Overview - Come Home Love: Dinner at 8

The television station that Wayne Lai works for is going through an eventful period. Management has brought in Florence Kwok to serve as general manager and implement major changes. The women's program that Wayne produces bears the brunt. On the first day of the show, there is an accident and Wayne has to improvise. He substitutes Teresa Mo, the newly transferred secretary from the accounting department, for the celebrity chef that didn't show up. The show becomes a big hit due to Teresa's eloquence and cooking skills. Wayne pressures Teresa to continue to host the show. Teresa agrees on the condition that her hair stylist friend (Angela Tong) does not get fired and that she has fixed working hours. It is because she has a younger uncle (Power Chan) and step-brother (Ricco Ng) at home, and preparing dinner on time is her natural duty. After her job description changed, this little woman uses all her secret weapons to deal with the demanding Wayne. In contrast, Wayne's career has reached a bottleneck and he is careful with every step. He is afraid that the assistant director (Veronica Shiu) that Florence sent him is a spy. But surprisingly, Veronica and Teresa hit it off immediately. They even intervene in Wayne and his father Chung King-fei's relationship, bringing unimaginable conflicts to Wayne and Teresa's families...

Come Home Love: Dinner at 8 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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Overachievers Review

Producer: Marco Law
Genre: Modern, business
Cast: Wayne Lai, Raymond Wong, Power Chan, Raymond Cho, Edwin Siu, Nancy Wu, Susanna Kwan, Maggie Siu

Review:
This series is exactly like the wealthy family that it is depicting – glamorous on the outside, but rotten on the inside. As an anniversary series, Overachievers has a grand appearance: an all-star cast, extravagant sets, glamorous clothing... okay, maybe not so nice hairstyles... but the plot was a disaster.

It's easy to understand why the Chinese title was changed from "Business Wars", because business was certainly the least of the worries in here. The first two episodes feature a seemingly intense war between father and son. But after that, it is almost forgotten and replaced with pointless drama between irrelevant characters. The Raymond-Nancy love-sickness was a drag. Power Chan and Maggie Siu, while both are entertaining, add almost nothing to the overall plot. The entire Edwin-Sisley line was neither entertaining nor necessary. After twenty episodes, you will realize you've gotten nowhere. Then in the last week or so, the plot takes a turn for the worse and we suddenly have a few wackos at our hands. Until finally, everything is wrapped up in a ridiculous ending.

The biggest problem was certainly the dramatic character changes. Elliot Ngok's character suddenly decides he's going to push away all his children with his unreasonableness and Raymond Wong's character becomes an insane serial killer. I get that these two characters drive the series to its climax, but it is really hard to watch when everything stems from such illogicialness. The character that was actually the most interesting, but ultimately wasted, was Susanna Kwan. From the way she handled her husband's infidelity, she was made to seem like a smart, calculating lady who patiently awaits her chance for revenge. Yet in the end, she proves incapable of managing the corporation or getting revenge on her son's true killer.

Wayne Lai seems to have lost his touch and now only acts as various versions of Chai Gau in his dramas. Raymond Wong has too much "force" in his acting, like the way he pushes his dialogue out or the way he grabs his female co-stars. Edwin Siu is over-exaggerative in his attempt to deliver comedy. Raymond Cho is good as the useless son, but this is not a break-through for him. Power Chan is the best of the "Five Tigers", as he always finds a way to make his characters stand out. Elliot Ngok acting is just right as the patriarch and is also convincing in the scenes after his stroke. Amazingly, Jason Chan's acting was not cringe-worthy in this series. There was only about one scene where I noticed his hands gesturing randomly. Fred Cheng is cute in his performance.

Nancy Wu is a capable actress, but she never attracts attention on the screen. In contrast, Maggie Siu can grab attention with her expressions or movements even when she is not talking. Susanna Kwan was the perfect choice for the semi-villainous step-mother. Unfortunately, her character didn't use all of her potential. Grace Chan was impressive in her debut. She is natural and at ease next to the veterans, and her crying scenes can already beat out some actresses with more experience. Sisley Choi also made a good debut, but she has a weaker screen presence compared to Grace. Ali Lee was quite noticeable too.

Rating: 3/5. Overachievers underachieved.

