Wrong, as Chor Chi (Ron Ng) and I eventually figured out. Unlike Chor Chi, I love my dad, but like Chor Chi, I know very little about my dad. Back in high school, I interviewed my dad for an assignment but he was reluctant to tell me anything and I think that’s because he had went through a lot of (war) trauma he didn’t want to recall. Throughout my life, I’ve only heard snippets of his life from my relatives. Unlike Chor Chi, I wanted to know more but obviously wouldn’t ever chance upon a time vault. Stepping away from my boring connection with Chor Chi though, what I’m driving at is that this theme of "understanding between parent and child" is what makes A Chip Off the Old Block emotionally and perhaps educationally good. It’s important to realize that just as your experiences shaped you into who you are today, the same goes for your parents. You definitely don’t know their whole story and sometimes, there are things they keep hidden for your benefit. (I realize this is a generalization but I believe it applies to most parents.)

Whether the writers of Chip intended to portray this struggle toward understanding between parent and child or not, I don’t know. But the theme wasn’t fully explored anyway. There were also various loopholes in the plot, which I assume is because there were 5 writers putting together this story. Still, with the addition of some layered main characters, a neighborhood of whackos, and nice comedy flare, I would say Chip is a slightly better than average show with a subtle tinge of depth.

Story

In present day Hong Kong lives a man Chor Chi who correlates success only with money, even if his profession of promoting harmful substances such as tobacco could hurt others. His father Chor Fan (Sunny Chan) is extremely against this and continuously nags Chi about it. The father and son both refuse to bend their beliefs. The gist of what happens next is that Chor Chi accidentally gets sent back in time, approximately 40 years ago, and becomes "brothers" with his dad as he mingles with the neighbors there and discovers what experiences had made his dad become such a stubborn, conservative old man. Chi also uses this chance to find out his mother’s identity, a subject his dad always avoided.

What I really like is how the story unfolded, mostly from Chi’s perspective. You are put into Chi’s shoes right from the beginning because like him, you know practically nothing about the other characters. As he learns about them, you are allowed the chance to peel off their surfaces and grab at the reasons for their actions. At the same time, you’ll also watch them influence Chi, even though he doesn’t know or admit it. And for once, a TVB series didn’t lose focus while having a lot of characters. Chip is very character-driven but that’s precisely what gave it a boost. The characters complement one another. For example, Chor Fan is generous and gullible while Fung Nei (Myolie Wu) is greedy and sly and their individual principles might be annoyingly farfetched, but they are fun to watch when together. The characters and their antics are what created the story, the twists, the irony, and the crazy laugh-out-loud occurrences.

Unfortunately not a capture of the ending, but that would spoil the fun.

I had a good laugh at the ending. But no, I don’t think there is not going to be a sequel. Chip left no room for a continuation so a sequel would be complete nonsense. What would there be to see? Chor Fan and Chor Chi in the future? Please, no. You may argue that they need to find Chi’s mother. I would argue that one, she is not Fung Nei, and two, who she is doesn’t matter at all.

Characters and Performances

Quick Rants and Ramblings

• Here’s a quick fun fact for you. Sunny, Ron, and Myolie are also the 3 leads of War and Destiny. If only TVB knew better, we could have had a beautiful, complete reunion.
• Sunny and Myolie have wonderful chemistry but there were too little scenes of them together, as a couple. However, their ending fits them because Ah Fan and Fung Nei have been and will continue chasing after one another.
• Loopholes are often inevitable in anything involving time travel. Why didn’t the present Ah Fan or Ah Fun stop or warn Chi about his mistake at all before he departed to the past? That would have surely saved them a lot of troubles. How did Ah Fun manage to support herself in the present for 2 years? Answers? Shut off your brain!
• Terminator was creepy and got my eyes rolling.
• Mandy Wong grabbed my attention as Fung Lin. She has potential but before that, please don’t get type-casted into the shy, quiet, demure, klutzy little sister.
• Nancy Wu had nothing to do in Chip except look pretty. How disappointing.
• I hate people who hate everything. (Inside joke for those who have watched the show, hehe.)

