"I knew this series would be great when Bobby Au Yeung walks into his family home and starts calling his entire family garbage..."
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
Title Deciphered
Why Take My Word For It? Why not The Negotiators? The thing is Take My Word For It is so catchy you know, and take my word for it, this title is way too cool to be a title. Yes, take my word for it. OK! I will stop, take my word for it!
Cast-Character
I have watched this series like long long time ago and I am writing from a memory akin to a Pentium II processor so here goes ...
Bobby Au Yeung - Pang Kwok Tung
Kenix Kwok - Kit Kan
Moses Chan - Mok Ka Chung
Winnie Yeung - Poon Man Jing
Chilam Cheung - Yeung Kwong ("Sunshine!")
Annie Man - Yip Ho Yan
Ellesmere Chan -Jacky Yeung Hao Mo
Mary Hon
And many old timers and one really ugly actress with teeth that will cause some serious injury (whose character's name is Joyce).
Released In
2002 (I thought 2003 but according to SPCNET this series is listed under 2002).
No. of Episode
30
Summary
Basically about Hong Kong's elite negotiators in the police force called Police Negotiators Cadre (PNC) which surprisingly is on a part time basis and on a voluntery basis and only police of certain rank can try to join through some rigorous tests (physical and mental) but this series begins with the opening of applications to police of lower ranks because the negotiators are getting too old and outdated.
Plot
This series revolves around 4 people, 2 senior officers who are top ranked negotiators and 2 juniors who are wannabe negotiator.
Yeung Kwong & Yip Ho Yan
Yeung Kwong is the step son of a very rich man who owns a string of supermarkets. His bleak and low status in the Yeung family bears little resemblance to his attitude which is like his name, full of sunshine and energy. I do not know why this lazy bone became a police but he did and he treats the job like 9 to 5. His boss (a very funny guest starring role by Ai Wai) dislikes him and picks on him for good reasons. Yeung Kwong is the most unmotivated police ever but he has a singular gift that makes him a cut above the rest; he loves to talk and he can sweet talk his way out of anything and everybody in his police station is his friend. He even talked a suicidal man from jumping and that caught the attention of Kit, who likes him and hopes he will join the negotiators team, but Pang Sir dislikes him and feel he needs some discipline. Yeung Kwong never wanted ever to join the negotiators' team because that would eat up his time for his real passion; go kart racing. But he had to because he was bragging how he wanted so much to join but couldn't and Kit heard it and Kit said she hopes he will join and he didn't want to disappoint Kit so he joined, got picked despite didn't try hard at all and to put it simply, he was born to be a negotiator because he is always cool under fire.
Yip Ho Yan on the other hand who works in the boring 9 to 5 PR department ran by the very likeable Mok Sir is anything but cool. She is always fearful of many things, and always deem herself as having perpetual bad luck. But she joined the negotiators' team for a very simple reason; she is the eldest in her family of 3 sisters and one mother and she thought this will be the way to shine and perhaps get a promotion. So she went back to cadet school armed with books, and theories and met Yeung Kwong who didn't bother at all. Whilst she studied hard, she was also failing because she lacked the spontaneity and calm and cool demeanour. But she tried hard and was very disappointed when she failed and was last in class. Yeung Kwong on the other hand failed because he never tried at all, and after one tiff with Pang Sir, he realised he didn't want Pang Sir to look down on him and he worked real hard, finally appreciating the lessons he learned. He was teamed with Yip because both wrote that they did not want to team with one another and in the end worked so well together, that they won best partner. When they graduated, they graduated as friends and worked together.
Then things got complicated when Yip fell in love with Yeung but Yeung was far too busy thinking about his first love, Ada. Then Yeung encouraged his own step brother (or is it half brother?) Jacky, a nice guy who is a police psychiatrist to woo Yip and he did and they were together. Then Jacky was again too busy entertaining his lusty first girlfriend who now wanted Jacky back and in the end Yip got dumped big time. Yeung then realised he was in love with her, pursued her but Yip didn't want a relationship this time. And then she wanted it but Jacky was so upset that he fought with Yeung and Yeung, being the one blamed for everything bad that happened in the Yeung house got blamed for Jacky's own selfishness and this time it was Yeung who backed away from Yip.