Overview - Overachievers

Wayne Lai is determined to make his own name in the business world and triumph over his father (Elliot Ngok), as a way of getting back for the many years of having to live under his tight control. Despite previous failures, Wayne is ready for another comeback with the help of Raymond Wong, Nancy Wu and Edwin Siu. They start up a mobile application company, with the intention of waging an all-out business war against Elliot. Ever since Wayne left home, his brother (Raymond Cho) has been cast aside by Elliot. His stepmother (Susanna Kwan) uses this opportunity to promote her son (Jason Chan) as the successor of the corporation and secretly works out a takeover plan. Facing repeated attacks from Susanna, Wayne fortunately receives the emotional support of his ex-girlfriend Maggie Siu and her autistic son (Fred Cheng). He also reconsiders his relationship with his father. Seeing Susanna's plot to take over Elliot's business empire, Wayne joins with his brother Raymond and step-uncle Power Chan to fight back. Unexpectedly, friends turn into rivals, while former foes become allies, making it difficult to distinguish the enemy in this dangerous dilemma.

Overachievers Promo Clips

Overview - Overachievers

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Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain Review

Producer: Marco Law
Genre: Ancient, detective
Cast: Kenneth Ma, Selena Li, Power Chan, Pierre Ngo, Lin Xia Wei, Raymond Cho

Review:
Don’t be fooled by the sales presentation or the title of this series. This is not a wuxia series; rather it’s a modern investigation series set in ancient times. It starts off with a few mysteries which are interesting enough, though not exactly memorable. I've been spoiled by the thrilling mysteries from Storm in a Cocoon and Ruse of Engagement, so the ones here are only mediocre in comparison. Then the story moves into the mandatory romance part and the cases start blending into the background amidst all the romantic mess and other randomness. There never seemed to be any urgency with any of the cases. This is especially true with the final case of the Jurchen spy where the imminent threat of an invasion is never felt and the characters hardly even cared.

The real joy of this series is the characters, each with their unique background and personalities. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, making them very real people. It was nice to see the constables develop from fighting against each other to comrades who will stick together in the face of danger. The interactions between them are fun to watch and often results in comedic moments. Also a nice touch by the writers to have all the character names refer to animals.

Kenneth Ma is fine until he has to do emotional scenes and then he can't get rid of those puppy eyes. He has terrific chemistry with Selena Li. As for Selena, she was cute in her first role as "Tou Fa", although a bit too loud. Her second role as "Yan Mei Leong" was manipulative and cold – a big contrast with her first role and well-portrayed by Selena. A testament to her acting skills when you hardly notice they are the same actress.

Power Chan shows off his wide range of acting skills all in one character. He is arrogant and egotistical in the beginning, but slowly learns to trust his colleagues. As the vigilante, he was kind and wise. Power even makes a brief reappearance as a eunuch, in reference to his popular role from The Confidant.

Pierre Ngo’s rough character is a refreshing change as I’m tired of seeing him as a wimp turned righteous hero. Lin Xia Wei is a decent actress if only she wasn't so lovesick in every drama. Raymond Cho's character was likeable, but I stop short of saying it’s an award-worthy performance only because it’s not a difficult role to play. Candy Chang needs to tone down her acting, but she's already much better than other newcomers.


Rating: 3.5/5

Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain Promo Clips

Overview - Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain

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Overview - Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain

Lau Kong leads a group of elite constables who investigate strange mysteries from all across the country. His position gives him authority over local magistrates and even the six ministries. Kenneth Ma, with his combination of bravery and wit, is Lau Kong's favourite subordinate. However, they go their separate ways after disagreeing on a robbery case. Kenneth and his wife Selena Li disappear for nearly ten years. When the case finally comes to an end, the aging Lau Kong orders Power Chan, Pierre Ngo and Lin Xia Wei to find Kenneth and ask him to rejoin the team.

Together, the four constables solve many mysteries together, but conflicts often arise due to their different personalities. Kenneth and Selena also experience difficulties and separate because of a misunderstanding. When Kenneth meets a prostitute (also played by Selena) who looks exactly like his wife, he feels lost and delirious. Meanwhile, the Jurchens are preparing to attack the Song Dynasty. Kenneth discovers that the Jurchens have planted a spy amongst the constables. His good friend, Raymond Cho, is unwittingly used by the Jurchens. Others subsequently fall into danger as well. It becomes difficult to distinguish between friend and enemy, leaving everyone feeling insecure...

Gilded Chopsticks Connection

It is time to complete the relationship chart for the Qing Dynasty!

Let’s go back to The Life and Times of a Sentinel. Sunny Chan was the Shunzhi (順治) Emperor, the first Qing emperor to rule over all of China.

