Overview - The Man Who Kills Trouble

Fixers will use any means necessary to help the triads solve the most difficult problems. Vincent Wong, a fixer for a Chinese-Australian triad, wishes to leave the triads and be together with his loved one (Kelly Cheung) but she dies in an accident. At the same time, he is framed for murdering a triad leader. He fakes his death to escape from being killed and travels to Hong Kong, where he starts a new life as a high school gym teacher. Natalie Tong, a new teacher at the school, is actually the daughter of a triad leader. Her father's retirement from the triads causes waves on both the lawful and unlawful sides, and even affects the school community. Vincent is forced to take up his identity as a fixer again to protect Natalie and the students. Jonathan Cheung, a future star in the police force, has vowed to rid Hong Kong of the triads. But a truth causes him to completely lose his morality and step onto the road of evil. His subordinate Crystal Fung loves him deeply, but is unable to convince him...Vincent learns that there is more to Kelly's death. At the same time, Natalie's father is secretly killed. With the help of her father's assistant Sharon Chan, Natalie takes over as triad leader to bring control to the chaotic underworld. Vincent and Natalie are in love, so he gives his utmost support and protection to her. Facing a new realignment in the good and bad spheres, who can set things right again?

Overview - Big White Duel

Health care reform in Hong Kong is imperative. A radical proposal is to privatize public hospitals and raise funds from the stock market to sustain their operations. The leading public hospital becomes the experiment for this reform proposal. Vice president and head of neurosurgery Roger Kwok has planned for five years to turn the hospital into a medical empire worth over $100 million and covets being its top decision-maker! The head of cardiology, Kenneth Ma, has a different philosophy from Roger. Guided by a philosophy of protecting a patient's life and putting human life ahead of the medical system, Kenneth and his mentee Matthew Ho fight side by side. Yet they are pulled into the power struggle for counter-reform by the hospital's president, John Chiang. Roger, Kenneth, cardiologist Ali Lee, emergency room doctor Natalie Tong and neurologist Kelly Cheung are strong people in white robes. Their opponent is not only disease, but human greed.

Overview - Succession War

Ruco Chan supported imperial prince Shaun Tam to be emperor. After the Qianlong Emperor dies, Shaun persuades Ruco's son (Matthew Ho) and confidant (Joel Chan) to turn on Ruco as he seeks to eliminate Ruco and his associates. But Ruco has already planned for this. He not only defuses Shaun's attack, but turns the tables and reveals imperial concubine Selena Lee's secret, causing Shaun to face enemies from both sides! Ruco's second wife Elaine Yiu and soulmate Natalie Tong act separately to turn Shaun's brother (Jonathan Cheung) against him. Meanwhile, the White Lotus sect is stirring up trouble, putting Shaun in a desperate situation. Except the Mandate of Heaven cannot be violated...

Succession War Crash Course

It's time to brush up on your historical knowledge before Succession War airs with this crash course!

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Overview - Stealing Seconds

Benjamin Yuen, an executive producer at a planning company, has to deal with the pressure and demands from his boss, as well as the complaints of his subordinates. Every day, he is exhausted by his heavy workload, until one day, he nearly dies. Luckily, paramedic Natalie Tong performs CPR to save his life. Later, Benjamin learns that to extend his life, he must kiss others to steal their time. He uses this to his advantage and sees big changes in his work, family and friendships. Unfortunately, because of him, Natalie suffered serious consequences. Aside from missing her wedding, her fiancé (Yeung Chiu Hoi) mysteriously goes missing. To help her regain her spirit, Benjamin takes over Yeung Chiu Hoi's coffee shop. He meets barista Hubert Wu and re-encounters his childhood friend Rebecca Zhu. Rebecca, a pole dancing teacher, has many men at her feet, but she only has feelings for Benjamin. But Benjamin, carrying the burden of extending his life, gradually develops feelings for Natalie, and they fall into the anguish of loving each other, but being unable to be together...

Overview - My Unfair Lady

Successful property manager Jessica Hsuan has a midas touch. The shopping malls under her management have won countless awards. She is also a super-control freak. Her top assistant, her cousin Natalie Tong, is obedient, hard-working and has even learned fake flirting techniques, helping Jessica solve many problems. Just as Jessica's career is going well, with hopes of joining the board of directors, the company hires marketing genius Frankie Lam to have equal footing as her! The ex-couple have a love-hate relationship and battle it out in the workplace. Jessica even uses beautiful female trainee, "Shanghai Man Slayer" Samantha Ko, to get close to Frankie and gather intelligence. Except Samantha not only covets Jessica's job, but also her man. The two women begin an intense fight!

