Choice Series: Virtues of Harmony (I & II)

If I could only watch one series for the rest of my life, TVB’s 2001-2005 Virtues of Harmony would be it.

It is simply my most favorite series of all time. Would you be reading this in timeless: the VIRTUES OF HARMONY network @ www.virtuesofharmony.net if it wasn’t? This series impacted me a lot and means a great deal to me. I will never forget the Kam family. I’ve watched all 770 episodes at least four times and enjoyed it each and every time. It’s simply the most hilarious, charming, heartwarming, and entertaining TVB series to me. I love every single cast member and every character is likable and valuable to the series in his or her own way.

The cast and chemistry is extraordinary. I love the wit. The humor is incomparable. I will never get tired of re-watching Virtues. It will always have a place in my heart.

Choice Family Drama: Light of Million Hopes (aTV)

Family-oriented series are my most favorite. I just love watching ensemble dramas about big families. aTV’s 2003 Light of Million Hopes is the epitome of extraordinary family drama. Spanning over 40 years (1960′s to 2003), this series focuses on the huge Ko family. Every character has his or her own story. It is consistently interesting and was overall an excellent series.

Light is from A Kindred Spirit‘s writer Chan Bo Wah and in essence, it is the “superior” version of Kindred. With none of the Kindred nonsense (for example unnecessary characters/relationships, pointless/bad stories, going too long, etc), Light plays very nicely in its 155 episodes. The pace is really fast (it constantly moves and always progresses with development) and the story is always evolving. There is always something to watch.

It is an extremely touching and interesting series that focuses on relationships among people. Not only that, but it focuses on the history of Hong Kong and offers many interesting tidbits about the city. It successfully weaves “real life” into the series by placing its characters directly into the history mentioned. I enjoyed watching how life changed from the 1960′s to 2000′s. The cast (although mostly unknown to me) was good and it was a very memorable series. This series really touched my heart.

No other family drama can hold a light to Light; it is the best of the best.

Choice Costume Drama: Jewel in the Palace (Korean)

It is the only Korean series that I have seen, but MBC’s 2003 Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang-geum) is phenomenal. It is the most exquisitely done TV series of all time. The hard work that the cast and crew put towards this flawless and polished production truly shows. It was a massive hit all around the world and is arguably the most famous Asian TV series. At 70 episodes long (or 54 episodes — depends on the version that you watch), Jewel was simply superb — a true diamond of a series and a masterpiece for the ages.

I loved the storyline a lot (it was so interesting and exciting!). Jewel was well-developed, very well-written, and the acting was fantastic. I was addicted to Jewel. It was especially refreshing to watch because it was my first Korean drama (let alone a costume drama) and seeing the ancient Korean setting was something different. There were so many memorable moments. It was so beautiful and moving.

Excellent series — truly top-notch! It is a must-watch.

Choice Period Drama: The Good Old Days (aTV)

At 105 episodes long, aTV’s 1996 The Good Old Days took the viewer back in time and brought to life again the early 1900′s. Focusing on China in its most turbulent era, Days was an excellent series that had nicely fleshed out characters and believable stories. It never became too unrealistic and displayed real, human emotions, flaws, and problems. It is a story of family, hope, and life in hard times. It was a well-balanced and paced series. With many different characters, Days was never boring and never dragged. It proves that some series are long because they need that many episodes to adequately tell its story.

With a wonderful cast and a heart-felt storyline, Days is one of the best series ever.

Switcheroo
In 2005 Producer Kwan Wing Chung gave us Wars of In-Laws. This series spun the popular “Boscolie” couple and gave Liza Wang the “Best Actress” award. 3 years later we were given Wars of In-Laws II — the modern version. I anticipated hating the “sequel” (and originally was going to boycott it) as I did the original. I expected a trashy, exaggerated, and ridiculous “comedy”.

Unlike its predecessor, In-Laws II was not under the helm of the original Producer Kwan. Producer Cheung Gon Man was given the responsibility of this project. This “switcheroo” was for the best. In-Laws II was a hilarious and charming comedy with a sweet and touching script. There was none of the nonsense that I hated with the original in the sequel. It was an excellent series and definitely a TVB classic to be remembered. I loved it so much!

In-Laws II has Producer Cheung to thank for its excellence. I’m convinced that if Producer Kwan had done the series it would have been crap like the original.

In 2008 Producer Cheung released the successful D.I.E.. It was a supernatural-based crime solving comedy/drama. Due to high ratings, a sequel was planned and D.I.E. Again is currently releasing. Because Producer Cheung was busy working on You’re Hired at the time of D.I.E. Again‘s production he could not be at the helm of the sequel.

TVB decided to pull the “switcheroo” again and gave Producer Kwan D.I.E. Again.

The first “switcheroo” was a success and saved a good cast from doing a crappy series. What will the result of this second switcheroo be? We’ll know for sure once D.I.E. Again concludes its run.

Everyone knows I boycott all of Producer Kwan’s series since Face to Fate. I absolutely loathe his atrocious series. I’ve never seen D.I.E. and don’t intend on watching either series so I cannot make any comments, but… Mark my words — even if D.I.E. Again does not “suck” it won’t be on-par with its predecessor.

Dropping two series
My patience for series is now low. Maybe it’s from so many years of watching TVB, but I find myself growing increasingly unimpressed and even tired of watching TVB.

The Link — I wanted to watch this 1992 series mainly for Ada Choi‘s magnificent newcomer performance as a villainess. Ada did not let me down. The 19 year-old Ada was extremely pretty and her acting was great even back then. Her character was very interesting and I looked forward to watching her destroy the Lam family. Unfortunately her scenes (up to episode 16) were too little and the non-Ada scenes were not captivating so I decided to stop watching.

The problem with Link is that it is too typical and the “family drama” is tiring to watch. It lacks freshness and was therefore not interesting to me. The cast was good, but I just couldn’t stomach 24 more episodes of “family drama”. It was very mediocre to me and I wasn’t enjoying it. The storyline was too slow and there didn’t seem to be much of a pay-off.

On a side note, watching Eddie Kwan and Gigi Lai as a couple in Link reminded me of The Gem of Life. Back then they were a young and cute couple. I would like to watch their relationship and also Ada… so maybe I’ll resume one day (maybe not… who knows?).

Gigi’s character, Kei Kei, in Link reminds me of Linda Chung‘s breakthrough role of Ka Ka in 2008′s A Journey Called Life. Both are unkempt and wild “bad” girls from broken families who change into “good” girls after a traumatic death. For Ka Ka it was her “sister” Hana (Elaine Yiu) who overdosed on drugs while Kei Kei watched her prison “sister” get stabbed to death. Not wanting to suffer the tragic fates of their “sisters” and thanks to the support of nice guys who love them, they redefine and reform their lives. Kei Kei and Ka Ka by the end of Link and Journey respectively are two sweet and lovable wives.

I wonder if Ka Ka was based off of Kei Kei because their characters are strikingly similar.

Sweetness in the Salt — I got to episode 10 before I called quit on the series. It was boring. Hearing from other people that the series falters towards the end and that the beginning half was supposedly “a lot” better I decided to stop while I was ahead. The story just didn’t appeal to me. I think I’m sick of Qing dynasty costume dramas or something.

The economy… 10 years ago
Watching A Kindred Spirit in its final year (1999) was a little eerie because the economic issues at that time reflect our contemporary concerns. Lack of jobs, job security, company cutbacks, and saving money were prominent issues for many characters. Unless you’re living under a rock, those issues shouldn’t sound foreign at all.

It’s disheartening to think that the economy is still suffering 10 years after Kindred‘s end and that I can still relate to these characters.

When will the economy improve?

New appreciation for Looking Back in Anger
Watching the classic TVB drama The Greed of Man made me see the classic Looking Back in Anger in a new light. Greed and Anger were both done by Producer Wai Ka Fai. It’s not surprising therefore that I was reminded of Anger while watching Greed.

In my review for Anger I mentioned that I don’t refute its title as a “classic” series, but in my eyes it’s only a “good” series due to the fact that I was bored by its very dragged-out middle (I seriously took what seemed like forever to watch it). I still stand by my opinion that 50 episodes were too much and that it was draggy. However, I have renewed appreciation for it.

Anger is simply one of the best modern TVB dramas ever. Its script is so well-written and it’s a very unique and memorable series. It was intriguing and the storyline was daring and different. It definitely kept the viewer thinking. I don’t think I’ve mentioned a series as much as Anger in my blog when talking about other series. I’m always reminded of Anger in some way (and that is a mark of a memorable, long-lasting “classic”). There were many powerful and unforgettable scenes. I will never forget the brothers Ding Yau Kin (Felix Wong) and Ding Yau Hong (Deric Wan). Hong’s evil plots and unthinkable actions are very memorable; in particular, I will always remember the horrific scenes in which he pushed his pregnant girlfriend Chiu Ga Man (Maggie Shiu) off a moving train and in which he murdered his adopted mother by strangling her to death with his own hands. TVB just doesn’t make dark and intriguing modern dramas like Greed and Anger anymore.

My renewed appreciation for Anger has moved it from the “Good” rank to the “Classic” rank (where it belongs) on my Hall of Fame. My rating for it though remains unchanged.

Does TVB hate the Ding family?
After many years of watching TVB I can’t help but notice that the surname Ding is popular when it comes to villains. TVB has many villains, but the most popular antagonists seem to always come from the Ding family.

Ding Yau Hong (Deric Wan) — No other male antagonist can top this guy. He is the ultimate TVB villain of all time (regardless of the time period). This role was the most hated man in Hong Kong during Looking Back In Anger‘s 50-episode run. Deric was scolded on the streets because of his despicable character. This man murdered his adopted mother by strangling her, killed his pregnant girlfriend by pushing her off a moving train, manipulated his brother into going to jail for him, married a girl he didn’t love to advance in the social ladder, poisoned his brother’s entire family (including his young son), manipulated his adopted sister into being a mistress, and so much more (I’m not even done listing all of the things he did!). He did it all because he was selfish and greedy, wanting to stroke his ego. This role and Deric’s great performance solidified his stardom.

Ding Hai (Adam Cheng) & sons — The Greed of Man has villains galore. The notorious Ding family led by Ding Hai is perhaps the most detestable family ever. I hate Ding Hai with a burning flame. He’s so stupid and always messes everything up. Actually, his stupidity is hilarious (I can’t help but roll my eyes and laugh) and therefore he is an “entertaining” villain. His four sons though… I hate them! I hate Greed‘s Ding family. They hurt the poor and innocent Fong family so much! They basically killed the entire Fong family and ruined lots of lives, making it miserable for everyone named Fong while alive.

Ding Lik (Ray Lui) — In The Bund he was Hui Man Keung’s (Chow Yun Fat) “buddy”. He turned against him and “stole” his “brother’s” lover Fung Ching Ching (Angie Chiu). He wanted to advance himself and not be in Hui Man Keung’s shadow all of the time. He was always jealous of Hui Man Keung and always wanted to beat him. He accused Ching Ching of having an affair and caused her miscarriage. He was actually domestically abusive towards his wife. I hated Ding Lik with a passion. He annoyed me like no other character. He was just really irritating. I dreaded his scenes. I’ve never liked Ray Lui consequently (although Bund is the only series I’ve seen of his). Ding Lik is apparently the “protagonist” in Bund‘s sequels (but I have no intention watching them because I hate Ding Lik).

I wonder if it’s just a coincidence that TVB’s most famous and biggest villains (who frustrated and annoyed the audience and earned lots of hate) are all named Ding… or… are these characters somehow all related and “evil blood” just runs through the Ding family in the TVB universe.

Very early on I said the following about A Kindred Spirit: the series is a constant cycle of ups and downs; when it’s good, it’s excellent and when it’s bad, it’s unbearable. Who knew that this is the truest thing about Kindred? In its 1,128 episodes, there are many, many great stories that are well-written and developed and there are also many crappy and trashy stories that waste the audience’s time. Fortunately, the good usually out-powers the bad (except in the last 200 episodes).

I spent nearly two years watching every episode of Kindred and I don’t regret it. It was worth it because now I can say that I have seen one of TVB’s classic long-running productions. I love family drama so Kindred is right up my alley. The Li family (and what an extended family it is!) offers lots of great drama including some comical moments and plenty of touching and powerful scenes. Kindred is a true soap opera with many characters, complicated relationships (often love triangles), and twisted stories. A good number of TVB artists (past and present) participated in Kindred and it’s nice to see all of the faces. The themesong by Joyce Lee is one that will stick.

It’s a story-driven series so the quality and enjoyment of the series is directly related to the script. The cast is mostly likable and the chemistry is very good. Newcomers got a chance to jump-start their career while older actors/veterans were able to make comebacks and/or get to act in bigger roles than they otherwise could. Mostly every character gets a chance to lead his/her own story. There are many great couples and lots of memorable scenes and stories.

I’ve written 11 very detailed posts intricately highlighting my most prominent thoughts on Kindred‘s 1000+ episodes, so I will not repeat myself here. You can find them all in the Kindred category.

What I will talk about though is some of the things that stick out to me about Kindred.

Sunny Chan & Kenix Kwok — I love their characters! They made the first 100 episodes of Kindred really enjoyable. Their love story, though short (rushed?) and simple was very sweet and touching. Their wedding scene (the first Kindred wedding) is easily one of the most touching weddings in TVB history. Sunny and Kenix’s chemistry was awesome. It’s a shame that they weren’t in the series longer. I can’t really blame them though because they wouldn’t have become the big stars that they did in the late 90′s had they stayed with Kindred.

Best storyline: “Upper Class Family” going bankrupt — This storyline hooked me on Kindred. It was a nerve-wracking and exciting storyline that developed over the course of many episodes. Guest star Maggie Cheung was marvelous as a hateful woman who plotted to make the Lau family go bankrupt. Although she was a newcomer at that time, she handled the role well. I thought it was a thoroughly very well-written storyline that was done exceptionally well. I love how it impacted multiple characters and offered lots of material for many episodes.

I grew to love Ah Wah (Lau Siu Gwan) & Ah Yan (Florence Kwok) because of this storyline — it was so touching watching them love and support each other as they rebuilt their home. Actually Ah Wah & Ah Yan are one of the most interesting couples and I really enjoyed their relationship. Ah Wah grew from someone I disliked (at the beginning he was cheating on Ah Yan and they almost divorced consequently) to someone that I really liked. It’s a shame that they mostly disappeared after the first 300 or so episodes and became “background” characters. I appreciated the scenes when they did appear. However, I’d rather they not appear and have a happy marriage/family than to have the Kindred writers contrive some drama for them. They are probably the most realistic couple.

Most tears dropped: Ah Kam’s death — I have never cried more watching a TVB series than I did during the arc of Lok Lok (Ding Lik) getting sick and his mom Ah Kam (Louisa So) consequently donating her liver and dying. It is easily the most touching and emotional story I have ever watched from TVB. I cried non-stop in practically every scene. Lok Lok’s love for his mom and Ah Kam’s great love for her son was just so moving! The script was beautifully written! I loved it. It was worth every single tear that dropped.

Most memorable characters
May May & Tsz Ho — I’ve always enjoyed watching Celine Ma because of her great acting. She’s a very unconventional TVB actress (and I often feel sorry for her for being the “butt” of jokes and constantly criticized as “ugly”). May May is the producer’s most favorite character and I can see why. She’s hilarious! She can get annoying, but usually May May and her antics and comments are amusing. I think she’s one of the best written characters and I really like how they treat her like a human being. Her emotions are realistically portrayed. I also like watching how she grew. It’s no wonder why she’s one of the most popular and memorable characters from Kindred.

Everyone knows and remembers Li Tsz Ho (Cheng Tse Sing) — Kindred‘s big villain for nearly 300 episodes. He was the most hated man in Hong Kong during the time he wrecked havoc in Kindred. Tsz Ho saved the series in episode 500′s and made it interesting again. It’s always good to have a villain to “spice” things up. His character was ruthless and it was exciting watching him.

Auntie Ho — In the early 1990′s, Nancy Sit‘s life as a housewife ended when her husband divorced her. With three children, she had to go back to work in order to support them. She admitted that she thought about committing suicide because her world had crashed due to her husband leaving her. However, in the end she couldn’t do it because she couldn’t leave her children. Luckily for her, it seems like Kindred‘s Auntie Ho was custom-made to save her career and revive her life. With this single role, Nancy became one of the most popular characters in Kindred and enjoyed immense popularity. She was able to support her children and lead a good life, entering back into the audience’s heart.

Auntie Ho is a very fun and lovable woman. Nancy was perfect for this flashy, loud, over-the-top role. She really brought the role to life and in turn Auntie Ho brought life back into Nancy. Nancy looked very young and pretty in Kindred and her character often made me laugh. When she first appeared, she literally lit up the screen with her energy and charisma. Her relationships with Melvin (Melvin Wong) — her “Mao See” in its initial stages before it was tainted and dragged out with trashy soap opera plot devices — and Ko San Ching (Yu Yeung) were fantastic; tremendous chemistry and plenty of laughs and cute moments. She showed the world that middle-age people can date and have fun (which was provocative, daring, and different at that time).

“Upper Class Person” — I’ve never really liked watching Leung Sun Yi because she has that “mean” look to her. Her role as “Upper Class Person” appeared to be unlikable when she first appeared as Ah Yan’s haughty and barbaric mother-in-law who often criticized and mistreated her. “Upper Class Person” loves to criticize and talk about how she’s rich and refined. I remember when she went over to the “char siu” family’s house for dinner. She complained about everything. One memorable complaint was about the bathroom; she said it was too small because it could only fit two people at the most. She then bragged about how her bathroom at her new house could fit at a minimum six people. So hilarious! I loved her since. Her attitude and comments, though mean and insulting, just crack me up. I totally warmed up to the character and I enjoyed watching her become softer as the series went on.

Favorite bad girl: Sze Kam — Fiona Yuen‘s debut performance as the complex Sze Kam was impressive. I’ve always liked her and found her to be a very underrated actress who was pretty and could act, yet TVB never promoted her. It’s a shame. Initially I didn’t care for Sze Kam and hated her because she was so fake, but as the episodes went by and I learned more about her, my heart just went out to her. Truthfully speaking, I probably felt for her the most compared to any other character. She was a sympathetic character despite her “evil” actions. I was touched by how she tried to change and I loved it when she wanted to be a real wife to Ah Fook (Cheung Chi Kwong) and daughter-in-law for the Li family. Unfortunately, it was too late and she had too many dark secrets… The scene in which she looked longingly at a picture of the Li family and then at Ah Fook & Lok Lok and declared, “I’m not fit to be their family member”, is so memorable and sad.

Most dynamic character: Lap Sang — Marco Lo‘s acting is not very good (especially in those highly dramatic scenes — often painful and embarrassing to watch), but he is likable as Lap Sang. I enjoyed watching this character grow and the journey that he went on. He is probably the only character that’s consistently given good storylines and focus (besides the time when he was in jail, Lap Sang had a meaty role to play in all episodes whereas other characters “disappeared” sporadically throughout).

When Lap Sang first appeared, I didn’t like him. He was cocky, egotistic, and a not-so-nice person. He was full of himself and didn’t care much for family or love. His turbulent love story with Ah Suet (Joyce Tang) did not touch me until the climax of his affair with Rebecca (Mok Hor Yan) and kidnapping her for money. I became a Lap Sang & Ah Suet fan and was moved by his regrets about not appreciating her. His guilt and shame after getting released from jail was realistic and consistent with his character. I liked watching him get back on his feet with the help of Ah Jing (Wallis Pang). He became a much “softer” character who was more kind and caring towards everyone around him.

Ah Jing changed Lap Sang. I warmed up to their pairing and enjoyed watching their relationship develop. Lap Sang’s change from a selfish, uncaring, and arrogant guy to a kind and loving one was gradual throughout the series and thus credible and realistic — very nicely done.

Out of all the male characters I relate to Lap Sang the best. In some ways I am like Lap Sang (though not as extreme). Some of his dialogues and the dialogues said about him hit close to home for me. I can understand Lap Sang well. Luckily, my Ah Jing has appeared and I think I’m embarking on a journey like Lap Sang into becoming a better person.

Most dynamic couple: Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai — Ben Wong and Angie Cheung have so much chemistry and look great as a couple. I loved Ah Hoi & Choi Yiu (before Seung Seung (Candy Lo Lam) appeared) because they were such a unique and refreshing couple. I was happy to see Angie return as Ah Gwai. Unfortunately, Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai’s relationship initially felt slightly ridiculous and forced. Ben & Angie’s acting saved the not-so-good script. With time, the script complimented their acting and I grew to enjoy Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai as a couple. They were fun and cute to watch. I liked watching them fall in love and get together.

They grew closer by the episode and it was really touching seeing them love and support each other. My favorite story of theirs though is ironically their divorce. Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai’s divorce was wonderfully written. The breakdown of their marriage and seeing them drift apart was realistically done. I loved the drama of their divorce (especially once it was revealed that Ah Hoi had been cheating with Ko Nga Man (Cally Kwong)) and its impact. This divorce ironically allowed Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai to get closer again and redefine their love and marriage. Ultimately they were able to renew their feelings for one another and realize how much they meant to each other.

I really enjoyed watching the journey that Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai’s relationship took over the course of 500 episodes. They went through a lot and it was all nicely portrayed and developed.

Final thoughts
The biggest warning to give anyone embarking on watching the 1000+ episodes of Kindred is this: there are plenty of bad episodes that are so pointless and atrocious to the point that it’s hard to stomach, but there are so many good and very entertaining episodes that make the series so likable and worthwhile. The cast is one of the largest that TVB has pulled together and most actors are likable. You definitely won’t be able to find a cast of this caliber for TVB’s long-running series anymore. There are tons of veterans and rising newer stars.

Kindred is a wholesome, classic TVB production. It focuses on many different stories (some good, some bad) and in the course teaches “life lessons” and morals. At times it can be overly preachy and it is definitely a melodramatic soap opera (over-acting galore) with tons of drama, heartache, problems, and tears. It sometimes can also be unrealistic and exaggerated. Some stories aren’t exactly “bad”, but I just didn’t care for them. There are many “big group” scenes (those are usually the best) and the series rotates among several different storylines, so it is usually never too bad for too long (besides the last 200 episodes — which are mostly trash). The quality of the script fluctuates, but the quality of the cast is consistent (which plays into the series’ favor). At times the series can be tiring and repetitive to watch (lots of dreadful, dragging love triangles and annoying characters/stories), but it wasn’t until after the focus was taken away from the “main family” did I grow sick of the series. The Lo family kills the series in its final stretch, which is a shame.

I enjoyed the first 200-something episodes most because it was “fresh” and had only the original cast (all of which I love). Kindred at that time was just starting out and had many stories, characters, and relationships to explore. I loved those episodes a lot. Episode 300′s was bad until Ah Loi (Lui Fong) and the Na-Duk family came on the scene. Episode 400′s was bad because of Li Biu Hon (Kenneth Tsang) and his three children — I really didn’t care for them (besides Tsz Ho). Episode 500′s got better again because of May May and Tsz Ho. From episode 500-something to early 900′s, Kindred was excellent and at its peak creatively. The cast was great and the stories were wonderful. Everything was working really well and the series got better and better. Those episodes were the series’ best with very little boring/stupid/filler stories. I regained my love for Kindred in those episodes. Episode 900-something to the end was crap (save the rare moments of Lap Sang & Ah Jing and the Li family characters that we care about).