Shunzhi (Sunny) was succeeded by his son, the Kangxi (康熙) Emperor, played by Power Chan.

• Gilded Chopsticks begins during the later reign of Kangxi, now played by Elliot Ngok.
• In GC, Power is the 2^nd eldest son of Kangxi (himself/Elliot). He is named as crown prince, but is twice-deposed.

In TLTOS, Elaine Yiu was Kangxi’s (Power in TLTOS) 3^rd Empress. She died one day after being named Empress. Grace Wong was one of Kangxi’s concubines. She is the mother of his eldest surviving son.

In GC, Kangxi’s (Elliot) consort is Rosanne Lui. She was posthumously named as his 4^th Empress. Rosanne is the mother of Kangxi’s fourth son, the future Yongzheng (雍正) Emperor, played by Ben Wong. She is also the mother of the 14^th prince, Owen Cheung.

Louis Cheung (8^th), Derek Wong (9^th) and Matthew Ko (10^th) are all sons of Kangxi (Elliot), bore by different concubines.

After a lengthy 61 years on the throne, Kangxi (Elliot) dies and is succeeded by the Yongzheng Emperor (Ben).

Yongzheng (Ben) takes Nancy Wu as his concubine. She gives birth to three children, but they all die prematurely.

Yongzheng’s 2^nd Empress gives birth to his eventual successor, the Qianlong (乾隆) Emperor. 

Relationship map continues with:

Beauty at War Connection

↓

The Confidant and Curse of the Royal Harem Connection

The full Qing Dynasty relationship map (click to see):

Review

Producer: Marco Law

Genre: Medical, crime

Cast: Alex Fong, Tavia Yeung, Yoyo Mung, Ben Wong, Edwin Siu, Ram Chiang

Plot:

Rape, murder, murder, murder. A typical crime investigation series, but with psychiatrists solving the cases instead of police, forensics or lawyers. This is a bloodier continuation of A Great Way to Care. The theme this time is “sane criminals pretending to be insane".

Review:

Watching A Great Way to Care 2 made me go back to watch the prequel and I must say the original was better. First thing to mention is how there was a bunch of reused actors, although that doesn't necessarily affect the entertainment value of the series. Recycled actors aside, there were a lot of similar cases, such as the religious cult, the schizophrenic (which has now been severely overused in police dramas), and the vigilante. The most important reason is because the original had a lot more focus on psychology. The sequel feels like a normal police investigation series. The first series had Alex Fong predicting the criminal’s next move or trying to elicit the truth from a suspect via psychological analysis. Here, Alex or the police solve cases by noticing clues that others have missed. In most cases, it was actually quite apparent that the criminal wasn't a psycho.

Comparing Tavia and Kate as the female leads in the first and second series, Tavia certainly had the more interesting character to work with. She was very impressive as the undercover prostitute and equally good as a crazy killer who took justice into her own hands. Alex Fong as male lead wasn't much different from the last series. At times, I find him to be a little slow-reacting, although maybe his character calls for that. I enjoyed his casual scenes with Yoyo Mung. Yoyo, though technically co-female lead, serves only as Alex’s love interest, and for the “daring” sperm donation request. I think she is at her best when she plays this type of loud-spoken independent character. Yoyo looks more compatible with Alex than Kate.

Why, oh why, does every sequel need to have a love triangle? Edwin Siu is arguably the real male focus of the show with plenty of screen-t. While I liked his witty, self-assured buck-toothed character, it was a drag to go through his love indecision. It was not helped by the fact that his partners were awful to watch. Aimee Chan still has very wooden expression and unexpressive speech, whether it is love scenes with Edwin or emotional scenes with her brother. Her Cantonese seems to be improving though. Or maybe it’s because Christine Kuo was worse. I can usually tolerate bad accents, but I honesty could not make out a lot of what she said. The Edwin-Aimee-Christine line took up too much screen-time that other relationships didn't get proper development. Namely, I wanted to see more of Tavia and Ben Wong because their relationship is actually important to her decisions in the end.

Other characters: Ben Wong actually had a huge personality change from the first series where he was extremely hot-tempered. This time, there is less spark in his character and performance. Ram Chiang doesn't have much to do in terms of solving cases and his relationship with Leanne Li was unnecessary because nothing happened in the end. Oscar Leung, Power Chan and Eric Li are mostly just sidekicks, but Oscar and Power manage to grab some attention with little habits. I liked Henry Lee’s character after he got friendly with the other doctors, especially that nosy look he has when trying to find out gossip.