Meanwhile, Natalie discovers that her boyfriend Chris Lai has cheated on her. In her time of disappointment, she encounters a deeply passionate gentlemen, Vincent Wong. She thinks their relationship will come to fruition, until his sweet and gentle cousin from Taiwan suddenly confesses her love for him. Natalie immediately seems pale by comparison! What's worse is that Vincent appears to be abnormally afraid of marriage. Does Natalie, whose aspiration is to be married, have no hopes for marriage? Can the two cousins, both competent women, but unable to flirt, ultimately reverse their misfortune and find happiness?

ICAC Investigators 2016 - Preview of Cases

Case #1:
Inspired by her brother's girlfriend, Karmen Kwok joins the ICAC as an assistant investigator. During the initial training, she constantly makes mistakes, but her proactive attitude and dedication leaves a deep impression on instructor Ruco Chan.

While visiting her grandmother, senior investigator Natalie Tong overhears the neighbours talking about how Lawrence Cheng, a candidate for the District Council by-election, is bribing voters using clever tactics that circumvent the law. They all have a different view on whether Lawrence's actions constitutes as illegal. Natalie tells her superior Chris Lai about Lawrence's case. It turns out that the ICAC has already receive complaints and is preparing an investigation.




Case #2:
As Karmen completes her training, Ruco is also transferred back to the front lines. He partners with Natalie to investigate a case involving a wristwatch corporation bribing tour guides. As it is a complex case, principal investigator Elena Kong decides to personally participate in the investigation. They encounter many problems as they gather evidence. Ruco and his long-time girlfriend Elaine Yiu are each busy with work. Elaine makes huge profits in real estate and is gradually becoming blinded by money. One time, she mentions about a conspiracy between a real estate agent and an employee of the developer to fraudulently earn commission. Ruco points out that their actions may have violated the law and reminds Elaine not to join them. They part on bad terms.




Case #3
The ICAC receives case after case. Businessman Raymond Chiu is offering bribes to a senior bank officer, Jimmy Au. Elena assigns the case to Chris' team. The investigation takes a long time, but after a lot of hard work, the ICAC finally arrest Raymond and Jimmy, and lay charges on them. However, on the day of the trial, Raymond skips bail and absconds. At the same time, Elena suddenly faints and is hospitalized.




Case #4
With Elena in the hospital, principal investigator Kenneth Ma takes over a case involving a tobacco company CEO accepting bribes from cigarette smugglers. Kenneth personally leads the investigation. Because of the difficulty of obtaining evidence, Kenneth sends Kelly Fu to act as an undercover. During the course of the investigation, Kelly discovers that she is pregnant, but decides to continue on. At the same time, Kenneth and Ruco go to Saipan to find evidence in a thrilling adventure. Meanwhile, Ruco also participates in a fraud case involving real estate developers. He is shocked to find that his girlfriend Elaine is implicated in the case...




Case #5
Ruco investigates well-known businesswoman Florence Kwok for fraud. Florence is bribing her subordinates to falsify warrants in order to make profit. As the investigation reaches a mature stage, Kenneth leads the team to make the arrests. Florence subsequently deploys judicial tactics to delay the case and attempt to avoid trial. Meanwhile, Raymond, who escaped earlier, is arrested overseas and extradited back to Hong Kong for trial. Elaine is arrested by the ICAC for colluding with real estate developers to fraudulently obtain commission...

ICAC Investigators 2016 Promo Clips

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Overview - Short End of the Stick

A regime change has brought the imperial era to an end. Three recently unemployed eunuchs - Wayne Lai, Power Chan and Raymond Cho - become commoners and must rely on themselves for survival. Unfortunately, they encounter a con-artist posing as a eunuch (Edwin Siu). The three of them end up being sold into the Kam family as servants. Nancy Wu is the head of the household and runs the family's rice business, which appears glamorous on the outside, but is actually full of problems internally. The family's eldest daughter, Rosina Lam, who likes to dress as a male, is always getting into trouble. The village is suddenly plagued by a curse and Nancy is pressured to find a husband to counter the bad luck. Through a series of accidents, Wayne becomes the family's new son-in-law, which shocks the four eunuchs. A rivalling family sends a spy (Natalie Tong) into the Kam family to spread rumours. She becomes entangled with the uncle (John Chiang) and Edwin. With the family on verge of falling apart, Wayne stands up for his wife, but cannot reveal his true identity. Nancy employs soft and hard tactics to pressure Wayne to produce a heir. Wayne and his buddies tries to turn things around, but instead makes the situation more chaotic and dangers spring up everywhere...