I definitely enjoyed my journey with A Kindred Spirit. It was at times very touching and addicting. Most of the time it was very entertaining (in fact, in the past year it was the only TVB series that I really wanted/needed to watch… I didn’t really care to watch anything else from TVB). It was overall a great series that blended a little bit of everything in life (drama, comedy, romance, family, friendships, etc.) into one. I’ll never forget having watched this series.

Rating:

It happened in the US. Gone are the days of “powerhouse” sitcoms (situational comedies) that used to score big in ratings and fans. Gone are the days of sitcoms that lasted for many long and fruitful years. Gone are the days… There are no longer shows like Friends, I Love Lucy, Cheers, Will & Grace, The Golden Girls, and so on. Sitcoms in the US are now short-lasting (they’re considered lucky if they make it past a few years). Ratings are now no longer impressive. Modern sitcoms in the US can only merely survive.

Who could have imagined that the death of the sitcom is also happening in TVB? TVB’s recent attempts at launching a successful, long-lasting sitcom has been futile after the beloved classic Virtues of Harmony concluded its 4-year run back in early 2005.

This leads many questions to be asked. Why is the sitcom dying? More importantly… can it be saved?

The ingredients for a successful sitcom
The top 3 most successful long-running productions that TVB has produced are 2000′s 100-episode War of the Genders with Dayo Wong and Dodo Cheng, late 1990′s 1,128-episode A Kindred Spirit, and early 2000′s 770-episode Virtues of Harmony. The sitcoms that TVB launched in-between or after these series haven’t been able to live up. In fact, they are generally forgotten.

What is it about these 3 series that made them garner high ratings and much love from the audience?

The answer is quite simple — they have the ingredients to be a “hit” sitcom.

The single most important factor of a sitcom is its cast. If a cast is not charming or does not contain enough “well-known” stars, then the audience will not be attracted to watch — no matter how hilarious, well-written, or creative the script is. For a sitcom (and a series at that), casting is extremely crucial. If the audience cannot accept the cast, they will not welcome the characters into their homes night after night.

The next factor is the storyline or premise of the series. Obviously, every series must have a “point” and a purpose for watching. The storylines of a successful sitcom has multiple running arcs that hook the audience into watching. If the audience doesn’t find a charming or interesting storyline, no matter how great the cast is, the sitcom will fail.

A good cast and an engaging storyline lead to an entertaining, successful, and fruitful sitcom.

TVB changed the well-established formula of its sitcom
To my knowledge, ever since TVB began doing sitcoms, they were always long-running versions of their regular series. There was a “concrete” and continuous storyline. Every episode followed the previous and after every few episodes was a new “subplot” focusing on another character/couple. This format worked wonderfully for series like Kindred, Virtues, and Gender. Every character/couple thus got its own focus at one point or another and the audience always had something fresh or new to watch every week or so.

For some reason, after Virtues concluded, TVB decided to change this formula — which had worked so well previously.

They first tried to launch the embarrassing and incredulous Sex and the City and To Catch the Uncatchable cross-over: Women On The Run — which was very short lived and extremely poorly-rated (it is perhaps one of the most lowest-rated TVB-produced series). The series aired once every week (during the weekend); it can be argued that this series never built a following because of this.

Christine Ng, Joyce Tang, and Kingdom Yuen were well-established actresses and likable, but the 4th member, Belinda Hammnet was not. The audience also could not accept Nat Chan as the male lead. Thus the unattractive cast was a big downer for a series said to be HK’s Sex and the City; the allure and attraction wasn’t there.

The other big flaw was the bad storyline. The storylines were not linked together; every episode was a different “case” and each case was self-contained and solved in the same episode. The suspense in watching and the need to watch the next episode was not there.

TVB tried to save the series by adding “Miss Hong Kong 2003″ Mandy Cho into the series as a villain, but it was too late — so they just let the series die and forgot about it.

You would think that TVB would learn its lesson and revert back to the plot format that made past sitcoms engaging, but no…

The downfall of TVB’s sitcom — product placement
In the summer of 2003, TVB allowed sponsors to advertise in their series. Of course, the sitcom was the target of advertisers as it aired daily and could reach the largest number of audience the fastest. Virtues of Harmony II was very successful with product placement, bringing in $4-5 million a month on product placement alone for TVB. The sponsors were very happy because the audience bought the products used by the beloved Kam family.

TVB thus saw the sitcom as its new “money making” venue. In 2006, it launched a new sitcom with a premise similar to Virtues — about the crazy antics and lives of a “big” 3-generation family. This sitcom, Welcome to the House, revolved around product placement. The response to House was not good. The ratings were lukewarm at best, but the series lasted for 239 episodes thanks to product placements. The ultimate cut came from the sponsors pulling the plug as it was rumored that they were not making much money from advertising.

As with Women, House‘s episodes were self-contained — much like an American sitcom. Every episode was a different storyline and every storyline finished once the credits rolled for the day. There was some continuity of course, but it was not withstanding. It was as if TVB was trying to make its sitcom… well, a sitcom. The audience complained that House was “boring” and “pointless”.

House fared much better than Women though (but that isn’t saying much).

The reason why Best Selling Secrets was an improvement
In 2007, House finally wrapped and TVB announced its new sitcom plans. The buzz was big for this sitcom from the start because it was said that the beloved TVB “Best Actress” winner Esther Kwan would make her comeback to TVB with this series. Indeed, Best Selling Secrets was seen as the sitcom to “save” the sitcom.

Disappointingly, the ratings were not much better than House‘s — even with a big star like Esther. The rest of the cast was not very attractive and mostly consisted of lesser known stars and kelefe’s. Even worse, Secrets followed the “self-contained episodes” format. However, there was some continuity in the storyline. The main “hook” was that Esther’s character was actually Vin Choi‘s mother and she came back [after leaving him] to be a mother to him. There was a purpose in watching to see how the “big secret” about Esther and Vin’s relationship would develop and be revealed.

Unfortunately, once the “hook” was gone, the series somewhat lost its continuity and became almost exclusively self-contained like House was back 2006.

Fortunately, sweet romances between couples such as Vincent (Geoffrey Wong) & Wong Ka Lam (Esther), Kau Chun (Tsui Wing) & Diana (Elvina Kong), Mo Gei Yung (Stephen Au) & Queenie (Florence Kwok), and Ah Cheung (Wayne Lai) & Doris (Rachel Kan) made the series interesting and kept viewers happy.

Secrets fares much better in terms of script and entertainment merit than House because of one big reason — it has little product placement. Because of un-ideal ratings, Secrets failed to attract sponsors. The writers of Secrets therefore actually have to think of storylines rather than just writing to incorporate products into the script. This is the main reason why Secrets is actually pretty enjoyable for the most part. It is a refreshing and relaxing series sometimes and some episodes are very good. It’s not very funny or comical (although it tries to be), but its saving point (and the reason why I watch select episodes) is that it has some good dramatic storylines and once in a while is very touching to watch. A number of episodes do feel a bit “pointless” because there is no linkage and it lacks development because each episode is different.

The sitcom is dead…
In the past it would take a lot for TVB to extend a long-running production. Good buzz and good ratings were a given. These days? Not so much. It makes me upset when I see sitcoms like House, Secrets, and the current Off Pedder get extended so “easily”. It seems like TVB is just desperate to have a sitcom on the air to “fill” up the time/space that it doesn’t care that ratings are only in the 20′s. It’s like they’re lazy and don’t want to launch a new series so they keep the current one on for as long as possible.

Gone are the days of large fan bases for TVB’s sitcoms. Gone are the days where TVB’s sitcoms got ratings higher than the upper 20′s (let alone greater than 30 pts). Gone are the days…

As with the US, the sitcom is also dead in TVB. It can only merely survive.

It’s time to go back to old roots
It’s not that the audience doesn’t like the sitcom. It’s just that there isn’t a reason to follow a sitcom religiously anymore.

The “big” stars obviously do not want to be tied down by a long-running production, but there is a way for the sitcom to live on — and that is to be reborn… or more accurately, to go back to the way it was before.

In the US, pure comedies in the form of the sitcom are no longer popular, but comedy mixed with drama in soap opera-style plots excel. In fact, this new genre — the “dramedy” — is making waves. Desperate Housewives re-launched this genre in 2004 and has been very successful with it. Ugly Betty is also taking this genre into new heights. Even dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy and Brothers & Sisters have comedy mixed in. It was once thought that the US audience does not like series that have continuity [because series air only one episode a week] since they don’t have time to follow and remember what happened, but this is changing lately because of TiVo, iTunes, and streaming full episodes online. People are embracing and loving series that have linking episodes and continuing story arcs.

For TVB’s long-running production to survive and achieve acclaim and regain the “face” that it once had, it has to stop being a sitcom — and become a series again.

Casting issue aside, it’s crucial that there must be continuity in the plot. There must be a reason to watch. There must be a point in watching. There must be a purpose. There has to be dramatic storylines and points that hook the audience into watching. There must be character development. The series must feel like it is going somewhere. Pure comedies and self-contained episodes just do not fly well with the TVB audience — a modern audience that has time constraints and things to do.

Unlike the US audience and unlike the audience in Hong Kong, most of the TVB audience has to download rent in order to watch. Who is willing to pay time and money to watch every single episode of a sitcom especially if the episodes do not link and there’s no continuity?

In Virtues, every 5 episodes or so was a continuous subplot. Every week, the audience had a different storyline to watch and a reason to tune in every night to see how this storyline progressed. The following week, they would tune in for a new storyline. For Kindred, its multiple storylines and numerous characters also lasted as “arcs” every few weeks. There was a reason to watch every night to see how the series would develop. Off, Secrets, House, and Women all lack this “continuity” factor that is so crucial.

The audience doesn’t feel a need to watch every single episode. This explains the low ratings and why the TVB sitcom has been unsuccessful as of late.

It’s time for the “sitcom” to become a “long-running series” again. If TVB wants good ratings and buzz again, the “sitcom” must return to the old TVB roots.

TVB Series A Kindred Spirit (Episodes 1106 – 1128) – 135 captures

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Episodes 1006-1128

I absolutely hate A Kindred Spirit‘s final 100-something episodes. These episodes were atrocious and boring. I fast-forward through almost 20 episodes and didn’t really pay attention to the rest. The script was really bad and totally uninteresting. Kindred sadly dragged its way to the finish line instead of finishing with a bang. By the time I finished episode 1128, I was more relieved to be done than anything (which is sad).

Back in 1999, Kindred was “forced” to shut down production because audiences were begging for it to end. Ratings were very low (especially compared to its heyday hundreds of episodes back) and people were tired of the “same old, same old”. Basically in short Kindred had to end. If I was watching this series back then, I would be one of the people begging for Kindred to end as well. Simply, as I said last time, it reached its creative peak after Sze Kam (Fiona Yuen). There were no more good stories to tell. The characters were all saturated and there was nowhere else the series could be developed.

It is always good to add “new blood” to an old show. It gives the series a revived “freshness”. Ah Loi (Lui Fong) and the Na-Duk family were this back in episode 300′s, as were Tsz Ho (Cheng Tse Sing) and May May (Celine Ma) in episode 500′s, and even the Ko family in episode 700′s. The new characters and “new blood” worked back then because these new characters meshed in with the main Li family. They directly interacted with them and thus we grew to care about them and were interested in their stories. Kindred tried to do this again with the Lo family in episode 1000′s.

When a series has to depend on new characters to write, that is when it is in “trouble”. The focus should never go too far from the “original cast” (or main family in this case). When it does, it becomes a different show and most of the time, it becomes a very bad show. Sure enough, the Lo family cursed Kindred. I absolutely despise the Lo family. I really don’t like them at all! They had way too much screen time. The worst episodes were those revolving solely around them with the Li family only appearing for a few scenes. Kindred declined when the Lo family appeared and the Lo family brought Kindred to new lows and made the series unwatchable.

When Kindred did not talk about the Lo family (as well as the Na-Duk family), it was noticeably much more “enjoyable”. I watch Kindred for the main Li family… so why couldn’t they give me more of them? Grandpa Leung’s (Kwan Hoi San) story with his illegitimate son Yuet Nam/Ka Ming (Kenny Wong) with his Vietnamese mistress was not bad. In fact, it was kind of touching. I liked seeing how the family dealt with this “new uncle” and it definitely was realistic how they wrote Grandpa Leung’s story. I liked that they addressed his feelings for his Vietnamese mistress. His love for Yuet Nam was touching. I really liked how Grandma Yuen (Lai Suen) eventually grew from hating Yuet Nam to accepting him.

I’ve never really liked Kenny as an actor (especially after his much undeserved “Best Supporting Actor” win back in 2006), but I warmed up to Yuet Nam. His love story with Ah Chiu (Melissa Ng)? Forced… so forced. Kenny and Melissa made an okay couple (they looked good), but I wasn’t touched by Ah Chiu & Yuet Nam at all. I didn’t like how everyone was trying to match-make them. It was like they were the last two single Kindred “main” characters left so they had to be a couple. Their love story was poorly developed and shallow, but that’s okay because I don’t care about them.



The characters I hated the most? No other than Jun Jun (Fiona Leung) and Mrs. Lo (Ma Ching Yi). Annoying… aggravating!

The worst storyline in Kindred‘s history was the Jun Jun/On jai (Hawick Lau)/Joan (May Kwong) “love triangle”. Honestly, I’d rather sit through the stupid and ridiculous Ah Shum (Yu Mo Lin)/Li Biu Hon (Kenneth Tsang)/Auntie Ho (Nancy Sit) “love triangle”. Even at its worst, I never fast-forward. But with Jun Jun/On jai/Joan? I didn’t care. I just couldn’t take it.

Joan may have forgiven On jai, but I can never; he wasted my time with his stupid “relationship” with Jun Jun. What kind of idiot is he? Why the heck did he ever break Joan’s heart and want to be with Jun Jun? On jai and Jun Jun “dated” for way too many episodes! It was the same thing over and over again. It was an extremely unpleasant pairing (and everyone in the Li family can attest). Eventually I was so sick of seeing Jun Jun that I fast-forward all of their scenes (which were plenty, by the way). Apparently the “purpose” of the storyline was to show how On jai “grew” because he was able to make his own decision in the end (by not marrying Jun Jun). Are you kidding me?! Dumb, dumb, dumb!

The happiest moment for me was not when Tsz Ho died. It was when Jun Jun left — good riddance! Terrible character. Horrendous “actress”. All in all, Jun Jun was a nightmare. I could not stand her.

I hated On jai after Jun Jun… but darn it! Seeing On jai with Joan made me “like” him again. I was actually touched when he hugged Joan and sincerely apologized. He said he knew he was wrong and that he would be there to support and help her from then on. Hawick and May are such a cute couple and they have so much chemistry! I enjoyed their cute scenes and seeing them get back together.

Tong Ming (Lo Chun Shun) and Joan was irritating. I like that they ultimately paired him up with Helen (Helen Ma). I didn’t care for their love story, but I was glad that Helen had a happy ending. She deserves one.

In the sea of boredom that was the final 100-something episodes, Ah Jing (Wallis Pang) & Lap Sang’s (Marco Lo) scenes were valuable and precious. They were so cute! Upsettingly, after they got married, Ah Jing was for whatever reason written off the show. Seriously… seriously? I still do not understand why they had to separate Ah Jing and Lap Sang. Was it because Wallis couldn’t film? What is the reason? All I know is that after she left, the series continued to spiral downhill at an even faster rate.

I was glad that May May got her happy ending with Simon (Michael Tse). They’re a cute and funny couple (although too much of them makes me sick so I’m glad their screentime was limited after they got together).



Mok Chuen (Yeung Ying Wai) finally appreciated and loved Siu Mooi (Yvonne Lam). I was always “iffy” about this couple’s relationship (it seemed like he was using her only), but didn’t care too much because honestly I don’t have interest watching them. However, I appreciate that the Kindred writers did address Mok Chuen & Siu Mooi’s problematic and unbalanced relationship and corrected it. I really liked how in the end Siu Mooi gained “confidence” (and a make-over) and their relationship was much more loving. They’re a good couple!

I really liked seeing Ah Foon (Kenix Kwok) & Ah Bong (Sunny Chan) return in the last episode. After being gone for nearly 1000 episodes, it was a refreshing sight. I used to miss them a lot and couldn’t wait until the last episode to see them again. However, the feeling was… cold. Their characters felt kind of forced somehow. I also didn’t like how there were no cute couple scenes for them.

I am so disappointed in Sze Kam. I was very touched by her vow to start over again without any “short-cuts”. Yet, she appeared in the finale pregnant with a new name and married to an older rich man. What the heck? What happened to her rebuilding her life? It looks and sounds to me like she’s still miserable/scheming/taking short-cuts. It totally negates Sze Kam’s beautiful and tragic storyline and really makes her “life lesson” pointless. What a terrible way to “end” her character/story!

Episode 1128 was anticlimactic. It was basically an uninteresting “super happy” ending. I wasn’t touched as I thought I would be watching Kindred‘s final episode. I got a little emotional hearing Auntie Sin (Louise Lee See Kei) discuss with Auntie Ho and “Char Siu” Bing (Lau Dan) about how the house would be a lot quieter and more “spacious” with less people living (since everyone was married/moving out). It was sad because I really liked seeing the Li household so “packed”. I also liked the scene in which Auntie Sin reminisces about the “six children” she loves the most (Ah Fook (Cheung Chi Kwong), Ah Foon, Ah Yan (Florence Kwok), On jai, Lap Sang, and Ah Hoi (Ben Wong)). It was touching because at the end of the flashback, she asked them, “Who knows when you kids will grow up?” They answered, “Very soon!” It was moving because it made me remember their lives as grown-up’s (i.e. the past 1000+ episodes).

My biggest upset about the ending was that Ah Gwai (Angie Cheung) and Ah Jing did not make an appearance. Ah Nam (Mark Kwok) also was M.I.A. (according to Ah Man (Winnie Yeung) he was “parking the car”…). It was good to see the Uncle (Lau Nam Gwong) and Aunt (Sze Ming) along with their daughter (Leung Suet Mei) again, but honestly I could have cared less if they reappeared in the end or not. I wanted to see Ah Gwai and Ah Jing again!

The final 100-something episodes from Kindred was painful to watch, completely forgettable, and utterly pointless. I could have skipped it completely and not missed much. If it wasn’t because of the cast and if it wasn’t because I wanted to watch the series in its entirety, I would not have watched it. The Li family became peripheral (which should not have happened in the first place) and the unlikable and stupid Lo family dominated the story. It was very draggy. I was begging for it to just end the entire time. It had definitely surpassed its expiration date and was trying so desperately to write stories and prolong the series. I was extremely disappointed and quite saddened that Kindred had to end so “low”.

In my opinion, Kindred should have ended at episode 1000. They dragged Ah Jing’s coma storyline too long. She should have woken up much earlier and then get married with Lap Sang. She should not have left Hong Kong (and thus the series). Joan and On jai should have cleared their misunderstanding from the start and just gotten back together (no stupid Jun Jun or Tong Ming… well maybe Tong Ming so that Helen could still end up with him). The Lo family should never have existed (maybe Ah Chiu… but only to deliver Ah Jing’s baby and help her walk again… and maybe Simon… but only to pair with May May). They should have cut the nonsense with the Na-Duk family (i.e. Ah King (Kingdom Yuen) & Ah Loi’s “infidelity” suspicions). Yuet Nam could still have existed (his storyline was not too bad), but they could have shortened his story to just having him being accepted and not give him a romance storyline with Ah Chiu. This would have given the Li family one last “big” storyline before the series finale and thus the focus would never go too far from them.

What boggles my mind is why Kindred chose to ignore their original characters and instead give us crappy storylines with the Lo family and Na-Duk family (especially the Lo family). Why not focus on how Ah Hoi rebuilt his career? Why not show us how Ah Hoi and Ah Gwai repaired their relationship? Why not show us how Ah Hoi fulfilled his vow to be a better husband, father, son — “man” in general? That would have been interesting to watch and I would have cared to watch. Instead, they shipped Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai (and the rest of their family) to Shanghai and out of the picture. Why? Why not show how Sze Kam tried to rebuild her life? Why not have her come back to Hong Kong and work things out with Ah Fook and make amends with the rest of the Li family? Actually I’m a huge supporter of Ah Fook & Sze Kam so obviously I would want them to end up together. Also, again, why write out Ah Jing?!

I just don’t get it. Were the “original” cast members too “expensive” or something? Were they too “popular” and thus busy working on other series so they couldn’t (or didn’t want to) commit to filming for Kindred? I really don’t understand why Kindred had to be so unbearable and trashy in its final stretch. It’s absurd and quite sad.

A Kindred Spirit unimpressively concludes its 1000+ episode run in an agonizingly boring way. It had simply gone on for way too long and should have ended much earlier. However, it was dragged out excessively and thus “tortured” the audience with unnecessary stories and characters. The last 100-something episodes felt like an uninteresting, drawn-out “ending”. I would recommend skipping it entirely (not even the small moments of Lap Sang & Ah Jing/the main Li family are worth it) and just going to the last episode. Nothing will be missed and a lot of precious time and agony will be saved. The feeling to be “done” is a good one. I actually don’t miss the series and/or characters like I thought I would hundreds of episodes back. As a whole I still like the series and found it worthwhile. I’ll post my conclusive “overall” thoughts on the series in another post.

TVB Series A Kindred Spirit (Episodes 904 – 1105) – 146 captures

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Episodes 904-1005

A Kindred Spirit did not suffer after Tsz Ho’s (Cheng Tse Sing) long-awaited demise. In fact, it continued to escalate in terms of its quality and successfully added a new family (the Ko family). Sadly, this was not the case after Sze Kam (Fiona Yuen) left and another new family (the Lo family) was added over 200 episodes later. I guess after being excellent for over 400 episodes, Kindred was due for a decline. In these episodes, I started to lose interest in Kindred and couldn’t help a feeling of “wanting it to end”. These episodes were often boring and sometimes ridiculous.

My favorite storyline in these episodes was of course the conclusion to Sze Kam’s story. Ah Fat (Leung Gin Ping) uses Sze Kam’s secrets to pressure her into giving him money. Not wanting to lose Ah Fook (Cheung Chi Kwong) and the rest of the Li family who she’s grown to truly love, Sze Kam resorts to stealing money from “Sam Doh” and the beauty shop to oblige to Ah Fat’s request. All Sze Kam wants is to leave Hong Kong as quickly as possible with Ah Fook and Lok Lok (Ding Lik) and begin life anew in England. She wants so badly to have a second chance and get away from Ah Fat and his mom (Li Lai Lai).

Unfortunately, not only is she pestered by Ah Fat and his mom, but she continues to be haunted by Ah Jing (Wallis Pang). She blames herself for Ah Jing’s accident (even though it was Ah Fat who actually beat Ah Jing into a coma). Deeply ridden with guilt, Sze Kam doesn’t know what she can do. What she does know is that she has truly fallen in love with Ah Fook. She cries to Ah Kam (Louisa So), saying that she knows she’s a “bad” woman, but she never wanted to hurt Ah Fook (and his family) and only wants a second chance to be a good wife and daughter-in-law. Sze Kam’s cries and her plight with morality and guilt brings tears to my eyes. I feel for her, I truly do.