Overall Enjoyment

Having expected Chip to be a comedy, it did meet the bar, mostly thanks to the well-written characters and witty dialogue as well as good acting. As I’ve said, Chip circles around its characters, not so much its plot. The only theme I picked up is the importance in understanding between parent and child, which generally depends on characters’ interactions and exposition rather than a plot. However, the theme wasn’t fully explored or made to be emotionally touching because the writers had more fun throwing other characters’ problems into the mix, leaving Chip to be the comedy it was designed to be. The twists near the end, then, were merely devices to give the "story" a conclusion albeit being quite clever.

For the most part, Chip is enjoyable if you don’t think too much and I would recommend it if you don’t have anything better to do for 21 hours. But actually, if you do pick it up, I do NOT recommend watching Chip in one sitting because you might get tired of the comedy really fast and the flaws will glare at you. That said, was it worth my time? 60% of the time, yes.

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 …

Story

At the beginning, Beyond displayed itself to be a tale about two unrelated “sisters” and their struggles in the palace, emphasizing on how they each deal with obstacles differently. Later down the road, Beyond turned into a boring Tang dynasty false reality show. Maybe the director fell asleep? Because the cameraman basically zoomed in on any big character he could find, as long as he could capture their palatial sufferings. This is one of the biggest problem for Beyond. The focus was lost. The story wasn’t about Sam Ho (Charmaine Sheh) and Kam Ling (Tavia Yeung) anymore. It was about everybody and because of that, it is difficult to see any consistent character growth or feel any sympathy.

Shortcomings

What’s worse, Beyond is so fake. The relationships are downright silly. For all types of media, the common rule is to show, not tell. Forget about that, okay? Skip to a random scene and characters in Beyond will tell you exactly what they’re feeling and what they’re going to do about it. They will continuously remind you of their virtues, mottos, relationships, and lifelong dreams. Sam Ho will never forget to tell you that she lives to “speak good words, do good deeds, and show good will”. Kam Ling will stop at nothing to hold Sam Ho’s hands and tell you that they are good “sisters”. Hin Yeung (Kevin Cheng) will grab any chance to remind you of his marriage vow to Sam Ho. That is how they brainwash you into thinking they had shown you the developments. Don’t fall for it.

Lurking Potential

Honestly, Beyond had a lot of potential. I saw them. But they were never exerted and that’s what frustrates me. The threads tying the four leads Sam Ho, Kam Ling, Hin Yeung, and Li Yi (Moses Chan) together were not strong enough. The sisterhood/rivalry between Sam Ho and Kam Ling should have been the central theme of the story, but it got left in the shadows after episode 10 and only got re-instated around episode 30. The love between Sam Ho and Hin Yeung was lacking and more terrible than that, there was no real love between Kam Ling and Li Yi.

How Sam Ho became a concubine was rather lame as well. If I was writing Beyond, Sam Ho would see the insatiable greed Kam Ling harbors and work her way to become a concubine in order to stop and “save” Kam Ling. Thus, she sacrifices her love with Hin Yeung. That is true friendship and tragedy.

Characters and Performances

Overall Enjoyment

From a distance, from the poster and trailers, Beyond appears to be a radiant gem you don’t want to miss. But in reality, it is nothing more than a rock coated with faux gold. Scratch the layer of glimmering gold off and Beyond is nothing but pretty junk I’ll gladly throw at a window of the TVB station. I wasted 33 hours of my life watching viburnum leaves fall to the ground. I hope you won’t foolishly do the same.

My rating for Beyond would have been 1.5 stars if I strictly follow my rating scale. However, up that by 1 star thanks to the grand cast, skillful acting, delightful music, and pleasant cinematography.

