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18 August 2000

Armed Reaction III [TVB]

Written by Seagull


"Ada Choi. The first time I see her in a more light hearted role and one with a good ending. You know, Ada always seems to die in her serials, from Secret Of The Heart, to Healing Hands to HH2."



SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!



How Long
32 episodes, 16 tapes

Who
Bobby Au Yeung - Siu Sung
Ada Choi - Ah Zi
Marco Ngai - Ah Fung
Joyce Tang - Sam Yuen
Ellesmere Choi - Winson

Year
2001

Prologue
If you had read my AR2 review, you should know that I didn't really think an AR3 is feasible because Esther had left TVB and she and Bobby is one big draw factor for AR. But after watching AR3, I would want to take back all my words. AR3 is the

B-E-S-T

version of the 3 in my opinion, and I would definitely vote it to be the best serial in 2001. In fact, it has already topped my list of favorite TVB serials!!!! Really if you REMOTELY trust my taste,

GO AND GRAB THE SERIAL NOW!!

WARNING
Spoilers are sprawled all over the review, DO NOT read the review at all if u do not want me to spoil the serial for u coz I really don't know how to write a review without revealing all the important scenes of the serial. . Please note that any negative comments about the character written is aimed at the character itself and not the artiste playing them!

Storyline
Siu Sung/Ah Zi/Winson
Ah Zi is a new traffic police officer in Sam Yuen's department. Siu Sung and Ah Zi met through some misunderstanding. Ah Zi thought that Siu Sung is a big lecher and is always picking on him and quarrelling with him. Later Siu Sung became friends with her dad. Once Ah Zi make a mistake at work and was later transferred to Siu Sung's department. Siu Sung asked Ah Zi to work as an undercover agent and she was almost killed in the operation. Siu Sung saved her just in time. Ah Zi finally discover that Siu Sung is very concern about her, and he's a good superior. They resolved their conflict and became best of friends. Ah Zhi met Winson at a wedding and they have a good impression of each other. They soon dated. Siu Sung is the love adviser of Ah Zi. Ah Zi and Winson's courtship is very sweet and smooth sailing initially, however Ah Zi find that Winson only seems to share his happiness with her but will not tell her about his problems. Siu Sung is always there to support Ah Zi. Winson soon proposed to Ah Zi and she agreed. Winson later had an affair with his ex girlfriend cum colleague Maggie and Ah Zi found out. She decided to call off the wedding, but after seeing Winson's dying dad, she decided to marry him for his dad's sake. Just when they are holding the ceremony at the church, Siu Sung came barging in, saying that he opposed to the wedding. He finally expressed his love for Ah Zi. Just then, Ah Fung came and arrested Winson. It turn out that Winson had killed Maggie while trying to break up with her. Later Ah Fung asked Ah Zi to be the bait to lure out a group of robbers. Siu Sung opposed vehemently to it as it's highly dangerous but Ah Zi wanted to catch the thieves so that justice will be done to her dad. Her dad was implicated in a robbery case because of these robbers. Siu Sung had no choice but to agree with the operation. He posed as Ah Zi's boyfriend so that he can protect her round the clock. This day was Ah Zi's birthday, Siu Sung brought her to the arcade to play. Later her dad called from prison to wished her happy birthday. Siu Sung had prepared a candlelight dinner for her and gave her a big bouquet of flowers. He kissed her repeatedly, wishing her happy birthday. Just when he's about to kiss her lips, Siu Sung's phone rang and Ah Zi quickly find an excuse and went back to her room. Ah Zi is very confused and she looked at her wedding photo with Winson.........
Ah Zi asked to withdraw from the operation because she wants to avoid Siu Sung. Ah Fung asked her to give him 3 more days. The robbers finally appear and Siu Sung was injured while trying to save Ah Zi. Ah Zi finally realizes Siu Sung's importance in her heart and told him about it.........

Sam Yuen/Ah Fung
Sam Yuen and Ah Fung had repeated quarrels over their kids' education. Sam Yuen wanted them to get into a prestigious school and hence arranged for them to attend a lot of extra lessons. Ah Fung on the other hand feel that they should let the kids grow normally and not to stress them too much. Their son Ka Ka suffered from some psychological problems due to the immense stress he is under. Sam Yuen finally listened to Ah Fung's suggestion, not to stress the kids anymore. There was a series of attacks on prostitutes lately and Sam Yuen is disturbed by this case as she was reminded of her own rape case. Ah Fung asked her to see a psychologist. It turn out that Ah Ping(the one who raped Sam Yuen) is manipulating Ah On, teaching him to kill people. Sam Yuen feel that she can get the truth from Ah Ping and wanted to pay Ah Ping a visit at the prison. Ah Fung is opposed to the idea but she went ahead with it. Sam Yuen incurred the wrath of Ah Ping and he decided to instigate Ah On to harm Sam Yuen's family members. Her sister was almost strangled to death by Ah On. During Ka Ka and Sa Sa's birthday, Sam Yuen went to fetch Ka Ka, on the way to her mother's house, she stopped by a shop to buy something. She then saw Ah On at the opposite of the streets, staring at her. Without thinking, she gave chase. Ah On lured her to an alley and locked her up there. He then brought Ka Ka in front of her, swinging him around. Sam Yuen was hysterical, demanding Ah On to release her son. Ah On then took Ka Ka away. Just then Sam Yuen broke the lock and Ah Fung and Siu Sung came. Ah Fung blamed Sam Yuen for her negligence. Later they received a phone call from Ah On, asking them to go to a warehouse to look for Ka Ka. They found nothing there. Just then Siu Sung saw a briefcase in the middle of the warehouse. He asked Ah Fung and Sam Yuen here. Ah Fung slowly opened the suitcase and saw Ka Ka's corpse. He wept and Sam Yuen fainted. Ah Fung started to ignore and avoid Sam Yuen after this incident. Things were so bad that Ah Fung decided to move back to his mother's house. Ah Fung killed a robber during one operation. The robber's buddy kidnap his daughter for revenge. Ah Fung is frantic. Sam Yuen gave him her support. Ah Fung apologized to her, saying that he finally understands her feelings, that he shouldn't have blamed her for Ka Ka's death. The robber contacted them telling them that Sa Sa was in a shopping complex. They finally found her and there was a bomb in Sa Sa's bag. Sam Yuen dismantled the bomb with the guidance of a professional and they finally survived the ordeal.......

Comments on each characters
Siu Sung (Bobby) - As funny as ever. I think in AR3, we get to see a more mature side of Siu Sung. I feel that Siu Sung is so kind that a lot of people always take him for granted and likes to exploit him! Like the way Ah Zi and her dad always make him their slaves! Haha, really funny, I think Ah Zi and her dad are so mean to Siu Sung at times! Always criticizing his figure, but then the magnanimous Siu Sung never took it to heart. He's always the one that shares everyone's sorrows and worries, from Ah Fung, to Sam Yuen, to Ah Zi. Definitely one good listener. I really agree with Ah Zi's comment, she said that Siu Sung is a nice and sensitive guy that every girl would like to have as a buddy, but few girls would think of him as a potential boyfriend! Isn't that sad =p

Ah Zi (Ada) - My favorite character, partly because it's Ada taking the role, and also because this is one charismatic character itself. I personally find this character more entertaining than Esther's character of Ah Ngor. Ah Zi is wacky, funny, impetuous at times, emotional and very nosy. In the front part we see the tough side of her when she catch the thieves, later, we see the tomboyish and sometimes unreasonable side of her when she argue with Siu Sung, then we see the girlish side of her when she fall in love with Winson. I personally like all the scenes with her and Winson, Ada and Ellesmere definitely make a cute couple! Ah Zi's relation with her dad is something that I think a lot of daughters would hope to have with their dad. They are just like old pals, always teasing and poking fun at each other. Though her dad is not very good at encouraging her, he's also always there for her and the way he comforts her is really very innovative!

Ah Fung (Marco) - Great father, great husband, great cop, great person. I think we can't find such a great guy anymore! =p I sort of pity Ah Fung, he seems like the one who experiences the most number of emotional tortures, and having such an unreasonable and un-understanding wife is so tiring! First his wife got raped, then his son got killed, then his daughter got kidnapped! We can see that he's almost crazy when he thought that the box outside his office contains Sa Sa's corpse. Haizzzz actually if I'm Ah Fung, I feel that it's really tiring to be with someone as headstrong as Sam Yuen. She always refuses to listen to people's advice. She always blame Ah Fung for not considering her feelings and throws tantrums when she feel like it, but does she ever consider Ah Fung's feeling?? I feel a sense of thrill when I saw Ah Fung scolded her after their son's death:" I told you before, if the kids got hurt because of your rashness and wilfulness, I would not forgive you." Ah Fung is a very understanding, forgiving and sensible person. I remember a scene where he told Ding Ye (the brother of the guy that raped Sam Yuen), "When I beat the hell of out you at the rooftop after Sam Yuen got raped, you think I would be happy? When I saw Ah Ping jumped to his death, you think I would be satisfied? No matter what, the pain I have would not be any lesser. We just have to look forward and continue with our lives......." You might think, he can forgive Ding Ye so easily but why can't he forgive his own wife Sam Yuen? Afterall, Sam Yuen also lost her son! I think precisely because Sam Yuen is his wife, he finds it ever harder to forgive her. We always expect more from the people closest to us, isn't it? Ah Fung had told her before to look after their children carefully, he trust her enough to be responsible to the kids, but Sam Yuen dump Ka Ka alone to chase after the killer not just once, but TWICE! And this "little" mistake on her part cause the death of their son..........it's not easy to forgive really.....

Sam Yuen (Joyce) - ARGHHH this woman, from liking her in AR1, to weeping so hard for her when she was raped in AR2, to detesting her in AR3. I find Sam Yuen's character getting more and more unreasonable with each sequel. I already notice her unreasonable behavior in AR2, but because she was rape later, she toned down a lot, so I thought after this incident and after becoming a mother of 2, she would be more mature and steady but I'm really wrong. I find Sam Yuen quite a selfish person. She always complain that Ah Fung never spare a thought for her, but when has she ever spare a thought for him? She always did what she think is right without consulting or considering Ah Fung's feeling, just like the way she forces her kids to attend extra lessons. Yes her intention is good, she wanted her kids to have a brighter future, but she should try to listen to what the kids have to say too! Ka Ka was so pressurized by her that he suffered from some psychological problem! It always seems like Ah Fung has to give in to her whenever they argue. She always thinks she can't be wrong. Again, because of her stupidity, rashness and unwillingness to heed Ah Fung's advice, she caused the death of her own son. I don't blame Ah Fung for blaming her because it's really partly her fault!! She's not fit to be a mother. A mother, to me, is someone who would stay by her child's side at the most dangerous moment, but she just dumped the kid at the store with an old lady who can't even fend for herself?!?! Ok I might be too harsh to her here, she is afterall a victim herself too, but I can never forget the scene where Ah Fung wept so hard when he saw Ka Ka's corpse. Actually I almost wanted to smash the tv when I saw Sam Yuen dumping Ka Ka with the store lady. I really wonder, how can someone so immature and rash be a head of the traffic police unit? Don't you think that Sam Yuen is someone who always need to learn her lesson the hard way? First she got rape, now she lost her son, but all these really happen partly because of her own wilfulness, oversight and rashness. If she still doesn't become more mature after these 2 incidents, I have nothing else to say for this character. I guess the only thing I didn't like about AR3 is making me "detest" Sam Yuen for a period of time, of course I also forgive her later....but I didn't like her as much as AR1 and 2 already. I actually quite like her in AR1 and 2 and I thought Joyce and Marco make such a cute couple. But their relation is quite strained here. You can say love has to be put to test, I hope if they ever have a AR4, they would try to make Sam Yuen more likable please!!!