Back and forth this goes on until the end. Need I say more what will happen at last?
Pang Kwok Tung & Kit Kan
The more interesting pair is these two and they require more explanation.
Pang Sir is happily married to a dependent housewife, Jing who actually wants more of her husband's attention but Pang was far too busy with his work that is Serious Crim dept coupled with the negotiators' dept. He loves her but doesn't know how to show it. In a way Jing is like a poodle requiring love and attention all the time but she never complains because well, there is a reason. Anyway Kit on the other hand is blissfully married to Mok Sir, the ideal husband or so she thinks. She works far too hard where she leads her top notch anti-vice squad coupled with the negotiators' dept and she rarely had time for Mok Sir who didn't really complain. Each thought they had a blissful marriage until Kit began to suspect her husband was having an affair. How she began to suspect I can't remember but she confessed her fears to Jing her best friend. Jing comforted her but by that time we all know Jing was the other woman. Mok was remorseful and so Kit forgave him and even blamed herself for what her husband did, as she rarely had time for him. Then Mok wanted to break off the 2 year affair with Jing at their dream apartment, Kit was just passing by, Jing saw Kit and begged Mok to give her one last passionate kiss and kiss they did and Kit saw everything. Once back at home, Kit threw Mok out and refused to forgive him but she couldn't bring herself to tell her respected senior Pang Sir about the affair so she shut up. But Pang was really concerned about this marriage and being a chauvinist that he was, he blamed Kit and told Kit off for not being flexible. Kit could only tell him why don't he asks his wife first about the breakdown of the marriage. By that time Jing and Mok decided to run away and Mok had to give up his career and suffer humiliation of fellow colleagues as what he did was unforgivable. Pang who was at the airport saw them gave one punch to Mok and was stopped by his gloating wife. They went away and Pang went home with his face held high and refused to accept reality. Kit on the other hand moved on and went for a holiday. But when she came back, she realised she was pregnant with Mok's child. She almost wanted to abort it until Pang advised her not to. Her pregnancy brought both herself and Pang closer and she even managed to reconcile with her chauvinist father (whom she blamed for causing the death of her mother during child birth as he insisted on having a son and he did adopt a useless son). Pang was still in denial and was bossy as ever to everybody until he discovered his own little brother was having a homosexual affair with another man, Pang locked him up but his brother escaped. When the brother threatened to jump, Pang didn't want the police force to know of this and lose more face so against all his training and better judgment, he tried to pull his brother back and instead he fell and became paralysed waist down.
At his worst, he resorted to seeking help from a fake medicine man and he almost lost his legs and was even more in denial and wanted to kill himself but Yeung Kwong, by now his favourite student stopped him and managed to advised him to give life and another surgery a try. The surgery was a success but he can never work in police force again as he needed a crane to walk for at least 2 or 3 years. During these time he reconciled with his family and even became some sort of a supportive friend of Kit as well as mentor to Yeung Kwong and Yip Ho Yan. Some times passed, and Kit and Pang realised after being through so much together they had feelings for one another and the Mok came back wanting to reconcile with his wife. Kit refused but when the baby was in jeopardy and in need of some organ transplant, Pang saw how Mok selflessly volunteered and how Kit was holding his hands. So he decided Kit and the baby would be best to go back to Mok and he left HK to give lectures about negotiations skills in MALAYSIA and Singapore. What he didn't know was Kit was waiting for him and when he came back ...
Need I say more?
A truly happy ending.
Questions Asked And Answered
What happened to Jacky then?
Yip and Yeung got married in part due to Jacky telling his brother to go for it. So he was a jerk for a while but in the end he realised brotherhood is more important than love.
What happened to Mok in the end?
Pang proposed, and Kit agreed (I think, I can't remember) and Mok went away, as a gentleman should.
What happened to gay brother in the end?
Silly part in this series where his brother de-gay himself, Pang forgave him and he even found himself a sweet girl.
What happened to Jing in the end?
Woo-hoo! What an ending! Mok said they were happy at first living in France I think and then she got bored with him as no more excitement from those secret affairs and read this ... she ran away with some Caucasian! Woo-hoo! What a slut! Sorry for the language but really my most hated character is Jing actually.