As usual, Auntie Sin (Louise Lee See Kei) uncovers Sze Kam’s secrets. She pieces the puzzle together and to her horror learns that Sze Kam has been stealing money, is not Ah Fat’s sister, kidnapped Lok Lok for ransom, and caused Ah Jing’s accident. She plots with Auntie Ho (Nancy Sit), Lap Sang (Marco Lo), Ko San Ching (Yu Yeung), and “Char Siu” Bing (Lau Dan) to make Sze Kam confess her crimes. Their plan works and Sze Kam ends up spilling all of her secrets in a very dramatic confrontation which ends with Sze Kam having a miscarriage (and revealing that the baby isn’t Ah Fook’s).

Everyone in the Li family hates Sze Kam and she gets repeated slaps from Auntie Ho, who cries and demands why she had to pick their family to bring so much troubles and pain. Sze Kam can only cry and say “Sorry” over and over again, but it’s too late. At first Lap Sang wants to call the cops on Sze Kam, but Auntie Sin stops him and tells him that it should be Ah Fook (he had gone to England in preparation for their pending immigration) who should call the cops.

That night, Sze Kam gives an extremely sad monologue. She says that the most unfortunate thing that happened to her was being adopted by Ah Fat and his mom. The most fortunate thing was having met the Li family. They showed her that there’s true love and warmth in the world. Before she was selfish and only cared for money because that’s all she knew. It wasn’t until after she lived with them that she realized that life is about caring for others and others caring for you. She cries and says that she was greedy and didn’t want to lose this “warmth” because the love was such a great feeling. Tears! Seriously. How can you not feel sorry for Sze Kam?

Because Sze Kam cannot bring herself to face Ah Fook (the one person who loves her most), she runs away. Ah Fook returns, stunned by what had happened, and doesn’t believe that Sze Kam is such an evil woman. It’s really sad watching Ah Fook unpack all of the presents that he had bought for Sze Kam. He truly loves her. Thinking that Sze Kam will find him at one point, he carries around a lot of cash and keeps a letter addressed to her in his wallet. Seeing Ah Fook all alone in his bed so sad without Sze Kam breaks my heart. I love this couple — Ah Fook & Sze Kam.

Sze Kam plans to run away to Taiwan. Ah Fook manages to find her and offers to give her money. He doesn’t ask her about what she did. He doesn’t care. All he wants is to help her escape and start life anew. Sze Kam cries, touched that Ah Fook is so nice to her. Ah Fat and his mom (who are now murderers and running from the law) followed Ah Fook up to Sze Kam’s place and want revenge. They blame Sze Kam for destroying their lives. Luckily Lap Sang was also following Ah Fook at that time, so he’s able to help fight off Ah Fat and his mom. After a big struggle and fight, Ah Fat and his mom end up falling off from the top of the apartment building. They die as a result of their greed and inhumane personalities — good riddance. I hate Ah Fat and his mom the most! I’m thankful the Kindred writers gave them minimal screen time.

Lap Sang wants to turn Sze Kam into the cops to seek justice for Ah Jing. Ah Fook begs Lap Sang to let Sze Kam go. Lap Sang ends up agreeing because he “owes” Ah Fook (without Ah Fook sacrificing his future, Lap Sang wouldn’t have had the chance to go to England to study and become a doctor).

Sze Kam ends up on a boat to Taiwan to start her life over again. She doesn’t want to take short-cuts anymore. She pulls out a “family picture” she took with the Li’s from her wallet and looks at it, remembering them. She says that she’s not “fit” to be their family member. She then pulls out a picture of her, Ah Fook, and Lok Lok. She holds the pictures close to her heart. This was such a beautiful and heart-breaking scene! Sze Kam truly loved the Li family and actually I thought she fit in really well as their daughter-in-law (after she treated them genuinely). Unfortunately, because her actions hurt them too much and she had deceived them at the beginning, she cannot turn back and there’s no way they can ever accept her.



I sometimes wonder whether things would be different for Sze Kam if she had just confessed the truth from the beginning (before Ah Jing found out and consequently went into a coma). What if she told everyone that she wasn’t related to Ah Fat? What if she revealed that she had initially planned on stealing their fortune and plotted to marry Ah Fook for that reason? What if she told them all of that and then said she regretted her actions and had turned over a new leaf, that she grew to truly love Ah Fook and everyone else? Would they give her a second chance? Would they forgive her? Would she be able to remain their “family” member? It’s an interesting topic to ponder. If Sze Kam hadn’t been so desperate to keep her secrets then perhaps things wouldn’t have gotten so “big” and she wouldn’t have ended up hurting so many people (especially Ah Jing).

I’m really going to miss Sze Kam. She is one of my favorite Kindred characters of all time because she’s so well-written. Fiona did an excellent job acting out her scenes, especially considering that it was one of her earliest performances (if not her first). “Sze Kam” was a challenging role with an array of complex emotions to convey and Fiona did it wonderfully. Furthermore, she’s very pretty. Fiona wasn’t pretty initially in the series, but after she married Ah Fook, she became prettier by the episode. I wonder if this was intentional because I notice her make-up and hair changed after her heart was touched by Ah Fook (and the rest of his family).

I have to say that Ah Fook & Sze Kam shocked me as a couple. I really love them! Even though they are physically incompatible and their personalities don’t mesh well, I was extremely touched by their love. I could feel it in their gazes and scenes. Ah Fook’s love for Sze Kam shows that love can change people. I’m going to miss them a lot. I actually want a happy ending for them, but I know that’s impossible. I feel sorry for Ah Fook. Ah Kam died and now Sze Kam left. He just has Lok Lok now. Luckily, the Kindred writers won’t be giving Ah Fook a “third wife”. It’s realistic that way.

Ah King’s (Kingdom Yuen) love for Ah Loi (Lui Fong) is so moving! Everyone tries to get her to move on (especially her mom, Auntie Yung Tam Sin Hung), but Ah King refuses. I cried when she said that she knows her love for Ah Loi won’t be returned, but she can dream and her dreams cannot be thrown away in the trash. She waits for him day and night and her heart can only hold Ah Loi. It’s so refreshing to see a “faithful” Kindred character. They tried to do a potential love triangle with Dai Lik (Wai Ka Hung) but fortunately Ah King’s love for Ah Loi stayed strong (which I am so thankful for!). Ah King said that Ah Hoi (Ben Wong) and Lap Sang’s hearts were “big” and can hold “many women” (she recounted their multiple love affairs), but her heart is “small” and in this life, she can only love Ah Loi — so touching!

Over 200 episodes later, Ah Loi finally returns! After some misunderstandings, Ah King and Ah Loi finally get together. The months (years?) of waiting finally end. The happy couple get the blessings from both Auntie Yung and Na-Duk (Chor Yuen). True love has finally conquered all and the two are to be married. I love watching them so happy; they’re really cute! Out of all the Kindred couples, Ah King & Ah Loi have the least “couple” scenes, so the Kindred writers made it up to fans and gave them plenty of cute moments. There’s this innocence to them that’s so precious. I loved watching Ah Loi & Ah King’s wedding (finally!). They weren’t given a “grand” wedding not because they aren’t one of the “attractive” couples in the series, but because their characters are simple so anything grand would seem out-of-place.

After 500 episodes with one ugly wig after another, Kingdom’s real hair is finally allowed to see the light of day again. Ah King gets a make-over to “match” Ah Loi and her new status as a rich daughter-in-law. Kingdom is actually not bad-looking at all. When she gets made-up, she actually looks quite good. It’s refreshing to see a pretty and “sophisticated” Ah King. She’s still the same character we love inside, but she’s no longer “embarrassing” on the outside.

I enjoyed the married life of Ah King & Ah Loi at first because it was very cute. However, I quickly grew bored of them because they were given atrocious stories. I find it completely ludicrous that the Kindred writers suggest that all men are prone to “cheating”. I understand why Ah Hoi and Lap Sang would be… but Ah Loi? Are you kidding me? It’s completely ridiculous to suggest that Ah Loi would cheat. Furthermore, since when did Ah King become so doubtful of Ah Loi’s fidelity? I also hate how they always bring up that “Malaysian men” can have “four wives” (from what I hear this is not even true!). Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Ah Loi & Ah King work as a couple because of their “pure” love — they only love each other, period. This distinguishes them from all of the other couples (everyone else tends to have more than one romantic interest). Why ruin them and write pointless storylines about them fearing “infidelity” after marriage? If they did not date anyone else even when they weren’t dating, why would “cheating” even be in the picture? They’re still a cute couple, but I think I loved watching them more before.

Speaking of boring… what happened to the Na-Duk family? I used to love them and thought that they gave Kindred a refreshing feeling, but now I’m quite bored of them. They’re still a cute family and I still like them, but like Ah Loi & Ah King, I find myself being bored with them on-screen so often.

Fortunately for the Na-Duk family, they have May May (Celine Ma) to spice up their scenes. She’s hilarious! As expected, May May reverts to her previous haughty and “above thou” ways after becoming “rich” again. It’s good to have the “old” May May back because she’s best when she’s at odds with everyone else. Luckily, the writers did not revert her character too much. She still has “heart” and does care about the other characters (even if she doesn’t admit it or doesn’t act so right-out).

May May meets her match when Simon (Michael Tse) appears. He’s like the “male version” of May May, which makes him hilarious. Michael and Celine have great chemistry and it’s entertaining watching their characters fight and be so much at odds because it’s so easy to see them as a couple. They crack me up! However, at times I do have to admit that I find myself a little bored with their “comedic plots”… it’s just not that exciting or interesting. Most of the time though, they are great. I especially love it when they’re with Dan Dan (who’s adorable!). They’re an extremely cute and funny trio — what a perfect family!

At first May May and Simon hate each other, but after spending so much time together, they end up falling in love (or rather get used to each other’s company [more like miss fighting with each other]). I actually found May May quite cute when she found herself in love with Simon. Celine’s expressions gave her character a soft and vulnerable side that we haven’t seen from May May before. It’s touching seeing her feelings develop for Simon. I’m really happy with the way the Kindred writers write May May. She’s a total comedic relief, but at the same time is a realistic and believable character. She still misses/loves Tsz Ho (even though her heart totally smashed into pieces when he told her he never loved her and only married her for money). Her crying scene in front of Tsz Ho’s grave when she admits that she is falling for Simon is so touching. May May is lonely and only wants a complete and happy family of her own. Tsz Ho disappointed her greatly, but she hopes that Simon will be able to make her happy.

Unlike the Ko family, the newly-introduced Lo family doesn’t mesh well into the series and feels forced. I feel like they’re being shoved down my throat. I don’t like watching Ah Chiu (Melissa Ng), Simon, and Jun Jun (Fiona Leung Pui Ying). Their stupid games are childish and two of the three characters are often annoying. I really resent how much screen time the Lo family gets because their scenes don’t interest me. I much rather watch the main Li family. The appearance of the Lo family to me marks the “decline” of Kindred. Even though I love his pairing with May May, I don’t really like Simon.

As for Jun Jun? Don’t get me started. I don’t know whether the writers from the beginning intended for us to “hate” her or “like” her. Her character sucks and she’s totally unlikable (what a brat!). It doesn’t help that the actress who plays her is terrible — she can’t act (she’s a failed “Miss Hong Kong” contestant and luckily for us Kindred is her only series) period. She actually reminds me of Suki Chui. I can’t stand her!

After being written out for over 300 episodes, we finally get to see Joan (May Kwong) again! Seeing Joan again after so long and especially after suffering with Jun Jun makes me realize how cute and what a decent actress May is. I really like On jai (Hawick Lau) & Joan! They were a very cute couple (shallow love story, but hey — they had to save the big dramatic stories for the important people!) and had great chemistry. Unfortunately, this couple is plagued by annoying misunderstandings so they can’t get together [yet].

A love triangle is brewing over the horizon for Jun Jun, On jai, and Joan. I am not looking forward to it and I’ll probably be bored to death through it. Anything that gives Jun Jun a reason to appear turns me off. Furthermore, On jai has always been my least favorite character in the Li family. I like him in the background of family scenes, but to watch his stories? Boring! Boring! Boring!

The only member of the Lo family that I like is Ah Chiu. Melissa’s acting isn’t that great, but she’s pretty and a refreshing face to the Kindred crowd. She looks professional and intelligent as a doctor. Her character actually reminds me of Ko Nga Man (Cally Kwong). Both are smart, independent, career-oriented women who find themselves in a sticky situation in love after getting their hearts broken. Ah Chiu delivered Ah Jing & Lap Sang’s baby, so the Li family take her as their “savior” and often invite her over. Thus, Ah Chiu grows close to the Li family and falls in “love” with Lap Sang because she gets so personally involved in Ah Jing’s case.

Ah Chiu cries to Ah Jing, begging her to wake up to prevent anything that could hurt the three of them from happening after she realizes that her mind cannot control her heart. I like the scene in which she admits her feelings to Lap Sang. Ah Chiu realizes that she doesn’t actually “love” Lap Sang and he tells her that even if Ah Jing never wakes up the only person he’ll ever love is her.

After waiting for several hundreds of episodes, Lap Sang finally proves to me that he loves Ah Jing. This coma storyline was definitely needed not only to propel the Sze Kam plot, but to validate Lap Sang’s love for Ah Jing once and for all. He realizes at long last how much Ah Jing means to him. I really like how he refers to her as Mrs. Tong and it’s touching that he says only she is fit to be his wife. His promise to wait for her indefinitely is touching and says a lot.

I was actually quite irritated with how all of the characters kept insisting that Lap Sang would get with Ah Chiu. It was annoying because Lap Sang said over and over again that he would not. However, I guess it’s a little hard for them to believe since Ah Chiu is such a “good candidate” and Lap Sang’s track record is not so good.

Fearing that Ah Jing would die and not wanting to live without her, Lap Sang decides to commit suicide. Luckily, Ah Jing wakes up in time to stop him nearly 100 episodes later. Her awakening has been much anticipated and it was perfect timing by the writers to do it before the 1000th episode (which at that time I’m sure was a much-celebrated milestone). When a character wakes up from a coma, soap operas love to play the “amnesia” card. The Kindred writers didn’t do this cliché when Ah Loi fell into a coma, but would they do it with Ah Jing for the sake of dragging out Lap Sang & Ah Jing’s story? I was worried… until I observed Ah Jing’s behavior.

She tried to trick everyone into thinking she had amnesia so that Lap Sang could be “happy” with Ah Chiu. She didn’t want to be a burden for anyone (especially Lap Sang) and she deemed herself unfit to be with him. It’s really sad watching Ah Jing so down and hard on herself. She’s really silly for thinking so because honestly we all know how much Lap Sang “owes” Ah Jing (without her, he’d be nothing!). How can Ah Jing be a burden? Fortunately, her “secret” is soon disclosed and the Li’s hatch up a plot to revive Ah Jing’s fighting spirit and “life”.

Lap Sang pretends to have moved on with Ah Chiu and everyone in the family pretend like they don’t care about Ah Jing and regard her as a “burden”. My heart broke seeing Ah Jing so lonely and sad because of the way everyone was treating her. I was actually afraid that the family’s plans would back-fire and that something bad would happen to Ah Jing consequently. Fortunately, things work out as planned and Ah Jing is able to stand up and walk again. Ah Jing & Lap Sang — this happy and cute couple thus reunite for happy days as a married couple with their son.

I was surprised by how realistic Ah Jing’s coma was handled. Often times reality is ignored in TV series, but Kindred actually had the characters worrying about Ah Jing’s medical expenses due to her long-term stay at the hospital. Wallis’ acting after waking up from her coma (her slow movements and dull expressions) was also quite good. I have to comment that she looks weird when she cries (over-acting?) though. Also, Wallis’ wig does not look good (reminds me of when Angie Cheung wore her ugly wig after Choi Yiu recovered from stomach cancer). Oh well. I’m just glad to see Ah Jing again.

I didn’t enjoy Kindred very much in these episodes. Aside from a few storylines that I liked, everything else was pretty boring. For the first time in over 900 episodes I felt that Kindred was draggy. After Sze Kam left and once the Lo family were added, I felt like the series had reached a peak, that there wasn’t really any more stories worth telling. I felt like the writers were struggling to create storylines to fill episodes and prolong the series as a whole. It wasn’t a good feeling having my interest in Kindred fall because I’ve loved the series a lot for the last 400 episodes and honestly it was consistently the only TVB series that I truly enjoyed and looked forward to watching in the past few months.

Fortunately, the series has finally gotten better now since Ah Jing woke up. It’s too soon to say whether or not it has picked up again. With 100-something episodes to go, I’m honestly worried. I don’t want A Kindred Spirit to drag its way to the finish line. I really hope it will improve. It probably won’t be able to return to its former days of glory (I do think it reached its creative peak after Sze Kam), but I hope it’s more interesting and entertaining than boring and ridiculous. I’m praying this is the case.

TVB Series A Kindred Spirit (Episodes 865 – 903) – 78 captures

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Episodes 865-903

A Kindred Spirit continues to deliver more excellent episodes. The series keeps getting better and I really hope it’s able to maintain its groove for the final 200-something episodes.

Kindred has many great mother-in-law/daughter-in-law pairs each with different “feels” and stories, representing an array of relationships (which is what I love about Kindred — the numerous storylines and relationships). Joining this list is Auntie Ho (Nancy Sit) and Principal Ko (Lam Siu Jaam), who are shaping up to be a very fun duo to watch. I already liked them before Auntie Ho married Ko San Ching (Yu Yeung) and now that they are related, the comedy is even better. Auntie Ho is very much the opposite of the “ideal” daughter-in-law for Principal Ko and Auntie Ho likewise doesn’t really like her mother-in-law.

Well aware of his wife’s distaste for his mother, San Ching decides to pay Auntie Ho to be good to her — hilarious! I cracked up watching Auntie Ho counting up how much money she was making by pretending to be a great daughter-in-law by appeasing her mother-in-law’s every wish. Even more hilariously, Principal Ko misunderstands Auntie Ho’s family as “abusive” and believes that Auntie Ho never got true family love (since she was sold as a child) so this makes her love Auntie Ho and stick to her, hoping to give Auntie Ho proper “warmness” and “family love”. The two of them have a lot of chemistry together and I really enjoy watching their light-hearted and comedic subplot. It’s very fun watching them bond and even more fun when they clash.

While we’re on the topic of a “new family”, I love how Lap Sang (Marco Lo), Auntie Ho, San Ching, and Ah Jing (Wallis Pang) are forming a very cute 2-generation family. I’ve always loved the mother/son relationship of Auntie Ho and Lap Sang. Young children are expected to take their parent’s new spouse (when their parent remarries due to divorce or death) as their new parent, but grown children obviously are not so it’s really great that Lap Sang is viewing and treating San Ching as his “dad”.

It seems happiness never lasts too long in Kindred. Another tragedy struck and another unfortunate death occurred. The death of Ah Kam (Louisa So) will always be the most powerful and memorable for me, but Sophie’s (Poon Bing Seung) death is a close second. I’ve always liked her character since she appeared 400 episodes ago. I enjoyed how refreshing and different her mistress/second-wife character was. The way she handled and talked about her status as the “small” Na-Duk (Chor Yuen) wife was quite humorous. Her character was always quite sweet.

May May (Celine Ma) and Sophie have always been the unconventional mother/daughter pair. May May is always very rude to her mom and always calls her by her name and shouts orders at her. Even though May May rarely calls Sophie “mom” or tells her she loves her, it’s quite clear to me that May May cares a lot about her mother, especially after she was disowned by Na-Duk. I really liked their small family of three (with baby Dan Dan).

It was also very apparent that Na-Duk loves Sophie and May May. Even though they tricked him about May May’s identity, those feelings were all real. His anger was understandable and even though he said he’d never forgive them, deep down he missed them. He would always want to know updates about them (even if he acted like he didn’t care). Therefore, I was not surprised at all to see how loving he was to Dan Dan (who he considers his grandson) and how he readily helped May May and Sophie pay for Dan Dan’s surgery (he developed a tumor in his brain). I was really excited to see Na-Duk finally starting to forgive them. He and Sophie arranged to meet for dinner. Unfortunately, because Sophie was so overly-concerned about this date that she wasn’t paying much attention, she gets run over in a very tragic car accident.

Na-Duk fortunately makes it to the hospital in time to see Sophie off and tells her that he already forgave her. Sophie’s untimely demise really brought tears to my eyes, especially her long monologue about her life. Her life was truly pitiful. Her parents sold her as an actress for money, her siblings consequently didn’t like her because she was an actress, and her friends all tricked/lied to her because she was stupid. She says that she made many mistakes in her life and never seems to be able to do anything right, but the one thing she did right was being with Na-Duk. It’s such an emotional spiel of final words and is probably my favorite “hospital farewell” scene in Kindred (Ah Kam’s death in the hospital was tragic, but the dialogue wasn’t as great). I’m really going to miss Sophie. She always gave so much to others that she often short-changed herself and suffered consequently. I liked the mini-tribute to Poon Bing Seung that Kindred did after her character died with pictures from her past days. I wonder how much of what Sophie said about her life as an actress (the roles she played in particular) can be applied to the actress who played her.

Sophie’s death, of course, makes Na-Duk realize how pointless his anger was and he decides to truly forgive and let go of the past. Even if Sophie’s dying wish wasn’t for Na-Duk to reconcile with May May, I think he would have done it anyways. The reunion of May May, Na-Duk, and baby Dan Dan was very touching. I’m really happy that May May is able to have Na-Duk as a dad again because she does love him a lot. With her status as the rich and powerful daughter of Na-Duk restored, I wonder how May May will act in the future episodes. There’s going to be comedy involved, that’s for sure (there’s always some comedy with May May involved). I hope the writers don’t undo or “reverse” May May’s personality too much though because she has grown so much as a person in these last few hundreds of episodes. She’s become a real person with feelings and morals (even though at times she may not act so); I was definitely touched by her love for her son and mom.

Alzheimer’s is possibly the most devastating disease to have. 2008′s The Gem of Life effectively used the disease to its advantage to concoct some extremely powerful and emotional scenes that meshed so well with its storyline. Kindred also addresses the disease with Uncle Hong (Bao Feng) developing Alzheimer’s. Uncle Hong’s condition is often treated more “lightly” in Kindred with comedy spun from his disease, but as with all stories in the series, there’s a time for fun and a time for seriousness. Lap Sang and Ah Jing’s discovery of Uncle Hong’s journal which contained his greatest fears from forgetting and his greatest wish (to witness their marriage) before he was incompetent was quite sad.

It amazes me how in-touch the Kindred writers are with their characters and storylines. Repeatedly, they have addressed and focused on many issues I’ve had with certain characters. Once again, they surprised me by having Auntie Sin (Louise Lee See Kei) ask this very question to Lap Sang after he had another fight with Ah Jing: “Ask yourself, what have you ever done for Ah Jing?” Wow! Just wow. How many times have I asked those exact words since Lap Sang & Ah Jing’s relationship began?