Winson (Ellesmere) - I know he's not the best boyfriend around. He's a workaholic, sometimes neglecting Ah Zi's feelings and even have an affair with Maggie, but I really like him and I don't know why. All started because he tempered with his company's accounts. Haizz one wrong move and everything is gone. I find him really sweet during his courtship with Ah Zi. He wants his girlfriend to share all his joys and achievements, to be there to share his glory, but when he has trouble, he wants to hide it from her, so that she would not worry for him. I think it's his pride, he sees telling his girl his problems a wimpy act. This is something that is different from Ah Zi's thinking. Ah Zi feels that if they are a couple, they should be sharing joys and SORROW together, not only sharing joys. He would be a great boyfriend and husband if there's no such person called MAGGIE. I HATE HER!!! I love all the scenes with him and Ah Zi.

Fav scenes
Most scenes with Ah Zi are my favorites. Not only because I like Ada, but also because this character provided the "laugh" factor for the serial. I thought with Esther gone, the "humorous" factor would also be gone, but I'm utterly wrong. Ada's character in this serial is really wacky and funny, and you would be amazed by the way she can bicker with Siu Sung in the front part of the serial.

I especially like the part where Ah Zi just started to fall in love with Winson. She's really funny and I like her relationship with her dad. I remember one scene where she thought that her dad got someone pregnant, she started to "interrogate" him like some criminal, pushing him to the wall, with his hands on the wall. Then she kicked his butt. Hahahaha it's really hilarious. I've captured this scene and it's available for download at Ada's Cache. Drop by if you are interested!

Ah Fung moved back to his mother's house after Ka Ka's death. Once Sam Yuen took Sa Sa back to spend a few days with her. Ah Fung found out that Sam Yuen is sick and the house seems to be in a mess. Dirty dishes filled the sink, there's no water to make coffee, the refrigerator is empty, magazines and books sprawled everywhere. He asked Sam Yuen to take a rest in the room and he clear the house for her, restock the fridge with fresh food and brewed medicine for her. He's such a GREAT husband!!!! I really wonder what will become of Sam Yuen if Ah Fung left her.

The "I almost wanted to vomit blood scene"
Well after watching this scene, I REALLY WANTED TO STRANGLE SAM YUEN!!! Remember that guy that raped Sam Yuen in AR2? He tried to harm Sam Yuen's family members again by manipulating someone else called Ah On with a mental problem. Sam Yuen know that he's targeting her family members. That day was Ka Ka and Sa Sa's birthday. She went to a store with Ka Ka to buy something and she saw Ah On just opposite the store, looking at her. And without thinking, she just dump her 6 year old kid at the store and ran after Ah on. WHAT THE HECK?!?!!?!?!?!? WHAT A "GOOD" mother she is!! I mean even a COMPLETELY brainless person should know better than to dump your son and ran after a highly dangerous criminal who is very likely to harm your son. STUPID. I really think Sam Yuen is damn STUPID. ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! And by the time she is walking near the alley, she already lost him, why can't she just turn back? That alley is so dark and deserted and she's not armed, she wants to get rape again is it??? And when Ah On locked her up in the alley, couldn't she just CLIMB OVER that damn gate?!!?!?!?!? I know there's the spiral thingy at the top of the gate, but SHE'S A TRAINED POLICEWOMAN, she should be agile enough to handle the gate!!! Can't she do a simply thing like climb over a gate instead of just screaming and yelling and telling him not to hurt Ka Ka like he would listen to you?!?!?!!?!?!!! Anyway I find the scene where she broke the lock really ridiculous because that lock is so thick, I don't really think it can be broken just with a few jerks!

Side note: why I think Sam Yuen is partly responsible for Ka Ka's death.
First, Ah Fung asked her not to meddle with the case and not to go provoke Ah Ping. She went ahead because SHE THINKS she would be able to convince Ah Ping to tell the truth even when someone as intelligent as Siu Sung failed to. Don't you feel that Sam Yuen is always so full of herself, right from AR1 I already have this feeling. She's someone who doesn't really understand or know her own capability, or rather, she tends to overestimate her own ability.

Second, she saw Ah On in the streets once, she dumped KaKa ALL ALONE, really ALL alone this time to run after him. Ok it's ok coz it's the first time and she's mentally disturbed coz of Ah Ping, I can understand that. But after this incident AH FUNG told her AGAIN that she should be EXTRA careful with the kids and even warn her that if their kids got into trouble coz of her rashness, he would not forgive her. Clearly, NONE of the words ever get into her head when she rushed to chase Ah On again the 2nd time she met him. Yes she left Ka Ka with the store lady, but do u have any brains? That lady is an old woman! Do u think she is capable of protecting Ka Ka if Ah On were to stalk him? If she's unlucky, Ah On might even kill the old lady!

And before all this, Ah On strangled Sam Yuen's sister. Sam Yuen should know that Ah On actually is targeting her FAMILY and not her and should be even MORE alert about her family's well being. And her chasing after Ah On is really dangerous! I don't know if she carried a gun, I think she doesn't and she just went ahead and followed Ah On to a really dark and deserted alley. Ah On could possibly kill her or rape her!!! She's always like this, all she cares is to chase and chase and not the consequences of her chasing so impulsively. What will happen to Ka Ka and Sa Sa if she's killed? What do u think will happen to Ah Fung if she's raped again? Or seriously injured?

Lastly, when she was locked up in the alley, can't she just try to climb over that gate? I saw the gate, it's possible to climb over it considering she's a policewoman. If she's fast and intelligent and composed enough, she can catch up with Ah On!! All she does is to scream and shout!! ARGHHH

You get my point? You know why am I so pissed?

Do you think if it's Ah Fung, he would dump Ka Ka and ran after the criminal? I guess it all boils down to maturity. Sam Yuen isn't really cut out to be a cop if you ask me. The thing a cop needs the most is to be composed AT ALL TIMES because they would face a lot of unexpected situations. If they are so easily agitated, so emotional, how can they make judgments and save people? I sincerely hope that if there's an ARMED REACTION 4, the scriptwriter would let us see how Sam Yuen finally become more mature and a cop deserving of her post. She shouldn't be the head if you ask me.

Actually Ah Zi is a bit like Sam Yuen in some ways. She's also quite emotional and impetuous at times, but I think even Ah Zi is more mature than her, and she knows her own shortcoming and is willing to change. After so many years of being a cop, Sam Yuen is still so irrational.

The ultimate classic, saddest, most heart wrenching, most intriguing, most "my heart almost STOPPED completely" scene
The one where everyone was in the warehouse, trying to find Ka Ka. They saw a suitcase in the middle of the warehouse. Siu Sung said he would open the suitcase for Ah Fung, but Ah Fung said he would open it himself. And they played the background music while Ah Fung slowly and painfully opened the suitcase. He saw what he most dreaded to see. He saw a corpse. He saw a corpse of his most beloved son Ka Ka. Sam Yung was very agitated, she ran to the suitcase and fainted halfway, while Ah Fung wept and wept, hugging Ka Ka like he would never want to let go..............

You just got to watch this scene yourself. Guess what, I already know his son will die before I watch the serial, but the pain is almost indescribable. When u see Ah Fung wept. Though Sam Yung wept too and fainted, but I only felt sorry for Ah Fung. I cried buckets of tears and I was literally shivering as I watched. I was repeating to myself "No, there's nothing in the suitcase, don't worry", though I know that obviously the suitcase will have SOMETHING. Haizzz. I think I'll be sad for a month.

The other was the scene where Ah Fung thought that the box outside his office contains Sa Sa's corpse. He almost fainted while walking towards the box. He couldn't suffer another blow of losing his child again. Ding Ye helped him to open the box and everyone held their breathe when he opens the box. When Ah Fung realize that there's nothing in the box, he went crazy and ran out of the station. He threw things and broke down in front of Sam Yuen. You can see his pain, and you realize just how much he loves his kids.

Other sad scenes
Ah Fung brought a pizza to Ka Ka's tomb, and said sadly:" Ka Ka, you always say that daddy is a superman. If daddy is a superman, you wouldn't be killed......." And he wept really hard............

Another one was when he was watching a video tape on Ka Ka in the middle of the night and he finally smiled when he saw Ka Ka in the video. I cried really hard because you can tell that he loves his son A LOT. Really A LOT. I dare to say that he loves his children more than Sam Yuen. He's a really awesome dad. Of course I was also sad because Sam Yuen was hiding at the corner and she wept when she saw Ah Fung. I guess she finally realizes how much pain she had caused Ah Fung.

Ah Fung went to Ka Ka's tomb again, asking Ka Ka where is Sa Sa. "Ka Ka, daddy is so useless. I failed to save u before. Now I failed to protect Sa Sa......" He looked really down and out and rugged. His eyes look sad and tired. You can feel his pain just by looking at him.

The break up of Winson and Ah Zi. I really like them together!!!! Why must they make Winson into a baddie so that Siu Sung can be with Ah Zi?!?!?!?! I definitely prefer Ah Zi with Winson. After confronting Winson, and confirmed his affair with Maggie, Ah Zi ran out. She wept really hard and I felt very sad for her.

Sam Yuen wanted to pacify Ah Fung after Ka Ka's death. She bought dinner for him and brought it to his office. She called him when she reached the station, asking him what he is doing. Ah Fung lied that he's still having a meeting. Actually he just doesn't want to go home and face Sam Yuen. Sam Yuen was sad that he lied. She said that since he finds it so hard to face her, they might as well separate for a while. The next day, Ah Fung went home early, he fixed the fused lamp at home and the leaking water pipe and bought some tonics for Sam Yuen's mother. Sam Yuen was really happy and thought that Ah Fung would start afresh with her. But Ah Fung carried a luggage case from the room and said that he would moved to his mother's house for a while. Sam Yuen wept. I think Joyce did this scene pretty well. I actually felt sad for her, hahaha I'm so fickle minded huh, just cursing her moments ago and now I felt sad for her.

The most "deserve my respect" character
Ah Fung without a doubt. Ah Fung is patient to listen to the children's problem, and tolerant to Sam Yuen's almost unbearable and unreasonable character. And though he's overwhelm with anger and hate for Ah On, he didn't abuse his power as a cop to kill Ah On. The scene where he was fighting with Ah On is really terrific. He was badly beaten by Ah On and almost couldn't get up anymore, but later he saw Ka Ka's toy robot and all of a sudden, he seems to have enough strength to kill Ah On. When Ah On was badly beaten up by him, he pulled out his gun and pointed at Ah On's head, wanting to shoot him to avenge Ka Ka, but he stopped. He thought of the vow he took when he became a police, that he would be a responsible policeman and do his best to protect the interests of the civilians. I came to admire him from the bottom of my heart after this scene. Oh yes there's the last scene too! Sam Yeun is trying to dismantle the bomb in Sa Sa's bag. Ah Fung's colleagues wanted to drag him away coz the bomb might explode anytime during the dismantling process, but Ah Fung took out his gun and pointed at his own head and shouted :"I'll kill myself if u all try to pull me away! They are my dearest, without them I don't wanna live anymore, our whole family will be together, life or death." Very touching!!

The "I Don't Quite Get It" Factor
How can Ah Zi love Siu Sung so quickly???? I think it's only months before she broke up with Winson and accepted Siu Sung. I really think it's a MAJOR flaw in the story coz from tape 1-13, we see the entire courtship process of Winson and Ah Zi, most fans would be attached to this couple, WHY WHY WHY must the scriptwriter separate them just so that Siu Sung is not alone. The only explanation I can find is maybe Ah Zi already love Siu Sung before she broke up with Winson, but it's kinda WEIRDDDDdddd! If I can choose, I would make Ah Zi wait for Winson, coz from the courtship, Ah Zi seems to really love Winson, and she seems like a devoted person. Having a change of heart so easily.....is......ARGHHHH

The cute factor
Ka Ka. I think Ka Ka is cuter than Sa Sa and that's why I was so sad when he died. Haizzzzz poor kid.

I find Winson rather cute too. I think it's Ellesmere! He's a bit chubby and looks really cute with the spectacles.