Comments
I had zero expectations for this series, after all I have enjoyed Vigilante force so much thanks to Bowie Lam's charismatic and manly Fong Nga Chai and also Tavia Yeung's cute performance, I never expected a better series. Take My Word For It isn't better, but it is equally as good. I knew this series would be great when Bobby Au Yeung walks into his family home and starts calling his entire family garbage and starts sulking and scolding EVERYBODY. That to me is what I call an entrance! I knew this series would be different and it was.
For one, most of the performances are top notch. For once Bobby Au Yeung was given a character that one can't help but dislike but yet can't help but admire his integrity and dignity whilst Kenix was given a character that I suspect is like her real self, strong, selfless and often time blameless and very very objective but assertive. Chilam was perfectly cast as the sunshine Yeung Kwong who is a motor mouth who can't stop talking his way out of anything whilst it is a welcomed change to see Moses and Ellesmere in nice guys role who are the most flawed characters in this series. Winnie Yeung gave a decent performance as the ultimate bitch in any series I have seen thus far whilst Annie Man was... well Annie Man. More on that later. Now first let's talk about the characters.
It has been a long time since I have watched a series with such compelling characters that not only has full fledge personality but so different since well this series and recently MediaWorks' Changing Lanes. They're flawed characters but in times of needs, you will see some rise for the occasion whilst some falter. I shall go one by one ...
Character Analysis
Pang Kwok Tung
Pang Sir is one unforgettable character and Bobby Au Yeung certainly looked like he enjoyed playing this character. Pang Sir is someone who is very successful at what he does, and he thinks that his wife is blissfully happy with him simply because he's him, that his family must listen to everything he says because he earns the most and he brings home the most cash and yet when with Mok his best friend, he is perhaps his most reasonable. You could say this man bullies his loved ones but he never see that as bullying; he sees what he does as something unavoidable since Jing doesn't have a mind of her own (not true), his parents so old and useless (not true), his big brother and wife so undependable (maybe but not quite true), his little brother so weak (maybe) and his little sister so stupid (not quite). He may have seen himself god like in fact and his nose is so high in the air it is rather interesting to watch when he fell big time. He thinks his subordinates respect him, which is true but he is not selfless. In fact he thinks of his subordinates as a way to get high in his career like using them to full use without having regards to people needing rest, family dinners, etc. In fact, except for his bosses and Kit and Mok, everybody hates him, including Yeung Kwong and Yip.
Then he fell, big time. Unable to cope with the fact that he is far from perfect, and when he was paralysed, he wanted to kill himself. Now this is interesting, because this is a man who talked many people out of doing themselves in and here he was, trying to burn himself to death. Yeung Kwong rushed there and in a desperate act even doused himself with I think some inflammable liquid and pledged to die with Pang, and Pang gave up because he is not one to gamble with other people's life.
When before he was the caretaker, now his family took care of him. They were genuinely concerned about him and as he took time to really look at his family, he saw how brilliant his parents and sister in law were in managing their small restaurant, how good his older brother was at making soup, how his little sister was admiring and idolising him so much that she wanted to be a cop herself. He saw for the first time how great his family was instead of how great he himself was and in a way he realised the way he treated Jing was perhaps a cause why she ran away. She saw her dream house decorated the way she wanted instead the one they had where she decorated the way he wanted and through the care and love he had for Kit, as a viewer the transformation was touching and powerful. He never realised so many people care for him and when he did, he became a much better man, a more tolerant man.
I love to watch his transformation, and I love who he became in the end. His integrity was always there, despite the fact that he was a bully, bossy and refused to listen to anyone. But when he became more giving, less bossy and became a listener like he was when he was a negotiator, he had his dignity and integrity more pronounced. I am a bit philosophical about this character but I must say this is one character that is solid in its creation.
Best Moment(s)
Every time he walked into his family home, his family suddenly shut up and became tense and the way he scolded everybody, and dictated to everybody what to do. Classic entrance.
When his family took charge in taking care of him and that one scene when he realised his family weren't garbage, in fact they were great.