Heeding Auntie Sin’s words and realizing even more that he hasn’t contributed much to their relationship, Lap Sang decides to be supportive of Ah Jing’s decision to study abroad in England by going there with her. Finally, at long last, Lap Sang does something to prove his sincerity to Ah Jing. While it would have been nice to see him do that from the beginning instead of being pushed, it would have been uncharacteristic if it happened otherwise. Ah Jing’s plans, though, come to a stop when she learns that she’s pregnant (surprise, surprise). This paves the road to marriage for the expecting couple.

I love Lap Sang & Ah Jing! I was always rooting for this couple (even though I was often rather critical of them with how unbalanced Lap Sang’s love seemed to be in their relationship). They are extremely cute and had lots of wonderful moments in these episodes. They have so much chemistry and look extremely compatible. They are probably the most good-looking couple in the show (just take a look at their wedding pictures). I really liked watching them interact as a future husband and wife.



You know what else surprised me about Kindred? The shear fact that it was revealed that Lap Sang did not forget about Ah Suet (Joyce Tang)! Lesser series would never have mentioned Ah Suet again (especially with how conclusive the Ah Suet/Lap Sang/Ah Jing storyline was a while ago) let alone hint that Lap Sang does sometimes think about her. No doubt that Lap Sang loves Ah Jing, but he’s human. He cannot simply “forget” his first marriage with Ah Suet, his feelings for her, and all of their memories. Sorry, he doesn’t have amnesia. I really like that he still wants to hold on to his wedding picture with Ah Suet. This shows that Lap Sang’s love for Ah Suet was real. I love Kindred for being so authentic because it adds new layers to its characters and stories.

The other thing I love about Kindred is how it so often brings back old storylines — stories and characters that are long passed — because it makes the series feel very continuous… like real life. Lap Sang has a rich history with three women and two unborn children. I really liked the conversation that Ah Jing and Lap Sang had about his fears about babies. Because of Rebecca’s (Mok Hor Yan) abortion of his first child and Ah Suet’s unfortunate miscarriage of his second child, Lap Sang was really scared that something might happen to Ah Jing’s baby. He wondered if he had done something bad to warrant such bad karma. Ah Jing was able to assuage his fears at that time, but it seems like Lap Sang’s “curse” with babies might be true…

Sze Kam (Fiona Yuen) is fast becoming one of my favorite characters. Shocking, right? Not too long ago I didn’t like her because she was so fake, but now, I really like her. The character is very well-written and Fiona’s debut performance is surprisingly good. She ranks up there with Angie Cheung and Joyce in terms of a great debut performance in Kindred. It seems the only bad actress debut is Winnie Yeung (whose performance as Ah Man does admittedly get better as the series continues). Fiona is also looking prettier by the episode (similar with Wallis’ case).

Ah Fat (Leung Gin Ping) gets Sze Kam pregnant, which nearly screws up her plans. In a completely shocking and unforeseeable twist, it is revealed that Ah Fook (Cheung Chi Kwong) had gotten a vasectomy a few years back so that Ah Kam wouldn’t have to get her tubes tied. Therefore, Ah Fook rightfully suspected Sze Kam and wanted to send her away. Luckily for Sze Kam, she had a run-in with an attempted rapist earlier and was able to spin the story to make herself the victim of a rape. Thus, she was able to salvage her plan. Ah Fook, not wanting to disappoint his parents (especially his dad who for whatever reason desperately wants another grandchild), decides to keep his infertility a secret and pretend that Sze Kam’s baby is his. Sze Kam lives another day in the Li household to further her “evil” plans.

The more that Sze Kam interacts with the Li’s, especially with the angelic Auntie Sin, the more moved she becomes by their sincerity and how well they treat her. It’s the kind of love that she longs for — the warmth and care that she desired since she was young. I also surprisingly really love Ah Fook & Sze Kam. Somehow I’m really touched by their scenes. Ah Fook treats Sze Kam so well that I’m really rooting for her to fall in love with him for real even though they are a complete mismatch. The sweet and emotional scenes they share touch my heart. I think Sze Kam lacked true love and care since she was little and was surrounded by too much negativity, which was why she became “evil” in the first place. She believes that everyone has a motive (see the scene in which she asks Ah Jing what it was that she wanted after Ah Jing gave Sze Kam a scarf that she had knitted) and that no one can ever just be “nice” or “kind”. Consequently she became superficial and greedy. It wasn’t until she spent time with the Li family that she got and saw “true feelings” (sorry, couldn’t resist!).

Sze Kam may have thought up the plot of marrying into the Li family in order to steal their fortune, but I think the really bad people are Ah Fat and his mom (Li Lai Lai). God! They are despicable excuses for human beings. They are probably my most hated characters in Kindred and I’m so glad that their scenes are limited. They are extremely greedy and always cause trouble for Sze Kam. The more I watch, the more Sze Kam feels like a victim — trapped and helpless. They don’t care about her and only want money.



I love that Sze Kam isn’t the new villain to replace the void left by Tsz Ho (Cheng Tse Sing) as I previously thought. I love how real and multi-dimensional her character is. She’s really interesting with how stuck in the middle she is. Her dilemma is intriguing and I love her moral ambiguity. Sze Kam totally has my sympathy. I desperately root for her to make the “right” choices. I want her so badly to love Ah Fook for real, to be Lok Lok’s (Ding Lik) new mom for real, and to be the Li’s new daughter-in-law for real. I think she fits in nicely with the rest of the cast in the big family/group scenes.

The friendship between Sze Kam and Ah Jing was surprising because all along Ah Jing had doubts about Sze Kam which of course made Sze Kam wary of Ah Jing one day exposing her big secret(s). Of course, their unlikely friendship isn’t nearly as shocking or wonderful as May May and Ah Gwai’s (Angie) turn as friends. Initially Sze Kam was jealous of Ah Jing, but Ah Jing managed to touch Sze Kam and they became friends. Their bonding scenes although short-lived were sweet since the two could relate with both being pregnant at the same time and both in a new marriage (or about to enter one). Their friendship didn’t feel forced or rushed (even if it was rather sudden). Their friendship was used to make what happened to Ah Jing even more powerful.

Ah Jing happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time (or maybe the right place at the right time… depends on how you look at it) and ends up learning the whole truth about Sze Kam. Previously she had caught Ah Fat and Sze Kam in a rather “suspicious” interaction (they were flirting/fooling around) and later she questioned why the “Sze Kam” from the past differed from the “Sze Kam” in the present. She finds out that Ah Fat and Sze Kam aren’t related because Sze Kam actually isn’t Ah Fat’s sister. She was actually “purchased” by Ah Fat’s mom after Sze Kam (the real one) died. Ah Jing is horrified to learn all about Sze Kam’s dirty laundry and evil deeds.

Wanting to stop the truth from coming out, Ah Fat tries to hurt Ah Jing. Sze Kam tries to save Ah Jing several times, but unfortunately, Ah Jing was destined to meet a violent and tragic fate. Ah Fat pounds Ah Jing’s head several times with a brick, delivering severely hard blows to the pregnant Ah Jing. She is left in a pool of blood, barely conscious, when Lap Sang manages to find her.

Kindred likes to give Lap Sang many big emotional scenes. Unfortunately, Marco fails to deliver them and it’s quite embarrassing watching him act. Generally his acting is acceptable and I do like him as Lap Sang, but his emotional scenes are always terrible. It’s so sad watching the beautiful Ah Jing with a bloody face. She was supposed to be so happy about to get married and be a wife and mother. Luckily, Ah Jing doesn’t die and also maintains her pregnancy. The bad news is that she’s in a coma with an indefinite wake-up time.



Soap operas love to utilize the “coma” storyline so it was inevitable that Kindred would also have one as well. Who knew it would be Ah Jing? Fortunately, it works out well. Of course it’s a great tragedy and I feel really sorry for Lap Sang & Ah Jing, but it definitely keeps the series interesting. Poor Lap Sang. This guy can’t seem to escape tragic events. Just as things were looking up for him with his whole life turning around with his leg being fixed, his career thriving, and his love life ideal… this happens.

I am so, so thankful that Sze Kam did not induce or play a direct hand in Ah Jing’s accident. I had previously read spoilers that Ah Jing goes into a coma because of Sze Kam. Ah Fat being the person to hit Ah Jing makes complete sense (and makes me hate him even more). Sze Kam doing the crime definitely wouldn’t have. I love that Sze Kam tried to stop Ah Fat and pleaded him many times to let her go. This shows that even though she’s terrified of her secrets coming out, she definitely has a heart and is the Sze Kam I’m growing to love.

If and when Ah Jing wakes up, it’s the end of Ah Fat and Sze Kam. He pushes her to end Ah Jing’s life (I’m assuming by cutting her oxygen supply in the hospital). Sze Kam is extremely conflicted. She feels really bad for Ah Jing (after all they are friends and she cares about Ah Jing) & Lap Sang, but she also fears what will happen to her if everyone knows her secrets. She cannot bring herself to harm Ah Jing. She cries pitifully in the hospital. What will Sze Kam do? What’s going to happen next?

I’m dying to know! I can’t wait to watch more A Kindred Spirit episodes!

I love this show!

TVB Series A Kindred Spirit (Episodes 705 – 864) – 186 captures

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Episodes 705-864

In general, my thoughts on A Kindred Spirit tend to be very long… but boy, do I have a whole heck of a lot to say this time. Unlike the last couple of posts which broke my thoughts down into 50-episode intervals, this time my thoughts cover over 150 episodes. Of course, this number is nothing compared to the almost 300 episodes that my very first Kindred post covered, but it’s still a lot.

With the death of Tsz Ho (Cheng Tse Sing), I wondered how it would affect Kindred. 200 episodes ago, this character revived the show and made things interesting again. When a long-running series kills off a pivotal character (although I’m sure everyone celebrated Tsz Ho’s death), the effect of such a death could potentially be dire for a series. Would Kindred die along with Tsz Ho?

In the first 20 or so episodes, I felt the series struggling somewhat to find itself again with Tsz Ho gone. They rather quickly introduced three new characters: Principal Ko (Lam Siu Jaam), Ko Nga Man (Cally Kwong), and Ko San Ching (Yu Yeung). Despite the initial struggles, Kindred soon found its stride again and delivered more good story-telling and crafted some of its best stories in these episodes.

After disappearing into the background for awhile, Ah Gwai (Angie Cheung) comes front and center again. Her mother-in-law, Auntie Mei (Bak Yan), comes to Hong Kong (along with Ah Hoi’s (Ben Wong) often-forgotten children) and makes her life miserable. Things go from bad to worse after her mother-in-law is convinced that Ah Gwai gives her “bad luck”. Her mother-in-law sings a new tune after learning that Ah Gwai is pregnant, but unfortunately, it was a mistaken report. Ah Gwai decides to continue to play up the pregnancy in order to make things “livable” for her at home.

At first Ah Gwai enjoys her fake pregnancy because it gives her “power” over her mother-in-law (who is now nice to her and heeds her every desire and request), but it soon gets to be tiring. Ah Hoi learns of the fake pregnancy and is upset at Ah Gwai for lying to him. He yells at her, telling her that she needs to stop playing around. Ah Gwai initially hot-headedly plans to divorce Ah Hoi, but he manages to calm her down and the two patch things up. They make a vow to be completely honest with each other from then on and won’t let lies get in-between their relationship again.

Ah Hoi is supposed to help Ah Gwai fake a miscarriage, but he’s so consumed in work that they never get a chance to discuss and act one out. Poor Ah Gwai is thus often left home alone to manage the whole household. She has no one to confide in (save for her good “sister” Ah King (Kingdom Yuen)) and is often seen waiting on Ah Hoi, who shows very little care and attention towards her (being so wrapped up in his career and often away from home). It’s sad watching her record everything she wants to tell Ah Hoi (but can’t because he’s not available) into a tape recorder. She plans to let him listen to her woes when he’s home and has time for her.

The woman that Ah Hoi sees the most is his colleague, Nga Man — a beautiful, confident, smart, and successful career woman. Their relationship begins very professional and platonic, but as the two spend more intimate time together, things begin to change. Nga Man is deeply scarred when she discovers that her boyfriend/fiancé (Best Selling Secrets‘ Geoffrey Wong Chi Hung)) was gay and was only using her to cover up his homosexuality… but no one knows this besides Ah Hoi. Nga Man finds herself growingly attracted to Ah Hoi — Kindred‘s all-around “perfect guy”. When she becomes aware of these feelings, Nga Man forces herself to not think about it. She knows it is wrong because Ah Hoi can never be hers. He is a married man and she certainly doesn’t want to ruin his marriage with Ah Gwai.

Ah Hoi’s sympathy for Nga Man leads him into a sticky situation. With his mind deep in his career, Ah Hoi finds that Ah Gwai no longer “understands” him like before. She doesn’t know the pressures of work or what he goes through at his job. Thus he finds himself confiding more and more to Nga Man and spending increasing time with her. Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai somehow can no longer “communicate” like before. There’s none of the playful teasing and flirting that they used to have when they were dating and in the earlier stage of their marriage. It’s actually quite sad to see the two of them so distant.

As fate would have it, Ah Hoi & Nga Man are forced to face their forbidden feelings for one another after the two of them are caught in an earthquake. Believing that they’re going to die gives Nga Man the courage to confess her feelings. She cries, wishing that she hopes in the next lifetime she could meet Ah Hoi “first”. Feeling pity for Nga Man, Ah Hoi kisses her forehead and holds her. The two of them are eventually rescued, but they are left with the haunting memories of their unspeakable actions and words. The two of them simply can’t stop thinking about each other.

At this time, Ah Nam (Mark Kwok) returns, which sends Ah Hoi into a raging jealousy. People keep praising Ah Nam for being smart and capable and saying how Ah Hoi cannot compare. It doesn’t help that people keep reminding him about Ah Nam & Ah Gwai’s previous relationship. I really like the fact that Kindred mentions and brings back old storylines because it gives the series continuity and also gives the viewer a satisfying feeling because we’re able to recall the events with the characters.

Ah Hoi’s mother learns of Ah Gwai’s pretend pregnancy and her prejudice (hatred) against this daughter-in-law grows. She suspects that Ah Gwai is scheming to get her family fortune and plots to have Ah Hoi divorce her. Using Ah Nam & Ah Gwai’s friendship and past relationship to her advantage, she makes Ah Hoi think that Ah Gwai is cheating on him with Ah Nam. Ah Hoi is so consumed with his feelings for Nga Man and has grown so “indifferent” to Ah Gwai that he quickly and easily believes his mother. Ah Gwai cries because her husband doesn’t believe or trust her anymore.

Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai get into a heated argument. Ah Hoi accuses her of infidelity and demands a divorce. Like that, their marriage has dissolved… Of course, the Li family try to stop this divorce. After all, they’ve managed to stop Ah Wah (Lau Siu Gwan) & Ah Yan (Florence Kwok) from divorcing over 700 episodes back. Surely, Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai can be saved! Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse for the pair after Ah Gwai learns of Ah Hoi’s feelings for Nga Man. It finally makes sense to her why Ah Hoi so adamantly accused her of cheating with Ah Nam. It’s because he was looking for an excuse to divorce her so he could be with Nga Man. Extremely hurt, Ah Gwai is determined to divorce Ah Hoi.



It is very ironic that only after Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai divorce that she miraculously becomes pregnant (the doctor had told Ah Gwai that her miscarriage (caused by May May (Celine Ma)) made it very difficult for her to get pregnant again (she was potentially infertile)). It is again ironic that May May is there with Ah Gwai when she learns of this pregnancy. Many episodes back, Ah Gwai would have died of happiness to learn of her pregnancy, but with the dissolution of her marriage, she doesn’t want to have this baby. She plans to have an abortion. Luckily, she ends up not going through with it and decides that she’ll have the baby without Ah Hoi’s knowledge. She wants to be a strong and independent “single mom”.

I really like the friendship of Ah Gwai and May May. It’s a surprising twist, but smartly and convincingly written. 200 episodes ago, they were sworn enemies. Who could have guessed that 200 episodes later they would become friends? It’s quite touching to see May May look out for Ah Gwai and offer her maternity advice. May May has truly grown as a person (even if minimally) and knows her wrongs and wants to make amends. I’m really glad the two of them were able to resolve their issues.

Speaking of May May, the way the writers are using her character in the comedic subplots have been hilarious. Her lines and actions never fail to amuse and crack me up. In these episodes, she went from wooing Ko San Ching to crushing on Lap Sang (Marco Lo). Her working as a nurse at Lap Sang’s clinic was a very wise choice as her interactions with the patients, her fellow nurse, and Lap Sang bring some very enjoyable laughs. Her crush on Lap Sang was quite inevitable and very funny. I liked how they didn’t drag out that storyline too much because it would have gotten tiring; the writers resolved it relatively quickly with Lap Sang adopting May May as his god-sister.

Despite the divorce, Nga Man and Ah Hoi respect Ah Gwai enough not to get together. They both know it’s “wrong”. However, as fate (or the Kindred writers) would have it, Ah Hoi was “destined” to have a “fourth wife” (Choi Yiu, Seung Seung (Candy Lo Lam), Ah Gwai, and Nga Man) like his twin brother. Despite their attempts to avoid each other, Ah Hoi & Nga Man meet again… and end up in bed. Thus, they begin a relationship even though they know they won’t have people’s approval. They believe they can fight through it and prove to everyone that they love each other and deserve to be in a relationship. Things get very complicated when Ah Hoi learns that Ah Gwai is pregnant with his child. He feels very confused and conflicted. On the one hand he knows he has wronged Ah Gwai, but on the other hand, he cannot just let go of Nga Man because they just started and he had made a promise that he wouldn’t leave her (Nga Man’s greatest fear is being abandoned).

As expected, everyone objects to Ah Hoi being with Nga Man; they’re all on team Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai because it’s the “right” and “moral” thing to do. Nga Man never wanted to be a “third party”, but it’s exactly what she has become. Everyone gossips about her and calls her names, blaming her for Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai’s divorce. It doesn’t help that she has to wait on Ah Hoi to make time to be with her. The two of them can’t be “out in the open” like other couples. Furthermore, he lies to her again and again to cover up for spending [forced by his family] time with Ah Gwai. This all leads Nga Man to doubt their relationship and their future. She doesn’t want to end up like her mother (who was also a “third party”) and she finds it very stressful and shameful. It’s actually very sad to watch Nga Man deal with the pressures of being labeled a “third party”. I feel really sorry for her watching her deal with everything. It’s heart-breaking seeing her try so hard to make the relationship work.



Auntie Yung (Tam Sin Hung) goes to see Nga Man and tells her the story of Seung Seung — another girl who Ah Hoi wronged. She compares Nga Man to Seung Seung. Just like Nga Man, Seung Seung inadvertently became the “third party” between Choi Yiu and Ah Hoi. However, her situation was different in the fact that Seung Seung never knew that she’d be a “third party”. Everyone had thought Choi Yiu had died. Seung Seung was so in love with Ah Hoi and so happy to finally start a relationship with him. The two of them were on the brink of marriage when Choi Yiu came back. Just like that, Seung Seung fell from heaven — her blissful state of utmost happiness. Not wanting to make things difficult for Ah Hoi and knowing that Choi Yiu was the one that Ah Hoi loved the most, Seung Seung decided to withdraw from the love triangle and sacrificed her happiness. Nga Man cries after hearing the story.

After much thinking, Nga Man decides to go the path of Seung Seung: to leave Hong Kong and withdraw herself from the “love triangle”. Like that, Nga Man leaves… away from all the drama and awkwardness. Just like Seung Seung, she sacrifices herself for the sake of Ah Hoi and says that she is “content” with their short memories.

The “third party” is a touchy subject. I think the writers handled and wrote the storyline very well. Although I hate Ah Hoi’s love triangles, I have to say that Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai were the best candidate to have a third party come in to “ruin” their marriage. Being a “third party” is never anyone’s desire and no one intentionally chooses to be such a person. It’s a very tough situation when one finds himself or herself in the shoes of a “third party” (especially unknowingly), but when it comes to love, it’s often hard to think logically and follow your moral reasoning. Most of the time passion gets in the way. Nga Man tried so hard to stay away from Ah Hoi because she never wanted to be a “third party”. She was a smart, independent, and capable career woman… until love got her. To be honest, I think that Nga Man pretends to be [emotionally] stronger than she is. Although she is independent, she wants to be loved and taken care of like any woman. She weakened and succumbed to her love for Ah Hoi.

Everyone frowns on the “third party”, but honestly, why put all the blame on the “third party”? It takes two to tango and one key cannot jingle. The person I blame for Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai’s divorce is not Nga Man, but Ah Hoi himself. In fact, I do not place any blame on Nga Man at all. She never did anything wrong. She knew that Ah Hoi was married to Ah Gwai and she knew better than to ruin a marriage. Ah Hoi was divorced when they got together. Sure, morally it was too soon for Ah Hoi to be moving on, but Nga Man never initiated anything. It was all Ah Hoi. I have a huge rant that I want to get into about Ah Hoi, but I’m going to save it for a little later.

Initially I didn’t care for Nga Man. Her character was “cold” and therefore I found it difficult to connect to her. I honestly didn’t care for her storyline with her gay fiancé either and I was prejudiced against her character from the get-go because I knew that her character would lead to another love triangle for Ah Hoi. However, with time, I warmed up to her. Ultimately, I feel sorry for her (especially when people were constantly ridiculing and labeling her as the “third party”). Just like Seung Seung, she’s another pitiful girl with unrequited love. I can’t say that I’ll miss her character (because I don’t) like I miss Seung Seung, but like Seung Seung, I do hope that she’ll be able to move on and find happiness.

As for Cally, her acting isn’t anything to write home about, but I must say that I like her singing. She has a good voice and sings the melancholic love songs well (which remind me of Nga Man). Cally is pretty, but I think she has a “mature” type of beauty (at least during her run in Kindred). I appreciate her participation in Kindred.

With Nga Man gone, people thought that Ah Hoi and Ah Gwai would get back together, but they do not, which is very realistic.

Ah Hoi’s family eventually go bankrupt due to a bad business deal. His mother, Auntie Mei, who now is going blind because of her glaucoma, is sent to Hong Kong (because his brother, Ah San (Ben Wong), doesn’t want to deal with the “burden” of their mother — who fights with his 4 wives constantly). She has no idea about the dire state of her family’s fortune or how bad Ah San is. She is prejudice against Ah Hoi, saying how she doesn’t really trust him and how he’s not as capable or “good” as Ah San is. It’s pretty heart-breaking to hear her say this, especially because Ah Hoi tries so hard to please his mother and to fulfill her wishes (even though he’s not financially able to). Eventually Auntie Mei learns the truth and being her stubborn and prideful self, wants to be placed into a nursing home rather than live with Ah Gwai (who is kind enough to offer to take her in and care for her).