The hate factor
I would say Sam Yuen if I write this immediately after I watch the scene where Ka Ka died. But now having finished the whole serial, having cool down after watching Ka Ka's death scene........ I think I shouldn't be too harsh on Sam Yuen coz she's also a victim and she's also very sad over her son death. To err is human, to forgive and forget, time heal all wounds.

The most hateful person is actually MAGGIE!! That irritating and sadistic person. Poor Winson for being manipulated by her. She deserved to be killed.

The Cool Factor
The traffic police costume and the motorbikes!! Ada looks absolutely cool in the costume and bike!!!

Fav Couple
Ah Zi and Winson for the front part.....until Winson had an affair with Maggie. Though I know he has his reasons and he really loves Ah Zi a lot.....but all these cannot be excuses to do something unfaithful to Ah Zi! Poor Ah Zi. But I really enjoy their courtship process. Cute and sweet. The scene where Ah Zi visited him in prison was quite sad too. Winson told Ah Zi not to wait for him, he's not worthy of her love. He said that the deepest regret in his life is not being able to be with Ah Zi.........how I wish Ah Zi would wait for him!

Mistmatch Couple
Ada and Bobby. I like seeing Ah Zi and Siu Sung bicker, they do HAVE chemistry, but I wouldn't think it as a lover kind of chemistry, it's more of a buddy relation to me and I find it really weird to see someone so old like Bobby pairing up with Ada. In the serial, Siu Sung is buddy of Ah Zi's dad, so Ah Zi is something like a niece to him!! One generation gap ok! So weird to see them together!

Actually I think the only one that can ever match Bobby is Esther. I agree that their chemistry is unbeatable. It would be nice to have Esther back with Bobby and just let Ada be a new character who will be Bobby's best buddy.

If I'm the director, I would.......
1. Let Winson be a nice guy. And let him have a happy ending with Ah Zi.

2. Not let Sam Yuen be so unreasonable. And have more sweet scenes of Ah Fung and Sam Yuen. The main reason why I love AR was really because of Joyce and Marco, but in a way I feel sad that their part in AR3 is kinda little and once again the scriptwriter make Sam Yuen out to be quite unreasonable. Let her grow up please!

3. Prepare for an AR4 now!! hehehe

4. Let Joyce and Ada be more involved in the cases. Armed Reaction, in chinese is called Tou Qiang Shi Jie, meaning "Women carrying guns". But why is it that the only time the ladies are involved in the cases are when they are required as baits? (like the case where Ada posed as prostitute, and later she's the bait to lure another big robber out, and in AR2, Joyce was the bait to lure the psychopath killer) And when it's back to BIG cases, it's always back to Bobby and Marco? It really defeats the purpose of the title if you ask me. And why is it always the guys who save the girls? Like how Joyce's colleague shielded a bullet for her and how Bobby shielded a bullet for Ada. Are they trying to say that woman cops are not capable of defending themselves and always need guys to save them? It seems to be the message coming to me. So if there's an AR4, for goodness sake, make the female leads more mature, let them handle some big cases, let them be the witty ones who solved the cases, show us that women cops are as tough, if not better, than the male cops! I really like the scene in AR2 where Esther fought with the psychopath killer Ah Ping because previously I always see her as a weak cop not capable of handling big cases. But she proved me wrong in that case. I love it.

The Best Performance
Marco Ngai. When u see him weep u would agree with me.

Just one thing, I think Marco seems to have gained weight? And he is more tanned in AR3.

The Good Performance
Ada Choi. The first time I see her in a more light hearted role and one with a good ending. You know, Ada always seems to die in her serials, from Secret Of The Heart, to Healing Hands to HH2. I hope she would take more wacky roles and smile more often! She's so natural and cute in this role that I can feel that Ada became more energetic and young after taking this role! She over acts a little in some crying scenes, but she's very good in that breaking up scene with Winson. I can feel my heart ache with her as she wept.

Bobby is good as usual, funny and cute.

Joyce is good, despite my "dislike" for Sam Yuen. She cried really well in some scenes and I like her hairstyle in here better than the previous 2 AR, I mean when she let her hair down. Joyce looks very pretty and feminine with her hair down and cool in the traffic police suit! Oh yes, she dyed her hair too!

Why is AR3 better than AR1 or AR2
1. Funnier. I didn't think AR1 is funny at all. In fact I dislike any scenes of Bobby and Esther in AR1 and thought them as absurd and a waste of my time. Things were better in AR2 and I begin to see their chemistry and humor. But I prefer Ada and Bobby's humor in AR3.

2. The cases are better, more intelligent, a lot more exciting and enthralling scenes, more gun firing scenes, and I love the car racing scenes in the front part of the serial. I found them pretty exciting.

3. Cooler than AR1 or 2. This is because of the traffic police costume!!

Some recaps of the previous ARs
AR1: Why did I like AR1? Actually I'm not at all crazy about AR1, I thought it's a very normal police serial. If not for Joyce and Marco, I wouldn't like it at all because I found Bobby and Esther's part really ridiculously and a waste of my time.

My favorite scenes in AR1:
1. Sam Yuen just realized she loves Ah Fung, Ah Fung hurt his leg and Sam Yuen found all sorts of excuses to visit him everyday! Hahaha. Yet Ah Fung thought that she's just using him as an excuse to get near Joe Ma's character!

2. Sam Yuen stuffed durians into Ah Fung's mouth. He feared the smell of durian initially, but later he actually love them!

3. Sam Yuen was asked to be the bridesmaid. You know what a tomboy she was and she felt so strange wearing that bridesmaid dress and just when Ah Fung thought that she looks gorgeous in that dress, she fell down!!! HAHAHAHA.

4. After the wedding Ah Fung declared his love for Sam Yuen and kissed her. Very sweet.

5. Sam Yuen thought that Ah Fung is just using her as a substitute for his ex girlfriend and felt really sad. Later she and Ah Ngor got trapped in a freezing warehouse or something. By the time Ah Fung and Siu Sung arrived, they fainted. Ah Fung then expressed his love for her and proposed to her, saying something like "it's ok if you don't want to wear dress at the wedding, you can wear trousers...." really funny.

Ok how about AR2? I like AR2 much better than AR1 because not only do I enjoy Joyce and Marco's scenes, I have also came to like Esther and Bobby's pairing. Here are my fav or most remembered scenes of AR2:
1. Siu Sung gave Ah Ngor a voice dial handphone and both of them are playing happily with it. I really really really like this scene and this is when I started to like this couple. They are so mushy and cute. I love the way Ah Ngor would pinch and kick Siu Sung.

2. I can't really recall any sweet scenes of Sam Yuen and Ah Fung before Sam Yuen got raped. I just remember them always quarrelling when Sam Yuen was under Ah Fung. But I think the rape scene was a classic. Though it's not a fav scene, it's a most remembered scene. Later when Ah Fung wept at the hospital, he told Sam Yuen that he no matter what happens, he would love her just as much. Very sad. And I also remember the scene where Sam Yuen broke down in front of Siu Sung at the rooftop. It sort of shows how deep her relation was with Siu Sung. This is a bit lacking in AR3 I feel, because AR3 concentrated too much on Siu Sung's relation with Ah Zi.

3. Sam Yuen was afraid of having intimate moments with guys after she got raped. Siu Sung teaches Ah Fung how to create atmosphere. When Ah Fung tried to kiss her, she remembered how she got rape again, grabbed a vase and smashed it into Ah Fung's head. He's not seriously injured but Sam Yuen felt very apologetic, she suggested a divorce and Ah Fung said that she's his wife and not matter what happens, he would not divorce her.

4. Sam Yuen asked Ah Ngor to accompany her to the place where she got raped. She wanted to overcome her fear. Later that rapist appear again and Sam Yuen and Ah Ngor fought with him. This scene is great and I think it's the only scene in all the AR series that brought out the theme of the serial: "Policewomen carrying guns". It shows the might of the policewomen. They are not just a vase or wallpaper decorating the police stations! They can catch thieves too!

Rating
N/A

Interesting Point
There's a psychology test in the serial that I find it quite interesting. Try it!
A girl met a guy during her dad's funeral and she decided that the guy is the one she wants to spend the rest of her life with. When she went home, the first thing she did was to take a knife and stabbed her sister to death. Why did she do that?

Some people reasoned that the sister also likes the guy, so she killed her. Some said it's coz the guy loves the sister and not her......

Well........it's because she wanted to hold another family funeral so that she can see the guy again! It turns out that most psychopath criminals would give the same answer! So are u a psychopath?

Why would they give such an answer? It's because they have a low view in the value of life so they tend to take away innocent lives for the weirdest reasons.

The Ending
The ending is quite a typical AR ending.......a happy one but also one that left room for a possible AR4.

The serial ended with a wedding ceremony of Ah Zi's dad. Sam Yuen and Ah Fung reconciled and Sam Yuen was pregnant again. Meanwhile, Siu Sung was pressurized into proposing to Ah Zi. And Ah Zi said that she would marry him if he managed to catch the whistle and she threw the whistle really high up.

*THE END*

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Armed Reaction [TVB]

Written by Funn Lim


"Sure, it was worth it.I basically enjoyed the serial except for the ending, a bit anti-climax.But nice wedding gowns though."



SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!



This Is Not
The review for Armed Reaction II.

How Long
10 tapes/20 episodes

Who
Bobby Au Yeung,Esther Kwan,Marco Ngai,Joyce Tang,Yew Lok Yee,Chu Mi Mi

What & Where
Modern 90's comedy-drama about armed policewomen and their love lives.

The storyline
Esther Kwan is your Ngor Che(Sister Ngor),a typical happily married woman with a loving husband and a good boy as a son .Because of this,she is very dependant on her husband and very reluctant to move up the ladder of police force,preferring to be her secretary to the Chief Police of the station.However,things took an unexpected turn when her boss' wife thought that they were having an affair and transferred to her to the Patrol Unit and then things took the worst turn when her husband left her for another woman.From there on,she had to depend on herself on everything.Luckilly,she had Joyce as her companion and her friend.Joyce is your typical single tomboy who wants to make her mark in the police force and so,she applied to go for the test to bear arms,together with Esther.Sometimes,being too ambitious is her downfall because she is always at loggerheads with her superior,Marco Ngai,you typical super-cop.Then there is of course Bobby,who is single,unattractive and very influential in what he does for a living,as a crime expert,not your typical policeman.Anyways,everything is make quite complicated when they fall in love,and fall out of love when Bobby's old enemy returned to haunt him and thus,turning Bobby into a fugitive,and Marco as the one whob had to arrest him.Will Esther and Joyce accept this as their duty and just carry out their oath as policewomen and will tehre be a happy ending?This being a TVB production,you wojld realise that everything will turn out fine in the end.

What Does Bobby Really Do
In the world of police investigations,there are many experts who specialise in many areas of speliasations.For example,you have Dr Lip from Untraceable Evidence as your Medical Examiner,your Frank Black from Millenium as your crminologist/forensic pathologist,your NYPD Blue people as the detectives and Esther and Joyce as your CID.So what Bobby is here is a cross of all these people,He doesn't run after criminals but he examines the scene of the crime,and more specifically,his area of specialty is the guns and bullets.So he is you expert that tells you which guns was used and looking at the angle of the bullets and all,he could roughly tell you what really happened at the crime scene.But of course,he does have power of arrest.Even you as citizen have power of arrest.

The Unreal factor
Unreal in the sense that this will never happen in real police workforce.a couple working in the same unit.Because there are strong implications such as they cover for each other,so the relationship between Joyce and Marco will never happen.If it does,one will have to apply to be transferred to another unit.

The Most Unreasonable Character
Joyce's character.When her uncle,that is Bobby became a fugitive and a suspect in a crime that he never committed,Marco as the investigating officer must arrest him.It is his duty,and Joyce as the investigating officer must not be given access to that case in case of some hanky-panky that she may do.Anyway,Joyce was extremely angry with Marco for wanting to arrest Bobby and did arrest him.She stormed into his office in front of his subordinates demanding for an explanation,Esther coming in and begging him not to arrest Bobby.That I see as unreasonable.Of course being a relative to Bobby,it is reasobale for them to be acting as such but yet,they of all people should understand this is the duty of Marco to investigate and arrest on the roders of his boss. Storming into his office and screaming at him is the most unprofessional action by Joyce as his subordinates.This is why couples can never be in the same unit.