His relationship with Kit, from mutual respect to mutual concern to mutual love. Very believable and very beautifully portrayed.
When he was at his worst mood and hiding in a rural place, he met an old man who was painting the same scene every day, that is of a sunset. The old man told him depending on how you see it, it could be a sunrise. Then the old man said he had it all and then found out he had cancer and had months to live and yet the old man was happy with the time he had. When the old man died, Pang received the sunrise painting and he began to see hope again and become optimistic.
The actor, Bobby Au Yeung
I dare say this is Bobby's best performance todate. He had a similar cynical character in that series about customs agents with Wong Hei where he was brilliant, then he was in far too many series with him as the underdog and now he has come back to serious drama and in a role perhaps only he could do so well. The way he walked, with such confidence and arrogance, you will hate his Pang Sir and yet admire him for being so determined. His transformation was very powerfully portrayed and I can only say, Pang Kwok Tung is a gem of a character and Bobby gave this character life. Excellent performance.
Kit Kan
This is also one of the more better written characters where her character is independent, resourceful, determined and yet reasonable. She is always at odds with Pang Sir, but her approach is "You do your way, I do my way, if you're the boss, I have to do it your way and I do my best". In the entire series, I don't think she has ever called Pang Sir anything but Pang Sir and that is a mark of respect. No doubt she respects this man though she disagrees with him most of the time. The only time she lost her patience with him when she was blamed for the breakdown of her own marriage. This woman is such a good woman that she even blamed herself for her husband's affair until she realises that Jing was the other woman. To her there is a difference between having an affair with another woman (meaning husband is an unfaithful git) and having an affair with your best friend's wife (meaning husband is a bastard to the core). Rightly so she refuses to forgive Mok and rightly threw him out of the house. What a character! Then there was the progression on how she forgave her chauvinistic father who genuinely loved her but was too chauvinistic to show it and her beautiful love affair with Pang Sir which was hinted but never fully shown.
Best Moment
Without a doubt, probably 2nd best scene in this series, was when Mok called, she coldly told him to please inform her when he is coming to take his stuff because she doesn't want to see him.
The actress, Kenix Kwok
Excellent performance because this role is probably written with her in mind. So she was a tad too thin to be a believable top madam in the police force but Kenix has this strong no nonsense personality and Kit was certainly that way. I love her chemistry with Bobby. If I remembered correctly, they were in a series together some years ago but the chemistry was ok but here, it was even better. Actually Bobby Au Yeung has chemistry with everybody.
Yeung Kwong
The laziest person ever due to lack of motivation who became very motivated after being insulted by Pang Sir and then became a better man under his tutelage. He is Pang Sir's muse as Pang Sir let him see his personal collection of all his written thoughts about the cases he handled, a privilege not even Kit had. Kit liked him because she saw potential but Pang Sir at first disliked him because he saw disciplinary problems. Both were right. Anyway, Yeung Kwong is one very optimistic person, even when he was having a bad day, like how his family treats him like an outsider. But his stepfather genuinely loves him like his own so which explains why he would do anything for his father. His relationship with his older brother and sister were at best cold though he tried hard. However his relationship with his little brother, Jacky was very close until the problem with Yip Ho Yang in between of them and that was because Jacky couldn't let go.
Best Moment(s)
Definitely during the training moments where much to Yip's annoyance, he aimed to fail!
The scenes how he was like a dog/slave back home though everybody thought him being a rich man's son must have a very easy life which was far from the truth as he had to please everybody.
His playful banter with Kit and his relationship with his mentor, Pang Sir, the good,
the bad and the ugly.
The scenes with his boss played by Ai Wai had me laughing so hard!
The actor, Chilam Cheung
Brilliant performance. What more can I say?
Yip Ho Yan
As described in my Plot section.
Best Moment(s)
The times when she couldn't believe Yeung Kwong aimed to fail whilst she studied so hard aiming to just pass because she knew she is not a brilliant student.