In terms of case characters: Matthew Ko was not convincing as the religious cult leader and he smirks at all the wrong times. Pierre Ngo was a better cult leader in the original. Hugo Wong really let loose as a wild “Zeus”. Otto Chan did an admirable job as Aimee’s autistic brother; the way he communicates seems very real. The little scene in the end with his girlfriend was cute. Lee Yee Man tried too hard to look evil with the deathly stare.

All in all, the cases aren't the most unique or memorable, but it’s enough to keep the series moving at a good pace. Sequels rarely live up to original expectations, but at least this one didn't completely fall flat.

Rating: 4/5. Worth the time. 

Related posts:
Overview and Preview of Cases
Theme Song "Enclosure" by Edwin Siu

Reincarnations in A Great Way to Care 2

Reincarnations in A Great Way to Care 2

Oscar Leung - patient à doctor
  

Power Chan - patient à doctor
  

Lee Sing Cheung - patient à doctor
  


Otto Chan - patient à Aimee Chan's brother
  

Lau Kong - Kate Tsui's grandfather à priest/Tavia's adoptive father



Jimmy Au - murder victim à CID



Mary Hon - patient's mother à murderer



Yeung Ching Wah - CID à car mechanic/Tavia's childhood friend



Dia Yiu Ming - patient à wealthy heir



Chan Wing Chun - nurse à ex-arsonist



Andy Siu - former police officer à homeless man



Esther Wan - mother of victim à patient's wife



Joseph Yeung - school principal/pedophile à senior-level police (Tavia's superior)




Who else have you noticed in both series?

A Great Way to Care 2 - Preview of Cases

Case #1 - Nightclub Undercover
Tavia Yeung goes undercover at a nightclub to search for evidence against a criminal organization. It is extremely dangerous and Tavia is suffers repeated attacks as revenge.




Case #2 - Religious Cult
Matthew Ko is the leader of a religious cult that uses Professor Law Lok Lam's "Doomsday Theory" as their teachings. Coincidentally, Law Lok Lam is now missing and several followers have been murdered, leaving everyone to feel unsettled.




Case #3 - The Riddle of Zeus
An explicit video of Hugo Wong (nicknamed "Zeus") claiming he can help his sexual partner restore spiritual purity and a video of an allegedly possessed person has gone viral online. Aimee Chan publicly comments that she is disturbed by Hugo's actions. Aimee's brother, Otto Chan, can accurately foresee and draw out what Hugo will do next. When Hugo is attacked, Otto, who has autism, is impacted as well.




Case #4 - Doctor Fraud
Wealthy heir Dia Yiu Ming habitually runs afoul of the law. His lawyers use mental illness as his defense. Forensic psychiatrists Edwin Siu and Oscar Leung are heavily slandered in the process. With a distaste for the rich, they deliberately alter their psychiatric assessment. The typically honest Ram Chiang is dragged into the case and he, too, lies for self-interest.




Case #5 - Utility Knife Murder
The police have determined that Ronald Law is involved in an utility-knife serial murder case, but cannot find any evidence. Alex Fong suggests to Tavia that she should investigate Ronald's girlfriend, Lee Yee Man. This leads Tavia into a trap where she is captured for bloodletting.



See Overview - A Great Way to Care 2

Official Poster for A Great Way to Care 2

Comment: The poster looks nice, but I don't get the analogies. They're all on a beach? And why the bent-up clocks?

There's been some lackluster dramas lately and this one looks to be a welcoming change. I hope this series turns out as good as the trailers make it sound. I really want to see if Tavia can convince me that she is Best Actress material with such an interesting role. 

Overview - A Great Way to Care II

Overview - A Great Way to Care II

After the death of his wife, Alex Fong joins the Department of Forensic Psychiatric. He works with his colleague Yoyo Mung to diagnosis and treat patients. In one case, they uncover crimes involving a religious cult and become acquainted with CID sergeant Tavia Yeung. The two departments begin to have a close working relationship. Tavia will often ask for Alex’s help in many complicated cases. Yoyo also looks to Alex for comfort from her relationship problems. In addition, with the support of good friends/colleagues Ram Chiang and Edwin Siu, Alex busily re-establishes his new life. Suddenly, a horrific serial murder case creates troubling waves and Alex discovers that Tavia is somehow implicated in the case…

See Preview of Cases

Character Map:

Miscellaneous Historical Facts in The Confidant

The Yehe Nara Curse

During the late-Ming Dynasty, Nurhaci (努爾哈赤), the leader of the Aisin-Goro clan, was uniting the Jurchen tribes (later known as the Manchu) in Manchuria (northeast China). The last tribe to be conquered was the Yehe Nara, led by a man named Gintaisi (金台石). They opposed the Jurchen union because they were being treated well by the Ming court. However, despite having the help of the Ming army, Nurhaci eventually defeated the Yehe Nara tribe and Gintaisi was either executed or forced to commit suicide. Before his death, Gintaisi allegedly cursed Nurhaci that as long as one of his descendants survived, even if it was a female, they will bring down the Aisin-Goros.