The How Come factor

How come Bobby ain't your typical policeman?
He was a long long time ago,but in the pursuit of this criminal that eventually made him into a fugitive,he was shot at his ankle and thus ended his career as a CID or whatever he was because he can no longer run fast and for long periods of time.That is why he became a specialist.

How come Esther's husband left her when they were so loving?
Simply,Esther was very dependant to her husband and her husband felt suffocated in such a relationship.So he left her for another woman who is less dependant and also because that other woman is pregnant.

How come Marco fell for Joyce?
You meant in real life?I don't know but if you mean in the serial,well simple.They both have the same interest,they both liked and loved the same football team,they both enjoy each other's company and they see each other everyday.Moreover,Marco's quite a dish and Joyce is quite pretty.So they are made for each other.

How come Esther fell for Bobby?
I find the attraction that Bobby felt for Esther is a bit too abrupt,too fast and I didn't even know when he began to feel for her,more so fell for her.But as for Esther,simple.If a man is willing to withstand insults from you,is a great father and friend to your son,willing to carry tons and tons of water up the stairs like some 10 floors right to the front of your apartment and never even let you knwo it was him(though you do know),and is as lovable and likeable as Bobby,why not would be my question to your question.

How come Esther has a 10 year old child?
Putting aside any questions about the reproduction systems of men and women,I would assume your wuestion would be how a young woman like Esther could ahve such a big child.Supposedly she married right adfter school,that is 18 years of age,why not would be my question to your question.
How come Esther and Joyce applied to bear arms? Joyce is because she always wanted to be a police woman and to bear arms.Esther is because she wants a promotion and she wants to prove to herself that she can do it.

How come Bobby is an uncle to a very adult Joyce?
Well,why not ?Supposedly Bobby's brother(who died a long time ago,leaving Chu Mi Mi a widow with 3 daughters) is like so much more older than Bobby.In fact,there is one scene that tells us that Chu Mi Mi was the one who took care of Bobby,so simply,my question to your question would be Why Not?

The I Don't Get It Factor
I don't get it and I never will.In real and reel life,there is always this situation where the husband found another and having the excuse like she is pregnant and so he left his wife and his children,in Esther's case,his ten year old child.Funny you know,because he left his wife and child for another woman with child claiming he has to be responsible to that pregnant woman.So who then is the wife and the child?What are they in his heart?If you left a wife without a child for the above excuse,perhaps it is legitimate but in Esther's situation,it is just an excuse by the man to leave her for another woman because he does not love her anymore.Period.The chikld was never in the picture,and in real life if a man says that to you,sue him for maintainance fee instead of just letting him go and then cry yourself silly.

Any Drama factor
Strictly speaking,this is both a drama and a comedy,and it is not a situation drama but plain drama,if you know what I mean.However,this serial does have it's dramatic moments,like Bobby being a fugitive,Esther almost shot to death,AMrco's arguments with Joyce,the conflict between Bobby and his nieces about the supposedly reformed crminal,the kidnapping of both Esther and Joyce and how the men would try to save them.Not dramatic until you would scream but will keep you interested,at least.

Some Complaints
This serial is supposedly about women who carry guns as policewomen but somehow I felt it's just a plain old love story.Nothing serious was dealt into and I felt it is a quite a disappoinment in this aspect where the main theme was not serously dealt with.They show us some training scenes as to how they got their rights to bear arms,shot a few shots but that's it.If this serial is to show how strong women can be,I seriously doubt that it shows us in the positive light.At the end,we have 2 guys very frantically trying to find the location of the missing and trapped and about to be frozen to death Esther and Joyce.I am not a feminist but I just wish that for once they don't try to show strong women who at ned is weak and needed saving.It would be nice if the men needed saving.Perhaps PArt II may deal with this issue.

The Most Compatible Couple
Joyce and Marco?yeah.Bobby and Esther?Yup!They have this unspoken chemistry you know,such electricity between them.However,I really do feel that I could see more flirtatious glances between Kong Wah and Esther in Lady Flower Fist than between Bobby and Esther in all their serials together.

The BEst Performances
Without a doubt,the very funny Bobby.He is very good especially when he semmed reluctant to do something,like he was reluctant to let Esther go when she told him that she does not like him .Of course,I liked Marco too,because he does look like a very fit and capable policeman and I must admit,this is one actor that though he is not that great in his acting,he never fails to entertain viewers with his borderlien acting abilities.He could be better and he has this moldable face,one secind he can be evil and another he can be nice.Esther is good as usual,and here you could see her with her very nice hair.Anyways,she could get a bit too dependant-ish in her acting skills,meaning she can be too feminine in her acting abilites that you can never see her as otherwise.

The Ok Performance
Joyce Tang and before you start cursing me,let me tell you why.She is ok,but she is not great.She can be a bit too carried away in her acting skills but she is fine here,though a bit too thin to look at.Anyways,maybe it's her character that I don't like,character meaning her role not her persona.She is pretty,and she could be irritating like she was as Ah Suet in Kindred Spirit or cold and aloof as in DIF IV,so she does have some skills and some moldable face if you know what I mean.This is not a criticsm because she can improve.I am not her fan,and I will never be but nevertheless,I see potential.The one role that she may not be able to do is those Charmaine Sheh type,softspoken and irritatingly feminine.

What Not To Expect
Intense romance between the characters,but there is this one intense kissing scene between Marco and Joyce.The only time I saw Bobby and Esther kissed was in that ultra-long and ultra-boring Recipe For The HEart and after seeing that,I was so glad that there isn't such scene in this serial.

Is it worth Renting
Sure,it was worth it.I basically enjoyed the serial except for the ending, a bit anti-climax.But nice wedding gowns though.

Rating
N/A

Interesting Facts
If I have written this month ago,it could've been Interesting Rumour but now it is a fact.It was during the filming of this serial that love blossomed between Joyce and Marco.For all the effort that they used to deny a relationship between them,in the end they're an item and I don't see any fans hurling insults and bottles at them.So I would say such wasted ingenuity to deny the fact of a relationship.

This was a hit,and further propelled Esther as Big Sis of TVB.Of course now,the Big Sis of TVB is Jessica Hester Hsuan.Anyway,I always see a change in teh Big Sis position but never in the Big Brother of TVb position,so Bobby is still your Big Bro Of TVb,shared with Nick Cheung,and the real Big Bro,Gallen Lo.

There is a sequel out now.I heard that the begining part of the sequal does not concide with the ending of the prequel.For example,in this edning,you see they married each other,well not really,rather they were wearing wedding gowns and all.But in the sequal,Joyce and Marco married BUT Esther and Bobby marrying is just a dream by Bobby and until many many trial and tribulations later,do they really get together.I see this as a weak point in the drama.They should just let things be but noooo!It had to be a dream.A cheap gimmick.I am not sure if II is a hit,but in my TVb rental place,a lot of people is wathing Armed REaction II.There will be a review later on the sequel.

Unimportant Stuff
The title,Armed Reaction,I quite like it,but it does not reflect the cantonese title,Tor Cheung Lui Ging,roughly translated as Arms Bearing Policewomen,which again does not reflect the true spirit of the contents of the serial itself.It should have been Armed Reaction : A Love Story.

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16 August 2000

Secret Of The Heart [TVB]

Written by Funn Lim


"The way he (Sunny) would run to Diana reminded me of how a dog would run to his master,eagerly and really fast.So he could be quite sad because well,no more Diana but the way he reacted when Jessica died was like,So What?!As long as Diana is ok."



SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!



How Long
60+ episodes

Who
Felix Wong,Gallen Lo,Amy Kwok,Cathy Chow,Nick Cheung,Ada Choi,Jesicca Hester Hsuan,Sunny Chan,Chun Pui,Wu Fung,Lam Hiu Fung,Yew Ying Ying and that annoying woman who can't act.

What & Where
Modern 90's drama made in 1997,set in HK.Basically,about love,hate,revenge and plenty of spineless men and really confused women.To be more accurate,it centres around the rivalry and bitter argument between two families,the poor Cheng and the super rich Kam.

Remember
Though the story may centre on Nick Cheung and his brother,Sunny Chan,the real hero in this story,in terms of screen time is none other than TVB's big brother,Gallen Lo.His character is not related to anybody in this serial,by blood but is very much involved by the ties of law.

The storyline
Very interesting really.It starts of with Gallen Lo being a gambleholic living in Canada,no use,spineless and really no class.But his story is not our focus here.The main focus is the one below.

You see,Mrs Cheng,many many years ago together with her husband Mr Cheng was quite comfortable in their little factory,until one day they did a good deed that turned into a nightmare.They rescued two persons,a man(Chun Pui) and a woman,who was his wife from the immigration authorities.Taking pity on them,Chun was offered a job at the factory.Being very 'grateful',he not only raped Mrs Cheng which he loved dearly,he went on to bankrupt the whole factory and bought it as his own and building his empire thereon from this pile of lies and deceptions.Then Mr and Mrs Cheng,together with their two daughters(Amy Kwok,Cathy Chow) ran away .Mrs Cheng discovered she was pregnant and gave birth to Sunny Chan who was actually Chun's son and the next year,she gave birth to her beloved Nick Cheung.She detested Sunny and tortured him,never physically but emotionally,giving him not love but contempt.Then one day,Chun's wife found her and knew that she gave birth to Chun's son.Having no son of her own,she wanted to adopt that son as her own,claiming Mrs Cheng died.Mrs Cheng could've given her Sunny but because her Nick was always sick and needed money for an operation she could never afford,being a very giving mother,she gave that son away and keeping the son she never wanted.Many many years later,as fate would have it,her Sunny(a very idiotic looking boy) grew up into a very naive but fine man,met and became friends with his boss,coincidentally Nick,who grew up to be an educated,refined and very gentleman gentleman.All was well and fine,until one day Chun wanted to sue the hell out of Sunny because of his dispute with Nick over something which I can't remember and dear Mrs Cheng blurted the whole secret out.From then on,Nick was never quite the same again and that I personally feel was the start of the real story of Secret Of The Heart.

So What About The Others?Just Ke-Le-Fe?
No,no they all play a very important and intergral part in this serial,it's just that they're not really the main theme in this story.To better illustrate my point,look below.

Amy Kwok
She plays the eldest sister,30 years old and about to be married until she discovered that her fiancee was actually two timing her.She didn't care at first but well,she realised that the man was not worthed it and she instead went and worked for Felix Wong.She fell for Gallen,then broke up because of Gallen's unforgettable love for Apple (Yew Ying Ying) who died,so that's the end of their love affair and they became the best of friends.Then she fell for Felix after many many wooing sessions by Felix,married him ,only to divorce him,went back to Gallen only to want to go back to Felix becuase Felix was in a pitiful state and then,at the end of all of this nonsense,she went back to Gallen.
Now,you may ask,what has she got to do with Nick-Sunny dispute?Well,some actually.She was the first one to make contact with her long lost beloved little brother whom they called B-Chai(Little B) and in one of the most touching scene in this serial,she told Nick how she remembered him when he was little and he couldn't quite recall.And of course,she was almost killed by Nick,went into a long coma,woke up and still,Nick could not be caught.But from there on,no more love between the siblings.