At the nursing home, everyone dislikes Auntie Mei. She is so crabby that she has no friends and the nursing staff all cannot stand dealing with her. With her pregnant belly, Ah Gwai pretends to be a nurse at the nursing home and goes to visit Auntie Mei almost every day. Auntie Mei has no idea that the nurse she praises and adores so much is the person she “hates” and criticizes to her face. It’s very sad to watch Ah Gwai listen to Auntie Mei saying what a “horrible” person Ah Gwai is. When Auntie Mei learns that it was Ah Gwai all along who had been visiting her and taking care of her, she goes into an outrage and leaves the nursing home, ending up falling down a flight of stairs and hitting her head.

Auntie Mei tries to push the “char siu” family that she despises away (especially Ah Gwai), but Ah Gwai persists. In a very touching and moving scene, Ah Gwai begs Auntie Mei to let go of the past and to give her a chance. She tells her the truth about the reality of things. Ah Gwai admits that she was wrong in pretending to be pregnant in the past, but she goes on to say that their relationship was quite good before that. She tells Auntie Mei that she views her not as a mother-in-law, but as a “mother”. She confesses that she was so happy when she married Ah Hoi because she thought that she could finally have a family and a “mother” to call her own (since her birth mother abandoned her). She urges Auntie Mei to put aside all of the past misunderstandings and issues so that they can start anew. She wants to take care of her not because she hopes to get back with Ah Hoi, but because she cares. Auntie Mei is very touched and cries. She now finally knows what a good girl Ah Gwai is and how wrong she was in the past.

I really enjoyed seeing Ah Gwai and Auntie Mei patch things up. It’s so touching! I really love the scene in which Auntie Mei breaks down and cries, saying how sorry and regretful she is for the way that she had treated Ah Gwai in the past. She wasn’t able to appreciate this good daughter-in-law and now it was too late.

Meanwhile, Ah Hoi refuses to go and see Ah Gwai because he’s too “ashamed” of himself. His career is nowhere and he cannot face her with the identity of a “failure”. He feels like a loser. Na-Duk (Chor Yuen) talks some sense into him by revealing the sad story of how his biggest regret is not going back to see his first wife (who he vowed never to come home to until he was a success). A man can lose many things, but it is not worth losing a good wife over his pride. Not wanting to have the same regrets as Na-Duk, Ah Hoi comes home to face Ah Gwai.

The much-anticipated confrontation between Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai was a very well-acted and written scene full of heightened emotions. It was exactly as I had imagined. Ah Hoi begs for forgiveness and a chance to make things right. Ah Gwai refuses, telling him that she’s a modern woman; she doesn’t need him. She is still young and attractive and can take care of not only herself, but her family as well. She is no longer the old Ah Gwai who only knew how to play and to spend money. She is self-sufficient and strong now and knows how to think. She boldly states that even if he dies, she will never forgive him. I really love Ah Gwai’s dialogue in this scene; it is such a classic moment.

I completely stand on Ah Gwai’s side. On what grounds does Ah Hoi deserve forgiveness? What has he done? All he has done is make a mess of things and run away. It is Ah Gwai who single-handedly managed their family and took care of everyone. Despite her pregnancy, she continues to work. She raises his children. She takes care of his mother. These are all responsibilities that she doesn’t have to take on (they’re divorced!). Furthermore, Ah Hoi did not show the least bit of concern for her throughout all those months. I completely agree that Ah Hoi doesn’t deserve forgiveness or a second chance.

Now… for my long rant on Ah Hoi.

In the early episodes of Kindred when Ah Hoi was working at “Sam Doh”, I liked him. He was a genuinely nice guy who cared a great deal for his family and friends and his love for Choi Yiu was very touching. I continued to like him up until the Seung Seung/Ah Hoi/Choi Yiu triangle. From that moment, I slowly started to dislike him mostly because I hated the very tiring and dragging love triangle. I didn’t like him for being so indecisive and wishy-washy. I only felt pity for Seung Seung and Choi Yiu. However, with Seung Seung gone and later on with Choi Yiu gone as well, I slowly started to warm up to his character again seeing how kind he was to everyone. Things continued to go uphill from there and improved when Ah Gwai entered the picture. In these episodes though, the like that I regained for Ah Hoi rapidly disappeared.

I’ve always had a few gripes with Ah Hoi. Everyone praises him as being such a “good” boy who unconditionally helps everyone around him and takes on more responsibility than he “should”. He keeps everything to himself because he doesn’t want to burden others. He’s humble, kind, and so on. All of these points are fair and I see where they come from. However, I think Ah Hoi is overrated. It’s actually quite annoying hearing how everyone praises him all of the time. If he’s such a good guy, how come he doesn’t take care of his kids? He was more of a father before he became a father (meaning before he married Choi Yiu). He rarely sees his children and leaves them in another country for his mother to take care of. Yes, he has a career, but what kind of father is he when he rarely interacts with his kids? Furthermore, I cannot stand his “slowness” and how indecisive he is. Yes, it’s who he is by nature and what makes him so “pure”, but it gets very tiring watching him especially when it comes to making decisions. He’s humble, yes, but I do think he cares about being a success too.

I was quite frankly very shocked by how the Kindred writers were taking apart their “perfect” Ah Hoi. They were truly deconstructing him. We got some very good reasons to not like him. Surprisingly, these reasons all relate back to my gripes against the character. Just like I was surprised with how the writers addressed the problems I had with Lap Sang & Ah Jing (Wallis Pang), I was again taken aback by how the writers hit all of the issues I had with Ah Hoi as a character. In fact, he himself realizes and confesses his errors and flaws.

Ah Hoi remembers all four women in his life (Choi Yiu, Seung Seung, Ah Gwai, Nga Man) and how he has hurt or wrong them at least one point or another. I enjoyed seeing the flashbacks because it brought back memories (both good and bad) of Ah Hoi’s love life. I personally believe that Ah Hoi loves Choi Yiu the most (Ah Gwai even says so along with Nga Man and of course Seung Seung). He liked her since they were little and willingly gave up everything for her and supported and loved her through it all. I don’t think he “gave” as much to the other three.

Like I said earlier, I blame Ah Hoi for the dissolution of his marriage with Ah Gwai, not Nga Man. If he had just put forth a little bit of effort, their relationship wouldn’t have gotten into a rut. If he had cared enough about her and their marriage, he would listen to her and support her. He was so consumed in his own selfish career and trusted that their marriage was a “given” and set deal that he neglected Ah Gwai. Every relationship requires work and above all, effort. Yes, Ah Gwai may not understand what goes on in the company nor would she understand as Nga Man would, but if he never tells her, how can she even have the chance to understand? Ah Hoi closed the door in terms of their communication and without communication, how can there be a relationship let alone a marriage?

My blood boiled when Ah Hoi had the nerve to accuse Ah Gwai of having an affair. I was disgusted because it was clear that he was looking for an excuse to put some blame or fault on Ah Gwai as a result of his feelings for another woman. Furthermore, his jealousy and pettiness towards Ah Nam is very childish. Ah Nam has been such a great friend all along. For Ah Hoi to behave the way he did towards him is immature and ungrateful. I do understand a man’s pride and how Ah Hoi doesn’t want to depend on someone else for his success (I wouldn’t want to either), but I don’t agree with how he treated Ah Nam at all.

In love, friendship, family, and career, I just did not like Ah Hoi at all.

Okay… I’m done with my rant.

Despite my apparent disgust for the character, I surprisingly began to “feel” for Ah Hoi shortly after Ah Gwai shuns him. Ah Hoi gets kidnapped (people mistaken him as being rich) and violently tortured for ransom. The criminals are so cruel that they stab him multiple times and leave him for dead rolling down a hill. As much as I didn’t like Ah Hoi at that point, I did not want to see him die. I actually felt sorry for him and I teared up as they showed flashbacks of Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai (during the scene with Ah Hoi being stabbed).

Before his kidnap, Ah Hoi recorded and sent a video to Ah Gwai. He confesses and admits all of his flaws and mistakes. I was actually quite shocked by how candid and self-aware Ah Hoi was with how wrong he had been acting and how he too admits that people regard him [as a person] too highly. He tells Ah Gwai how sorry he is and how he regrets not listening to her. He feels ashamed that he was so neglectful and unappreciative of her. He begs for another chance. Ah Gwai cries buckets watching this video. I actually cried along with Ah Gwai. True, Ah Hoi may have done many bad things and I may be very annoyed and irritated by him and his actions, but he is not a bad guy. Everyone makes mistakes, right? This scene was very touching and another classic moment.

Ah Hoi’s body is found and rescued. Ah Gwai breaks her water and goes into labor because she’s so emotional seeing Ah Hoi’s terribly wounded body. At the hospital, Ah Gwai gives birth to a baby boy while Ah Hoi is in critical care. Things don’t look good for Ah Hoi. He apologizes to everyone. Seeing Ah Hoi in this state, I can’t bear to hate him anymore. Ah Gwai (who feels very regretful that she once said she won’t forgive him even if he died) rushes to Ah Hoi’s side when she learns that he possibly won’t survive. She cries and tells him that he can’t abandon his responsibilities and leave her and their son. Ah Hoi tells Ah Gwai how sorry he is once again. He’s very weak… and dies?



Everyone cries with the seeming death of Ah Hoi. I was very shocked that Kindred would actually kill off such a major character (Choi Yiu’s death was shocking, but not so much for me because I had prior knowledge of it). Alas, it was only a “momentary” death. Ah Hoi regains consciousness and tells Ah Gwai that he couldn’t bear to leave her [and therefore had to come back]. The two cry and embrace. As a result of this life-and-death situation, the two of them realize how precious life is and how much they love and value each other.

I really enjoyed Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai’s storyline in these 150 episodes or so. It was so well-developed and crafted! It was very strong. Not only was it entertaining to watch, but it did wonders for them as a couple. Honestly, they were beginning to become rather “background” with their happiness (for any show, when a couple becomes too “happy” they often get “boring” and the audience lose interest). However, this storyline revived them as a couple despite ironically tearing them apart. Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai gained more depth and strength as a couple and both grew so much as a result of everything that happened.

Ah Gwai has matured and grown so much since we first saw her for the first time back in episode 300′s. Before she was untamed, irresponsible, and just loved to play around. Now, she’s a caring, responsible, and good wife and mother. She knows how to think now. Her growth is very gradual, subtle, and therefore totally natural and believable. It’s especially touching to watch her growth because we’ve seen it happen step-by-step through over 500 episodes. Initially I didn’t like Ah Gwai too much because she was too wild, but I must say that she’s one of my favorite characters now. I enjoyed watching her scenes and seeing how her character developed. Angie did a profound job acting this character. I think she excels as Ah Gwai and truly brings her to life. Her crying is excellent. Angie definitely looks prettier with long hair, but her haircut was a refreshing change and gives her a more “mature” look which physically embodies her inner maturation.

As for Ah Hoi, I haven’t seen much of him after his near-death experience so I can’t tell yet whether he has changed or grown. I really hope he does. He knows and has admitted all of his faults so there’s no excuse for him to continue to err. I hope he makes amends and like his wife, grows into a likable and respectable person. Right now I’m pretty much “neutral” towards him. I certainly don’t hate him anymore, that’s for sure. Until he proves that he has grown though, I won’t be on Team Ah Hoi.

I must admit that from the beginning I was prejudiced against this storyline. I dreaded the thought of another Ah Hoi love triangle and thought that the writers were doing this just for the sake of creating drama. Therefore, I was very surprised and impressed with this storyline after finishing it. Nga Man/Ah Hoi/Ah Gwai love triangle wasn’t that bad, thankfully short, and served a purpose. It didn’t happen just so Ah Hoi could have love triangle #2. There was meaning behind it and ultimately it propelled Ah Hoi & Ah Gwai’s relationship and led to growth for both. What could have been a very tiring and dragging storyline turned out to be very good for the show.

Auntie Ho (Nancy Sit) gets a new love interest in the form of the nerdy and embarrassing Dr. Ko San Ching. It starts off very innocent with Auntie Ho constantly teasing San Ching and trying to match-make him with Helen (Helen Ma). All of the playful jokes and time that they spend together inevitably lead to real feelings and love blossoming. I adore this couple! They have really good chemistry and are quite funny to watch! Auntie Ho & San Ching remind me of what she & Mao See (Melvin Wong) used to be before things turned bad. I think I prefer Auntie Ho with San Ching actually and I’m happy that she ultimately ends up being Mrs. Ko San Ching. After many years of suffering and disappointments, Auntie Ho has regained “face” and can hold her head up high. I’m really happy for her.

I like San Ching’s character. He’s genuinely a nice guy and a good doctor and a good addition to Kindred. It’s funny seeing how “obedient” he is to his mother at the age of 50. It’s rather touching, but at the same time also unhealthy because he pretty much lost a lot of time. His mom turned away every woman he tried to date (thus his bachelor status despite his high salary and prestigious career as an oncologist) and he heeds and listens to everything she says and asks. Of course, his character’s obedience to his mom is exaggerated for comedic purposes, but I think there are people like San Ching out there. It isn’t until Auntie Ho comes along that San Ching begins to have a “life” outside of work and getting taken care of by his mom. She is daring and allows San Ching to “let loose” and have some fun for once in his life. She brings him a great sense of joy, meaning, and completeness that he didn’t have before. She opens his eyes to new things. It is only through Auntie Ho that San Ching begins to “live”.

Principle Ko, of course, was not at all pleased with the uneducated and improper Auntie Ho and tried to prevent their being together. Auntie Ho’s mother, Grandma Yuen (Lai Suen) also opposed her daughter from seeing San Ching because of a long grudge that she has against Principle Ko. 30 years earlier, Principle Ko and Grandma Yuen got into a huge argument after Principle Ko insulted her when she rejected Auntie Sin (Louise Lee See Kei) from dating her son. It’s because of this that these two old women are sworn enemies. Their bickering is often humorous and their rivalry lead to some good laughs and conflicts. Although predictable, I still enjoyed seeing how they mended their relationship and became good in-laws, in the end giving their children their blessings.

I’m a total fan of Auntie Ho & Ko San Ching. From the innocent beginning of their bond to the subtle development of their feelings for each other to their dating, it was all very humorous, sweet, and enjoyable. Opposites truly attract in their case and they complete and complement each other so well. Nancy and Yu Yeung have great chemistry too. I look forward to seeing their married life.

The best storyline in these episodes and arguably one of the best storylines Kindred has ever written in its run thus far has got to be the tragic death of Ah Kam (Louisa So). Yes, the Ah Kam who was so important at the beginning of the series who then disappeared for awhile and when she came back remained in the background as a supporting role. I do think they had exhausted storylines for Ah Kam & Ah Fook (Cheung Chi Kwong) so it was natural that their characters were left on the backburner for the past 100′s of episodes. I’m kind of glad that happened because I wasn’t a big fan of their stories after the first 200 episodes as they became somewhat repetitive and tiring to watch. Still, I like Ah Fook & Ah Kam and do like seeing them in Kindred.

Who could have thought that when they came back into the spotlight that it would be their final storyline? They went out with a bang and left a huge impact. This single storyline squeezed all of the tears out of me. I cried buckets! It was the most I ever cried watching any series, let alone Kindred. I was literally crying non-stop in many scenes.

Poor bright and good boy Lok Lok (Ding Lik) develops a liver disease and the only way to save him is to give him a transplant. The best candidate? No other than his mother, Ah Kam. Lok Lok means the world to Ah Kam. She even proclaims that she doesn’t know how to live without her son. She’s invested and given her all to this son, who embodies her hopes and dreams for the future. Truly, Lok Lok is her all. Therefore she doesn’t hesitate to volunteer a portion of her liver in the hopes of saving her son.

Ah Kam’s love for her son is extremely moving! This storyline portrays maternal love and sacrifice exceptionally. You can feel how much Ah Kam loves Lok Lok and how willing she is to give and do anything for him that it is all just so tragic and heart-breaking. She doesn’t mind suffering for the sake of her son. She does so much for him and his future. Prior to his hospital admission, Lok Lok had written an essay about his mother. My god… this essay is probably the most moving thing the Kindred writers have ever written. Seriously. I cried non-stop during the scene in which Ah Kam reads the essay and learns exactly how much she means to him. This scene is such a heart-breaking and classic moment that brings me to tears every time I watch it.

Ah Fook & Ah Kam’s love really touched me. Ah Fook is often seen “complaining” about how “bossy” and “controlling” Ah Kam is and we often see Ah Kam criticizing Ah Fook for not being “ambitious” and for being “lazy”. Despite this, it’s clear that they love each other and this story showed just how much. I really like this couple and they probably represent a good deal of married couples out there.



The transplant at first looks to have gone well and it seems like both mother & son will be fine. Sadly, the celebration is premature and short-lived. Ah Kam suffers from complications because of an infection during the middle of the night. Unfortunately, she cannot be saved… Ah Kam’s last moments are imminent. Everyone gathers at the hospital to say good-bye to Ah Kam. It’s so sad watching everyone bid their last words to Ah Kam.

Ah Kam doesn’t want Lok Lok to know about her death yet (because she wants him to get better first), so she doesn’t let him see her. Instead, she calls him, pretending that she has fully recovered and is going on a flight for “awhile”. Hearing Ah Kam fake her well-being (and hiding her tears and pain) to Lok Lok and seeing him so oblivious to the fact that this phone call would be the last time he would ever talk to his mom again tugs at my heart. Ah Kam passes away singing Lok Lok’s favorite song…

Tears, tears, tears! I am not an emotional sap when it comes to watching series, but this storyline hit all of the right buttons.

With this story, Ah Kam has become not only one of my favorite characters, but also one of the most memorable Kindred characters to me. Her character is just so tragic! She didn’t have a good childhood and she came from a broken family. She couldn’t go far in her studies because she had to start working at a young age to support herself. Her life turns better after she marries Ah Fook and with the birth of Lok Lok. Even more, she reconciles with her estranged mother and reunites with her brother, Dai Sing (Johnny Ngan). She has a home and complete family at last. Her lucky streak continues when she’s able to own her own beauty clinic. Ah Kam can have good days at last, it seems. Tragically, it’s all taken away much too soon.

Ah Kam, I will really miss you! Louisa’s acting is truly exquisite. Kindred didn’t give her much to do in the past hundreds of episodes, but she hit the ball out of the park with her acting in this extremely well-written story. Louisa is one of my favorite actresses now. She is a rare talent and I am glad that TVB gives her great supporting and leading roles. No matter what, Louisa shines. She is so good.

The death of Ah Kam hits Ah Fook hard. He finds himself so useless. His wife did so much for their family yet he seems to have no contribution at all. She pretty much took care of everything while he just sat around idle and oblivious. He can’t bring himself to face his son (he even wants to send him to a boarding school!) because when he looks at Lok Lok, he can’t help but “blame” him for causing Ah Kam’s death. Ah Fook comes around after an emotional scene in which Lok Lok (after learning of his mom’s death) begs his father not to abandon him. Lok Lok has already lost his mother; he cannot lose his father too.

The character of Lok Lok has gone through about 4-5 different child actors, which is a bit ridiculous. However, I am so glad they casted Ding Lik as the latest (and hopefully final) Lok Lok. This child actor is so good! He doesn’t overact and is naturally cute and lovable. His emotional scenes are nicely done and he really makes me feel for Lok Lok. Louisa, Cheung Chi Kwong, and Ding Lik all did an incredible job acting out this tragic story which hit this cute family of three.

I don’t know if Ah Kam’s death was written to write off Louisa (did she want off the series because of her lack of screen time and acting “substance”?) or if the writers wanted to open up new storylines. I’m going with the latter because of how persistent Ah Kam was that Ah Fook find Lok Lok another mother. If Ah Kam’s death wasn’t so poignantly and well-crafted, I would curse the writers for killing her. However, because it was one of the best things that happened to the series, I am glad the storyline happened. I loved it so much!

Ah Fook’s single status was bound to not last long (how many single guys are there in Kindred?), but I was shocked by how “quick” the writers paved the way for Ah Fook to meet his second wife in the form of Sze Kam (Fiona Yuen). Just episodes after Ah Kam’s death, Sze Kam already appeared. When we first meet her, Sze Kam appears to be a sweet and giving mainland girl. She even saves Lok Lok and becomes his god-mother. Soon, though, we learn that Sze Kam is not what she appears to be. In fact, behind the beautiful face, polite and “shy” manner, and smiles is a greedy and wicked lady. She plots to marry Ah Fook and steal the Li family’s money (she believes they are rich).

She tricks Ah Fook into believing that he slept with her, which leads him to feel guilty and want to take up “responsibility”. Like that, Ah Fook and Sze Kam marry. Sze Kam enters the Li family, the first step in her big plan succeeded. Sze Kam is going to fill the role of the “big villain” that was left vacant after Tsz Ho died. I wonder how well she’ll do and what kind of wicked things are in store.

Coming into the series along with Sze Kam are two of my most-hated characters that Kindred has crafted — the irritating and greedy mother & son pair of Ah Fat (Leung Gin Ping) and his mom (Li Lai Lai). Sze Kam may be the “big villain” plotting, but these two just make my blood boil. I heard that they “ruin” Kindred and after they appear the series goes downhill. I really hope not. So far, yes, they have tainted Kindred with more typical and annoying gambling and money-schemes storylines (haven’t we had enough of those already from other characters?). I really don’t enjoy watching them at all and groan whenever they are on-screen. Hopefully their scenes are limited.

Sze Kam and Ah Fat are actually lovers. They pretend to be siblings because Sze Kam (who was a hungry orphan) took on his sister’s identity after she died. I feel nothing for this couple, mostly because I hate Ah Fat. I don’t find it “tragic” that they have to [temporarily] part or hide/suppress their love because Sze Kam “has to” marry Ah Fook.

Fiona’s debut performance is not too bad. She’s doing okay as the evil villain. I usually find Fiona pretty, but her short hair doesn’t look good and her make-up is too strong (though I think it’s to exaggerate her “evil” face).

I’m not too interested in the Ah Fook & Sze Kam storyline right now. I get slightly annoyed with how fake Sze Kam is, but I have to say she makes a good villain. The set-up with getting Ah Fook to marry Sze Kam was predictable. It was pretty much the only way I saw that would make it believable that Ah Fook would marry someone so quickly after Ah Kam’s death.

Tied in with Sze Kam’s plot is Dai Sing’s deteriorating relationship with the Li family. Sze Kam sets him up because Dai Sing is the only person who doesn’t buy her “niceness”. Everyone believes he’s just being prejudiced and unreasonable because of Ah Kam’s death, so they side with Sze Kam (furthering her plot). It’s really sad watching people believe Sze Kam instead of Dai Sing. How can they after so many years? I don’t blame Dai Sing at all for being upset and breaking ties with the Li’s. I look forward to the day when everyone realizes how right Dai Sing was.

With Dai Sing leaving “Sam Doh”, Ah Fat goes to work to take his place (which I’m sure will lead to some trouble later on). Dai Sing goes to business with Mok Chuen (Yeung Ying Wai) and they open up a $10 Dollar store opposite “Sam Doh”. It’s nice to see them have their own business. Also, it’s touching that Ah Fook secretly helped to fund the business in an effort to repair his relationship with Dai Sing. Ever since Sze Kam came into the picture and especially since he married her, Dai Sing hasn’t been Ah Fook’s biggest fan. It’s sad because they used to be good brothers. I look forward to Ah Fook and Dai Sing making up (as I do Dai Sing getting justice from everyone overall, especially Char Siu Bing (Lau Dan), who is arguably the most unjustly against Dai Sing).