Story

Bride is not about a man who is brave enough to kill two dragons, save a town of people, and become a hero. No. It’s about the man’s silly "hunt" for a wife. It’s about him mistakenly snatching one of the top scholars and the two end up becoming rivals. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy scenes of the arrogant, brutal, and stupid Tiger Wong (Chin Ka Lok) bullying the talented and weak Chow Man Bun (Sammul Chan) and the pranks they played on each other. But to watch that for more than 15 episodes got really tiring.

The episodes I liked most in Bride were 7 and 13. I remember those episodes so well because they were pure hilarity at its best. Both episodes centered around the marriage between Tiger and Mo Sam Leung (Louisa So), their moments of bickering, physical fighting, misunderstanding, and seduction. Their story was the best in the entire series. While the Wong family was a lot of fun to watch too, the members in the family other than Tiger were flat characters that generally did not contribute much to the story. And so after about 10 episodes of running around with little to nothing happening, the only conflict that needed resolution was in the romance department, which could have easily been finished in 1-2 episodes. But because Bride stuffed in a political, war subplot with extremely annoying new characters, the overall show became draggy and a burden to watch.

I honestly did love the parody in Bride, especially during the war, in which there was a reference to the fall of Hong Yu. (Think Kwong Wah from The Conqueror’s Story.) But still, I think that if Bride had kept the "feel" of the first 10 episodes and went down the path of being a lighthearted family comedy as was the first half of A Colorful Life, I would have enjoyed it much more.

By the last episode, I was quite tired out by Bride. However, the ending managed to pick up and become a highlight for me because the story went back to its original "feel". They even made fun of the cast/characters hiding behind the scenes and brought back the "dead" too. The snippets of our 3 couples on their wedding night were also laugh-out-loud material. It was more of a party than an ending.

Characters and Performances

Overall Enjoyment

I liked the series for half of its run at most, but only certain scenes here and there. I also watched the special for Bride, which presented us with the cast behind the scenes and you know what? That was a lot more entertaining. Overall, I enjoyed the characters’ interactions but Bride is a real burden to watch because there was no grasping plot and the parody and jokes got old. I’m relieved to finish this series and I honestly do not recommend it.

Story

The story is set during the 1920’s in a small and almost secluded village surrounded by rivers and mountains. Much of the drama begins out of the curiosity as to why Fong Yau Wai’s (Gordon Lam) grandfather and mother forbid him to drink or even touch tea and the determination of Chung Hon Ngau (Evergreen Mak), Wai’s childhood and best friend, to rise from poverty and make a name for himself by getting into the Sung Tea Garden, the largest tea plantation around. In the meantime, Wai and Ngau meet Poon Mui Nga (Maggie Cheung Ho Yee), who ran away from her tribe after a marriage rejection, and Sung Sheung Wah (Louisa So), who dresses as a man but is the only daughter of the Sung family. The formation of a love square was inevitable.

With many misunderstandings, friendship descended into rivalry and happiness became sorrow.

I was told the romance in Plain Love II between Wai and Poon would be extremely touching while Ngau and Wah would be quite pitiful. Honestly, I did not feel such things. There is no doubt chemistry existed amongst the cast but the development had no impact on me. I was so bored and annoyed from seeing Ngau continuously blame Wai for “stealing” Poon and trying to take fame away from him. I would think that from their long brotherhood with each other, Ngau would understand Wai better than that. I was frustrated with Wai for always avoiding Poon and not admit his love for her. I know very well that he does so as to not hurt or “betray” Ngau, but I can’t help being angry at him for always running away. I was quite upset with Wah as well for jumping to conclusions and blindly hating Poon. I did feel sorry for her at some point since she started off as such an innocent and delicate person. The romance was just a drag for me. It would’ve been better if the relationships weren’t made into such a complicated web.

Otherwise, I thought Plain Love II was rather enjoyable.

