TV King but sure to garner a few female fans and will please many hard core Ruco fans who love his brand of acting where his eyes speak volume. He does make a convincing sick dying man. Since when he was filming this series he was reportedly sick, I guess it wasn't much of a method acting for him. I just feel that since I have seen this performance before, I wasn't thrilled by it as much as I should be.

Pierre Ngo is in the obligatory jerk role and frankly, seen him in such roles before except this time his To Yung doesn't repent. I like his performance and he was effective even if pointless in the grander scheme of things.

Raymond Wong successfully pulls off 2 characters with distinct personality but seperated by just 1 eyeglass. I know which is Kai Cho and which is Kai Chung. I liked him more as Kai Cho. As Kai Chung, you have seen that performance elsewhere, where he is mostly very expressive with his eyes.

Samantha Ko has improved a lot in her acting. She is convincing as the unselfish giving Pin Pin and her death scene is as epic as it is sad.

Poon Chi Man is someone I haven't seen for a long time. He was good as the pressured cowardly mayor who we know is a decent man but isn't always standing to what's right.

Du Yange is not that believable as the much feared To Sum but at the end when he is humbled, I think that's where he is at his best.

Susan Tse was sublime as the intelligent Mrs Chong.

The Great

Jazz Lam is the perfect sidekick in a role only he can give justice to.

Wai Ka Hung is the perfect sidekick in a role he perfectly blends between witty lines, serious moments and sad times.

Bak Yan was amazing as the vile small minded grandma who became a better person in the end.

Elliot Ngok was wonderful as General Hui. I couldn't get his performance at first but as the series got on, I began to appreciate his interpretation of the scary brash General Hui. Love his chemistry with Natalie.

The Bearable

Shirley Yeung is not the best actress but surprisingly she is watchable in here as the naive simplistic "brain not all there" Mrs To. Stil can't stand the way she talks.

The Best

Natalie Tong has my vote as the best female performance in this series. Whilst I may dislike her clothing or her helmet hair, or the fact that she hardly smiles at all, I find her less dramatic than she was sayyyyy in A Fistful Of Stances. She was graceful, elegant, sophisticated, intelligent, not that nice but isn't a bad person and she is absolutely believeable as Kwan Yeuk. I love her earlier scenes where she was pining for Kai Cho, later on I love her tender moments with General Hui. She shares great chemistry with Elliot Ngok and balances well with his brashness and her gracefulness. Natalie has finally come of age as an actress. 

Sammy Shum has my vote as the best male performance in this series, and it is of no disrespect to Ruco. Ruco was wonderful but the character was hardly a stretch for him. Sammy is in a role that I have never seen him in before. He has big expressive eyes and he used it to great effect in her. He was whiny and clingy and overall inadequate acting in Line Walker which will win him TVB's Most Improved but frankly if he does win for Line Walker, I will interprete it to include his fine performance in this series. His Ngai Chun is a complex character and he carried the role and around veterans with panache, gung ho and a certain sense of style. As handsome he is to look at, his character was ugly to behold and yet infused with the right amount of romanticism when he is with his goddess and sadism when he is cruel and in the end manic insanity that had almost every male character punching him. He was a revelation and even if he looked young to be the corrupt chief of police, his success was he was believable. Line Walker may gain him his legions of fans but it is in this series where his growth of an actor is reaching a point where I can say, he is almost there as the lead actor kind. I have always said he is one actor where he has the charisma and the looks and the ability to mold his face to any role but the talent is catching up, slowly. Now, it is catching up much faster. He still needs some more "baking" time in the oven called the actor rite of passage but I do believe we are seeing a potentially good actor with star quality in the making. If he has Vincent Wong's acting abilities with Vincent's body and his own looks, that would be deadly and the metamorphosis complete. Right now, not quite yet but on the correct trajectory.