Cathy Chow
She plays the second daughter,a stewardess with Nick's company,extremely vain and very opinionated.But compared to Diana,she is like a saint because overall,she's a pretty nice girl.She fell for a poor artist,dumped him,hated Felix when she first met him but somehow,fell deeply in love with him.Too deeply in fact.When Felix failed to woo Amy,he went out with her and then,they broke off and Felix finally got Amy.On the night when they were married,Felix found out from Gallen that Cathy was about to give birth to his child.Confused and really shocked by the news,he tried to be a good father but Cathy somehow wanted more out of him.Though knowing that he is her brother in law,she would dress up and waited for him to come to her house and use the baby as a tool to get closer to him.When at last she felt that she could let go of her love for him,the sister found out about them,feeling betrayed ,went into hiding and wanted a divorce.During one time when they both found out where she was,they travelled with the baby only that their car was hit by a truck.Felix survived but Cathy and the baby did not.Poor Felix became the most hated person by the Cheng family but I really beg to differ.I'll tell you why further below.

Sunny Chan
The third in the family,his real surname is Kam and not Cheng but he will not know this until many many episodes later.A fine young man,never ambitious,never materialistic and very very naive(but I'll say Idiotic and sometimes really stupid).He grew up with his mom and sisters but was never ever loved by the mother,Mrs Cheng.He lived in the balcony turned into a room,tried to be the best son but well,the mom just couldn't stand the sight of him.He could be the best son,brother but really frustrating as a BF.He fell deeply for his goddess,Ada Choi,only to lose her to his own younger brother,Nick.So he settled for Jessica Hsuan,only to find out that he might have a second chance with her,but lost to a gangster.Then he finally does have a chance,he couldn't because there's Jessica.When finally Jessica's out of the way,when Ada finally realised that she loved him the most,he lost her to Mr Death.So,even at the end when he had all the money,all the power,he didn't and will never have his Diana aka Ada.Being a nice guy until the end,he didn't hate his brother.

Nick Cheung
A Cheng instead of a Kam,he was pampered and well loved by his adopted father Chun Pui and mom too.So he grew into a fine young man,educated and very confident of himself.But when he discovered that he is not a Kam,he didn't really change.He was still nice until one day,he noticed that his father's attitude kinda changed,the mom and sis ignored him.So he began to be more closer to the Cheng,but greed got the better of him.With his educational background,he could've leave HK and start a new life somewhere.With a mom,a bro and two sis that clearly loves him,he could've just be contented.With the undying love and support of Ada,he could've just married her and settled down for a life more ordinary.But he couldn't.He wanted more,he wanted money and he wanted power.And during one desperate time where he owed some people some money,he had to run to Taiwan and was cheated out of all his money by a so called friend.Desperate,he turned to the Taiwan Mob and worked for them.He schemed so much that you would begin to hate him rather than pity him.And in the end,he not only lost his money,company,parental love and the woman who loved him,he lost his own life in a scene which I have hoped to be much more dramatic.

Ada Choi
A China Mainland girl,materialistic but beautiful,she had marrying a millionaire as her ambition.So she spoilt her own good name though she never ever slept with them.Hotly pursued by Sunny,she felt nothing for him other than gratefullness.Then she met Nick and fell for him instantly.So money was a big attraction but if you see the earlier Nick,you too would have fallen to his charms coz he was so bloody nice.They were happy but Kam daddy wasn't.So he kinda brushed her aside.Then when he discovered that he wasn never a Kam,he went after Jessica for connection purposes and dumped Ada in the most ungentlemanly fashion.The thing with Jessica couldn't work out,and Ada was like gone becuase she by now have fallen for a gangster.Wanting her back to his side after he got all his money,he literally beat the guy to death and caused Sunny almost to go to jail.Wanting to catch this evil man,Ada sacrificed herself by pretending to want him back and became his mistress.But alas,he found out(only an idiot won't) and he beat her.Whether he killed her or not is still in dispute coz we never really see her dead.But with all the blood in the apartment,I would say Yeah,she's a corpse.But her corpse were never found.She could've been beaten half to death and then hid somewhere and probably starved to death,according to Kelvin Kam.

Felix Wong
The baby brother of Chun Pui,he hated his brother because dear brother fraudulently acquired a company belonging to his former fiance many many years ago.So he decided to strike it out on his own but failed miserably.With the support of Amy his ever loyal secretary,he rebuilt his empire and fell for Amy,rejected went to Cathy,then back to Amy,married and lied about the baby thing.Then as written above,when Cathy died,Amy and everybody could not forgive him.The thing is,I really do thing he is the most honourable character in this serial.So he may go a bit mad after he lost Amy to Gallen but he really thought Gallen lied about him kicking Gallen into the sea,attempting to kill him when it was actually Nick.He hated Gallen so much he harrassed him everyday.But when he found out that he was mistaken,he apologised and protected Gallen from an explosion,which he was blinded.So Cathy's dead but it wasn't his fault,not even a little.First of all Cathy deserved some blame for hoping for something that she could never ever have.Perhaps Felix should've told Amy the whole truth but he was afraid.But the real person to be blamed here is Amy herself.Why did she have to go into hiding?Why can't she act like an adult and talk it over instead of crying and screaming about her husband being unfaithful when he was not even given a chance to explain?Perhaps Felix should've just told the wife,and personaly adopted the son.The thing is,Amy would've still wanted a divorce and insisted that Felix be with Cathy.But how can one force love?

Gallen Lo
A character that is not the main theme here but is central somehow because all the things we see is seen through his eyes and perception.Living in Canada,he was a gambleholic.He cared for no one,not even dear Apple who would give him anything,even money to gamble it all off.Then one time when Apple begged him not to gamble anymore,he went to place bets whilst Apple was begging him not to in front of everybody.So she left him(for a very honourable reason) and went back to Canada.He stayed and realised he missed her,became a salesman and worked hard to earn enough money to go back and propose,only to find her engaged to someone else.Dejected,he went back to gambling until Amy came to his rescue.He changed into a better man and fell for Amy and vice versa.But things couldn't work out when one day he found out that Apple left him not because of another man but because she was dying of cancer.And she was on her deathbed in Canada,Gallen blamed himself for her loneliness even at death,and well,Amy had to just wait like until the last episode to be reunited with him again.Then he was the one who started this really big mess with Felix.During one time when he was really drunk and he was in the midst of rivalry with Felix,Felix walked away but Nick came and kicked him into the sea,almost drowning him.He thought Felix did it but didn't really hate him.But poor Felix had to go to jail for a crime he never committed.So Felix gave him a hard time and the last straw was when Wu Fung,his father was beaten almost to death.Then many things happened,and because Felix lost his eyesight for him,they forgave each other and became good friends.In the end,he went back to Amy.

Chun Pui
Mean old man who moulded his own adopted son,Nick into as unscrupulous as he was.Later he got his own medicine,by having Parkinson's disease.However much he was hated by his own little brother,when he was sick,Felix forgot all the bad blood between them and came back to try to rescue the company.Somehow,you could never believe a man like him could've a son like Sunny.

Mrs Cheng
Finally,the woman who should have kept her big mouth shut.She was the cause of all the mess.But a mother,however much she hated her son could never see Sunny go to jail so she had to tell the truth to Chun Pui so that he will let him go.She should've chosen another road.She should've just go that man,begged him,seduce him a little coz the man loved her dearly.But nooooo!She told the truth and so Nick's future was destroyed in one day and because of one sentence and that was the start of the domino effect.I hated this character and I hated this actress.

The Most Unimportant Characters
Wu Fung,Lam Hiu Fung and the rest of the gang that is here just for completion sake of this review.

The Most Pitiful Character
You might say Nick's Kelvin Kam but I would say,after a while,no.I mean,pitiful for a while ,yes but look at it this way.LIVE ON lar!So what you lost all the money?Still have Diana,mom,brother,sisters,friends.After what he did to Diana,you would hate him.

You might say Sunny's Ka Hung who lost his beloved Diana.But the way he treated Jessica,I just don't like him.

Jessica perhaps?Yep,quite pitiful.Not only lost her own family,her brother,then she very bravely lived on,and very independant.And Sunny had to like run to Ada whenever Ada had a slight problem like toe nails too long.And poor Jessica,sick with high fever and BF who clearly loves another wasn't there.And then she was murdered by Nick.And you know what?Sunny didn't even mourn for her death like he did for Ada.S.O.B.

Ada's Diana?Definately.So she was really mean at first,but however mean,she was never evil and to lose her life the way she did,is a bit surreal to me.Cruel to some.
But I would say that if she had been more careful,maybe she would be ok.

Why you may ask?
In one of the most embarrassing and most idiotic scene in TV history,apart from Flaming Brother's failure of comprehending what is meant by good editing skills,there is this one scene where Diana planted a camera to record Kelvin typing his password in the computer in his study roon.When he was sleeping,she went to retrieve it.That you might ask,since he is like working in the morning,why not retrieve it then?Of course,being a spy camera you might have expected something smaller or hid in somewhere more secluded,more hard to be seen.But well,the camera she used was a big old model camcorder,hid right in front of his view on top of a book shelve,in a big BIG box with a BIG BIG hole.I mean,only a blind guy could not see it.If Diana was ever a spy,she would have died a thousand times!

The Most Saddest Character
Also the Most Honourable Character who would be Felix Wong.Honourable because he is a man with principles.If he was wrong,he would say he is sorry.Unlike Gallen who never said sorry for Felix's jail time.Saddest because he lost his eyesight.Being a vivacious and a man full of energy,losing his eyesight would be like dying.That is why I would say he is the saddest character.More so when wife is in love with another man.

And Cathy's character also.In love with a man who didn't love her.Sad.

The Most Irritating Character
Amy Kwok's character.Ok,so you might say the most beloved but I would say because she was so bloody unreasonable to Felix,she became irritating after a while.And I would still say that she caused Cathy's death,so you can get that gun of yours away from my temple.

And Sunny too.The way he would run to Diana reminded me of how a dog would run to his master,eagerly and really fast.So he could be quite sad because well,no more Diana but the way he reacted when Jessica died was like,So What?!As long as Diana is ok.I really hate this wimp.And he's an idiot too.But I must admit,you will never find a naive idiot like him in the world anymore.So unrefined but terribly loyal to his mother that never ever loved him.Best as son and brother.Never be his GF unless you're Diana.

The Most Difficult Person To Be...
The writers.With so many up and cmoing stars of TVb,who to kill and who not to kill?Sigh!!!!

The Most Hated Character
The mother,Chun Pui and of course,Nick's Kelvin Kam.

The Best Scenes
Every scene that involves Nick.

The Worst Scene
None really noteworthy.But I would say the worst acting here is by that Mrs Cheng.She can't act,and the way she talks is like she needed big gulps of oxigen.She is worst of course in Happy Ever After but that doesn't mean she is ok here.She should just either go back to acting classes,stop breathing so deeply or perhaps just retire.

Most Favourite Pair
Plenty of pairs in here.But I would say none for me.The love plots is much too confusing to me.

Best Perfromances
Definately Nick Cheung who became a somebody after this serial.He may have over acted in some scene,you could even see his veins on his neck bulging out,but he is the reason that makes this serial so interesting.And Gallen Lo.He was never a good actor before this one but somehow,he must have found out how to act really well.So his character is a bit weak in characterisation,and you might hate his actions but his performance is superb.Ada Choi who I never really liked but her performamce here is very good,though she could do something about her voice.Or maybe it's her accent.

Why Do I Hate This Ending
So it was a happy ending,for some.But I would've wished for a more dramatic death for Nick,as dramatic as Ada's.I mean,something fell on him,went into a coma for 3(?) years,woke up to talk about some rubbish that we never heard as viewers and then died?Very very anti-climax.

If I Were The Writers I would
Change the death ending for Nick.He deserved to be shot to death looking like a beehive, go to jail and tortured to death.Or die of some incurable disease with the maximum of suffereings and toruure.Something really horrible for him.
And give Felix a woman.He deserves one.

Is Kelvin Kam A Rebel With A Justified Cause ?
Well,can't really say yes or no because he does have his reasons for his 'insanity'.But let us compare,and then we see the verdict.

Let us now compare his reasons for his evil deeds with some notable bad boys (or good boys) of ATV/TVB-dom.

Please be noted that all the characters below had either killed or caused someone's downfall or someone's misery in their respective schemes or purpose.