Nurhaci’s descendants went on to defeat the Ming-rebellion leader Li Zicheng and began their rule over China. Whether as a coincidence or because the Aisin-Goros were fearful of the curse, it was not until the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor that a Yehe Nara woman gained a prominent ranking within the imperial harem. That woman would later become known as Empress Dowager Cixi.

There are two ways in which the curse seems to have been fulfilled. The first interpretation is that Cixi’s disastrous rule brought about the Qing Dynasty’s downfall.  Her anti-reformist stance and extravagant spending were reasons why China fell behind in terms of military and technological advancement. The second interpretation is that a Yehe Nara woman – Empress Dowager Longyu (隆裕皇后) – signed the abdication agreement on behalf of Puyi to officially end the Qing Dynasty.

The Making of a Eunuch

In the Qing Dynasty, the castration of eunuchs was performed by government-sanctioned “knifers”. There were two families who specialized in the surgery: “畢五” and “小刀劉”. Anyone who wished to become a eunuch had to first register with one of them. Following a background check, the approved males would need sign a waiver to excuse the knifer of any consequences from the castration. They will also need to bring a gift for the knifer and several items to help them through their recovery. There is a fee of six silver pieces, but since most families could not afford to pay the price, they will sign a promissory note to repay their debts once they enter the palace.

The optimal time for surgery was in late-spring or early summer when it was relatively warm, because the castrated man cannot wear pants for at least one month after the surgery. Before the surgery, the person will rid themselves of poop and urine, then they will be locked in a sealed room for 3-4 days without food or water. Once they are ready, their male parts will be anaesthetized with hot chili sauce or pepper. They will be strapped to a chair and asked, once again, if they are willing to become a eunuch. If there is any hesitation at all, the knifer will not perform the surgery.

Using a curved knife, the knifer will sever the genitals in a single quick slice and then quickly insert a plug to prevent the blockage of the urethra. For the next three days, the patient is kept in a sealed room and forbidden from eating or drinking. The plug is removed after three days and the surgery is considered a success if the patient can urinate properly. The new eunuch will need to wait for the wound to heal, a recovery process that takes approximately 100 days. His “preciouses” will be hung from the ceiling on a red string in hopes of a rapid rise up the palace ranks. Upon the eunuch’s death, his family will reclaim the “preciouses” from the knifer so that the eunuch can be buried as a whole man.

The Use of “Nucai”

The term nucai (奴才) is a self-depreciating term meaning “your servant/slave”. This term is traditionally used by eunuchs to address themselves in the presence of the Emperor. Generally, other court officials would use the term chen (臣) instead, meaning “your subject”. Recall in Curse of the Royal Harem where all the court attendants, including the concubines, referred to themselves as nucai. There is actually historical basis for it. In the Qing Dynasty, Manchu court officials, regardless of rank, would use the term nucai to refer to themselves. Meanwhile, Han court officials, regardless of rank, were only permitted to use the term chen. This is because the Manchu Emperor and officials were considered to be akin to master and servant from the same household, whereas the Han people are not part of the “family” and are only treated as subjects of the Manchu ruler. Such a distinction is so important that the Qianlong Emperor was greatly angered when a Han official referred to himself as nucai when submitting a joint memorial with a Manchu official. The Qianlong Emperor issued a decree that, from then on, Manchu and Han officials who make joint submissions must both refer to themselves as chen. The Emperor would rather have the Manchu “downgrade” to use chen than to allow the Han people the privilege of being a nucai of the Emperor. 

Read The Confidant Review

More Historical Context posts:
The Unequal Treaties
The Confidant Characters
The Empress Dowagers
The Xinyou Coup - How Cixi came to power
The Burning of Yuan Ming Yuan
The Confidant & Curse of the Royal Harem Connection - Relationship Map of Late Qing Emperors