Short End of the Stick Promo Clips

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Overview - Speed of Life

Kenny Wong, a police inspector on the traffic unit, makes it his personal mission to stop illegal street racing and arrest speeding drivers. He and his subordinates patrol the streets on their motorcycles, ready to prosecute any speeding, dangerous, intoxicated or unlicensed drivers. Kenny has a cold personality and rarely smiles. Of his colleagues, only Benjamin Yuen of the Accident Investigation Unit understands him well. When a rookie with a bubbly personality (Sisley Choi) arrives, everyone thought that she would not be able to withstand Kenny's strict training. But surprisingly, she develops a father-daughter-like mentorship relationship with him. She even helps him find relief from a nagging secret. The envious Benjamin tries to persuade Sisley to transfer to his team because the performance of his subordinate Natalie Tong is unsatisfactory. Benjamin likes to conduct very thorough investigations,which often makes simple cases more complicated than it needs to be. On the other hand, Natalie does things by the books, an attitude which puts her in a tense standoff against Benjamin. Street racing become rampant again and racers are openly provoking the police. As Kenny leads the team to fight back, he pushes himself towards extremely dangerous territory and the dark cloud that had been troubling him for many years re-emerges...

Speed of Life Promo Clips

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Overview - Lord of Shanghai

A young, red-blooded Kenneth Ma arrives on the bustling Shanghai scene alone. He soon becomes sworn brothers with small-time gangster Wayne Lai. Together, they build an empire using their fists. Kenneth’s intelligence and resourcefulness quickly earns the admiration of top triad leader Kent Tong. Kent gives Kenneth the task of seizing the opium business that he has long coveted. Relying on Wayne’s military strength, Kenneth is able to complete the mission.

Time passes quickly and a new government has taken office. The scope of the joint business between Anthony Wong (older version of Kenneth), Wayne and Kent has expanded continuously. The three of them have become Shanghai’s most powerful tycoons, but they are still feuding over the title of “#1 Tycoon”. Although Anthony’s career is thriving, he cannot win the love of famous Peking opera performer Myolie Wu. He settles for another fadan Louisa So, whom he eventually marries.

Meanwhile, dangers are lurking within the seemingly peaceful Shanghai as the Japanese plot their invasion of China. Union leader Pierre Ngo’s fight for the people deeply touches Anthony. Following the July 7 Incident, Anthony contributes his efforts and money to help his country. The present situation causes Anthony and Wayne to drift apart. Their brotherhood breaks down completely when Wayne decides to betray his country. After the war and the liberation of Shangahi, Anthony has risen from a nameless nobody to a legendary lord of Shanghai. However, he is betrayed by his closest disciple Ron Ng, who accuses him of being a traitor. Anthony is forced to leave everything behind and escape to Hong Kong, retreating to a plain life…

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Forbidden City Exhibition

Since it is #MuseumWeek on Twitter, it is a perfect time to write this post that I've been meaning to do for a long time. Last summer, I visited the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) to see The Forbidden City exhibition. It featured a vast collection of artifacts from the Forbidden City, home to the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Here were some of the interesting things:

Clothing

This is the ceremonial robe worn by the young Tongzhi Emperor at his coronation. Compare it with the robes worn by Oscar Leung and Pako Au, who both played Tongzhi in The Confidant.
 

There were different attire for different occasions. On the left is a ceremonial robe worn by the Jiaqing Emperor for the sacrifice ceremony at the autumn equinox. On the right is a ceremonial armour for the Yongzheng Emperor when he performed military inspections.
 

Here are some styles for imperial women. The left picture shows an Empress's ceremonial summer coat and the right picture shows an informal riding jacket.
 

This dress was most likely worn by Empress Dowager Cixi, as it is similar to the dress that she was wearing in the portrait on the right.
 

Even animals got special treatment! On the left is a saddle made for the emperor's horse. On the right is an outfit made for an imperial dog. There were special eunuchs assigned to take care of the royal animals.
 

Footwear for men versus women in the palace.
 