Ming Chi Kitt in Flaming Brothers
He wanted money,he wanted power and he wanted to be better than his brother,Lei Siu Tin,in terms of position. So he killed.Justified?Maybe for someone who was so poor,having tasted riches he would have wanted more.And since everybody was so discouraging in his effort and he wanted to do it the fast way,killing would be the way.

Yong Zheng in Secret Battle Of The Majesty
He wanted to be the Emperor of China.So was he justified to kill his brothers,strangle his own father ?I would say,Yes.

Lau Ching Wan in The Greed Of Man
He caused the deaths of Ting Hai's four sons.Justified?Looking at how his own family was thrown off the building by those evil people,I would say definately.Revenge is always a legitimate reason,more so you want to avenge for your family's deaths.

Lui Jung Yin in Return To The Truth
He wanted to catch up on his lost years the fast way so he deceived and killed his own mother.Justified?No.He could've got all those money without even killing for he was already the most beloved son of his very rich mother.

Lei Chi Hou of Kindred Spirit
He was greedy and he wanted more so he married a woman he never loved,deceived,schemed and almost killed Lui Fong,twice.Justified just for cash?With a man of his brains,he could have make it on his own,so a definate no.

Yang Guo Jung of Legend Of Lady Yang
He wanted power,he wanted money so he deceived and mistreated people on his way to be a Prime Minister to Tang Dynasty's Lei Long Kei.Justified?Sometimes no so he deserved his ending.He could've been loyal to the King.But sometimes,he had no choice because in order to protect his own life from the enemies he made,he had to have more power and the only way to do so is to kill,kill and kill.So maybe is my answer.

Little Swallow and her gang in Huan Zhu Ge Ge II
Here,their deception of the King in their little scheme to rescue the Xiang Fei out of the palace to be reunited with her lover is the most frivolous thing I have seen on TV.To lie to the father who so dearly love them is like treason to me.Xiang Fei was a gift from her country to settle a dispute and for a peace treaty.And they want her to leave the King?Even if the King wanted to it would be sign of great disrespect for the Xiang Fei's birth counrty and could be seen as a breach of a peace agreement and could start a war.So this gang,though with the best of intentions never really could think beyond the term,love.So I would say,it is never justified to put a country at risk.

Tong Sam Jong in Journey To The West
Yes,even a noble monk such as this one in his aim of going to India for Mankind have caused the sufferings of some people,notably his own disciple,Monkey King.He even deceived Monkey King into wearing that gloden thing on his head and giving him headeachs.Justified?Definately,for mankind,any schemes that does not involve killing an innocent life is justified.Of course,Monkey King deserved it.It was his punishment and his way of redemption for his sins by protecting this monk and becoming his slave,bodyguard,waiter,servant,student,disciple,advisor,companion all the way to India for 15 years.

So,is Kelvin Kam's actions justified?
It is never justified to kill for money.Life is much more precious than that.He should've accompanied Tong Sam Jong to India,so then maybe he'll understand the true meaning of purpose in life.

Is it worth Renting
You want drama?You want action?You want love?You want to be so emotional watching serial that you could almost scream?GO NOW AND RENT THIS ONE.You might love it,or hate it but you have to admit,it's pretty good.

Is is BETTER than?
Similiar family -revenge-sibling rivalries drama?Mostly yes but still,Looking Back In Anger,Greed Of Man,Flaming Brothers,Secret Battle,Return To The Truth were better in every sense.

Interesting Facts
This serial was a big big hit,so big a bit that they added 2 episodes to the original ending.Gallen won the most popular actor award,Nick Cheung for Best Newcomer and Ada even won, but being too happy,she thanked everybody in Healing Hands instead of this one.But Healing Hands won Best Drama.

Nick Cheung became like so famous that he can now carry his head high instead of being called Mrs Kwan Wing Ho.Another example of a villian role that gave so much more exposure than a good guy role.And Ada gained more fans.

There was this special discussion 1 hour show before the ending was shown in HK where the casts discussed their roles.Ordinary people felt that Kelvin is the most pitiful character and they all felt that what he did was justified.Many felt that he should die by being shot to death by the police with machine guns,or caught and sentenced to life imprisonment(which never ever happens in this kind of serial).

About the love pairs,many felt that Sunny's Ka Hung could be the best son/brother but really bad as a husband.Though Ada personally felt that she would want a guy like Ka Hung as her BF,most ordinary people said that Ka Hung is way too idiotic,wimpish and really weak to be a good and dependable BF.Surprisinghly,many felt that the characters of Amy Kowk and Felix Wong should have an ending as a married pair instead of Gallen with Amy as some thought that Felix is much more compatible with her.And finally,everybody agreed that Felix's character is a man of principles,a man of honour.That I agree wholeheartedly.

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18 April 2000

At The Threshold Of An Era [TVB]

Written by Funn Lim


"Most Often Quoted Line : Mostly by Yip Wing Tim but also quite often by everybody else would be either ,"Don't worry,I know what to do" or "Don't worry,I know what I should do",when really,they don't know what to do and what they should really do,if not where can we have all this drama.And yet,if none of all this drama,where then do we have entertainment value in this serial? "



Also Known As
Epic Drama / 100 episodes drama

How Long
First 50 episodes/First 25 tapes

Who
Gallen Lo Ka Leung - Yip Wing Tim
Sunny Chan Kam Hung - Hui Man Biu (Michael)
Roger Kwok Chun Onn - Ma Chi Keung
Nicky Wu Chi Lung - Yip Wing Hang (Joe)
Louis Koo Tin Lok - Cheung Chi Lik
Michael Wong - Barry
Chun Pui - Yip Hau Lai (Howard)
Kenix Kwok Hoi Ying - Sum Wing Yan (Ivy)
Flora Chan Wai San - Fok Hei Yin (Helen)
Maggie Siu Mei Kei - Pang Chi Wai (Tina)
Ada Choi Siu Fun - Ting Ling
Lisa Wong Ming Chuen - Fong Kin Ping(Lisa)
Grace Ip - Yip Nga Man
Florence Kwok Siu Wan - Ho Pui Kei(Sandy)
Lam Kei Yan - Sabrina

What & Where
Spanning from 1990 to 2010,from HK to Taiwan to Philippines to China to Macau,this serial is predominantly about the business of real estate and the property market(buying and selling of land) and the effect it has on one man and the effect that this one man has on everybody else.

Huh?!
To put it simply ,or to be more accurate,this is how I see the premise of this serial.To say that it is about real estates and business dealings will be true but could be quite misleading.This serial is actually about human actions,decisions and the effect of these decisions has on various characters,good or bad it does not matter. It is also about one man's quest to be,to put it simply,bloody rich.So along the way,you could see a lot of dirty tactics,not-so-noble decisions and really selfish characters that somehow,has some sort of a spell on some really unselfish characters.So I would categorise,if you really want me to do so,this serial not as an Epic Drama (because I see nothing epic about it) but rather,a situation drama.More often than not,in this serial,you'll ask on behalf of the characters,"If I do this,what will happen?If I don't,what could I do?If I want this,what must I do to achieve it?".

Why Not Epic Drama
Some of you may disagree but the way I see it,a drama set in the modern times and is predominantly about the rise of ONE tycoon and its effect on OTHER tycoons and women in their lives is rarely an epic to me.Epic,in my definition would be something like Romance Of Three Kingdoms,a sense of hugeness,bigness ,meaningful and something dangerous lurking everywhere,that will not only cost the lives of few people,but the fate of a nation,where you could see plenty of noble and not so noble men and women and plenty of strategies.More importantly,though the length of time rarely matters nor is the number of generations past ever matters,an epic must be something spanning a wide variety of people but with a one mission,for the betterment of their purpose,usually nation/kingdom.So an epic would be about wars,struggles for the throne,to help mankind(ala Journey To The West),stories about the sturggles of few generations through the worst of times in a land .So for these reasons,I do not see this present serial reviewed as an epic.

What This Serial Isn't
It isn't Journey To The West.It does not even embody the spirit or the reasonings in Journey To The West,so do expect to be horrified and do not expect to feel good after watching this serial.And this serial must never ever be a learning tool to the philosophy of life and how to deal with certain things. Mybe I am a bit too preachy here,well then,just enjoy.

The storyline
Being 100 episodes long,you would expect a really long storyline.But rather,I find the storyline rather short and extremely repetetive.So here goes. This story starts with Gallen in year 2010 HK,recalling his past and admitted his mistakes but nevertheless never regretted his actions.And what actions?All in flashback mode,we see Gallen,Sunny and Roger and three best friends since school days.What started out as best friends became partners in a developer business to bitter rivals in both love and business and ultimately,hatred for one another.There are a whole lot of other characters that revolves around these three characters,that if not for their perspectives,the actions of particularly two characters,ie Sunny and Gallen may seem unjustified and unreasonable.They gave us a different view to their corrupted dealings with corrupted officials,and as they go deeper into their business,they also go deeper into the world of corporate crimes,murder,betrayal and ultimately,the ruin of their friendship.Could they then redeem themselves?

For Clarification sake
You're probably confused after reading the storyline which will not be much anyway,there are some things that you must know.This reviewer herself is sometimes confused with the relationships(but never the plot),more so you who have not watched it.So for clarification sakes,below is a list of characters and their function in this serial.

The Main/Principle Character
As mentioned above,there are three characters,Sunny,Roger and Gallen.But the one true main character in this serial is Gallen's Yip Wing Tim.Every action that he does will somehow affect everybody that is either directly or indirectly associated with and to him.Every action by others will somehow be because of Gallen's actions or inactions.So basically,or even if I were to say detailed analysis,this serial is about one man's journey out and back to his conscience,that is Gallen Lo's character.

The Secondary Characters
The other two important characters in this serial that is more to giving excuses for actions by Gallen or justifications for his selfish acts and to lend more credit/discredit to Yip Wing Tim would be Sunny's and Roger's characters.They were best friends,but through many problems and circumstances created by they themselves,they became bitter rivals.But the serial does not revolve around them but without them,this serial will basically be a whole lot more "empty".

The Supporting Casts
Both literally and figuratively,would be the three main women in Gallen's life,Flora,Kenix and Ada.All of them are from different backgrounds,Flora a career woman(lawyer),Ada an independant woman (Dancer) and Kenix a dependant girl next door.But they all have a few things in common,they're all the nicest girls that you can encounter in TV-Dom,they're polite,soft and nice and theyr'e all madly,truly and deeply in love with one man,Gallen.Though Flora married Michael,Kenix married Sunny and Ada dating Louise,they all somehow could not forget their extreme affection and devotion to Gallen.And as always,in a serial that long,they must have love plots/interests,so these three provide plenty of these storyline.But though I am not a feminist,and of course never a chauvinist,I find the characterisation of these three women a bit distasteful,especially Kenix and Flora.Of course it is great to see women being protrayed as someone nice and gentle,but I am sick and tired of seeing them as supporting casts,in terms of screen time and their functions in this serial.To say that they're mere wallflowers would be too much but yet,that is what they are.Their needs and their wants caters around one man,Gallen,If he's sad/happy,they would be there,standing next to him, ever present presence,never a mind of their own.It is rare indeed to see an independant woman,with an agenda and a mind of their own,standing next to these men,not Beside or behind them.

Other less important characters that is a must for this serial
That would be characters such as Chun Pui,Kok Fung,Lisa Wong,Maggie Siu,Nicky Wu and others that has less screen time than above characters but is still pivotal to the plot.They provide further reasons and show us the aftermath of Gallen's actions,or to lend more plot and depth to the plot.With them,the plot sizzles a little more but without them,the plot would be meaningless,because there would be too much gaps.

Other less important characters used to fill in the necesarry blanks
Blanks as in some roles to show that these people exist,such as the parents of the characters,assistants,mistresses,etc who though aren't that important but is still privy to the plot.Usually,to lend more affection to the plot,to show us the more human side of these characters.