The actress, Annie Man
I feel she can act decently, but I am a bit bored with her nasal voice (like she was holding her breath when she is talking) and her rapid head movements that gave me a headache. The truth is I never really liked her in her recent series and whilst she gave a decent performance, I feel she didn't give a breakthrough performance in part because the character isn't much and also because her acting is becoming very predictable. She may cute but she is not exciting to watch. I get bored by the mere mention of her name and when she is alone in a scene, I tend to switch off my attention until Kenix or Chilam comes into the scene. I have said the same thing about Kenix some time before and why I love her in here is because her character is exciting and Kenix's personality complemented that character. With Annie Man, it felt like a routine performance devoid of any new perspective. Who else can play this role I wonder?
Mok Sir & Jacky
These two men are horrible creatures. One guilty of having an affair with his best friend's wife (unforgivable) and the other for turning into such a heartless bastard. I can't decide who to hate more, but I didn't have to decide because one woman won the title which I shall explain later.
Mok Sir
Mok Sir is a decent guy, no doubt but decent in what? You may say he was seduced, he was driven to it, Pang Sir in a way drove him wife into his arms, but really, if you want to have an affair, must it be your best friend's wife? The hypocrisy of it was sickening and when Kit threw him out and refused to forgive him when she found out Jing was the woman, like her I kinda realised when they were spending time together as friends with the other couple, these two were also sleeping with one another behind their backs. The worst was having their own secret hideout decorated with such care and attention and the affair went on for 2 years. Whilst Pang Sir may have been mean to everybody, he was the nicest when he was with Mok Sir, and the way he went all out to save his best friend's marriage, magnifies how sickening Mok Sir is. And this Mok Sir is so spineless. One minute begging Kit to come back to him which Kit flatly refused, next he was in the hospital hugging Jing and bawling his eyes out and then leaving with Jing the next day. Spineless.
Best Moment(s)
When Kit threw him out and when he came back later to apologise to Pang Sir, Pang Sir told him right in his face he was sickening. The fact that he lost his career, his wife, his child, his lover, respect and best friend were just reward for what he had done, irrespective whether Pang Sir deserved it or not.
The actor, Moses Chan
Decent performance, but I suspect many female fans will forgive his Mok Sir, I can't help but feel disgust at the hypocrisy of his character and so nope, don't care if it is Moses in this role. Anyway I always believed Moses Chan in real life is a gentleman. Where was I? Oh yes, why is it Moses Chan, who is very famous in his own right is always in supporting roles? He made a career out of supporting roles when he is actually a lead actor material, though his acting, drama wise is weak. Comedy wise, I feel he has great potential.
Jacky
Horrible character without an opinion, wasted all his education. He was dumped because he was boring, then he went out with Yip, and to his ex he was exciting again and so she seduced him and he let himself be seduced and when he became clingy, he was dumped again and this time he wanted Yip back. What this moron wants?
Jacky is actually a decent man. To his credit when he was fighting with Yeung Kwon, he never said to Yeung Kwong "You're not a real Yeung!" and again to his credit he actually listens to Yeung Kwong. So what went wrong?
Ahhhhhhhhh ... Yip Ho Yan is a virginal angel and this man wants that well...what is that four letter word that starts with an s and ends with a t? And her teeth is enough to cause serious damage!
Best Moment(s)
When he got dumped by that woman again and again.
The actor, Ellesmere Choi
Oooohh, I was almost so scared for his life when he had to kiss that woman with that big bunny tooth or teeth or whatever. Again I believe Choi is a metrosexual and a gentleman in real life but this character is despicable. Decent performance but then Choi is never that famous as an actor's actor.
Jing
Hate her!
Best Moment(s)
When she looked at Pang at the airport who had just punched Mok and how she dared Pang to I think strike her. Urghhhh! Hate her!
When Pang Sir forced her to go find Kit and to advise her to go back to her husband, she actually stood before Kit and said many hurtful words which ended up with Kit getting angrier by the minute. Arghhhhh hate hate her. She actually flaunted her affair in that scene, and the most sickening part is remembering how earlier she held Kit in her arms consoling her when Kit said she suspected Mok was having an affair. Such hypocrisy. Whilst I pity her loneliness at home alone, and the fact that Pang Sir was very controlling type, but her treatment of Kit really was disgusting to the core.
