Frankly I wasn't paying attention to this episode, and when I did, nothing much happened for the first 45 minutes. I wasn't paying attention as I was busy tinkering with my new handphone, kinda distracted.
Anyway Jeung's training continues and he made good progress whilst Man Kwan also made some progress but he ended up nearly killing all his practice target. Whilst Jeung trained hard, Ming was always there to make sure he gets his drink, wiped his perspiration, etc which is kinda scary since he thinks of her as sister whilst she thinks of him as potential mate. It was quite a funny scene as entire family except Fong Fong were there to see him practise, so free!! And in the end Fong Fong herself joined the crowd and was happy with what she saw. As soon as he stopped, there was Ming wiping perspiration and looking very happy doing just that. Jeung was happy too with his own progress but Bing Bing wasn't happy, eyeing up potential rival for Jeung's affection with jealousy and I know she is bad bad bad person ala MR's miss crazy eyes, Kate Tsui's character. After one practise, Ming asked Jeung if all of them should go for supper and Jeung said ok and Ming ran to inform everyone. Bing Bing, eyeing them made her move and asked Jeung to take her to a meeting, as she said she saw that mad ex husband again, although I wonder if that was true. So when Ming and everyone came back ready for supper, Jeung apologised, said "I have to accompany Miss Chow somewhere" and off he went, and everyone was kinda disappointed but Ming said "We will wait for you" and Jeung agreed.
At the restaurant, Jeung and Bing Bing together and whatever Bing Bing said was very sad and pitiful but I wonder if they were true and if true, they would explain why she is so hardened. Bing Bing said (flashback) "Life for me and my sister was idyllic, until brother in law came into the picture. I hated him very much because he was the reason why my idyllic life was destroyed on a single day. He fought my father, and on my sister's wedding day my father died suddenly, from injuries sustained by the punches by my brother in law. From that day onwards life was miserable for me. My father's disciples all abandoned the school, my sister invested heavily in a business and was cheated of every penny, and in the end we were penniless, life was hard and we were chased by creditors. My ex husband was one of the big creditors and he saw me at the shop. Perhaps it was an easy way out, but I married him. Can you imagine, I was only 16, married to a man several decades my age. After our marriage, life was good again until.. I discovered my ex husband suffering from bipolar disease. He would be very nice to me one day, and the next he would be violent to me, beating me (scene shows husband shoves her off the car!!). But I promised myself I have married this man, I am his, and so no matter what I will remain with him. But things got worse. He would accuse me of having affairs, stealing his jewelry, the violence escalates as his temper became worse and worse, until one day I can't stand it anymore and I left him"
Bing Bing was crying and Jeung felt her pain and I can't remember what happened next but I think the scene cuts to him coming home late at night and saw Ming who said "Brother, you're late" and Jeung said "I'm sorry, I lost track of time, I forgot about the supper, did you have any?" and Ming said "No we didn't. Leung wanted to go but we waited for you, in the end Leung was upset and went back to his room to sleep" and Jeung looked at Ming apologetically and Ming knew he had spent those several hours with Bing Bing but she looked ok.
Pratice again and one senior member lost in his thoughts almost got hit by Jeung's fist and Cham immediately cried "Stop! You, what is the matter with you? If Jeung wasn't stopped, that punch would have landed on you and you would have died" and the member stuttered a little and said "No I was just tired and sick. May I leave?" and Cham said "Yes you may, get someone else to replace you from now on from the factory" and he said thanks.
Practice again and Man Kwan beat up a fellow practice companion so badly, he simply refused to stop kicking and he had to be stopped by his own mother.
Meanwhile in the garden, we see that senior member kneeling before Tak and Man Kwan and a whole bunch of people and he asked "Master Wing, what do you want with me?" and Tak said "I want you to do a favour for me. Put these powder into Koo Yue Jeung's ginseng tea (I think...) and make sure he drinks it before the competition" and member cried "What? What's this? No I won't! I won't do it! I won't do such things!" and Man Kwan said "If you won't, there will be an underage girl reporting to the police that you raped her, all the evidence will be against you and you will be prosecuted, sentenced to death" and the guy was crying "Why Master Wing? Why are you doing this to me? I have never crossed you! Why?! I can't do something so evil! I won't! Please spare me, please, I have a wife and child to feed!" and Tak said "Then you must really consider your option. Help me or end up dead" and the guy weeped very hard.