Totally unnecessary characters
Frankly,in a TV Serial there aren't any characters that are totally unnecessary.Everybody has a role to play,big or small will somehow fill in some minute gaps in the plot.So for this little section,there are no such characters.

How Come ...?
If you have some points that you still do not get,below is a list of such nagging questions.

Gallen's character hates Chun Pui?
Chun Pui is actually the younger brother of Gallen's father,so he is his uncle.He is rich but his fortune is built on the misfortune of others,especially his own brother's where they were once partners but because they built a building not to the standard of the rules and regulations of property laws,Gallen's father was jailed(he was the architect) and Chun Pui was not(he was the developer).Having destroyed Gallen's father's life,Gallen harbours an extreme hatred for the Yip family,which also includes Nicky Wu,who is his first cousin.The second reason,other than from the fact that he wanted to be rich,for wanting to be big in real estates is to avenge for his father's humiliation.But instead,Gallen got humiliated several times by Chun Pui,and later on became a dog for Kok Fung.That is the price to pay to suck up to the rich and powerful and Gallen knew how to play the game well.As for his own father,he did not really hate Chun Pui since it had been years but still,the relationship was never quite the same again.

Kenix Fell For Gallen's character?
The more appopriate question would be,how come all the women,below 30 and not related to him would fall so deeply for Gallen's character?This is one question that I can't answer because I really do not know.What baffles me is what do these women see in Gallen?For instance,take Kenix character.I can't see why she fell for a man who cheated the life savings out of her cancer-ridden mother and never even apologised for it?Why would Ada fall for a man that she met only for a day and weeks later left her alone in Taiwan and never even said Hi for years later?Why would Flora,an intelligent career woman fall for a man who could break laws like he made the laws?What do they all see in him?Perhaps they may have seen something that we don't,something good in that man.I must admit,he is a very determined man,who is willing to even sacrifice his own honour and integrity for the possibility of success,so it is understandable why these kind of men should succeed.But this is only so when you really look him hard into his eyes and you might have to squint your eyes to see that one goodness in him.This is the failure of the plot,because they rushed so fast into these love storyline that they forgot to tell us why.And the fact that they never forget about him is almost dumbfounding to me when they have better men besides them.Perhaps,women can never forget their first love,but from the chemistry between the man and the women,I see nothing intense,so I am still scratching my head over this question that has no answer,except the writers themselves.Perhaps,love is blind but to have three blind women is really too much!

Maggie left Sunny and went with Nicky?
Maggie is one of the two most independant characters in this serial,and the fact that though she had been steady with Sunny for years,after being accused of being involved with a man she only thought of as a friend and boss,of course any reasonable and successful woman would have left.But is it for a better man is the more pertinant question?Earlier I would say No but later,Yes.

Sunny became evil overnight?
Not evil,but really bad.As Claire has argued below,she finds it unbelievable why Sunny would be so suddenly,like that of the character of Lok Hiu Fung in Burning Flame.She went on to say;

"He has been living an honest, although, struggling life, and after one unfortunate event, he made a 180 degrees turn and stand on the opposite end of his former character. Having studied psychology, I know that an individual's personality doesn't change overnight and it's rare to see any change at all. The way humans view life and act is solely based on the many years of experience they have nurtured due to family, work, school events that may or may not affect them. You learn how to read, write, talk, walk, act, and basically socialize over a long extended period of time, in fact, you're actually learning all your life. So, when you suddenly done something out of your character, you'll be shocked at first, but you don't change suddenly, it takes many more learning experiences to compel you to change the things you have believed and learned all your life. Like the old saying goes, "you can't change a man overnight." "

As Men Tze has said," All Men are born innately good",and unbringing plays an important and pivotal role in shaping that goodness to be much more or worst,to break that goodness.So I too do agree with Claire's observation over Sunny's descend into murders,crime and selfishness was way too fast and all of a sudden.PErhaps the serial should have allocated more time to this one character but is is justifiable.I have never studied psychology but I have read books on philosophy,and there is this saying that chinese could have adopted it as national anthem,"Change with the times" and "Desperate Times Calls for Deperate MEasures",which is exactly why Sunny acted as he did.Though our upbringing plays an important part in the shaping of our charater,I do believe in every person there is this moral integrity that one impose on one self,formed by years of learning and social conditions.It acts like a check on our actions,such as Gallen's moral integrity is a bit low so his actions does not kill his conscience that much.Roger had a higher limit and so he lived his life as an honest man.But as I have said above,Sunny had a high limit but because of several events that tested this limit,he chose to break such a limit and from there on,no one act is governed by such a moral integrity that he had once voluantarily imposed and voluntarily broken,however much you would argue that he was forced by circumstances.Could man be forced into hedious acts because of such circumstance?Maybe but again,a man could choose not to commit such acts made by circumstances.It is a matter of self control.So when that self control, is no longer there,a person can turn into anything and do any act that is totally unexpected of them.So I could understand how come Sunny could change so fast in such a short time.But its great pity though,I liked him.

Nicky and Helen never became a pair?
They were almost a pair,but Flora's mother(Lisa Wong) married Nicky's father(Chun Pui) so by law they're siblings in law.So being siblings,there is a taboo against such relationship.Which is the most ridiculous thing I have heard so far.You can marry your cousin who shares some DNA with you and yet you can't marry someone who is entirely not related to you by blood?This is just one of the most convenient ways for writers to kill off a very interesting would-be relationship.

Gallen has all the women and none for the others?
The more accurate question would be,How come Gallen got to have some women first and still have them in their hearts?As explained above,I don't know.His character is not the debonair,attractive,devil may care attitude.That I see in Nicky.He is not the nicest,sweetest and gentlest man.That I see in Roger.He is also not the most calm,cool and reasonable character.That I see in Sunny before he went over to the dark side.So what is so great about this poor,unattrative and emotionally selfish man?His dedication?His extreme hard working-ness?They also go to show how mean and unsruplous he could be.I really don't know.

Gallen Can't Commit To One Woman?
The woman he is involved with will eventually marry another and go back to him.But how come he could lose them in the first place?I don't know.For a man so committed in his quest for his first golden pot ,it is quite unbelievable he can't be committed to a woman.Not to say that he is flamboyant,it's just that he won't give himself entirely to that woman,thinking he would hurt them more if he did.But yet,he hurts them more by leaving them and thus compells them to someone that they don't love entirely.A very selfish man.

Kenix died?
She was shot towards the end of the first 50 episodes,clutching Gallen and baby.How she was so,watch for yourself.Frankly,it is just to add more sentimental factor to this serial.

Sunny Died?
Again,see for yourself.I would say this is to add to Redeem Thy SOul By Death factor.

So many older women falling for younger men plot?
I don't know.This is beginning to be the latest trend form TVB,sex before marriage,one night stands,murders without concsience,justification with lame excuses after some terrible crimes,older women falling for younger men.I am not complaining,but it does reflect the social values of Hk today.

The Most Likeable Character
You might say Roger?Sure!But I liked Sunny's character,and I just hate it why he could become a villian.Why can't he be a neither here nor there villian?Why must he be 100% villian?Why can't it be Gallen?Sunny has the most dramatic character to play,an honest man with integrity and then a man that loss more than he has gain.Why?!

The Nicest Characters
Also my vote for The Most Unbelievable Characters and The Most Hopefully It Exists but Never Will chacraters would be Roger Kwok and Kenix Kwok.They're so nice that some may say they're stupid,but I would refer to them as naive and always giving.With a guy,this is fine but as this serial clearly illustrates,nice guys never gets the best girls,whilst bad boys like Gallen got not one but three nice girls and he lost them all of course.And kenix's character would have my vote as the Least Favourite Character,She tried to be strong after her mother's death and quite pitiful really,no family and an orphan and the man she loves gave her false hope and then married a scum and then got jailed and killed.But before all that,she seemed like she had no friends then all of a sudden,her world revolves around a small cirlcle of friends and then of course Gallen.She tried to be strong but actually,though she may have the kindest heart amongst all characters,she is also my vote for being the most naive and eventually,stupid stupid girl.She almost became a bankrupt for Gallen's sake,she stood by him eventhough she knew he called the police to capture the illegal workers when he had no money to pay their salaries,and yet she would look at him with such devotion,it is as if she is under his spell!It is the most illogical character and it was nice to see her with Sunny.

The Strongest Characters
Liza Wong and Maggie Siu.They give womenhood a good name for being and having a mind of their own,strong,opinionated and could stand right next to a man and still be feminine and holding their own ground.I want to see more of such characters. Also the Most Honourable Character who would be Felix.

The Most Hated Character
You may say Sunny,some may say Chun Pui,some may say Kok Fung,some may even say everybody else but I personally feel nothing for Gallen's Yip Wing Tim.And I hated him at first.He gives good decent man a bad name.

The Best Scenes
Being so long,I can't remember any best scenes or any favourite scenes.

The Worst Scene
Some scenes are totally way too long,unecessary and just to fill in the time,like reflection of ones actions scenes.Or the scenes where we have a distraught Gallen and Flora running after him,comforting him.I mean,PUH-LEASEE!That man deserves a slap on his face.Why can't there be a woman,who would just ignore him like his own sister who would scream at him and tell him that his actions are wrong.

Most Favourite Pair
Plenty of pairs in here. But personally,I liked Kenix-Sunny.Don't ask me why.

Best Performances
Surprisingly (or maybe not),the veteran actors that are the ones who gave strong peformances,like Chun Pui,Kok Fung and even Lisa Wong,though there are some scenes where she is a bit pretentious in my opinion.Sunny is fine,Roger is absolutely adorable and Gallen as always,is good.I would have strangled his character if not for Gallen's fine performance that somehow,you know that this man is redeemable. But the one I really never thought great was Nicky Wu.Frankly,his character I really like at first.He is flamboyant and he does have some emotional depth,HE gave a strong performance though there may be overacting at some time.

Not The Best But Still OK Performances
The other women,Flora,Kenix,Ada and everybody else not mentioned above.Kenix is getting too good at playing goody two shoes .Ada is ok,but there are some scenes where she overacts,which spoils the fun.And Flora?Many people praised her protrayal of Helen.I personally find her Helen a bit too soft,and too tolerant.And a bit too young for the actress' age.She does overacts sometimes,and then underacts in some scenes.And then there are some scenes she seemed a bit dazed,af if she weren't concentrating at all,or trying too hard like speaking Japanese.She could still improve.All of these actresses could improve in fact,but frankly,they aren't that great.

Worst Performances
By an actor/actress,the parents of Gallen Lo's character.They're two veteran actors that can't act,either with their body or with their voice,almost monotone.Luckilly,their scenes are few.And Michael Wong.I can't stand his 8 words of chinese,2 words of English routine with his little chicken voice and half baked acting skills.Looks aside,this man is just too bad for this serial that he deserves some mention in this category.

By a single act by an actor with an actress,that would be all the kissing scenes.I'll say,either you do it right or don't do it at all.Probably only Sunny could kiss decently in all his serials but the rest,men and women kissed like it is a torture to them.I see no passion nor affection in their kisses,which is all bland and not sexy at all.Perhaps they should take kissing classes with their love ones,or better yet,be a bit more professional and throw away any shyness and restriction and JUST KISS.

Most Often Quoted Line
Mostly by Yip Wing Tim but also quite often by everybody else would be either ,"Don't worry,I know what to do" or "Don't worry,I know what I should do",when really,they don't know what to do and what they should really do,if not where can we have all this drama.And yet,if none of all this drama,where then do we have entertainment value in this serial?

If I Were The Writers I would
Add a woman-villain.I have yet to see a woman as the main character,more so women as villians.It will be interesting to see a woman tycoon,who did a lot of bad things to get to the top for revenge.It is always the men.IS revenge in the business world only for boys?
Shorten the whole serial.Decrease the implausibility of the plot.In fact,I would scrap the whole idea of making this one and just reserve this "Epic Drama" or 100 episodes drama for better story like historical stories like Water Margin,Japanese Invasion to China,Revolution in China,Romance OF Three Kingdoms or even,a storyline that will span three generations,not this one where it is a story that spans more than a decade and involved that only one generation.