As for the other characters, Lap Sang can now walk normally again. He underwent corrective surgery on his leg thanks to the arrangement and support of Ah Jing. This is such a good-looking couple. Again, I am still waiting for Lap Sang to do “something” to prove his love. Speaking of proving “his love”, I must say that Mok Chuen surprised me by finally expressing and admitting his love for Siu Mooi (Yvonne Lam). They are a cute couple too and I’m glad that Siu Mooi’s love is finally returned and they are “officially” a couple.

Holy crap! I wrote a book! What can I say? These episodes had a lot to offer and I had a lot to say. It’s been four months since I’ve seen these episodes, but I can still recall the details. I haven’t seen any more A Kindred Spirit episodes since January because I vowed that I couldn’t watch more until I caught up in posting my thoughts. I’m really excited to watch the series again! I miss these characters and I want to see what’s next. It does make me sad that I’m going into the final stretches with only 300-something episodes to go. It’s been quite a journey already!

TVB Series A Kindred Spirit (Episodes 652 – 704) – 176 captures

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Episodes 652-704

A Kindred Spirit continues to be solid in these episodes. I loved these episodes and finished watching them very quickly (in a week) since I was basically addicted to Kindred during these episodes.

May May (Celine Ma) is the producer’s favorite character as well as one of the most memorable and popular characters overall from the series. I can definitely see why now. Up until episode 650′s, May May didn’t have her own storyline. She existed only as Tsz Ho’s (Cheng Tse Sing) wife and the spoiled and obnoxious daughter of Na-Duk (Chor Yuen). This all changed in episode 650′s and onwards when it was finally revealed that May May was not the biological daughter of Na-Duk. I was waiting for this storyline since it was first introduced over 150 episodes back and it did not disappoint.

Honestly, at first I wanted May May’s identity to be revealed as soon as possible because I felt it would be heaven’s retribution for how awful she was. I thought I would be happy to see her get kicked off of her high horse. However, leading up to the revelation, I began to feel somewhat sorry for her. Tsz Ho was openly cheating on her and wanted a divorce. May May truly loves him and so I felt sorry for her. Even though May May is very spoiled and seems selfish, I could tell that she deeply cares about Na-Duk. I could also see how much Na-Duk loved this daughter and how he did not want his suspicions about May May’s identity to be proven correct. However, the truth always comes out in the end. It was heartbreaking watching May May learn the truth.

It was surprising to see how mostly everyone wanted to help May May. The Li’s and their relatives and friends truly have big hearts. Forgetting how May May wronged them all at one point or another, they open up their homes and offer helping hands. Everyone that is except for Ah Gwai (Angie Cheung), who bears a grudge against May May for having caused her miscarriage many episodes back. She wonders why everyone isn’t “happy” that May May got punished and raises up that it’s “heaven’s retribution”. In fact, Ah Gwai is jealous of May May and how everyone seems to be so attentive and caring towards her. To her it seems very unfair that someone bad like May May can have everything be so “ideal”. May May gets to have a baby and even more, even the tiniest “good” deed that she does is praised like there’s no tomorrow. Ah Gwai concludes that a “good” person, no matter what he or she does, won’t be praised like a “bad” person who does a little “good” would — which is very true.

Watching May May adjust to her new life was very hilarious since she retained the arrogance, haughtiness, and narcissism that is her character. Naturally, the comedy subsided with the highest-rated Kindred storyline — May May’s suicide. It’s very sad seeing May May learn that Tsz Ho never loved her and only married her for money. She even eats dirt in hopes of getting back together with him! She loses all drive in life and decides to commit suicide by jumping off a building. She chooses her son’s full month celebration to suicide so that he will remember that day as being his mom’s death anniversary and will seek revenge on Tsz Ho for her. It’s ironic that the two people May May wronged and hurt most (Ah Gwai and Ah Man (Winnie Yeung)) are the two who inform everyone of May May’s suicidal intentions. In fact, they are the most aggressive in stepping out to encourage her not to jump.



May May cries, wondering why everyone is so nice to her when she was such a bad person. She says she doesn’t deserve to live and is best off dead, just like Tsz Ho said. Despite everyone telling her that they’ve all forgiven her, May May still jumps… Fortunately, May May survives and vows to continue living which is great because I love watching May May. Do I think it’s unbelievable that everyone forgives May May so easily and quickly? No, I don’t. May May might have verbally (or physically) abused/hurt everyone at least once, but she’s not evil. She loves to play others and cause trouble because it gives her “joy”, but deep down she is not a truly incorrigible person like Tsz Ho. She is very much like a big little girl who doesn’t know better because she’s been so spoiled all of her life. She does have a heart after all and cares for others subtly and indirectly. Her change to a “nicer” person while still being the May May we love to hate and find tedious is quite touching. I also really enjoy seeing how much closer May May and Sophie (Poon Bing Seung) have gotten. Although she still treats her mom rudely, it’s quite clear that she appreciates and loves her mom after all. I look forward to watching more of May May because she is a very entertaining character.

I’m a fan of Lap Sang (Marco Lo) & Ah Suet (Joyce Tang), but more so after the fact. They look great together and the memories of when they were sweet together (even if Lap Sang was faking it) bring a smile to my face. I really liked the scene in which Lap Sang smiles warmly as he looks at their wedding pictures and then sees a piece of garment that used to be Ah Suet’s. He inhales the scent, remembering Ah Suet — the wife that he appreciated too late. Marco’s acting actually left much to be desired (I personally don’t think he’s a very good actor and his dramatic scenes are quite horrible) and he didn’t convey the emotions needed for the scene, but it still sticks out to me because it was simply a well-written scene. I was very happy to see Ah Suet again and also excited that she regained her memories (particularly of Lap Sang and everything that happened). Of course, remembering Lap Sang means one thing for Ah Suet: more tears. The happiness… and pain all came back. Ah Suet learns that Lap Sang has a new girlfriend, Ah Jing (Wallis Pang) and decides to move on because she doesn’t want to ruin anyone’s happiness since she herself is also engaged to a very loving doctor-to-be, Samson (Ho Yuen Hang). Unfortunately, the moment she sees Lap Sang again (with Ah Jing), her heart breaks because she realizes that she still loves him a lot.

Ah Suet feigns that she still suffers from amnesia, but Lap Sang soon discovers that she has remembered everything. My single most favorite moment of Ah Suet’s return is when Lap Sang sees her and runs after her in the streets in the rain. At first she continues to pretend like she doesn’t know him, but he persists. Finally, Ah Suet breaks and embraces him. They hug each other, the rain pouring on the two of them, as they declare how much they’ve missed and loved the other. In that moment of passion and forgetting everything else but each other, they are about to kiss. However, they stop when reality comes knocking into their minds again. Ah Suet is already engaged to Samson and Lap Sang already has Ah Jing. They cannot wrong their lovers who care and love them so much. Ah Suet tries to hurt Lap Sang’s pride by saying she can’t be a someone who was once in jail and is a cripple before she walks away from him in tears. I really like this scene because the emotions are wonderfully played out and it is the moment the audience was waiting for — the confrontation/reunion of Ah Suet and Lap Sang.



In the end, Lap Sang and Ah Suet both decided that their “fate” had ended and that they should both move on rather than holding on to their past love. They both have their own significant other who loves and needs them more than they (Ah Suet and Lap Sang) need each other now. Ah Suet confesses to Ah Jing that she would have stayed if Lap Sang was miserable and “needed” her, but because he has already turned his life around and has someone (Ah Jing), she is not needed. I think it’s a very fitting and satisfying conclusion to Lap Sang & Ah Suet’s storyline. Their love story was very dramatic, unforgettable, and full of pain. Ah Suet was truly more sad than happy with him. He appreciated and loved her too late. Ah Suet can only be truly happy with her fiancé, who cherishes her dearly. Ah Suet & Lap Sang can only remain a memory of a distant past.

Tied along with Lap Sang & Ah Suet’s storyline is the tiring love triangle of Mao See (Melvin Wong), Auntie Ho (Nancy Sit), and Becky (Mannor Chan). Auntie Ho & Mao See still love each other, but just like their children, their “fate” has ended and they too at long last get a fitting conclusion. Mao See decides to be with Becky because through it all, he still loves her and wants them to work out. I loved watching Auntie Ho and Mao See many, many episodes back because they do have great chemistry, but honestly, I was pretty much “done” with them about 200 episodes ago. I was fed up with the writers repeatedly toying and teasing the audience with the “possibility” of them getting back together. Therefore, I was just very happy with the closure of this storyline. Just like Lap Sang & Ah Suet, I do not feel any regrets for Mao See & Auntie Ho not ending up together. Their final parting is moving and fitting. She tells him that she’s not the “main themesong” in his life, but is only a “subsong”. She says she feels content that they once loved and with their memories. He says he’ll never forget her. They hug one last time before Auntie Ho breaks off and walks away in tears.

Ah Suet’s return served to propel Lap Sang & Ah Jing’s relationship. Without her coming back and giving Lap Sang proper closure, I don’t think Ah Jing & Lap Sang could ever have truly “move forward”. Ah Suet’s return made Ah Jing doubt their relationship and also feel insecure.

I like Lap Sang & Ah Jing; there’s undeniable chemistry and the two look great together. However, I’ve always felt uneasy about this relationship because it always seemed to me like Ah Jing gave more than she got back from Lap Sang. It was an unbalanced relationship and to me lacked depth. I could feel how caring and loving Ah Jing was towards Lap Sang, but not the other way around. I truly felt for Ah Jing when she asked Lap Sang why he loved her. His reply? “Because you love me.” Ouch! I don’t blame her at all for doubting his sincerity and love.

Over and over again, Lap Sang fails to show Ah Jing that he cares for her. It’s especially clear to her when she observes how careful and concerned he acts towards Ah Suet. It is a gentle and sweet side that she has never seen or felt from him. Therefore she grows to believe that their relationship is not worth much to him. Ah Jing consequently decides to back away from Lap Sang before her feelings get any deeper. The two spend a very lovely day together in Cheung Chow (so that she can leave him with beautiful memories) before she departs abruptly to England to further her studies.

Lap Sang freaks out. His heart breaks reading a letter that Ah Jing left for him, explaining her departure and explicitly stating her feelings and issues she had towards their relationship. He goes to England to find her to prove to her that he does care and value her. After searching in vain, he fatefully meets with her again. He confesses his feelings to her and explains that he has trouble emoting. He also thought that she “understood” without him saying things aloud, so that’s why he never explicitly expressed his love. However, he assures her that he knows his wrong now and will show her how important she is to him from now on. The two kiss passionately on the streets in England, their relationship renewed and strengthened.

I was quite surprised by Lap Sang & Ah Jing’s storyline because it addressed the main issue I had all along (for many episodes) with their relationship. This storyline was needed to give the couple some much-needed depth and also to show that their relationship isn’t so “one-sided”. As a whole I’m pleased with the execution of this storyline, but I have to say that I’m slightly disappointed that Lap Sang still didn’t really do anything for Ah Jing. For many episodes we see Ah Jing unconditionally help and support Lap Sang, but I’m still waiting to see Lap Sang do the same for Ah Jing. All he did was just “declare” his love and go to England to find her. As Ah Jing said to him, “In a man’s world, your actions [going to England to find her] are very ‘noble’. Very pain-staking, right? However, in a woman’s world, it means nothing.” I agree with her. For now I’ll just accept Lap Sang’s promise and wait to see how he has “changed” and how he will treat Ah Jing from now on.

Ah Loi (Lui Fong) is back! Ah Loi is back! I get so, so, so happy and excited whenever my favorite recurring guest star character (Ah Loi) returns. His scenes are limited, but I just love watching Ah Loi & Ah King (Kingdom Yuen) — my favorite Kindred couple. I waited patiently along with Ah King for Ah Loi’s return (because unlike Ah King, I fortunately had the knowledge that he would return). Poor Ah King who waited day and night for Ah Loi to come back only to be “denied” as Ah Loi refused to admit his identity (as part of his scheme to enact revenge on Tsz Ho). This couple is the one that I feel the most for. It’s absolutely heart-breaking watching Ah King try over and over again to get Ah Loi to “acknowledge” her. Despite all of his refutes and her failed attempts, Ah King continues to believe that it is Ah Loi — which is touching. I absolutely love the phone call that Ah King gives Ah Loi after learning “the truth” (that it was indeed Ah Loi). She tells him that she understands and will continue to wait for him. Tears… just tears.

Ah King’s love for Ah Loi and her willingness to wait for him is so moving. I applaud the writers for keeping Ah King’s character pure and not tainting her with a love triangle due to Ah Loi’s absence. Yes, Dai Lik (Wai Ka Hung) loves Ah King, but Ah King never once returned his love or tried to begin a new relationship with him. She remained faithful to Ah Loi, which is a very admirable act and quite “rare” in Kindred terms (as every character seems to be involved in a love triangle at one point or another).

My heart broke when Tsz Ho pushed Ah Loi down the elevator chute. It was a very Looking Back in Anger moment. Seriously, if I wasn’t spoiled with the knowledge that Ah Loi & Ah King would get married later on in the series, I don’t know how many times I would have cried and feared for Ah Loi’s life. When it was announced that he was in a coma, I remember thinking, “Oh great! Now he’s going to be in a coma for 100′s of episodes!” The “coma reason” would have been a very convenient way for the writers to write off Ah Loi again. Thankfully, they did not go down that route. I was actually quite surprised and shocked by how quickly Ah Loi woke from his coma. I was also thankful that the writers didn’t write in a clichéd “amnesia” storyline for Ah Loi after he woke up from his coma.

Sadly, it is not a happy ending for Ah King and Ah Loi after he wakes up. Because she is caught in the middle between Ah Loi and Tsz Ho, Ah King has no choice but to side with her “family”. Even though she knows her brother is a horrible man who even tried to kill her, she cannot pick Ah Loi. Therefore, because of family issues, Ah King and Ah Loi break up. Ah Loi leaves yet again… which makes me very sad because I don’t know when he’ll be back.

Tsz Ho gets worse by the episode. However, like May May, he is an interesting character to watch. I like the drama and complications that his character brings to the series. His character “saved” the series back in episode 500′s and made Kindred interesting to watch again. At times it’s annoying and frustrating to watch him because he’s so ruthless, but at the end of the day, I appreciate his character. I despise him; he is the epitome of selfishness and antagonizes everything that Kindred preaches. There is no one he won’t betray for his own benefits. He won’t even acknowledge the existence of his own flesh and blood (his son whom May May unfortunately names Gwai Dan [sounds like "turtle egg"] to spite him).

Little by little everyone sees his “true” face and learns what a horrible human being he is. I thought it was appropriate (and extremely heart-breaking) that Ah King discovers that Tsz Ho was the one who kidnapped Ah Loi for ransom (and potentially murdered him). Unfortunately, Tsz Ho is able to “out-smart” the law over and over again and lives outside of justice… that is, until he is finally arrest in the mainland for corrupted business transactions. By sheer luck, Tsz Ho manages to escape to Hong Kong (where he is also wanted for hurting Ah Loi). Without anyone else to turn to, Tsz Ho contacts Auntie Yung (Tam Siu Hung) — the mom he repeatedly hurts — to help him run away.

The countless of times that Tsz Ho has disappointed and broken her heart still doesn’t deter Auntie Yung from loving this son of hers. Yes, she has “woken” up and she knows that Tsz Ho isn’t a “good” boy, but as his mom, how can anyone expect her to just let him go? How can she just ignore him? As a mother, she simply can’t abandon him. While I do blame Auntie Yung for spoiling Tsz Ho so much when she first reclaimed him, I don’t blame her for continuing to love her son and living in denial. It’s understandable. While she does garner the money that he needs to escape, she tries to urge him to turn himself in to start over a new leaf after going to jail. I like that. It shows that Auntie Yung has grown. However, Tsz Ho continues to insist that he has “no choice” and has reached a “point of no return”. He doesn’t want to go to jail.

It’s rather touching to see May May wanting to leave with Tsz Ho to start a new life with their family of three. Just like Auntie Yung, she still loves him despite all that he has done. Speaking of May May and Auntie Yung, I also really like the relationship between them. It’s a touching relationship because we were able to watch it grow and see how it developed.

Tsz Ho leaves with the money Auntie Yung and May May gathered, unwilling to go to jail. As he is on his way to leave Hong Kong, he sees the very-much pregnant Ah Man (who could give birth at any time) and it turns into a hostage situation. He demands money from Na-Duk. Tsz Ho tries to “get back” with Ah Man, but she refuses his advances and insists that she only loves her husband, Ah Nam (Mark Kwok), now. He is extremely bitter and vows to kill Ah Nam. In the midst of things, Ah Man goes into labor. Tsz Ho panics and rushes her to a local doctor (threatening them to help her deliver by gun-point). Ah Man gives birth to a baby boy. While Tsz Ho and Ah Man were indulged in the baby, the doctor and nurse contacted the police (who have now circled the house). Tsz Ho is trapped like a mouse with nowhere to go.

Ah Man urges him to surrender and turn himself in. Tsz Ho asks Ah Man whether or not she would have continued to wait for him (after he broke up with her and married May May) if Ah Nam had not shown up. Ah Man cries as she nods her head. Hearing this answer, Tsz Ho is pleased. He proceeds to go outside to face the crowd below. Putting on one last show, he throws Ah Nam & Ah Man’s “baby” down the balcony. Ah Nam runs to save his baby. Tsz Ho seizes this chance to kill Ah Nam, but before he can fire a shot, the police squad endlessly shoots at him. He falls from the balcony and dies with a smile on his face, remembering his time with Ah Man (his Siu Man).

The topic of whether or not Tsz Ho truly loved Ah Man is up for debate. I don’t believe that he did and I’m just not convinced by their “love story” that the writers tried to push on the viewers in the last 100 episodes. They tried to make it seem like Tsz Ho cared for Ah Man and truly loved her (he even cheated with a girl just because her name was Sek Man), but wrongly gave her up because he was misled by his greed. They tried to convince the audience that Tsz Ho regretted this action and that the only person he ever loved was Ah Man. I don’t buy it at all. Even when May May was nowhere in the picture, I observed that he didn’t really love her. He seemed so indifferent when he was writing a “love letter” to her way back when. He never appreciated her and quite frankly, I believe that without Ah Nam there as “competition”, I don’t think Tsz Ho would have “cared” so much about her. He only wanted her when he couldn’t have her. I believe Tsz Ho is the type of person who just loves competition because he loves to prove that he is “better” than everyone else. If Tsz Ho loved Ah Man, he wouldn’t have given her up so he could marry May May to advance his career. I’m sorry, but even if his “big plan” included divorcing May May and getting back together with Ah Man once he “made it”, it doesn’t make it right and it certainly doesn’t prove any “love”. If he loved her, he would never give her up and even allow the “chance” for her to be lost (i.e. for Ah Nam to come and love her). He simply didn’t care whether or not he had her. Therefore, I wasn’t touched by the whole Ah Man & Tsz Ho storyline at all. I think the writers were trying too hard to earn some sympathy back from the audience by making it seem like he cared for and loved Ah Man all along.

I cried when Auntie Yung stroked Tsz Ho’s head, looking at his corpse and telling him that he’s her “good” son. “Tsz Ho, my good son. You have the capability to be good.” Poor Auntie Yung! Hearing her still adamantly believing in Tsz Ho’s “good” to the bitter end is absolutely heart-wrenching. It’s also very sad to watch May May break down over Tsz Ho’s death. I don’t feel sad that Tsz Ho died, but I feel for the impact that his death has on others.

I must confess that I was a little surprise by the “quick” resolution to Tsz Ho’s storyline. I was actually thinking that Kindred was going to pull a page out of Looking Back in Anger (since they love to use Looking‘s themesong for Tsz Ho’s scenes) and have the character go to jail, come out and feign to be a “good person”, and then try to harm everyone again until finally facing a demise. The writers love to make parallels and comparisons between characters and storylines. Lap Sang and Tsz Ho are often compared (this is the reason why Auntie Ho and Auntie Yung can relate and understand each other), so it would have actually worked out well. Both are arrogant, egotistic, competitive, greedy, and ended up committing felonies. Lap Sang went to jail to pay for his crime and came out a changed person, realizing his dire mistakes and successfully revamped his life. He is now a much more likable character. However, Tsz Ho is not Lap Sang and could never be. He lacks the morality and self-awareness that Lap Sang has. I don’t think Tsz Ho has it in him to change. Therefore, it would have been very easy for the characters to trust and believe that Tsz Ho changed after going to jail and coming out. I am personally very glad that the writers did not take that route because I was frankly getting sick of Tsz Ho as a character and didn’t know how much longer he could continue being evil without some sort of punishment or action being made against him.

Do I think Tsz Ho regretted his actions and repented? Of course he regretted. His actions caused him to reach a “point of no return”. Did he repent? I don’t think he did. He really didn’t do anything to show that he felt sorry for everything that he did (murder, cheating, lying, bribery, and so on). Auntie Yung insists that he did because in the end he didn’t harm Ah Man (and her baby), but did she forget that he tried to kill Ah Nam before he died? I don’t believe he was “faking out” the cops by “pretending” to shoot Ah Nam. I think he honestly wanted Ah Nam dead because he was that jealous and bitter. The two people that Tsz Ho hates the most are Ah Hoi (Ben Wong) and Ah Nam. He hates Ah Nam for being born with a “silver spoon” and he hates Ah Hoi because everyone loves him so much. Tsz Ho cares the most about himself and appearing “better” than everyone else.

Do I think Tsz Ho is pure evil? No, I don’t actually. I think he’s the way he is because it’s just who he is as a person. I find that the Kindred writers did an effective job developing and writing his character. Ever since he was little, Tsz Ho has felt “inferior” (being the son of a maid). When he grew up (after getting lost from Auntie Yung) in the mainland, he further felt inferior because of his mainland background. When he came to Hong Kong, he made a vow to be someone. By nature Tsz Ho loves to prove his worth. He loves competition. He loves winning. He loves power. He longs to feel superior after his many years of feeling inferior. The route to superiority? Money. Tsz Ho’s ego is to blame for his eventual demise and all of his wrong choices and the erroneous paths that he took in life.

All in all, A Kindred Spirit delivered 52 excellent episodes. The script was tight, well-developed, and well-written. There were no filler or silly storylines. Everything served a purpose and was very entertaining to watch. I’m in love with the series anew and can’t wait to watch more.

TVB is slowly making its way out of my life and I’m spending less and less time online, but I’m still around. I’ve been busy with other things for the past 2 months, hence my “disappearance” again. However, there is still a good half-a-year left until I say “good-bye” and I promised I will continue to update until that fateful final day in August, so I will.

It’s just really hard to blog when I really don’t know what to say. It’s like writing a paper on a topic you have no interest in. 2 months ago, I said I pretty much lost interest in TVB. My disinterest is ever-the-more evident to me today. I’d much rather follow high-quality American TV shows where the writing and acting are both top-notch. Furthermore, with the state of the economy, watching mediocre series seems rather meaningless when there’s real life drama to contend with.