The Worst

Linda Chung. She is by no means a bad actress. She is often better at roles that are opposite of her public image. This role however is sorta like her public image; nice sweet helpful girl. The problem is as highlighted above. The shorter version is she never seem comfortable in this role. The way she delivered her lines is too fact, like she is hurrying to finish the lines so she doesn't need to speak those lines, like she is afraid of them. She is a naturally gentle feminine girl (however much she may like to stress she is a tomboy, etc, don't be fooled) and she didn't need to put on those gentle movements but here it felt timed, calculated and nothing natural. She speaks with a naturaly higher pitch tone, almost lazy and very feminine girl voice but her, she somehow ramped up the girlish tone and coupled with deliberate heavy sighs,it felt like she is always burdened with something. It doesn't help that her character doesn't change much, not in personality, not in clothes. Linda herself did nothing to show that aspect of change. For someone who is well liked in the industry, I somehow hated her Kai Kei. I just felt something is way off with her performance and in the end my conclusion is she is having a bad day in the office. She never felt comfortable in this role; she looked like she'd rather be elsewhere. Not even her favourite costar Ruco can make her feel otherwise. Of course this is just my personal opinion but I thought her best costar was always Steven Ma who is every girl's best costar these days! I lament the fact that Linda is now becoming Myolie; everything she does is poison. Myolie never got out of that, and that is because somehow I feel she lost her enthusiasm for acting. For Linda, maybe it is nerves but she has been in more difficult roles in the past. So maybe Linda has lost her temporary touch. The writing isn't top notch either so that contributes to her failure in this role but at the end of the day, I just feel Linda was the main reason.

VERDICT

Good for an afternoon watch if you have no great expectations. You will be surprised how much you will like the supporting cast and some aspects of this character. Watch it for Ruco but seriously, watch it for Sammy Shum and Natalie Tong who are the stars in this series. I won't say this is a must watch but to those who enjoys such genre, this is a good choice but just don't expect great stuff.

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STORM IN A COCOON / 守業者[TVB][2014][R] Funn Lim

Written by Funn Lim

I can't say to ignore the last 2 episodes and how bad the editing was and how rushed it was as well but the last 2 episodes should not be used to deny the greatness of this series. 

SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

NOTE
This review is a companion piece to the episodic commentary which you can read here.

RELEASED IN
2014

NO. OF EPISODES
32

CAST-CHARACTERS & SYNOPSIS
Please refer to Wikipedia

COMMENTS

I realise the Poon family is very very very forgiving.

Family forgives Ka Sing for killing Hau Yee and everyone is agreeable that Hau Yee would have forgiven him too. And Ka Sing spends the rest of his life helping others in repayment of this "debt".

Family forgives Ka Hin for sorta killing the father. He didn't actually do the actual killing but he did scold and threaten and do all sorts of act short of plunging the knife into the old man's heart and the father had a stroke and became incapacitated. The actual killing is by Cheung Chi Yan but it is fair to say Ka Hin put his already frail father into a very delicate situation. And the entire family forgives Ka Hin. Also he did kick his mother out, chased the workers away and they all forgave him. Chor Gau's death was not his fault and poor Chor Gau was very nice to stress that TWICE before dying. I suppose everybody knew he was used by the dastardly Cheung Chi Yan.

No one questions exactly what did Poon Weng Nin did to Ka Hin's mom. We know he had a wife whom he loved very much, he needed a son to secure his position and so he made his maid pregnant and gave birth to Ka Hin, knowing that the maid was in love and involved with Cheung Chi Yan. And he chased Cheung Chi Yan away. What is not said is he raped the maid. But the maid could have volunteered, because frankly series never mentioned what exactly did he do which resulted in Ka Hin. I mean they had sex, but was it voluntary? Did the wife tell the maid to do it? The fact that she felt so much injustice suggests to me that it was involuntary and perhaps the wife had something to do with it. Poon Weng Nin was quite a bastard and yet no on questioned that. In fact for Ka Yeung those were the older generations' problems, should not be exacted its revenge on the younger generation.

Bing Bing forgave Ka Yeung for using her to get to Cheung Chi Yan. Frankly I don't think she cares for her father one bit, and rightly so even if frankly Cheung Chi Yang could have been a good guy driven mad by his love for his wife (Bing Bing's mom) and his thirst for revenge for the man who took away his wife's purity and mobility. But then Ka Yeung was so loving to Bing Bing that he took all the guilt and left none for her. How can Bing Bing ever hate him for more than 1 episode?

Lai Kuen suddenly forgave Bing Bing and Ka Yeung. Frankly she had nothing to forgive them for since her brother was the one at fault and her mother as chinese said "grew a horn on her forehead" so to speak. But the sudden forgiveness is jarring and inconsistent with how much hate spew from her mouth and very very monotone delivery of lines which is pretty scary. Editing problem. I am sure in the middle there was a story leading to that forgiveness.