If I Were The Directors,I would
BE more consistent.Since they're already that consistent in what the characters carry for a handphone,give them the model of cars,suits and hairdos for those back in 1990.

So,Is It Worth Renting
One word after the . symbol. NO.

Why This Serial isn't a HUGE success
As I have explained earlier,and again just two lines above,it is understandable why this serial rarely garnered above 30 points and therefore,for all the budget invested in making and promoting it,it was a flop to my standards.Compared to smaller productions,it clearly lacked charm.What it had plenty of is BIGNESS.Big explosion scenes,big car chase scenes,big death scenes,big rape aftermath scenes,big murder scenes,that so much bigness that they forgot about the little and small things ,like a gripping storyline.The characterisation,though plenty of them and is explained adequtely over 50 episodes,and further explanation with 50 more episodes,it does not however reflect on the character itself.It's just one dramatic event after another,one tragedy after another,one misfortune after another,one heartbreak after another,but yet there isn't much of a spirit in it.There is so much description of some things but they forgot about the most important thing of a story;what is the point that you're trying to convey.PErhaps you may argues,well it conveys a message like be good,etc.The thing is,we and this review is reading too much into the serial itself.Take away everything,all you are left with is the usual bitter rivalry-revenge storyline.Pure entertainment value,and lack substance.Plus them all in like the serial itself,you have one long LONG soap opera situation(and this definition is reading way too much into the purpose of the plot) drama,that is why I have said earlier it can never be an epic.And it looks tiring,and I am sure by the time you reached this section of the review,you would be feeling "what is the point of all this comments",which is exactly what you will be asking yourself just 10 episodes into the serial.And my uncle,who brought to my family a box of 25 tapes of the serial.When a serial,after you have watched the first tape,and you would say to yourself,"Oh My,24 to go",you know something is seriously wrong with the serial.(of course,the viewers are always right!).And then thinking that there would be 25 more tapes(!),and you dread the propect like I did of watching it all,you would know my feelings when I watched just 25 tapes of it.And the reason this review is much shorter than it was originally intended to be,it is because I skipped tapes,by not paying attention at all.

Cut the Nonsense.What's The Verdict
Like I said,NO would be my answer.To elaborate further(like I haven't done so enough),you have three possiblities after watching this serial;you'll either curse my review,send me a hate mail and say,LONG LIVE ATE and look forward to ATE II OR You'll go bankrupt and say,I'll earn some more money for ATE II OR like I did,I fast forward many scenes and still feel tired watching it,and then write this one sentence in this review;"Glad it was free man,poor uncle who paid for it".

What To Expect in ATE II
Louise Koo as Villian,Michelle Saram(that chinese-Indian girl from Singapore,used to be in a commercial with Aaron Kwok),Ho Chiu Yee,Kenix again,more deaths,more car chasing scenes,more guns,more money and much much more torture(to me).

Is is ANY Different than
At one glance,ATE looked like any other big budget poor man cum tycoon dramas.If we look closer,they're really different. If we are to talk about modern family dramas and the sufferings of some really rich people,below is a list to compare,contrast and to see which is better.

Flaming Brothers
One Brother wants to be rich,another wants to regain his integrity.Story styas mainly in the family,never beyond.So all we have is teh fight and love between two brothers and their mom.So not the same really.

Looking Back In Anger
One brother is already rich,another wants to be richer than his brother.Again,story stays mainly in the family,never once beyond.Moreover,it is about brotherly love/hatred,rarely involves outsiders.So not really the same.

Cold Blood Warm Heart
One wants to be rich,another just wants to be as he is.But this one involves a whole lot more pf people,mainly because of the women they loved.Though could be quite the same as ATE,again it is limited to just 2 or 3 families,and less on business.So again,I would say not quite the same.

Greed Of Men
No one wants to be rich,but the main character wanst revenge,so must be richer than the enemy.It rarely involves dispute over women that they love,but more on business tactics and murders.Quite the same as ATE,but with a lesser scope and much more concetration not between two families but rather,between two men.

Secret Of The Heart
One used to be poor but became rich through blood ties.Another used to be rich but became poor because of blood ties.It is a story of rivalry between two brothers,and two families and the women they both loved.Plus a lot of unnecessary but still important to the plot characters,at one glance ATE would remind you of SOH,more so same actors in some leading roles.Chracterisation wise,it is entirely different.Plot wise,quite the same but though SOH is already too much in its plot,ATE involves a whole lot more of business tactics,strategies and love-relationships.But I would say SOH has more of familial relationships in its plot,because that is really the main theme in there.So similiar but could be different in some points.

Return To The Truth
One is poor,one used to be poor but wants to be rich.Bitter rivalry between two brothers,it is a sad story of familial relationship between a mother,an older brother and a youngest brother and they women they both loved.None really about about business tactics,entirely on human relationship aspects,and lesser in scope so really different from ATE.

Conclusion
Whatever it may be,all the above dramas(and they're all DRAMAS) have one predominant issue in their minds that TVB/ATV is quite good at;how one man's actions/inactions could affect other people that may or may not be related to him.Again,one strange fact,you never see a struggle between two women tycoons,or one man with one woman.A sad fact because mostly,women in these dramas are not the person who do something but rather they are the one to receive the effect of that one man's actions.So to be more precise or less politically correct,women in these serials are flower pots.You might argue,they are all freinds,confidants,whatever to these men but still,I see them as always giving,never receiving,and always.they're never the instigator,just standing besides them all.

Is It Better than
If it is ATV Vs TVB,Flaming Brothers would be my choice.It's shorter and take away all those bad editing jobs and some bad actings,you are left essentially with a very strong and solid script that make us feel something for it.

If TVB Vs TVB,my first and only choice would be the father of all this genre of serials,Looking BAck In Anger.Not only does it have a good and solid script with a great story to tell,it boasts some of the finest performances by some TVB top actors,plus you have a very young Maggie Siu in here.It is no wonder why this serial was voted,some years back as the most watched serial of all time by TVB.Who can forget the starting scenes,where the mother(Lam Kit Ying) was about to go to the gallows and we all cried for her when she did.Who can forget the expression of Felix Wong when he realised his brother was the one who did all the bad stuffs.WHo can forget the expression of Deric Wan when he wanted more than he could legitimately have.The title describes it all.THe chinese title is even more meaningful,Yee But Yung Ching,loosely translated as Forget/Abandone (About) Love/Affection and the sad song by Danny Chan(not Chan Hiu Tung but the dead Chan Pak Keung).If you want a solid story which is so much shorter but basically have the same length of contents as ATE,go for this one.Never would you have people rushing back from work,chinese,Indian and malays after a hard day of work to watch it,and have all of them dispute whether Carina Lau did come back alive or not.A classic.Something that ATE aspires to be but fails to even come close to being Good.

Redeeming Factors
However bad a serial is,or however inadequate that it is,there are some good points.This one has some of the best sets I have seen so far,the houses,office space,the dresses,the make up,the ballroom,the camera angles,the cars,absolutely amazing.And they all do feel rich and look rich as well.That ATV has to learn from TVB.

Actors you have never thought would be villians,like Sunny Chan and Louise Koo,at least something different.


Rating
N/A

Strange Observation
I am not familiar with stock dealings,like what was stated by Claire below.But for some oservation purposes;

1)Taiwan authorities is well known to be not as competent as we all like them to be.So whatever it may be,it is expected for serials to be depicting them as less than great.

2)Even in office,you have to suck up to secretaries who know more than you,more so in business dealings where you have to be like what Yip Wing Tim did,a dog-servant.

3)This is a show about people,not about forensics and investigation.So do expect some ridiculous fact finding.

4)You can sell your stock and buy them if you want.Different country different rules.Generally,you cannot deal on an information you knew obtained trough confidence,especially in the stock market.And the fact that the stocks and property prices in HK is so precarious is because they're less stricter in dealings than in all countries,being a laisser -faire country,so it is usual for them to be seen buying and then selling not minutes later,making the price go up and down.If this is restricted,a country's economy might as well be dead.That is the price of free economics,especially in HK.
And a company's shares may have some specifications that if you wanna sell,Option to purchase must first be given to the company,and if not,then you are free to sell to anyone you want,that is how people can obtain 51% shares in the company.That is the danger of having a public listed company.

5)An act does not become a crime until the law says so.And the law does not come into force until the perpertrator is caught and charged in the court of law.And even if you're charged in a court of law.you're not responsible for the crime until and unless you confessed( and the court accepts such confession),convicted and you will be acquitted if you have a valid reason/defence for such acts.So whatever criticsms you have in mind of the criminal actions of the characters in this serial,bear in mind this little paragraph.But that doesn't mean I like the way this serial depict how easily one can get away with crime,bribery.It is as if the law is dead and the police is stupid.Shameful,on HK of course.

Interesting Facts
Claire said it all.But on some gossips,Nicky Wu is seeing Ada Choi and rumour has it that Vicky Chao is seeing Nicky Wu which all of them denied.Louise Koo is seeing(reportedly) Wong GEi Ying,but also some reports said reportedly Louise Koo is seeing Michelle Saram,and again all of them denied.Flora Chan left half way because she said she was sick.Reportedly her relationship with her husband was not great so she too time off to patch things up.Of course,I truly believe she was sick.But you'll see her again towards the end of the serial.Anyway,because of her absence where TVb was thinking of expanding her role,instead they had to rely on Kenix who was very popular in the first 50 episodes.So she will reappear as the twin sister of Wing Yan,with a very opposite character.That I must say is such a cheap trick.Why can't TVB let sleeping dogs lie?Why can't just let her be dead,bring in a new face?Why can't they give chances to other junior actors?This is one serial where the main characters is occupied by big names and you'll see a lot of other small character actors.If only we can see people like Lam Ka Tung,Marco Ngai,Wong HEi in this serial,it will indeed be refreshing.

Interesting Fiction
Though relatively with the same casts,At The Thresehold Of An Era is NOT a sequel to Secret OF The Heart.Even if Gallen's character in these two serials seemed similiarly rotten at first.But in SOH,he had more integrity and much wiser,though never richer.

Unbelievable Fiction
Is the business world that tough with so many broken hearts,car chases,rape,deaths,murders?What about business strategies?

And what is it with that Tomagotchi being invented By Yip Wing Tim?Where is trademark laws when you need them?Absolute lies!

There was this song in th ealier episodes,"I feel it in my fingers,I feel it in my toes" which is Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet which does not exist until at least 5 years later.

Interesting Quotes
Not from this serial but from other sources that clearly reflects the philosophy of Yip Wing Tim.By the real life strategist/Prime Minister/tactician/overall genius man of the Old China,Zhuge Liang(or Kung Ming),a character you'll encounter in The Romance Of Three Kingdoms, just replace the words 'war',"king' and "combat" with business,leader and business tactics,these quotes could've been said by Yip Wing Tim himself:

"To overcome the intelligent by folly is contrary to the natural order of things; to overcome the foolish by intelligence is in accord with the natural order. To overcome the intelligent by intelligence, however, is a matter of opportunity. There are three avenues of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions. When opportunities occur through events but you are unable to respond, you are not smart. When opportunities become active through a trend and yet you cannot make plans, you are not wise. When opportunities emerge through conditions but you cannnot act on them, you are not bold. Those skilled in generalship always achieve their victories by taking advantage of opportunities."
(Zhuge Liang, ca. 200 AD, The Way of the General)

". . . an enlightened ruler does not worry about people not knowing him, he worries about not knowing people. He worries not about outsiders not knowing insiders, but about insiders not knowing outsiders. He worries not about subordinates not knowing superiors, but about superiors not knowing subordinates. He worries not about the lower classes not knowing the upper classes, but about the upper classes not knowing the lower classes."
(Zhuge Liang, ca. 200 AD, The Way of the General)

"Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win."
(Zhuge Liang, 3rd century C.E.)


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