Competition day and I dread what happened next because there are so many siblings and it seems each of them will make a prayer speech! What a long scene. Anyway Wai Lan said "Father, please bless Jeung and let him win and win back our family's honour and kick that bastard's ass!" or something like that. Next is Tong who said "Grandfather, today is the day which brother will win back our honour. I couldn't do it because of this useless disease I have but all hopes is on brother, bless him". Ming as well said something to the effect of bless Jeung and then Jeung said "Grandfather, bless me, give me strength, let me win this competition, then win the district, the country, let me restore our family's good name and more importantly, let me show Wing Tak we are no longer weaklings for him to bully!!!"
And so they went to the arena.
Meanwhile Tak, mother and Man Kwan also going and Ching and Yau said "We won't be going. We never like to see violence anyway" and Man Kwan said "You're saying this because you worry for the Koos? So you won't even support your own brother?" and mother said "That's not what they meant, this is not really a lady's sport, let them" and Tak said let them as well and so Man Kwan walked out when Ching said "Brother, please remember, don't beat someone when they're down, just enough to win" and Man Kwan looked ready to kill her said "Ok" and left. Style, this man has style!
Each side fought everyone and each won with Man Kwan beating the other to a pulp, Jeung doing just enough to win.
Final competition, Jeung Vs Man Kwan. In the room Jeung drank the tea as the member looked on, with a worried face.
On the stage, each signed declaration of non pursuance of action against another in case of death (like as if Tak would honour that!), both fought, Man Kwan with his fast leg and Jeung with his strong fist. Jeung looked like he was about to lose when he doubled up his effort. Ming couldn't stand the tension and walked behind and refused to watch as she silently mumbled "Please please please let him be alright. Please don't let him die. Please please please ..." as tears fell from her face and I was like rolling my eyes because I could hear cheers but what I wanna see is some kung fu action!
And finally kung fu action, Jeung managed to punch Man Kwan's leg (Yeah!) and Man Kwan fell (Yeah!) and Jeung could have punched Man Kwan to death but he didn't and the referee declared Jeung as winner!! Man Kwan was flat on the stage, out cold. As they celebrated, Tak just walked out, couldn't care less about his son who had fainted! Man Kwan was carried out.
At home, huge celebration as Fong Fong said to Jeung "Well done!" and uncle said "Everyone, day off tomorrow!!!" and Tong reminded him "A-hem. You're not the boss anymore..." and he looked at Fong Fong and he said "A suggestion! A suggestion!" and Fong Fong smiled and said "As you said!" and everyone cheered! and Bing Bing eyed Jeung.
At night, Tak met with that member, now being beaten as Tak thundered "You didn't put the powder?" and member said "I did but he only took one sip!" and Tak had him beaten and said "Liar!" and the guy finally said "Yes! Yes! I didn't put the powder! Master (which one? Au Yeung?) has been good to me, I couldn't do that! I couldn't against my conscience do what you told me to do!" and he was punched some more as Tak said "Fine, get ready to be arrested!" and he left but Man Kwan had a mind of his own on what to do.
Behind a dark alley, the guy was beaten again and Man Kwan appeared and said "You caused me my victory!" and he kicked the guy repeatedly, even his men tried to stop him and the guy now throwing up blood said "Yes I did, and I am glad I did! You are a monster! You don't deserve the win!" and Man Kwan kicked and kicked and kicked and kicked. Meanwhile chairman of martial arts association coming home after the celebration, very very drunk and heard some noise and saw Man Kwan kicking the poor guy now like a punching bag and Man Kwan ordered each men to kick once which they did half heartedly and Man Kwan threatened "We are now in this together. If I am down, so will you all!" and they left. Once they left, chairman rushed to the guy, he knew him and cried "Are you ok? Someone, anyone, help!!!" and he blew the whistle which Man Kwan and men heard and Man Kwan, not concerned said "Go and have a look and take care of that" and he left and the guys turned back and saw the wounded being carried away. The men decided to follow the chairman to find out how much he has seen.
