'You're Hired' Review

You're Hired is truly an amazing and memorable series that it recommended and should be watched by everyone. There is no reason for you to pass it up. 2009 has been a slow and not so great year for TVB, with the only highlights being EU and Rosy Business, both of which were in the drama genre. While TVB has managed to release a couple of enjoyable comedies, they are forgettable and unmemorable. You're Hired is the greatest comedy and series that TVB has whipped up in not just in 2009, but for years. It is a breath of fresh air from the usual 'comedy' because it's witty and full of amusing dialogue instead of overexaggeration. With comedy king Dayo Wong and top TV queen and favorite Charmaine Sheh, you can't go wrong.

Dayo Wong - Mak Tai Song

Ah Song is hands down my favorite male character of the year. He is very intelligent and educated about business, despite his outer appearance, which makes him look 'cheap.' His outfit of a garbage resembling coat, red and black checkered shirt, white t-shirt, and gray pants is one I'll never forget. To this day, I immediately think of Mak Tai Song when I see a red and black checkered shirt.

Dayo is truly the 'TV comedy king.' My favorite type of comedy is not exaggerated lines and actions, but witty dialogue. Dayo satisfies what I've been missing for so long. He has his own style of getting laughs. When he makes you laugh, he'll make you laugh out loud. Some of the jokes he cracks may even cause stomach aches. His talent for comedy is irreplaceable. Mak Tai Song is a hilarious and yet at the same time a sensitive person. Having a sad childhood, being abandoned by his mother, and never experimenting 'love', his love plot with Miu Miu was touching and sweet. Dayo portrays the different sides of Ah Song perfectly, and I can't think of any way he could've done better. It's a shame he is not signed with TVB, for I'd love to see more of him. It'll also mean he'll never be able to get the 'Best Actor' award, despite his performance being 'Best Actor' worthy.

Charmaine Sheh - Lam Miu Miu

My opinion towards Charmaine was always just ok. Sometimes I liked her, and sometimes I didn't, but that was because of the characters she was playing. Since watching this series though, I can say that I LOVE Charmaine! She plays the role of a materialistic girl perfectly. The scenes where she was working as a debt collector was hilarious! With her tough attitude, I failed to see how she wasn't any different from a loan shark. Plus, it was hilarious how while people found the other 'big but brainless' debt collectors scary, the other debt collectors were scared of Miu Miu! Personally, I think Charmaine fits lighthearted roles better. She was so cute and realistic in this series. My favorite female character of the year!

Teresa Lee - Sheh Mo Lin

Despite no longer being extremely young or pretty, I feel as though she possesses a cute and young charm. While I find the tone of her voice unusual, I also like it at the same time. It makes her sound so innocent and sweet, just like her character is. Theresa also has flawless English, and I loved hearing her the few times she spoke it. The character of Mo-Lin really grew on me, and I missed her a lot when she was absent towards the middle of the series. Why such an innocent and sweet woman would marry a scoundrel like Martin in the first place remains a mystery to me. Why she didn't divorce him even after founding out all the bad things he did is another mystery. Teresa did a good job and her performance was natural and likable.

Michael Tse - Johnny

I was tricked into believing that Michael would be the second male lead of the series. Then again, besides for Dayo and Charmaine, no cast member held the title of 'secondary lead' or 'supporting' for the whole series. While his character brings some laughs, it is rather a disappointment after the success of Michael's Laughing Gor. I expected more from the role. Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching how he matured and slowly gained interest and knowledge of the family business.

Queenie Chu - Ngon Sum Po

Queenie is one of the few 20 something actresses that has a more sophisticated look. That was why she was able to pass for Michael's older sister, despite being much younger than him. She's still rather wooden though, and she was incapable of expressing emotions. Then again, the role was supposed to be a 'no nonsense' and serious type of character, so Queenie didn't have much to work with in the first place. I do have to mention that her look for the series was disappointing. I like Queenie's sophisticated pretty look, but You're Hired didn't do the best job of showing that off. She looked much more attractive in Threshold.