I’m not looking forward to any series anymore. I think that waiting and anticipating a series makes it less entertaining since I often end up disappointed. Yes, I’m talking about Moonlight Resonance and my currently-watching The Gem of Life.

Oh Gem, how I talked you up in the past. I guess TVB did not refine it enough to make it a pure and sparkling “gem”… or maybe it was a fake “gem” to begin with. In any case, I was wrong about it… at least so far. I’ve been stuck on episode 51 for the past few weeks. There’s too much business talk that’s very mundane and a drag to watch. The pace is too slow and it’s not intriguing or that interesting to me. I don’t relate or feel for the characters. I heard it “gets better” so I will continue to watch and see, but honestly, I feel like quitting sometimes. 82 episodes is so long!

The only characters that are relatively interesting to watch are Ada Choi, Maggie Shiu, Linda Chung (her performance as Elise is such a breakthrough and probably her best performance to date; I enjoy watching her the most, but she appears so little), Bowie Lam, Wong He, and Elliot Yue. The others… I don’t really care for. It’s disappointing that Constance is the last role Gigi Lai will ever play because it is a poorly written and weak character (think Moonlight‘s Yu So Chau). I won’t comment on the storyline until after I finally finish the series… whenever that is.

The only series from TVB that I’m thoroughly interested and excited in watching in the last few months has been A Kindred Spirit. I really love this series and lately it seems to be the only TVB that I really need. Kindred has been mostly excellent in the episodes that I’m currently watching and I can’t wait to blog about it as I have a lot to say. Seriously, this series effectively squeezes my tears, makes me laugh, and touches my heart. The cast is amazing. In all its ups and downs, it has maintained my interest. I have to admit that I’m going to miss this series when I finish watching it this summer. Only 300+ episodes to go… Fast, huh?

Speaking of long-running series with quality, remember when the sitcom was actually relevant? I’m currently watching the highly-rated 100-episode 2000 sitcom War of the Genders starring Dayo Wong and Dodo Cheng. Dayo and Dodo are a great duo! Kingdom Yuen is super hilarious and a MVP to this series (as she usually is to every series she’s in). I’m on episode 34 and so far it’s quite enjoyable and funny. I look forward to watching more! I think it should get better and better.

I missed a lot of TVB’s quality productions from the past, so I will mostly be watching “old” series that are far more worth my time. As for new TVB series, I only plan on watching E.U. (I like the “Academy” series) and Sweetness in the Salt so far. The other upcoming releases do not interest me, which is fine as I have so many “old” series to watch before I officially don’t have a life after August.

I won’t be watching The Gentle Crackdown II anymore. I only saw the first episode so far and it’s “all right”, but it’s just not my cup of tea. I don’t have patience or time to watch a series I’m genuinely not too interested in to begin with.

A good majority of my future posts will probably alienate a lot of you since they’ll be about “old” series that most of you probably have never watched or don’t remember. I apologize in advance. It feels kind of weird to blog again after so long. I have so much maintenance work to do. A new banner is really past due. I hope by March things will be up and running again.

So what has everyone been up to? What are you all watching?

P.S. It’s very touching that you guys still visit despite my prolonged absence.

The TVB series that I love and enjoy the most right now and for the past few months is A Kindred Spirit. It has been so heart-warming, interesting, and very touching to watch lately. Granted, there are some very ridiculous and pointless episodes and dumb storylines, but it’s all-around good family drama for the most part. I have cried and laughed along with this series. Moonlight Resonance tried to do this but failed. Kindred shines with its endearing characters and more plausible plots. I haven’t had a chance to write my thoughts on episodes 652-705 just yet (I have so much to say!) but I want to dedicate a post to the #1 couple I love the most in Kindred as well as to a couple who I’ve really warmed up to.

Who knew that the couple I would end up loving the most out of the whole series would be Ah Loi (Lui Fong) & Ah King (Kingdom Yuen)? Even though I haven’t finished the series yet, I know for sure without a doubt now that no other couple can replace this one as being my absolute most favorite. This couple gets the least screentime together (because of Lui Fong’s status as a “guest star”), but they outshine the more main couples. Granted they are not a “hot” or “good-looking” couple, but their chemistry is cute and their storyline is just so touching. They have a very pure relationship, which fits them as their characters are said to be not very bright in the head. I find them so innocent and lovable to watch. I enjoy all of their scenes and they are the couple that has made me cry the most.

Tsz Ho (Cheng Tse Sing) threw Ah Loi into the ocean back in the early 600′s episodes after kidnapping him for money. Everyone thinks that Ah Loi has died, but Ah King refuses to believe it. She very powerfully vows to wait for his return. She holds on to slim hope. Even if he doesn’t return, she will never fall for someone else. That, right there, is genuine and faithful love.

Fortunately for Ah King, Ah Loi didn’t die. He comes back to seek revenge on Tsz Ho. He decides to pretend to be someone else in order to trick Tsz Ho. He cannot let anyone — not his family and not Ah King — know that he’s still alive. Ah King, who loves Ah Loi deeply and dearly, sees Ah Loi again and is convinced that he is Ah Loi no matter how strongly he refutes her claims and denies her. Other people may buy that he just happens to “look” like Ah Loi, but she knows that it is the actual Ah Loi.

In the following scene, Ah King asks Ah Loi out for a meal in another attempt to plead him to tell her that it’s him. I was very moved by this scene because it summarizes the relationship between Ah Loi and Ah King very well. As Ah King speaks her lines, I recall every moment of how their relationship developed and how I came to love them so much. I feel my heart break along with Ah King.

Ah King: I’m not hungry. I’m waiting for someone to return and eat with me.

Ah Loi: You like eating with a lot of people? You wait then.

Ah King: This person is different. He is the person I love most. When he first came to Hong Kong, he didn’t know anyone. He was sick and fell unconscious on the streets. I happened to pass by and saved him. We went through a lot to get together.

Ah Loi: Then you must cherish this relationship.

Ah King: I also hope to. Afterwards, he reconciled with his family. Na-Duk — you met him. His mother didn’t like me. She gave me money to leave him. At that time, I was very hurt. When I saw that he gave a present I gave him to someone else, I thought for sure that I didn’t have a place in his heart. That’s why I decided to leave him and pretend I never knew him. Later, he went to Venice to study music. I didn’t see him off.

Ah Loi: This person isn’t worthy of being remembered.

Ah King: I also think so. Afterwards, all of my loved ones told me that I should be brave and face this relationship. That’s why I sent him a cassette to express my feelings. When he came back, he thought I had a change of heart. He was very jealous. Because of me, he almost broke his leg. It was only then did I realize that he was very important to me. When I’m with him, I remember his every word and action. It’s because I never experienced such happiness before. Later on, he proposed to me but was then kidnapped. I wait for him every day, every second. My heart seems to have a big hole. I really miss him. I miss him. I can’t forget him. I really miss him a lot. Ah Loi, I know it’s you. When you saved me that day, I already knew it was you.

Heart-broken that Ah Loi is so cold to keep on denying her, Ah King becomes upset. Luckily, Ah Loi’s partner-in-crime reveals the truth after seeing Ah King misunderstand Ah Loi’s intentions so badly. Ah King is stunned to learn why Ah Loi pretended to be someone else. Ah King decides to give him a call to let him know that he has her understanding and support.

Ah Loi: Hello?

Ah King: Is Gwai Ah Loi there?

Ah Loi: You have the wrong number. There’s no Gwai Ah Loi here.

Ah King: I don’t care if you’re Gwai Ah Loi or Shum Dak Gwong. I will hang up as soon as I say everything I have to say. Actually, after seeing you that time at the fruit stand, my intuition told me that you are Gwai Ah Loi. That’s why I gave you a bracelet. Then I asked myself why did I pick someone so heartless to be my boyfriend? I once thought about stepping out into the road and getting run over by a car so that he would worry about me. I also thought about leaving so that he could taste what it was like to be abandoned by someone. However, after learning the truth, I’m so glad I didn’t do those things. Otherwise my waiting for all these months would become meaningless. I told myself that I must keep waiting. I have a feeling that Gwai Ah Loi will return and reclaim me. Do you think my feeling is right?

Ah Loi: Ah King…

Ah King: Ah Loi.

Ah Loi: Um… there are some things in which you must preserve otherwise it would be meaningless. Just like your wait for Gwai Ah Loi. As long as you wait until the end, he will definitely reappear.

Ah King: May I ask, until when must I wait?

Ah Loi: Wait until justice has prevailed. Then Gwai Ah Loi will appear. I guarantee you.

Ah King: I understand. Good night.

The above scene is so touching to me. I cried when Ah King said that she knows for sure that Ah Loi would come back. The tears continued to drop when Ah King asked Ah Loi how long her wait must be. Truly, no matter how long the wait, I continue to wait along with Ah King. They are the best couple of the whole series. No other Kindred pairing has come as close to entering my heart and making me feel for them so much.

At the end of episode 705, justice has prevailed, but Ah King cannot forgive Ah Loi for sacrificing her (and their relationship) for the sake of revenge. Ah Loi caused her brother’s death and she cannot be with him with her mother so heart-broken over everything that happened. The “issues” between their families are too great. Thus, poor Ah Loi & Ah King are torn apart again…

Before Ah Loi leaves to return to Malaysia, he pays Tsz Ho a visit at his grave. He delivers a very simple yet powerful dialogue that made me cry.

He says he wished that if he had known that his quest for revenge would lead to Tsz Ho’s death and the dissolution of his relationship with Ah King, then he would not have persisted. Ah King is not worth the sacrifice. He wished he didn’t survive when Tsz Ho threw him into the ocean. He wished he didn’t live to come back and seek revenge. At least, he believes, if he had not come back, he would still hold a place in Ah King’s heart (as she would have continued to love and wait for him). He says he will never forget Hong Kong and a girl as good as Ah King.

Ah King happened to be there when Ah Loi said all of this (but he doesn’t realize she was there listening). He walks away while she watches about to cry…

Tears… just tears. My heart just breaks listening to Ah Loi say his lines. I simply love Ah King & Ah Loi to death! I am rooting and waiting for the day they can truly be together. They’ve gone through so much. I haven’t watched any more Kindred after episode 705 (which ended with Ah Loi’s confession in front of Tsz Ho’s grave with Ah King listening silently with Ah Loi unaware of her presence), so I don’t know what’s next for them. What I do know is that I will continue to wait and love this relationship.

Now for the couple that I’ve really warmed up to…

At first, I did not think much of Lap Sang (Marco Lo) & Ah Jing (Wallis Pang). I couldn’t grasp why this pairing ultimately becomes the most popular Kindred couple. Part of the reason why I didn’t enjoy this couple much was because I was biased for Ah Suet (Joyce Tang). The bigger reason though was because I thought their relationship was rather abusive. I didn’t see or feel that Lap Sang loved and valued Ah Jing. I kept seeing him bully and abuse her.

Even after they started dating, I could not feel the love. He would claim to love her and all, but it was all talk. On the other hand, I could tell that Ah Jing gave her heart to Lap Sang. I hated how unequal the “relationship” was. Sure, I found them cute and Wallis & Marco have great chemistry and make a very good-looking couple, but their relationship was shallow. Luckily, the Kindred writers were in-tuned with reality and developed their storyline the way it should have been.

Ah Jing grows frustrated, tired, and disappointed with Lap Sang and decides to give up on their relationship after she asks him why he loves her. He replies back, “Because you love me.” Ouch! Poor Ah Jing fights back tears and tries to pretend like she’s not hurt. She decides to go to England to study abroad, thus furthering her education as well as getting away from Lap Sang. She hoped to forget him and move on.

Lap Sang freaks out after discovering that Ah Jing left. She leaves him a letter…

Lap Sang,

You must find that it’s very strange that I suddenly went to England, right? You must think that I left because I’m mad at you. Actually, I can tell you that I decided this after thinking thoroughly.

You think that Ah Suet returned to the US to marry and that you already chose me, so why do I leave without a word? If you do think this, this proves that I’m not wrong. It’s because you don’t understand what kind of person I am. Perhaps you are angry with me for thinking this. Actually, I’m like you; I also hate myself.

Before Ah Suet returned to Hong Kong, the ‘Tong Lap Sang’ that I know is very arrogant and a person who doesn’t know how to express himself. That’s why I could always endure no matter how you treated me because I know that’s your personality. Until Ah Suet appeared, only then did I know that you could be quite gentle and show concern for others. It’s just that all along you never treated me that way. Perhaps it’s because my stubborn and strong nature could not bring out this part of your heart.

In this period, I had to go through many steps alone. I never experienced so much pain or sadness until now. I feel very unsecure.

I’m sorry, Lap Sang. I made you sad. I must be giving you a lot of stress.

Before I left, I really wanted to do something for Auntie Ho, Auntie Sin, and the rest of your family. I really envy you for having such a good family. Each present that I gave them represents my gratitude for them.

For Valentine’s Day, besides the scarf that I knit for you, there’s also the ring that you gave me. I think I am not gentle enough to be the owner of this ring.

No matter what, thank you for loving me. Furthermore, thank you for giving me the chance to love you.

I’m sorry. Maybe my departure will bring you a lot of trouble. I beg you to forgive me. Please forgive my stubbornness. Please take care and give my regards to your family.

Good-bye.

My eyes became watery watching the scene of Lap Sang reading Ah Jing’s letter. Marco’s acting in this scene was awful, but the writers did an excellent job with the letter. Ah Jing hit all of the points that was wrong with their relationship and in particular Lap Sang’s personality right in the bull’s eye. I feel so sorry and sad for Ah Jing. Lap Sang doesn’t deserve her. She gave too much in this relationship and he too little.

Without a second thought, Lap Sang decides to go to England to find Ah Jing and bring her back. Even though he doesn’t know where she is, he vows never to come back to Hong Kong unless he comes back with her. Unfortunately, Lap Sang has no luck.

Auntie Ho (Nancy Sit) decides to take matters into her own hands and tells Ah Jing that Lap Sang got into a bad accident and is in a coma at the hospital. She urges Ah Jing to come back immediately. Ah Jing, with tears in her eyes, learning of Lap Sang’s “grave” condition decides to comply. Auntie Ho tells her son the good news. Lap Sang is happy as a clam and gloats about it to his friend at a fast-food restaurant. By misfortune, Ah Jing happens to be working at this fast-food restaurant and overhears everything, discovering that she was tricked.

She’s furious and runs out. Lap Sang chases after her out to the snowy sidewalks…

Lap Sang: Ah Jing! Ah Jing! Ah Jing!

Ah Jing: Let me go! You damn Tong Lap Sang! You’re really despicable. You haven’t played me enough in Hong Kong yet? You’re in England and yet you said you were involved in a serious car accident.

Lap Sang: My mom forced me! She thought up this plan. If I wasn’t concerned about you, I wouldn’t immediately fly over to England after learning you’re here. I put ads in the newspaper every day to find you and went to many schools to look for you, but I couldn’t find you. Last night I saw you ride your bike across here. I waited all day here in hopes of seeing you.

Ah Jing: In a man’s world, your actions are very “noble”. Very pain-staking, right? However, in a woman’s world, it means nothing.

Lap Sang: I know. All along you just thought I did things without a heart behind them, right?

Ah Jing: Tong Lap Sang, you are basically a heartless person!

Lap Sang: I’m not sincere [heartless]? If I wasn’t sincere, I wouldn’t remember when I was living in the streets who came back to care for me even after I threw her into the ocean. I wouldn’t remember when I was sick in the US who came over with all of her savings to save me. Even more, I wouldn’t remember who knows I’m easily embarrassed and wouldn’t agree to re-opening a clinic and stood out on the streets to let me yell at her. Actually, all of these things I remember them all clearly. It’s just that I don’t know how to tell you.

Ah Jing: It’s because all along you like to abuse me!

Lap Sang: I don’t. Actually, I just want to win you. You are very persevering, stubborn, and independent. You are different from other girls that I know. I don’t know how to live with you. Perhaps it’s because I’m scared… scared that you will realize I’m not so self-confident. That’s why I… I pretend that I don’t care too much about you.

Ah Jing: It’s too late. It’s because I’m already tired of you. It turns out that loving someone and being tired of someone is easy.

Lap Sang: Ah Jing, please don’t. Please give me another chance. I will love you. I will respect you.

Ah Jing: I don’t know how it will be when you love me. I just know that if I ask myself to love you again, I will feel very painful. I’m very scared. I don’t want to be hurt another time. If loving someone means pain, I would rather not love again in my whole life. Living alone will be sufficient.

Lap Sang: Ah Jing… don’t. Please give me another chance. I know in this world, no one else loves me as much as you. I came to England not knowing where I could find you. I was very scared. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to see you again. It’s because… I love you.

Ah Jing: I don’t believe it!

Lap Sang: I love you.

Ah Jing: Don’t come near!

[The two of them slip on the snow, grabbing on to each other]

Lap Sang: Don’t let go. Don’t leave me again.

Ah Jing: You’re despicable! You’re really despicable.

Lap Sang: I love you, Ah Jing.

Ah Jing: Despicable! Shameless!

Lap Sang: I love you! From now on, only I will love you.

Ah Jing: Then you’ll benefit a lot?

Lap Sang: Let’s return to Hong Kong.

Ah Jing: The whole world knows I came here to study. I won’t go back.

Lap Sang: Okay. That’s fine. All that matters is that you return to my side.

Ah Jing: Hey, don’t use that “trick” again.

Lap Sang: But it’s the “best trick”.

Ah Jing: Don’t hope that I’ll fall for it again.

Lap Sang: Fine then.

[Grabs her and kisses her]

Ah Jing: Hey! You’re really despicable.

Lap Sang: Do you know when you say the word “despicable” it’s really cute? When I kiss you, I find that you still love me a lot.

Ah Jing: Who says?

Lap Sang: It’s not true? Let’s try it again.

[Lap Sang and Ah Jing kiss passionately]

Ah Jing: Despicable!

With more passionate kisses, Ah Jing & Lap Sang get back together. I thought this particular scene was truthful for the two characters, in particular Lap Sang. I could finally feel that he loves Ah Jing now. I think (hope) he will be truthful to his words and value, love, and appreciate Ah Jing like she should be. This set of dialogue was nicely written and very reflective of Lap Sang and Ah Jing’s relationship.

I’m interested in watching Lap Sang & Ah Jing further develop their relationship. Although I’m not yet on board with all of the Ah Jing & Lap Sang lovers, I’m definitely warming up to this couple with each episode that passes. Marco & Wallis are just so compatible and I think their storyline is touching. Lap Sang owes all that he has now to Ah Jing’s unconditional support and effort. I must say that out of all the Kindred couples, this one has the most kissing scenes. Not only that but they are done with so much passion — very convincing. I wonder what’s next for this couple.

New banner

How can I be back without a new look?

Although I really liked the banner I used for the past two months with its dreamy look, it was time for a new look. If you read the explanation behind this new banner, you will know why I love this particular banner so much. It may not be my best work nor is it that great of a banner, but its meaning makes it stand out.

No more Heart of Greed

When it was revealed that Moonlight Resonance‘s ratings peaked at 50 pts in the finale, I thought for sure that TVB would milk their latest cash cow some more and produce a third installment in the Heart of Greed franchise for 2009. However, TVB’s general manager Stephan Chan declared that there would be no more “installments” to Heart. It will just be the original Heart and its even higher-rated “sister series” Moonlight.

I was shocked to hear the news. The TVB that we have all come to know loves to monopolize on a successful formula. They love milking their cash cow(s) for all that they’re worth. I thought that there would be a new Heart installment as long as each successive series continued to do “well”. How could it be that they willingly said “no” to more?

I have to commend TVB for coming to this decision. Although I love the Heart cast, I think a third series would be “over-kill” and ruin the Heart franchise. The cast suffered a lot for Moonlight and I am glad that their hard work paid off and that the series did what Heart could not do — steal the #1 spot of being the TVB series with the highest ratings peak ever.

Would I have watched another installment of Heart? Yes.

Do I want another installment? No.

Moonlight did what most sequels can never do and that is to surpass its predecessor. Although it’s an “original” series, it borrowed a great deal from the original Heart. If there was a third series, it would feel even more repetitive. There’s only so much family drama that can be created. There’s only so many pairings that can be formed. Even if the third series had a different setting (be it a costume drama or a period drama), even if everyone had “new” roles and relationships, it would not be fresh.

I love family-oriented series, but I would much rather TVB produce entirely new series without the Heart brand attached. Therefore, I have to say that I am happy that there won’t be another Heart. The cast and crew cannot handle any more pressure or stress and I believe the audience wouldn’t be as receptive. It is a wise decision for everyone. Kudos, TVB.

What do you guys think about TVB’s decision to not produce any more Heart?

Lots of thoughts coming up
It’s been two months since I last posted any “real” thoughts on series and even longer since I wrote a review. I’ve watched a lot of series in the past few months. Normally I would write full-length reviews, but there’s just too many series and it’s been too long. I’ll just briefly comment on everything that I’ve watched lately. What series are they?

ATV’s 105-episode The Good Old Days & I Have a Date with Spring; Taiwan’s Princess Returning Pearl I (Huan Zhu Ge Ge); TVB’s Journey to the West I & On The Track or Off… and maybe a small comment on TVB’s 1993 The Edge of Righteousness (which I dropped).

On what I’m currently watching
It’s been 15 months since I started watching A Kindred Spirit. After 705 episodes, I’ve gone through a lot watching the series. It’s a constant wave of up and down, love and indifference. I’ve said this about the series months ago — when the series is great, it is excellent but when it sucks, it is ridiculous and almost unbearable. It remains true. Through it all, I’ve never regretted watching the series. The cast is great and I really love the family drama, relationships, and storylines.

Kindred is the series I enjoy watching the most these days. It’s been mostly great (the quality is comparable to the first 300 episodes that I love… perhaps even better) in the past 150-200 episodes or so. I love all of the characters now and all of the storylines are very well-written lately. The series is focused and just really enjoyable. I’m actually a little sad to think that I only have a little over 400 episodes left before I finish the series. I can’t wait to start blogging about my opinions on episodes 652-705. I have so much to say! I’m dying to watch more, but I cannot until I blog on those episodes.

I’m currently on episode 36 of Moonlight Resonance. I hope to finish the series by the weekend. I will not comment anything on the series until after I finish it. I want to make sure that what I say reflects my true opinion of the series. There are times in which I love it. There are times in which I’m not so crazy about it. Let’s just say that I “enjoy” watching it because of the Heart cast. I won’t comment on the script or anything like that until next week.

I’m struggling to watch The Demi-Gods & Semi-Devils 1996. I can’t seem to get into it. I’m only on episode 14 (out of 45) and it feels like I’m never going to finish. The series has always been rather “confusing” for me to watch because sometimes I just don’t know what’s going on. I have no idea what the series is about. The relationships, characters, motives, and so on are hard for me to grasp. Unlike Legend of Condor Heroes 1994 and Return of Condor Heroes 1995 (both of which I loved), for me Demi-Gods isn’t as easy to understand and get into. I will definitely finish the series because it’s rather interesting and I do believe it is a worthwhile series as many people have praised it. I would appreciate it a lot if someone could tell me what the series is about.