Symbols of Authority

This was the setting of the imperial throne in the Inner Court. It was less lavish than the throne in the formal halls of the Outer Court, but still conveyed the Emperor's royal status. It was surrounded by various objects such as fans with elephant stands, crane candle-holders and luduan (a Chinese mythical creature) figures. Compare it to TVB's setting in The Confidant.


Each emperor inherits the set of imperial seals. Originally, there were 39 seals in the set, each with different titles and purposes. However, the Qianlong Emperor found this to be confusing and reduced the set to 25 seals. The remaining seals were placed in a collection at the old Manchurian palace, including this one, which had the inscription "皇帝的寶" ("Treasure of the Emperor").
 

The Yongzheng Emperor had this special seal made for himself. It had the phrase "為君難" ("being ruler is difficult") to remind himself to be a diligent ruler.


This is an imperial edict issued during the Yongzheng era, written in both Chinese and Manchu.
 

This is an example of a "tally" that was used by anyone who wanted to enter or exit the Forbidden City. There were two pieces to a tally - one with the words raised and one with the words carved into it. Anyone who wanted to pass through the gates had to have one piece of the tally, which they would hold up against the guard's piece. If the two pieces fit together, they would be allowed to pass.



Tableware

This is a rare chicken cup from the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Chenghua's mother was particularly fond of small utensils, thus the Emperor especially ordered for this cup to be made for her. The unique thing about the cup is the way the colours were applied. Using a technique called doucai (鬪彩), the colours were painted both under and over the glaze. Only a few of these original cups survive to this day; one of these cups was sold for $36 million in an auction.


These are plates used in Tongzhi's wedding to Lady Alute (Natalie Tong in The Confidant). Tongzhi was one of only few Qing emperors who married while occupying the throne, thus it was a grand occasion for celebration. In particular, 10,000+ wedding wares were ordered to be made. It took five years to make all the pieces before the wedding. They contained symbols of good fortune, such as children playing (left) and the Chinese character for "happiness" (right).
 


This food basket could hold everything that the Emperor needed for a picnic. It had a silver wine pot, six wine cups, ten dishes, a large silver plate and ten sets of chopsticks.
 


Arts and Literature

Portraits of the Yongzheng Emperor. Does Ben Wong look like him in Gilded Chopsticks?
 


When he was still a prince, Yongzheng commissioned a set of paintings of 12 beautiful women. They featured the ladies engaged in various leisurely activities with scenery from the courtyard in the background. The paintings were mounted on a screen in the prince's favourite study. It is uncertain who exactly these women were; they may have been his concubines. (Could it have been Joey Meng from Gilded Chopsticks?)
 


This is a compilation book of poems that were written by the Qianlong Emperor. Throughout his lifetime, he composed more than 42,500 poems!
 

Raising the Bar Review

Producer: Joe Chan
Genre: Legal
Cast: Ben Wong, Grace Chan, Jeannie Chan, Stephanie Ho, Moon Lau, Louis Cheung, Elaine Yiu, Timothy Cheng, Natalie Tong

Review:
Raising The Bar takes a fresh angle on the oft-seen TVB legal drama. Instead of the typical case-by-case structure, this series focuses on the daily routines of a lawyer. The depiction of a lawyer's job is fairly realistic and shows the less glamorous side of the profession. There are also little tidbits, like the call to the bar or scheduling hearings, that are rarely seen in other legal dramas. The cases cover a variety of matters before the court and do not shy away from sensitive topics. For once, legal procedures and reasoning are mostly followed. It is also shocking to know that there is actually more than one judge in Hong Kong.

I was worried about the overwhelming number of characters at the beginning, but the series quickly deals with that by regulating some characters to the background. That is not to say, however, that the focus went to the best stories. The second half of the series put an overemphasis on romantic lines that no one cared about (ie. Elaine's affair). Further, it throws logic out the door with the sexual harassment case, which any competent lawyer should have gotten rid of a long time ago.

The four girls were surprisingly capable of carrying the series. They clearly had a lot of fun filming together, which shows in their on-screen interactions. Grace Chan shows why she is perhaps deserving of her rapid climb to lead status as she looked comfortable and natural in her role. Jeannie Chan suited the role of the snobby rich girl and smoothly managed her character's transition into a more humble person. Stephanie Ho is cute and provided comedic relief. Moon Lau fared well for her first series; though she was not particularly impressive, she was certainly not bad either.