Power Chan - Sam

Power is such a versatile and convincing actor that it's a shame TVB gave him such a 'useless' role. Arrogant, greedy, and selfish, I would've hated 'Sam' for sure if it hadn't been played by Power. One of these days he'll get a good supporting role in a series that actually has buzz about it. (He made an amazing villain in The Building Blocks of Life, but the series itself was too 'plain' for people to actually take notice of him.)

Mandy Cho - Wah Kiu

From reading the character description released before You're Hired started airing, I was interested in watching 'Wah Kiu.' The character turned out to be nothing special and didn't even have much screen time. Mandy's performance was just ok, but there's something about her voice that annoys me. She was pretty and I liked her wardrobe though, but she was out shined in both aspects by Charmaine.

Benz Hui - Tong Kat

Even though Benz is old and not handsome, he has a certain charisma that makes him so enjoyable to watch. He is one of my favorite supporting actors, and is always so humorous. Benz delivered a great performance, but the character wasn't that interesting. One thing about Tong Kat I found funny though was that his character is supposed to be around 60 years old. That means he is about 5 years from retirement age, and yet still doesn't know a thing about working. No wonder his dad has to work like crazy, despite being almost 80 years old!

Koni Lui - Vivian

I was really looking forward to watching Koni as I loved her in Catch Me Now. I was disappointed that she was simply just part of a subplot that only lasted about three episodes. Maybe three was enough though, because the story of her, JJ Jia, and Tong Kat was the least appealing storyline.

You're Hired had 5 main story lines: Miu Miu's dad's small noodle business Chai Kei, the mess with Benz, Koni, and JJ Jia and the unification of the kindergarten and retirement home, the big rice business with Michael and Queenie, and the ending storyline about the return of Martin. My favorite storyline was the first one. I liked the dealing of the small business much more, probably because it was more creative. I found the beginning most hilarious too. The rest of the series was of course still superb, but the beginning was when I laughed out loud till I got a stomach ache. The other story lines, although still funny, were more focused on the business. The business aspect of the series was very interesting and informative though. It got me wondering about all the business theories and techniques.

What was unusual about You're Hired was that there was never a 'second lead' or 'supporting' role that stuck around for the whole entire series. Cast members whom we originally thought were playing a supporting part, like Michael Tse, Joel Chan, and Koni Lui only appeared in a couple episodes. They were not ever mentioned again. These three and a couple others felt like simply guest appearances. Even Teresa Lee didn't appear throughout the whole series, as she was absent for almost the whole rice business subplot.

The Dayo-Charmaine pairing is the cutest and most refreshing couple this year. They're now my all time favorite pair of rival lovers. Their love plot started too late into the series though. The writers had them hating each other for too long. The uniqueness and sweetness of their relationship when they finally fell in love with each other made up for it though. I would've loved to see more of them, they share the cutest chemistry!

There were two things that bothered me in the series though. Why did Ah Song betray Martin for Hunter in the first place? If I recall right, Martin wasn't always selfish and greedy. This point was never cleared and it bothered me even after finishing the series. The other was the wrap up of the plot with Ah Song and his mom and step siblings, Johnny and Sum Po. There was never a proper conclusion to their story. Johnny and Sum Po never found out that Ah Song was their older half brother. While it's possible to keep it from them, they should've been told after all misunderstandings between them were cleared. If I heard right as well, there was a scene where Sum Po was in the kitchen with her mom. In the scene, her mom says that she wished she had never given birth to Ah Song. Did Sum Po not hear right? Why didn't she even say anything about it, as if she didn't even hear her? Why did she go on to say that her mom had soft hands and started questioning how she got them so soft?

Overrall Thoughts

You're Hired is the best series TVB has produced in years. There won't be another series as funny and witty for a long time. I actually think that it'll probably be in another at least two years or so, when Dayo comes back to film another series. It doesn't have the best script, considering the two goofs I mentioned above, but it is the most refreshing and has the most original story. I will definitely be re watching this in the future. This is a series that won't fade from my mind anytime soon. Even if I start forgetting the little things, I'll always remember Mak Tai Song's trademark outfit, his wit and intelligence, Miu Miu's enormous wardrobe (did Charmaine even wear any outfit twice?), and the two's sweet relationship and chemistry. I recommend it to everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone.

Rating : 4 3/4 stars :)