Pause here.
Would Tak have killed the guy? Yes but not personally. So Man Kwan is in deep trouble.
Chairman rushed to see Tong and basically told him what he saw and the men knew he saw everything. Everyone rushed to the hospital and as the elders stood there looking at the member who was dying with his wife crying hard, he only said 3 words before he died; "Wing... Man...Kwan..."
At some hotel, Tak was woken up by his assistant, as he was not in town as he went for some meeting and he was told what happened. He rushed home, Man Kwan has gone into hiding (with style! Looking like some catwalk model) and Man Kwan called home and Tak listening in said "Man Kwan, where are you?" and before Man Kwan can say anything Tak said "I see I see, don't go anywhere, stay put ok?" as his wife begged to talk to Man Kwan. Tak rushed into his study room and he took some money and wife saw it and said panicking "Tak, where is our son? You know where he is don't you? Tell me, where is our son?!"
and quite frankly I can't remember what he said and I have a feeling he didn't say anything as next episode, Tak ordered someone else to take the blame and Tong wouldn't let Tak go for that.
Truth is the first 45 minutes was quite a drag except for Bing Bing's story and even then Bing Bing's story may be real, may be not real. I think it was real, it hardened the one innocent school girl and she became ruthless and manipulative to get whatever she wants, like Jeung. The competition was an anti climax. Such a build up and the arena was like some illegal boxing arena, so small. I wished it was in some open air place, where it will look grander, more bigger and not so cramped. And the kung fu fighting was boring. Not much style, just one uses leg, the other fists. In fact I hardly see any credible kung fu, not even during Cham's training of Jeung, which was just a few scenes and nothing authentic, nothing major. I was very disappointed with that aspect and I realise for a series about kung fu, it has very little kung fu. The new one where Kenneth Ma is the villain looked more kung fuey than this kung fu series. And Kenneth Ma as villain? How can? When he starts pouting and all, I will be more likely to pinch his cheeks than slap him! I mean so cute, how to be villain?
And I am pretty freaked out over Jeung and Ming. Very very wrong.
As for Ching and Yau, lesser and lesser role and Ching at this moment seems more like an airhead to me. She walks around knowing how manipulative her father is, how vicious her brother is and yet she just wears this look of utter disbelief when she knows her father and brother is capable of some serious damage. Her character is just all fluff.
Bing Bing however has a richer character but again one dimensional due to the lack of time. I would have hoped she entered the picture earlier, she would give a bit of character to a female character instead of the fully devoted or the really noisy types.
Ming however is always so darn serious even when she is laughing.
And as usual, Wai Lan is back to walk on role. Sighhhhh...
As for Tong, still there, lesser role.
Performances wise, Kevin Cheng had little to do except sweat it out. I still don't buy him as a great fighter.
Kenneth has little to do in here. Ram is a great actor but even he can't be convincing as a great fighter himself. He wears his hat everywhere and I mean everywhere which is getting annoying. Even Angela's Fong Fong is no longer the sassy fierce lady boss anymore.
Dominic Lam is saddled with a non moving character, forever that way, one track mind. The rest nothing much to do.
Natalie Tong did well but I am rather bored with her character and her style of acting. She just seems so darn serious even when she is laughing.
As for Jacky, he can death stare everyone but the moment he opens his mouth... I just can't take him seriously. I now realise he talks like a drunkard. Seriously! He slurs his words.
Anyway quite a lot of episodes to do. Where will this series be heading? Will Shing turn out alive?!
Wherever it is heading, one hope is dashed; it seems Man Kwan will have no redemption. I was hoping for redemption, that will make this series different.
April 18, 2011 at 10:19 PM
To be honest. I cannot stand Ming. She's nice and all. But, I don't like her falling in love with Jeung. Find someone outside the family lah. He's your brother, girl! Reading how she wipe his sweat etc and looking after him with utmost care, I really 'ding ng suen' liao.
Anyway, this is the episode where the downfall on Man Kwan starts.