Ben Wong hits the nail with his professionalism as an experienced barrister, especially with those reading glasses. Elaine Yiu needs to stop being given these discontent wife roles. Natalie Tong has been doing a great job with her subtle performances. Louis Cheung is a really versatile actor, but his character's odd obsession with aliens was something that I don't get. Timothy Cheng is funny in his interactions with Stephanie and Natalie. King Lam does a good job with his clueless lawyer, while Hugo Wong is great eye candy despite limited screen-time.

So does Raising the Bar actually raise the bar for TVB productions? Maybe slightly, but it is not without its faults. What does the jury think?

Rating: 4/5


Raising the Bar Alternative Ending

Raising the Bar Alternate Ending

This is Casual TVB's 400th post!

Netizens have discovered that there was actually an alternate ending to Raising the Bar, shown in the overseas version. In the alternate version, the characters participate in a silent protest in defence of Hong Kong's judicial independence.



The alternate ending is in reference to the protest staged by Hong Kong's legal professionals in June 2014. Around 1800 lawyers, legal scholars and law students dressed in black and marched from the High Court to the Court of Final Appeal. They then stood in silence for three minutes in front of the Court of Final Appeal. It was a protest against a "white paper" issued by the Chinese government which regarded the judiciary as part of the government and stated that "loving the country" is a requirement for judges. In a statement by the Hong Kong Bar Association, they felt that having these political requirements for judges would threaten the idea of judiciary independence.

Overview - Raising the Bar

A group of barristers and trainee lawyers vow to pursue justice and ideals, but the process is fraught with difficulties. Regarded as the "Condor Heroes" of the legal world, barrister Ben Wong and his wife Elaine Yiu have taught many students. Among them, Grace Chan, Jeannie Chan and Louis Cheung are Ben's favourites. Grace's classmate, Moon Lau, is a trainee solicitor at Elaine's law firm, while Stephanie Ho trains under barrister Timothy Cheng. Jeannie's half-sister, Natalie Tong, has an affair with the married Timothy and later switches over to work for Ben. With each of them using their own methods, how do these rookies become qualified legal practitioners, in a journey that is full of struggle, doubt and tough choices about their future? Theory turns into practice as they handle tricky cases and experience success and failures, while also dealing with love, family and friendship problems every day. Their biggest test arrives when legal standards challenge their personal orientations...


Raising the Bar Promo Clips

Raising the Bar Promo Clips

Overview - Raising the Bar

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Astro Promo

Rear Mirror Thoughts

Good luck finding such intimacy between the two leads in this series.

Producer: Fong Chun-chiu
Genre: Modern, romance
Cast: Wayne Lai, Louisa So, Tony Hung, Natalie Tong

• An analogy to describe Rear Mirror: a minibus moves slower than a race car, but for some people, it is an acceptable mode of transportation. Translation: If you want a simple drama to relax with, this is a good one; if you're looking for a thriller, look somewhere else. 

• The romance between Wayne and Louisa has been described as "subtle". Subtle is the right word, if it meant barely existent. You can convince me that they have a deep friendship, but I'd be hard-pressed to believe romance is in the air for those two.

• The family infighting plot adds some much-needed drama to the series, but at its core, it is just another formulaic TVB storyline. 

• The abrupt change (or better to say, revelation) of Chung King-fai's character in the end was uncalled for. If the writers wanted a devious plot, they needed to give it more development. But in my opinion, such a plot does not fit with the overall atmosphere of the series.

• Wayne Lai looks rather bored, or he is very tired. Either way, it felt like he was acting in his sleep. At times, there were flashes of "Chai Gau" from Rosy Business, which is not appropriate for his character in here.

• Louisa So is a respectable actress, but she just didn't radiate the charm as leading lady. 

• Tony Hung has proven himself to be a decent actor. He did a good job as a shy introvert with his hesitation and hand-wringing.

• Natalie Tong has quietly been improving. An enjoyable performance and good chemistry with Tony.

• This must be the third or fourth time Elaine Yiu has played the ex-girlfriend/ex-wife type.

• I found Ram Chiang to be a little on the odd side. I don't get why his character always had the suspicious look. Would understand if he was in on the scheme by Chung King-fai, but he wasn't.

• Amy Fan reminds me of Margie Tsang (Note: Margie was Roger Kwok's elder sister in D.I.E.)

• It's a bit tiresome seeing the same veteran actors in every single drama, such as KK Cheung, Mary Hon, Lau Kong, etc.

• Overall, another small production that will be forgotten soon enough. 

Rating: 2/5

Too lazy to write a proper review, but since some of you are asking, I decided just to share some of my thoughts on Rear Mirror.