The actress Winnie Yeung
Kudos to Winnie for taking on such a tramp like role. But bad nes is her acting is bad, and between her and Moses Chan, I am in a dilemma to choose one name. The problem with Moses is his acting of Mok Sir is of a very docile man, can be pushed around and very soft spoken is ultimately very believable eventhough Moses falters in more emotional scene. Oh yes, he did cry, very very loudly but somehow the emotional connection is not there, and this is not because I dislike his character, but his acting left much to be desired. It is almost cry on cue, sigh on cue but I don't feel it. Now, Winnie did some scenes well where she looked at Bobby's Pang Sir with really frustrated and bored eyes, but a better actress could have given Jing a deeper and more multifaceted character. Jing is not as simple as she looks, she is not as nice as she looks, she is not as docile as she looks. This is why when Pang Sir realised that his wife is not as decent as she looks, he realised with horror what kind of woman she was. So the actress who played this character must play her in a conniving way who is always strategising on how to get Mok, how to get rid of her husband, how to get what she wants. She is in effect a very selfish character with 2 faces. Winnie played her straight, very little malicious bone in that decent woman. I would think a better actress would have made Jing an even more complex and interesting character, so therefore worst actress? Winnie Yeung.
Others
The veterans in here gave very credible performances, nothing much I can talk about and the younger ones other than the ones stated above are all quite alright. Ai Wai deserved a mention, though his role was small but his character was very memorable and funny.
Fun Reference
Pang Sir's sister at last got her wish to become a policewoman and on her way to sit for an exam for the right to hold arms (guns) and guess who is her boss to be and her hero? The sister mentioned she will be transferred to the ultra strict patrol department led by non other than Chan Sam Yuen! And Chan Sam Yuen is the character in Armed Reaction and I think in part 3 she did become the head of the patrol squad and was ultra strict and she was one of the first two women to have rights to bear arms in the police force! Interesting and very fun reference to another character in another series, like as if they co-exist.
"Oh my God" Factors
Which can be both positive and negative, depending on how you see it.
- For a series about negotiators, we see lots of negotiations but all seem routines. The first few ones were interesting because they're like new stuff to me but after a while, too many people choose jumping off a building as a suicide method, too many people want to kill themselves, too many neurotic and emotional husbands, housewives, children, friends, lovers that it all got very routine and sometimes boring to watch. To me the negotiators are never tested, except for the last case where Yueng Kwong's family were held hostage by angry employees and that was dealt with in a much too simplistic way. Like, tell them what they want to hear, the soften a bit and then you attack and save lives. Is like as simple as that was shown? I was wondering why don't they show a botched robbery attempts with grenades and Ak-47s or machine guns and many hostages including children and the negotiators are running out of time if not they will kill one person every 1 hour if their demands are not met? Why not something very complicated instead of discontented housewives or fathers threatening to either jump off a building or slash the throat of the land lady? This series to me is great not because of the negotiations and in like all TVB series, it is always about the characters and their relationship with one another. Negotiations part definitely lack credibility. And though I love Yueng Kwong, I was very annoyed that everytime he is negotiating, he is always either looking dead serious and talking so so so slowwwwwwwly which gets to my nerves or he doesn't get to talk at all and we have Annie Man's Yio Ho Yan who is totally incompetent as a negotiator because she is not flexible, she follows the book and she has no spontaneity. And when you have a young girl telling you to let go of the hostage or please step back from the edge of the building, advising you what to do and what not to do, I am very surprised any of them listen at all. Like Pang Sir always say, introduce yourself, gain their trust. In all negotiations I do not see gaining trust part because all negotiations ended much too fast. Then you have 4 or 5 people attending one single small time negotiation. One case was particularly perplexing.
The hostage taker has been living in Pang Sir's neighbourhood for a very long time and Pang Sir knows this guy and yet we have people asking street people for information about this hostage taker. I mean for all I know these bystanders may be ke-po-chis you know. And who is better to give any info that Pang Sir himself? Then when they say get food for the hostage takers, we have our guys clumsily running to buy what? Potato chips and rice and drinks. And when food was delivered, the police's eyes are always eyeing the surrounding that any Tom Dick or Harry will know this is not a delivery boy, he looks way too suspicious! I find these parts very ridiculous and totally killed the credibility of this series if not for the very great performances and some good plots.