AND ALL THESE happened within 9 months of Yin Foon's pregnancy and subsequent birth. So many things happened on 9 months! I bet it was no more than a year from Hau Yee's death to Yin Foon giving birth. The timeline is a bit too fast. And if there is a sequel, WWII will probably drive the Poons to HK.

You know how much I love Steven-Tavia combination and I love their love story too except for Bing Bing leaving Steven for 1 episode. I detested Matt Yeung in Outbound Love who was busy reciting his line without any emotion but in here, his death scene was heartbreaking. Maybe because he has better chemistry with Natalie Tong. His death served a purpose; drama, grief and to show Ka Hin is not a complete monster yet. He did try to save Chor Gau.

But I don't get Natalie Tong's character. I remember in the beginning she was cheating money and then held many gold bracelets or something like that and suddenly the story shifted and giving her a more humane story. I believe somewhere in the middle something was changed. Whatever the change may be, her story is unnecessary and I find her love for Chor Gau unconvincing mainly due to lack of development.

Of all the characters in this series, I really like Poon Weng Cheung and his wife's story. They were the supposed villains but in the end redeemed themselves or as Ka Yeung said of his uncle that he actually had  a backbone when the uncle refused to compromise his integrity and his wife actually was quite accurate in all the things she said to Ka Hin before she left. In fact this couple knew more than everybody else except Cheung got one fact wrong; Ka Hin was the son of Poon Weng Nin. But this couple, especially Weng Cheung the dastardly uncle had a very good ending that I feel was a proper way to begin and a proper way to end.

The next character I grew to like and respect is Ka Hin's nosy and not so smart wife, Yin To. Yes she had a bad mouth, she is a poor judge of character but in the end she was the one who questioned Ka Hin when Pik Wan herself failed to do so. Pik Wan asked but Pik Wan never really openly questioned Ka Hin. She loved him too much. And here lies this series greatest moment(s); Ka Hin was loved by Pik Wan and Yin To and yet both women reacted very differently to the challenges regarding Ka Hin. Pik Wan chose to die with Ka Hin whilst Yin To chose to lie and give Ka Hin his life. Very moving moments, and Ka Hin is a lucky man who have been loved so deeply by both women. And I like his ending where he learned to love and appreciate Yin To. Not to say Pik Wan died needlessly but it is funny how Yin To never thought of death whilst Pik Wan chose death as a way out.

Hau Yee is one character that is mentioned from episode 1 to the last episode. Her influence is great on the actions of everyone even if her presence is missing. Hau Yee turns out to be a very very flawed person but as Ka Yeung said, she was only human restricted by the unjust laws of the village. Same goes for Kwok Leung who may be a bastard but was not a murderer. The biggest change was Yin Foon (not through editing or change of story but proper change) whom I thought was gonna be the usual bad mouthing small minded villain but surprise surprise, once she fell in love, she actually matured and it was Lai Kuen who was the bad mouthing small minded villain.

I may dislike the last 2 episodes, from episodes 1 to 30 highlights what TVB can do with some smart storytelling, good location and a set of good actors. There were so many unexpected twists and turns, first with who killed Hau Yee and then what did Cheung Chi Yan wanted. Along the way various problems, mysteries and romantic love. The last 2 episode prevented this from being a classic in terms of storytelling but these 2 uninspired episodes and the uninspired ending does not ruin the entire series at all, just made it out of character.

Needless to say, the performances is for the most part solid.

Steven Ma is not the best actor nor is he the most expressive but he has been through ups and downs and rumours and gossips and has matured as a person and as an actor. Whilst he was hated in his debut as Kangxi in Duke Of Mount Deer, I felt he had potential even if raw. Frankly over the years he is still raw, very raw. But he has a quality that is very very similar with Felix Wong; a certain sense of likability and a sense of heroism that even if he is a villain, he had to be a villain with a purpose that we can all empathise with. He is definitely a viewers' actor, with an ability to be well liked in any role he takes on even if we can't agree on his acting abilities. He isn't Bowie Lam but he is almost Bobby Au Yeung except Steven has to be the hero and nothing else. Even if he was a hero downtrodden and tepped on, we will cheer him on. His performance in here is I can consider his best thus far. His character is very well written with very good lines and does things that is within the usual real life expectations and not just TV sort of life. I like how he breaks the rules to save someone all the time and to him black and white is not a definite black and white. His Ka Yeung is educated, well mannered, understanding and compassionate and yet he is also forceful and knows what he wants and gets it without walking over dead bodies. There is something very honourable about Ka Yeung and he is one of my most favourite heroes on TV, apart from Seung Chi from Safe Guards who is also played by Steven Ma.