The process and techniques of nurturing tea trees, picking and drying tea leaves, and mixing the tea to finally produce a cup of aromatic and bittersweet tea are amazing. It was exciting watching Wai discover the secret behind his family’s name and how his father was once the best producer in the tea industry, who was accused of making tea addictive with poison and died from the rumors. After this revelation, the story moved at a much faster pace. Wai finally came out of his “shell” and stood up to the world in order to clear his father’s name. It was fun seeing him experience the ups and downs in opening his own plantation and going through thick and thin with Poon. Wai and Poon was an amusing couple to watch. They tease one another a lot but they support each other in hard times and share the little pleasures they find in life because they are both simple people with very simple desires.

Through separating from the Sung Tea Garden, Wai and Ngau became more distant, but time really does heal everything. Once Wai desperately tried to save Ngau during the adultery punishment, Ngau finally realized how stupid and easily manipulated he had been all those years. Although the misunderstandings were a nuisance to watch, the resolution to those misunderstandings was well done. I really liked how Wai and Ngau teamed up again to catch the villains, how Wah does not forgive Ngau right away, and how Wai was able to rebuild his family tea and reunite with Poon at the end.

The Best Scene

Out of the entire series, the most memorable scene is definitely the one with Wai and Poon running in a field of yellow flowers. I thought it represents their story very well. Poon had always been chasing Wai but now it was his turn to chase her. It was the sweetest and most beautiful scene that truly showed the blossoming of their relationship. Maggie and Gordon did great in this scene with expressions that are hard to forget. This scene also reminded me of lyrics from the theme song sung by Jacky Cheung and Priscilla Chan.

I toast with you to this life, that finally you exist, that my life can now begin.
I met you on that fateful day.
Your smile is more beautiful than anything on earth.
To ask me not to go after you would make everything tasteless.

Performances

Although I didn’t like any of the characters at first, the character development was really impressive. Gordon Lam did great transcending Wai from the “Little Quail” who was disciplined to keep his opinions to himself and stay out of trouble into a strong and independent professional tea maker. Wai is actually already talented and smart but he was reserved due to his mother’s wishes. I really enjoyed watching Gordon and his dumb faces as well as his determined ones.

As for Poon, I didn’t like her much in the beginning. She was stubborn, reckless, inconsiderate, selfish, and almost shameless. However, she was straightforward and had a free spirit, and I was interested in her. She became my favorite character later on as she learned to think about what others want for themselves instead of only what she wants for them. I think she is probably the character with the most growth, mainly through Wai’s influence. Maggie Cheung was wonderful. Her smiles were so sincere that I wanted to smile with her. I heard Kenix Kwok was initially casted as Poon but refused for At the Threshold of an Era. I’m glad Maggie took on Poon instead because I just can’t imagine Kenix making me like the character.

Evergreen Mak has got to be one of the most underrated actors, but I can’t blame TVB if he’s not popular after all. If not for him though, I wouldn’t have mixed feelings for Ngau but hate Ngau to the bones, since I kept thinking Ngau is a pathetic idiot. In scenes where he expressed anger for Wai, Evergreen also displayed regret, for he knows that it’s not Wai’s fault but he can’t find anyone else to blame. I was still frustrated with this character though, until he apologized to Wah and proved that he does love her. As for Wah, I didn’t like her at all but I’m glad she became independent later on. Louisa So is always a joy to watch but her acting was somewhat stiff to me, or maybe it was the character. The minor characters were fun to watch too, especially Tse Fu Biu (Yuen Wah) and Wing Yiu Jung (Al Wai).

Finale

The ending of Plain Love II was conclusive and satisfying. As a whole though, I wouldn’t call Plain Love II a classic as many have claimed it to be but I wouldn’t say it is completely horrendous in any way. I enjoyed it as much as I could while trying hard to overlook the slow moments and many dumb actions of the characters. I know Plain Love II had received many awards and I’m sure it is deserving of those awards in the eyes of many viewers. I don’t intend to disagree. However, Plain Love II simply didn’t live up to my expectations and I wouldn’t ever enthusiastically recommend it.