Time passes by so fast that right now, I don’t even know what to do with myself. People on the other side of the globe have already celebrated and went through their countdown for 2010. On my side of the world, I’m eagerly yet nervously waiting for the clock to strike midnight and it definitely feels like being “on the verge of eternity”. I have never felt like this before that I start to wonder what element in 2009 or maybe 2010 is making me this anxious. Am I keen to get away from 2009 and restlessly hoping 2010 would come sooner, hoping 2010 would be a better year in which the world might be a brighter place? Or am I scared to approach the closing of another decade, afraid to become older and get burdened with more responsibilities?
From the very bottom of my heart, I think I sincerely want 2010 to hurry up and begin. Next year marks a very important point in my life because I will finally graduate, but I also foresee my drama experience to be much more impressive than all years past with upcoming shows like Pu Song Ling, Righteous Sea of Heroic Love, and COPS. Nevertheless, before moving on to a new stage in life and promising entertainment, I think it’s important to look back at 2009 and see what it has done, whether for me or you.
For the first time in my TVB history, I watched at least 10 episodes from each of the 21 dramas TVB churned out this year–including the two warehoused series, excluding the sitcoms and ICAC–and completed 18. I’m rather stunned at this discovery. Two years ago, I only managed to complete 2. However, before writing this review, I asked myself to name every title from TVB I’ve seen this year in 5 minutes and without looking at any databases or resources. I could sadly name only 8.
- A Bride for a Ride
- Beyond the Realm of Conscience
- Born Rich
- E.U.
- In the Chamber of Bliss
- Rosy Business
- The Gem of Life
- You’re Hired
There’s no way my memory is that horrible, especially when I know I have a semi-photographic memory. I think the best explanation is the other 13 dramas are simply forgettable and with them in the mix, TVB in 2009 measures a pH of 7 on the litmus paper (I’m a nerd, I know) and that 7 means 2009 was good while it lasted but now that it’s almost over, the end result is neutral. It’s not a year to keep in one’s heart.
Now, for my breakdown and commentary.
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Many forms of entertainment are judged on the foundation laid by other similar forms of entertainment simply because there has to be a baseline, a scale of sorts. You don’t know how good something is until you’ve seen something worse, just as you wouldn’t know how bad something is until you’ve seen something better. There are exceptions. Certain dramas are so uniquely good, they shouldn’t be compared to anything else. Similarly, obscenely bad dramas don’t deserve to be compared either. Beyond the Realm of Conscience is one of those exceptions and it, unfortunately, falls into the latter category.
I jumped onto the bandwagon back when Beyond first started filming because I firmly believed I would one day witness a glorious, fascinating, poignant, outstanding hybrid of two magnificent hit productions–War and Beauty and Dae Jang Geum. What I failed to remember is that this is TVB. What I failed to notice is Choi Ting Ting. Choi has done her fair share of scriptwriting, some of which include Last One Standing, Forensic Heroes II, Burning Flame II, To Catch the Uncatchable, Slim Chances, Hard Fate, Always Ready, and soon-to-be-aired A Watchdog’s Tale. Most of her scripts are decent and I had enjoyed some of them. However, I overlooked the fact that she wrote The Threshold of a Persona. And guess what? I feel the same indifference for Beyond as I did Persona. Seriously, I don’t get why TVB didn’t pull Cheung Wah Biu (Heart of Greed, Moonlight Resonance, Rosy Business) over to write the script for Beyond? Why? Beyond has everything! EVERYTHING!! All but a golden script …
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A Bride for a Ride, in short, is a great parody with occasional witty dialogues that tried too hard to be funny and thus, lacked any attention-grabbing charm. Without an understanding of Chinese history or folktales, the audience would easily fall asleep even if the cast is a joy to watch. For me, Bride is simply a messy and draggy musical version of A Colorful Life.
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One of the best romantic country drama trilogy ever done by TVB consists of 1995’s Plain Love starring Kathy Chow Hoi Mei and Gallen Lo, 1999’s Plain Love II starring Gordon Lam and Maggie Cheung Ho Yee, and 2001’s Country Spirit starring Gordon Lam and Charmaine Sheh. None of the stories actually connect but all of them introduce the audience to some unique aspect of Chinese heritage, including the art of making tea and wine. I had watched Plain Love and Country Spirit back when they first released and remember loving the touching relationships between the main characters and the beautiful country fields where things grow and die, where people smile and cry, and where they come and go. Not until recently did I pick up interest in Plain Love II due to several recommendations and rave reviews. I had a lot of expectations for this series, especially since it is produced by Lau Si Yu who had done Dark Tales, Dark Tales II, Journey to the West, Journey to the West II, and Plain Love.
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