Tavia Yeung is someone I kept saying does not look like a heroine or is able to hold up a series on her own. I stand by that. But she is also one actress who is at her best when she is partnered with Steven. In fact she, Fala and Linda Chung all do their best when with Steven. The chemistry is there, you know they like each other as people and yet they're able to show the romantic side despite not being romantically involved in real life. A simple eye contact, a simple hand holding.. I don't know, I wish Tavia or Linda or Fala marries Steven and make us all happy. Tavia's performance in here is at first very very jarring. Someone told me she is the most glamorous looking village girl. It really isn't her looks but rather the amount of lip gloss and make up put on her to make her look "natural". Tavia looks best with less make up. The look normalises when she marries Ka Yeung because she dresses better so there is a consistency. But the lip gloss bothers me a lot. It does nothing to add to her performance, I feel it held her back. Ignore the gloss, the amount of makeup, the nose, everything and what you have is Tavia in one of her best performance. She didn't have to do much really, but there was so much more in so little displayed. She started out talking loudly but that is to show her nature as someone who dares to speak up. Quite annoying at first but as she settled down and speaks normally, I love the tone of her voice, a little bit raspy (probably sore throat) but very gentle. My most favourite scene of her is that scene under the bridge on the boat as Steven held her hand and kissed her hand gently. Her face shows us all how deeply she is in love with that man. I love also the declaration scene of "Yes! I am a widow! Yes I am marrying again!". Very beautifully written with dialogue sure to be remembered for long.

Evergreen Mak was also competent. I see a huge change in his from being nice docile Ka Hin to angry jealous Ka Hin back to wiser nice Ka Hin. The eyes speak volume even if I quite dislike the way he delivers his line when he is near tears. He tends to go up very high pitch which is distracting. However his Ka Hin is interesting to watch. The unloved son. I feel he had every cause to be as angry as he was except maybe it was totally uncalled for to pin his anger and jealousy on Ka Yeung. But his father deserves his comeuppance in the sense for treating Ka Hin unfairly over the years mainly due to his own shame and guilt.

Maggie Siu's role is in the end not much to contribute. I think even the writers' don't know what to do with her so they just killed her off. I never knew how youthful she is until I saw her in this series; lacking make up, years older than Tavia but her every wrinkle and every line (not much by the way) enhances her performance and her beauty. She has hardly aged. Wonderful performance and Pik Wan has such a sad life.

Natalie Tong improved a lot but she is in a role that had me scratching my head as to her purpose. She is less dramatic these days though which is good. And she matches very well with Matt Yeung.

I don't know what is wrong with Matt Yeung. You can't say he is bad and yet you can't say he is good. He was at his worst in Outbound Love but in here, his Chor Gau is likable and a simpleton.

Tracy Ip impresses me with her performance. She is beautiful, she speaks her lines clearly and well even if in a higher pitch and she can act very very well. I thought her performance in here is one of the few I look forward to every night, like what she's gonna say and how she's gonna react. I also like that her story has a nice ending instead of some tragic end and hows her character to be a strong woman who can withstand the bad times.

Akina Hong is one of my most anticipated actress in any performance she gives. She is amazing as an actress in the sense same tone, same look, same face and yet she can play all sorts of characters. In restrospect her Hau Yee is a woman of substance even if she has a lot of skeletons in the closet. She ran the factory, the plantation and as a woman, she had to held back her greedy uncle and the unreasonable villagers. Akina Hong certainly displayed the woman of substance character very very well and although her character died earlier on, fans of Akina will be happy to know she is featured heavily in a lot of flashback scenes.

Katy Kung and Cilla Kung, two Kungs who deliver their lines as different as night and day. Cilla tends to shout and yet in here she holds herself back and for once I felt this girl has the potential and she is very pretty. Katy tends to whisper and with her half closed eyes, she looks like someone ready to hypnotise you, whether to sleep or to full attention is up to your preference. Between the 2, I prefer neither. They're not ready for big time yet. If the likes of Tracy Ip is not ready, they're double not ready yet. But you can see vast improvement in their performances.

Yeung Chiu Hoi (I got the name from Wiki) is someone I do not know, but he looks like a cleanly scholarly handsome young man, akin to Steven when he was younger. Acting wise is raw but definitely not raw enough to make you want to switch off the TV. He looks good in costumes of that era.