- The worst though is the one scene I have always wanted TVB to do, and if done well would gave gotten full marks from me but in this series, it was done so badly it was almost comical.
I always believe as actors/actresses, when you kiss, and if the scripts demands for a passionate good bye kiss, for heaven's sake, kiss like there's no tomorrow. But in the case of Winnie Yeung and Moses Chan, that one kiss in their dreamhouse which Kenix as Kit saw them kissing was so badly done that it totally defies logic how people can kiss like that. That kiss was supposed to be passionate, but we have Winnie smashing her closed pursed lips at Moses who himself stood there like a log (understandably since Mok Sir was reluctant to kiss her but still...) and kissed her back after a while with pursed closed lips. So in the end we have lips rubbing, grinding, smashing against one another when it should have been an open mouth kiss, whether French, Asian or Indian, whatever! I was laughing my heads off watching that ridiculous kiss and in my mind, to me Winnie Yeung and Moses Chan can't kiss at all! Maybe they can but they can't in here. Totally unromantic, totally devoid of any urgency, passion, reluctance or desperation. It was like "get it over with fast, pleaseeee". Urgh!
- How Yeung Kwong and Yip Ho Yan tangoed back and forth back and forth in terms of their relationship that after a while it was totally boring!. It ended with a wedding though which is good, at least some closure, no cliff hangers.
- The inconsistency and ridiculousness in terms of Pang Sir's career prospect after the fall and he can't walk or can walk but with a walking stick. Like how he must do desk jobs and all and why he was desperate to get back the use of his legs. From what I gather, Pang Sir is a senior officer who is very capable and an expert in perhaps profiling criminals and especially negotiations and perhaps on criminology. Why on Earth would the police force underutilise this man by giving him desk job? Like Bobby's similar character in Armed Reaction who also has a bad leg, that character became a firearm expert. I find it totally ridiculous that there is uncertainty in Pang Sir's career in terms of desk job or retire when this man's knowledge can be put to good use and as a profiler or perhaps like CSI, he need not even chase criminals. He has subordinates to do that for him! Of course in the end he got back his old job and even more respect EVENTHOUGH he still had to use to walking stick. And that is the inconsistency.
Verdict
Despite the Oh My God factors, frankly this is one of the best series I have ever watched because the characters are all very interesting, intriguing and to me Pang Kwok Tung is a very real character. He is in fact one of my favourite TV characters together with Yeung Kwong and Kan Kit because they're all very memorable, and the writing about these characters are very well done! Definitely a series you must watch, especially if you're a fan of Bobby Au Yeung who gave perhaps his best performance in recent times. You will love his Pang Sir when he walked into his house and started scolding everybody, such confidence and such arrogance and ego. You may also appreciate the fact that every single suit Bobby wore in this series looked like Armani or Versace. He really looks very good in those well cut suit. Fans of Kenix Kwok may also want to watch this series because this character really is meant for her to play. Chilam Cheung's fans will love the adorable and funny Yeung Kwong. Fans of Annie Man may also want to take note of this series though I dislike this actress. This series has a little something for everyone but if you're into drama about human interaction, this is the series for you. Whatever you preference may be, believe me, this is one series which is a must see and comes highly recommended from me.
Rating
Interesting Fact
I saw the TVB Anniversary year 2003 recently and the Most Favourite Male Lead Actor was really one of the tightest race ever in terms of acting performances. Of course it is a popularity contest but the nominees could have been in a race for Emmy Award. Let's see...
There's Roger Kwok in Square Pegs (he won, and deservedly so), Francis Ng in Triumph In The Sky (he didn't even have to win since he won I think awards for his performances in movies), Kwong Wah in King Of Yesterday And Tomorrow (an amazing and funny performance, he deserved to win but he didn't win), Bowie Lam in Vigilante Force (oh! If Roger wasn't in the list, he should win because his Fong Nga Chai is the single most important reason why this series was such a success and I love his Fong Nga Chai!) and of course, Bobby Au Yeung in Take My Word For It (also another deserving nominee and should win because his Pang Kwok Tung is so memorable).