Last but certainly not least, I finally started watching the series I waited for since 2006 — Legend of the Demigods. I have to confess that I was “turned off” by the series when I saw the themevideo. The computer graphics were excessive and badly done. The series didn’t look that “great” anymore. Luckily, the series turned out to be quite pleasant to watch. In fact, it is very enjoyable. It is a cute series. I’m only on episode 5, but I’ll definitely be watching more soon. I can’t wait!

TVB Series A Kindred Spirit (Episodes 601 – 651) – 143 captures

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Episodes 601-651

I thought I’d never feel this way towards A Kindred Spirit again. The show that I loved is truly back, at least in these episodes. Since the late 400′s and especially in episodes 500′s, the series has been slowly improving and going uphill. In these 50 episodes, Kindred is the best it has been in a long time.

After waiting over 200 episodes, Ah Loi (Lui Fong) came back! My neck was growing long just waiting for him to come back and be with Ah King (Kingdom Yuen). I was actually very bothered that the first scene in which Ah King met Ah Loi again was when she was on a “date” with Dai Lik (Wai Ka Hung). You could tell that Ah Loi was happy to see Ah King, but because of Dai Lik… I very much dreaded a love triangle between Dai Lik, Ah King, and Ah Loi because I hate love triangles (and Kindred‘s love triangles are especially dragging and sometimes unbearable). Thankfully, such a drawn-out love triangle didn’t happen. I was actually quite surprised that it only lasted a few episodes before Ah Loi and Ah King cleared up their “misunderstanding” and got together.

I love Ah King and Ah Loi! There is something so innocent and precious about the two of them. I just love watching them together. They are such a sweet and cute couple. While their moments are few, I enjoy every minute of them. For sure they are one of my most favorite Kindred couples.



I was devastated when Ah Loi was kidnapped by Tsz Ho (Cheng Tse Sing). He was going to propose to Ah King! If I wasn’t spoiled by the fact that Ah Loi and Ah King eventually get married later on in the series, I would curse and hate the Kindred writers so much for this development in the storyline. Ah Loi just came back and in 10 episodes, he’s gone?! I waited 200 episodes to see Ah Loi again for 10 episodes to find that he’s thrown into the ocean and possibly dead? I really wish I knew early on that Lui Fong was only a recurring “guest star” and not a main/supporting cast member. If so, I wouldn’t grow so attached to his character. Who am I kidding? Even if I knew, I can’t help but really like Ah Loi. His character and storyline truly saved Kindred back in episodes 300′s.

The Ah Loi tragedy really moved me mostly because I love Ah Loi & Ah King. Seeing Ah King cry so much (excellent crying done by Kingdom!) was heart-breaking. I really like how she says she will wait for Ah Loi. She refuses to believe that he’s dead. It’s quite touching how she says she won’t move on even if she waits all of her life and he never returns. I really like the parallel between Ah King’s wait for Ah Loi and Ah Hoi’s (Ben Wong) wait for Choi Yiu (Angie Cheung) earlier on in the series. Even though the wait doesn’t guarantee anything, they still wait… because they love and there’s nothing else they can do. Choi Yiu left Ah Hoi because of her stomach cancer while Ah Loi left Ah King because he was kidnapped and thrown into the ocean (with weights on) by Tsz Ho.

I thought it was powerful how Ah King declared that she won’t be like Ah Hoi and move on. Dai Lik was there to witness her say this, which totally crushes him. He really has no chance in winning Ah King’s heart. He can’t even be like Seung Seung (Candy Lo Lam) who had Ah Hoi’s heart briefly when Choi Yiu was away. I am actually much relieved to hear Ah King say this because I would hate it if she got with Dai Lik just because Ah Loi is away (and may never come back). Hopefully Ah King’s wait for Ah Loi won’t be too long… I really want to see them happy and get married! I am waiting for Ah Loi’s return along with Ah King.

Ah Nam (Mark Kwok) and Ah Man (Winnie Yeung) are super sweet — perhaps too sweet that it feels like artificial sweetener. I like them as a couple and I’m happy they got together, but I don’t “feel” for them. I mean, it’s great that Ah Nam has finally moved on from Ah Gwai (Angie Cheung) and has someone he truly loves and it’s fantastic that Ah Man has someone that treats her right (unlike Tsz Ho). However, their relationship isn’t that deep and wasn’t really developed. They got together and then got married really fast (especially for Kindred‘s standard). Hopefully later on the writers will focus on their relationship and develop it more/better.

The most meaningful aspect of this couple is that Ah Man shows Ah Nam the meaning of “love” and what it is to be in a relationship. Before, he thought it was just about taking care of the other person’s needs, going on dates, and buying gifts. Ah Man clarifies that it’s not. She says it is about thoroughly understanding another person.

I used to dislike Ah Man because I thought she was boring and too “perfect” and “nice”. Also, Winnie’s acting was [is] bad. I find it disappointing that her character is still flat and boring, but I guess after so many episodes, I’ve grown to accept her. It helps that she and Ah Nam are just so sweet. They really match. Their wedding was great. I am happy for this couple.

Tsz Ho is a bad, horrible, evil man! I’m not sure what episode he meets his demise, but I don’t know how much worse he can get. He caused his uncle’s (Auntie Yung’s (Tam Sin Hung) brother) family to go poor by losing their small shoe company and he deceived Ah Hoi into bankruptcy. This was the “big revenge plan” he was talking about on the plane back in episode’s 500′s when he broke off ties with Auntie Yung and the Li family at the hospital. This was the “big event” that I was looking forward to.

I was not disappointed. Of course, this storyline did not beat Ah Wah (Lau Siu Gwan) and Ah Yan’s (Florence Kwok) rich-turned-poor storyline, but it was well-executed and it affects the entire Li family, not just Ah Hoi and Ah Gwai. “Sam Doh” was mortgaged to the bank in order to raise monopoly for Ah Hoi’s company so with his company going bankrupt, “Sam Doh” no longer belonged to the Li family. Poor Auntie Sin (Lee See Kei), Char Siu Bing (Lau Dan), and the rest of the family now have to work day and night in order to earn enough money to get back their restaurant.

I finally “feel” for Ah Hoi again. Since the whole messy love triangle with Seung Seung and Choi Yiu, I haven’t been fond of Ah Hoi, but after this storyline, I like him again. I feel so sorry for him. He worked really hard to get where he was and all because of Tsz Ho, he lost it all. He put his heart behind his company and truly built it up. He deserves the money that he earned. Unlike Tsz Ho, Ah Hoi is someone with dignity and morals. Even though his birth mom is rich, he doesn’t stick his hand out and ask for money. His rich mom is always his last resort. I respect and like that. In fact, he hasn’t even told her that he’s poor now. I’m actually curious as to how his mom will react to this news.

I love Ah Hoi and Ah Gwai! I thought it was very touching and sweet how the two of them are facing their sudden poverty together. Ah Gwai was hurt by the fact that Ah Hoi didn’t let her know anything was happening. However, Ah Hoi is the type of guy who likes to keep everything inside of him and just bear the pain for all. Ah Gwai has really grown since her first appearance. She used to be so vain and silly. Her thinking has matured and she is more “toned down”, but she retains the same playfulness that is the character. Ah Hoi and Ah Gwai’s interaction (dealing with their financial woes) reminds me of Ah Wah and Ah Yan earlier on in the series dealing with the same issue.

I look forward to seeing how Ah Hoi and Ah Gwai rebuild their lives, just like how Ah Wah and Ah Yan were able to pick the pieces back together and return to the “high-class life”.

Ah Wah is disliked by the Li family for “betraying” Ah Hoi by working for Tsz Ho (who took over Ah Hoi’s company and offered Ah Wah the chance to keep his job), but I don’t agree with their resentment. I agree with Ah Wah and his family’s reasoning for not quitting the company and staying to work for Tsz Ho. Ah Wah has a family to support. Unlike Ah Hoi, he doesn’t dump his children [won't we ever see Kwan and Seung Seung's baby again?]. He has to take care of Ah Yan, Pui Pui, and his mother. He cannot afford to lose it all again. Starting over is tough as it is; a second time would be even more difficult. Ah Wah couldn’t take that risk. He had to think of his family. I don’t dislike Ah Wah at all and I hope the Li family (especially Char Siu Bing) will come to see this and not blame Ah Wah anymore. He doesn’t deserve their “dislike”. As a character, Ah Wah has grown into a very likable family man and husband. It almost feels like the cheating husband of so many episodes ago is a different person. Ah Wah and Ah Yan remain to be a very loving couple.

After being gone for over 150 episodes, On jai (Hawick Lau) is back. Honestly, I’m indifferent to this character. He doesn’t really add to the family scenes and his stories were dreadfully boring. Therefore, I’m not exactly “happy” about him coming back. I’d much rather see Ah Foon (Kenix Kwok) and Ah Bong (Sunny Chan) back. Of course, I know that’s impossible… but you get my point. Nevertheless, it’s nice to see the family reunite with On jai after so long. They really love him. What I do like about this character is that even though he’s the baby of the family, he still wants to play an active role in helping his family out and doesn’t want to be “spoiled” and let his family members take care of him.

On jai and Joan (May Kwong) are matching and cute, but they lack depth (even more so than Ah Man & Ah Nam). I don’t “feel” for them nor do I really see their “love”… maybe because this relationship seems “immature” compared to the other relationships (mostly because they are the youngest couple). It’s almost like puppy love. Since On jai was gone, Joan pretty much disappeared as well, which also didn’t affect me too much as well. I was very upset at Joan for the way she treated On jai. Out of nowhere she became “attracted” to a much older man (May May’s (Celine Ma) birth father Lai Gin Long (Felix Lok)) because she found it “refreshing” since “mature men” provide a feeling of “security”. First of all, he’s married and second of all, it was totally out-of-character for her. It was almost random and a ridiculous twist. It was later “explained” that Joan was momentarily blinded by greed for money and thus acted irrationally, but I don’t accept this reason. If she truly loved On jai, she would not have done this. She didn’t consider him at all. She was selfish. It disgusts me how heartless (and out-of-character) she behaved. I felt sorry for On jai. He doesn’t deserve this. With this, On jai and Joan began the first of their many break-ups in their on-again, off-again “turbulent” relationship. I am not looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops. They bore me.

I feel sorry for Sophie (Poon Bing Seung). Lai Gin Long blackmailed her about the secret of May May’s identity. She paid him off for now, but for sure this secret will be revealed soon. I was thinking that May May was going to fall for Lai Gin Long and then find out he’s her father. There were implications that she found him “attractive”. However, they didn’t go down that path. I’m really anticipating the revelation of May May’s identity because that would mark major changes and huge dramatic twists.

Tsz Ho began cheating on May May with a girl also named Sek Man (Yau Ching). In fact, he cheated with this girl simply because she has Ah Man’s name. I honestly wonder if Tsz Ho truly “loves” Ah Man or if he just doesn’t want any other man to have her if he can’t have her. His actions towards Ah Nam are those of jealousy and his affair with Sek Man because of her name implies so. Tsz Ho doesn’t love anyone but himself. I really hate him for screwing up everyone’s lives just to prove that he’s superior, powerful, and “capable”. He won’t stand to be belittled.

Although I don’t like May May, I have to admit that I feel somewhat sorry for her seeing Tsz Ho cheat on her. You can tell that she loves Tsz Ho even if she’s quite nasty and demanding when she bosses him around. I’m curious to see how she handles his infidelity. I’m sure there’s going to be hell.

I am beginning to see the charm between the pairing of Lap Sang (Marco Lo) and Ah Jing (Wallis Pang). Before, I was frustrated with how Lap Sang emotionally abused Ah Jing and hated him for the terrible ways that he treated her. I was so happy when Ah Jing finally gave Lap Sang a piece of her mind. She couldn’t take it anymore and decided to break ties with him.

It seems I really understand Lap Sang, which is a good thing because this means his characterization is consistent. Like I said previously, I believed that Lap Sang refused to be a doctor again because he felt he was no longer “fit” to be one. Indeed, he admits that he believes this is part of his “punishment” for being the bad guy that he was in the past (arrogant, cheater, greedy, etc). He feels that he doesn’t deserve prestige, respect, or a high-paying profession. Furthermore, as Ah Jing puts it, he cannot bring himself to face his former colleagues and friends. It is because of Ah Jing that Lap Sang unleashes his pent-up reasons for punishing himself.

It is thanks to Ah Jing and his mom Auntie Ho (Nancy Sit) that Lap Sang practiced medicine again. He didn’t want to disappoint his mom (and the rest of his family), so he had to go along with going back on the doctor path. At first it was “force”, but later on Lap Sang warmed up to being a doctor again. After Ah Jing started to avoid and ignore him, it was only then did Lap Sang realize what Ah Jing meant to him. He came to the sad discovery that besides his family, Ah Jing was the only other person who cared about him — his one true friend. She understood him and helped him unconditionally. He missed her and at long last appreciated her. Unfortunately, it was too late. Ah Jing was done with him (or at least she tried her best to convey this). Lap Sang would have to work hard to get back on her good graces.

The Li family (in particular Auntie Ho), ever so desperate and insistent that they have to have Ah Jing as their daughter-in-law, devise a plot to make the two of them “interact” and hopefully end up dating. At first things are awkward, but then they hit it off again. Ah Jing begins to feel sweet being with Lap Sang. They buy one another Christmas presents. Unfortunately, Ah Jing overhears the Li family and her adopted father talking and misunderstands Lap Sang’s actions towards her as being forced by their family members. She thought he was only nice to her as part of their plan and not because he was true to her. She was very upset and makes up her mind to leave Hong Kong to further her studies (she began this process when she broke off ties with Lap Sang earlier).

Lap Sang shows up and asks Ah Jing to stay in Hong Kong for him. She tells him to get away and not touch her. He forcefully kisses her. At first, she resists, but then she gives in and returns his kiss. She agrees to stay in Hong Kong for him. From this moment on, Ah Jing and Lap Sang are a couple. Last Christmas, Ah Hoi and Ah Gwai’s feelings for each other were solidified. This Christmas, Ah Jing and Lap Sang get together. I wonder what the next Christmas in Kindred will bring.

I thought that Lap Sang and Ah Jing looked good, but I failed to see the chemistry between them before. Ironically, when they were apart and “fighting” with each other, I began to miss them and wish they were together. I really like watching them! My favorite part of theirs before they finally got together was their interaction leading up to and on Ah Man & Ah Nam’s wedding. Ah Jing was simply adorable wearing her geeky glasses [because of an eye infection] and trying so hard not to let Lap Sang see her “ugly”. It was rather touching that Lap Sang showed up wearing glasses to the wedding so that he and Ah Jing would “match” as the best man and bridesmaid. They were so cute!

The kiss between Lap Sang and Ah Jing is probably one of the best kisses in Kindred so far. It was natural and filled with passion. I’m really happy that Lap Sang and Ah Jing are together. I’m looking forward to watching more of their scenes. Honestly, I’m still waiting for scenes where Lap Sang does something for her. He has yet to prove that he really loves her. Although I like this couple and enjoy watching them, I am not yet touched by them and I’m not really convinced in their love yet.



Wallis gets prettier as the series progresses. Her shorter haircut is very refreshing and she looks so much better with her hair down as opposed to it being clipped back.

I love A Kindred Spirit anew, at least in these last 51 episodes. I thought the script was the best it has been in some time and the quality was consistent. Although there were a few boring parts, I did not mind them much because the storyline had purpose and meaning again. It is focused and on-track once more. I’m drawn into the storyline and enjoy watching the characters again. I really hope that Kindred can keep this quality (but I know it probably won’t) because when the show is good, it is really good. It’s really interesting to watch at this point in the story. I’m very excited and eager to watch the next episodes to see what’s going to happen next.

Finally…
2 years after it was done filming and after many “false alarm” release news, the 22-episode (now 44 episodes for Hong Kong) mythical fantasy costume drama Legend of the Demigods is at last going to be released officially in August 2008. This time it’s for real and 100% confirmed. Honestly speaking, I was scared that TVB might never release it and it would become the first “never released” series since TVB kept on releasing newer series filmed later than Legend.

Beginning August 25, 2008 TVB will air Legend in the the 8:00-8:30 PM time slot (the time slot for TVB’s weeknight sitcom). Thus, each episode will only be 21-22 minutes (half the length of a typical TVB episode) and thus in Hong Kong, the series will total at 44 episodes. I am not sure whether TVB will release the overseas version as 22 episodes or 44 episodes. I have a feeling that TVB may release it as 44 overseas as well simply to save them from doing multiple editing and ending credits.

I’m so happy! I’ve been waiting for this series for 2 years now for reasons stated here and here. I have a lot of faith it will be a good and entertaining series.

I’m not hoping it will be a “hit” like past mythical series such as Journey to the West or Gods of Honour. I just want it to be a good series since it’s been way too long since TVB has done this genre. I’m very excited to see Linda’s performance. It won’t be as great as her acting is now ala A Journey Called Life, but it should be decent.

27 days until the Moonlight
It is always a possibility that Moonlight Resonance will disappoint. It is always a possibility that it will not live up to Heart of Greed in terms of popularity and success. However, I have faith in this production. I believe in the cast, the writer, and the producer. This series is by far the most attractive grand production TVB has done since The Gem of Life. The cast cannot be beat and it has the makings to be a classic.

It will be a few weeks before we see the finalized official poster, but thanks to Vincent Wan’s blog (he acts as the youngest brother Gam Wing Chung in Moonlight) we have a glimpse at what to expect. I really like how it is reminiscent of the Heart poster (which was very well-done). It looks so grand. Check out his blog for more exclusive, never-before-seen behind-the-scenes pictures.

Susanna Kwan is singing the themesong and for now, only Raymond Lam is confirmed to be singing a subsong, but there is a rumor that Moonlight will have four subsongs. One sung by Raymond, Linda Chung, Moses Chan, and a duet by Ha Yu & Lee See Kei. I really, really hope the rumor is true. More subsongs are always better!

A new road, a new chapter
In 2007, Linda announced her interest and plans to break into the music industry. This year, she is realizing this dream. Linda wants to be a multi-talented artist. She has already found success in TVB and movies and established herself as a credible actress. Her next step is the music industry. Linda has a musical background; her music teacher is ex-Hong Kong pop diva Lau Fung Ping.

Linda’s CD will hit stores on August 20, 2008 [my birthday!]. There will be 10 songs.

Linda has already recorded 3 songs and she says that she’ll plug a new song at her official blog some time next week. She’s hard at work recording for her album and in the past few weeks in-between filming Moonlight, she was undergoing vocal training to strengthen her voice.

The next two months should be a very exciting time for Linda as Moonlight releases (followed by Legend) and she breaks into the music industry. I can’t wait! I should have plenty to update on and lots to be excited and happy about. Linda probably won’t be filming any new TVB series for a while since she wants to focus on her music career. However, Linda has stated that TVB will remain her #1 priority — she’s not going anywhere. The poor girl has been filming non-stop since 2004, so it’s a good thing for her to “slow down”, take a break from acting, and recuperate.

More news to come in the upcoming weeks!

What I’m watching, what I’m gonna watch
I’m up to episode 640 of A Kindred Spirit now and I’m loving the series all over again [I watched 39 episodes in just a few days!]. I will most likely blog about episodes 601-650 next week. I have so much to say — so much to praise.

I’m on episode 88 of ATV’s classic epic of a drama The Good Old Days. There are only 17 episodes left (the series ends on episode 105)… and I’m kind of sad. It’s been a long, long ride, but a very fruitful and entertaining ride. I can’t wait to blog about it. It is probably my most favorite 1920′s drama. I’m going to miss this series. Hopefully there are some ATV/Days fans and/or people who have watched this excellent series around.

I haven’t watched any more of Forensic Heroes II since the last time I blogged about it (episode 10). As I’ve said, I have no interest to continue yet. I will probably watch it again next week. I am not giving up on it and will definitely finish it. Hopefully my “break” from it will give me a “refreshing” feeling when I pick up the series again.

I’m rewatching TVB’s classic Journey to the West (part 1 with Dicky Cheung). I’m on episode 20 [10 episodes to go!]. I probably won’t rewatch part 2 immediately afterwards. It is such a classic with an awesome cast and great acting. It is a very fun series to watch.

Reviews for The Silver Chamber of Sorrows and A Recipe for the Heart are coming up.

Since some of you are curious about my “pending” playlist, here’s a glimpse…

ATV’s classic 40-episode 1995 grand production I Have a Date with Spring starring Sheren Tang, Kwong Wah, Joey Meng, Kiki Sheung, etc. It is based on an award-winning stage play, which was then adapted into a movie. ATV’s series is the third adaptation of this famous story. It’s a nostalgic look at the HK music world in the past. Apparently it’s a great show and received a lot of acclaim.

TVB’s 45-episode classic 1996 adaptation of Jin Yong’s The Demi-Gods & Semi-Devils with a very big and impressive cast consisting of Felix Wong, Benny Chan, Carmen Lee, and so on. I actually don’t really know what the story is about, but many people praise this series.

TVB’s 20-episode classic 1995 production Plain Love starring Kathy Chow and Gallen Lo. I absolutely love these type of series and I am a big fan of Plain Love II (with the amazing Maggie Cheung and Gordon Lam) and Country Spirit (Charmaine Sheh‘s breakthrough work with Gordon). It’s kind of funny how I watched the franchise in reverse. In general, people say that in a franchise, the original piece is always the “best”… let’s see if that still applies if one watches the “sequels” first.

24-episode massively successful epic drama Princess Returning Pearl (aka Huan Zhu Ge Ge) that spawned many new stars and a very successful franchise. A joint production between Taiwan and mainland China, this classic series stars Vicki Zhao, Ruby Lin, Alec Su, etc. I watched this series 10 years back and loved it, but I didn’t really understand or appreciate it much. Hopefully I will love the series all over again!

TVB’s 40-episode 2001 grand production On The Track or Off from producer Amy Wong (Under the Canopy of Love, Burning Flames) starring Steven Ma, Ada Choi, Bondy Chiu, Frankie Lam, Shek Sau, etc. I’m not a fan of horse racing series and I heard this series is somewhat dragging, but I want to watch this series for Bondy’s [love Ah Lo!] excellent performance as a villain. Plus, I’m a fan of Steven & Ada. I hope it will be a good one. Minus Ada, it’s a pre-Virtues of Harmony reunion.

I’ve said I’m going to watch The Gentle Crackdown II and I will watch it — I just don’t know when yet. I have too many other series I’d rather watch before it. I’m not going to watch Once Upon a Time in Shanghai yet simply because I’m sick of 1930′s drama at the moment and the series is also long (at 40 episodes). Also, I’m not too “excited” about watching it anymore for some reason. However, I will watch it some time in the future because the cast is far too grand and contains so many people that I like.

ATV’s Coincidentally has also been pushed back on my pending playlist.

After these batch of series, I have other series I’m going to watch, but as to not overwhelm you guys (and myself), I won’t list them yet.

Of course, I will be watching Moonlight Resonance and Legend of the Demigods and continue with watching A Kindred Spirit.

For those who have seen the above-mentioned series, any particular recommendations on the order of which I should watch the series? Which series did you like the best? Which one did you like the least? Although I’m going to watch all of them, reviews and opinions would be greatly appreciated!