Stephen Wong has grown up. In A Fistful Of Stances he was still a kid. In Brother's Keeper he suddenly grew up and in here, he looks like a man. Handsome, dark and these days, in menacing role. There will come a point he will graduate from menacing roles and become one of the leads. Performance wise, not much to comment on.

Stefan Wong has also grown up as an actor. I used to remember he was raw but in this series he actually acted very well. His role is small but pivotal.

Cheung Kwok Keung seems to be the lead actor amongst veterans these days. He has a huge role in Return Of The Silver Tongue and although he appeared half way in this series, his role is huge in its impact on everyone, much like how Hau Yee was in the first half. It was a great performance simply because there is consistency; he walks like an old man and he is an old man in this series. Cheung Chi Yan probably died not knowing if Bing Bing is his child.

I never thought Raymond Cho had such a short role. I thought nahhh he didn't die.. but he did. Shocking eh? One of the many shocks from this series. Competent performance as always from him.

The other veterans are flawless except for Elliot Ngok who to me is a bit jumpy whenever he delivers any line especially those near heart attack sort of lines. I do believe if Chun Pui was here, he would have been cast. Elliot is a good actor but nowhere near Chun Pui.

VERDICT

Exciting plot, unexpected twists and turns, great dialogue, memorable scenes, romantic scenes, war, death, betrayal, sex, this series has everything. Fans of Steven Ma and Tavia Yeung will love this series. I can't say to ignore the last 2 episodes and how bad the editing was and how rushed it was as well but the last 2 episodes should not be used to deny the greatness of this series. But it did deny this series' label as a classic. It could have been perfection and I was disappointed how it ended for many characters in the last 2 episodes but  it is near perfect and for many fans, this is indeed good enough.

A must watch.

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STORM IN A COCOON / 守業者[TVB][2014][R] Tb1

Written by Tb1

Steven’s performance and the imperfect, yet highly desirable well-written Ka Yeung character, are enough for me to recommend at least one viewing of this series.

SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

NOTE
This review is the first in a series of character analyses. 

02.04.2014 :  Added the first part about Poon Ka Yeung/Steven Ma

RELEASED IN
2014

NO. OF EPISODES
32 

CAST-CHARACTERS & SYNOPSIS
Please refer to Wikipedia

REVIEW
Introduction
Let me start off by declaring Storm in a Cocoon took me out of my long break from TVB and revived my interest in its series. It has been at least 12 years since I actually watched a series from start to finish without giving up somewhere in the middle. It takes a lot to sit down and start a 20-plus episode series. I can’t remember the last time a series captured my attention, interest, and thoughts like Storm in A Cocoon did with its thoughtful storytelling, characters, dialogue, scenery, costumes, and musical arrangements. However, as much praise and love I have for this series, like Funn, I can’t place this series in the unforgettable classic category because of the last two episodes. This review is the first in a series of character analyses and will not be done all in one go. With that said, it is fitting to start with the central and protagonist, Poon Ka Yeung, as he was the driver of this drama series.

Character Analysis - All About Poon Ka Yeung
Although broken into two main plots, the series connected so well through the lives and events that befell the members of the Poon family and by extension, the village. Because of this, I feel the story took a backseat and the series was anchored by the characters. The death of Poon Hau Yee set off a storm of mystery, shock, twists, and finally a resolution that made the characters more real and pushed the viewers to think, reflect, and explore their own decisions and conscience. I will not go into detail but if one to explore the decision that Poon Ka Yeung had to make when he discovered the truth about Hau Yee’s death, a sudden realization will become more obvious – that each of us, at certain points in our lives, have faced similar dilemmas and tough decisions. What’s right and wrong? Should there be compassion and forgiveness because after all, nothing can be done now to right the past, but to learn from your mistakes, move on, and improve on becoming a bette! r person? As a viewer, I was pushed to think about my own decisions that often were made swiftly without much thought.

Poon Ka Yeung does not belong in pre-modern Republican era. He is a modern man with ideals representing independence, free thought, compassion, and individualism. Unyielding to societal norms, Ka Yeung questioned the traditions that conflicted with his experience, knowledge, and beliefs he acquired while exposed to the world outside of the village. He is not rigid and stubborn either and in one scene, while discussing the traditional practices of the Poon village with his brother, Poon Ka Hin, he declared that he was not challenging them, but will not accept such ideals either. Ka Yeung is also a very rational man with a strong ability to discern the situation before each decision. The best examples of Ka Yeung’s patience can be found throughout his investigation of his sister, Hau Yee’s, death. Facing devastating revelations about the cause of her death, he remained calm and listened while his partner, Tong Bing Bing, impusively jumped to conclusions and loudly s! colded him and the suspects. If he exists today, it will not be hard to imagine Ka Yeung doing great things for a society that lacks compassion and empathy for those who need help.

While he has many great qualities, he also has flaws as evident in his compassion, which gravely affected not only himself but those around him. He indirectly caused his mentor’s death by choosing to help the reprehensible Kwan Cho Yiu. Although Ka Yeung’s unquestionable and unconditional love for Bing Bing is very honorable, his selfless act in saving her nearly cost him his life. For Ka Yeung and for many of us, compassion can be a double-edged sword. How much can one do for strangers like what Ka Yeung did for many who received his help?

The ending was a disappointment. With his memory loss, the Ka Yeung we all loved was eradicated in not one, but two knocks on the head by flood debris. Outside of adding suspense, I can’t think of a logical reason why this was done to such an endearing character. Why TVB? Perhaps a sequel, remake, or even a modern interpretation was your intention? This sudden turn of events diminished Ka Yeung and all that he represented - a highly desirable, but very real and flawed human in which we can each identify. If TVB wanted to use disappearance and amnesia to wrap things up, then surely another episode or two would’ve helped in explaining what happened to him in the four years that he was gone. At this point, I don’t even begrudge the fact that it wasn’t a conclusive happy ending for our beloved couple. I fear Ka Yeung may have become a byproduct of either careless writing or ruthless budget cutting measures at the hands of TVB and its scriptwriters. Sigh.

Performance analysis - All About Steven Ma as Poon Ka Yeung
What to say about Steven Ma that many of his fans haven’t already expressed? Funn is correct about his onscreen connection with the audience. Ah yes, the likability factor he shares with Felix Wong. Ironically, both he and Felix fell out with TVB , but Felix was more vocal and direct with his criticisms. I’ve always been indifferent to Steven and found him one-dimensional, lacking in depth and versatility. He still slurs his line, and sometimes over exaggerates. When Ka Yeung was defending Bing Bing from accusations of adultery, he was a bit over the top and screaming his lines. However, this series has officially made a fan out of me. In Ka Yeung, Steven brought earnestness, passion, and refinement. Ka Yeung’s youthful and idealistic exterior hides a man of great pain, conflict, and torture from years of witnessing countless horrific deaths as an army medic. Similarly, Steven has nearly two decades of experience in show business and has weathered much critic! isms, gossip, and tragedy, and conflicts. In his Ka Yeung, Steven undeniably gave him the honorable and heroic traits, but for the first time in his career, he actually breathed some darkness to the character. In his quiet solitary flashback moments recalling the atrocities of war, Steven expressed emotions ranging from anger to regret without an utter of word. I’d like to see more of Steven playing more complex characters like Poon Ka Yeung, a role that allowed him to turn in the best acting performance thus far in his career.

Steven has amazing chemistry with Tavia. I wonder how many times they laughed together each time they share intimate scenes in this series. There were so many romantic moments, though subtle and not obvious, lends much greater realism – from handholding, eye contact, hugging, smiles, a small kiss on the hand, and dialogue – a lot of attention was given. As a viewer, you can see the natural body language both Steven and Tavia have in real life through their interviews, which explains the ease that both have when sharing the screen together. One scene, although without a kiss or gratuitous display of affection in sight, accurately depicts the love and realness of a married couple. It was in the kitchen and Bing Bing’s face was covered by hot steam in front of the boiling pot of soup. Ka Yeung made himself comfortable, wrapped his arms around her waist, placed his head on her shoulders, and observed that she had lost weight. Tavia didn’t flinch or was surprised ! at all with the very close contact. Steven didn’t appear apprehensive or awkward either. I can’t say the same for most other actors coupled in other series, except maybe when Steven shares the screen with Fala or Linda. I agree with Funn that they each bring the best acting in the other. And yes, I think we all would be ecstatic to see any of the three “sisters” married to Steven. They all have fondness and love for him.

Steven’s performance and the imperfect, yet highly desirable well-written Ka Yeung character, are enough for me to recommend at least one viewing of this series. Maybe, skip the last two episodes to save you from the subsequent disappointment and questions at the end.

VERDICT
A must watch!

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