TVB Anniversary Awards 2020: Predictions and Picks

This year has without a doubt been a complete mess, and it's time for a sense of normalcy (if only for my own sanity) with TVB Interaction's yearly anniversary awards post.

Every year we joke TVB is nominating everyone, but TVB has truly outdone itself by nominating nearly every last person, including many in the wrong category.  Complete newcomers are nominated in the Most Improved category, guest stars who barely registered a blip in their series are nominated in the supporting categories, and supporting actors are competing in the leading actor categories.  

See the full list of nominations here.

Best Actor

Top 5: Moses Chan, Wayne Lai, Raymond Lam, Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong

Predicted Winner: Raymond Lam

Personal Choice: N/A

Snub: Frankie Lam for "Life After Death" 

Ouch to a petty TVB not even bothering to nominate Frankie, who recently wrapped up a stint as Vice President of ATV, despite a whooping 22 nominees in this category.  Mark Ma, who I was cheering to win Best Supporting Actor, was instead nominated here.  Admittedly, it can be difficult to categorize second lead roles, particularly for series with smaller casts, but Mark would have made for very strong competition in the supporting category.  Moses and Wayne are the perpetual top 5 nominees, but I wouldn't be surprised if Shaun or Joel kicked out one of the TV Kings for their performances in "Brutally Young."  It's hard to see anyone besides Raymond Lam winning to make up for all the years he narrowly lost, though I have heard rumbles of Lau Dan being a black horse.  While it was enjoyable to see remnants of the Raymond of yesteryear who got be more lighthearted and charming, he was severely sidelined and underdeveloped, much like everybody in "Line Walker"'s painfully over bloated cast ensemble.  He did what he could with the material given to him, but it will very much be a delayed win rather than one deserved for the particular series he is nominated for.  And with a lack of competition, I don't particularly care either way.

Best Actress

Top 5: Selena Li, Katy Kung, Mandy Wong, Ali Lee, Sisley Choi

Predicted Winner: Mandy Wong

Personal Choice: Ali 

Alrighty guys, if Katy wins for a clearly supporting role (and more importantly, not even a good one - for the last time, bulging your eyes is not acting!) in "Death by Zero," I will be livid.  I feel like I say this every year, but this is definitely the weakest competition for Best Actress yet.  Even with a lesser 18 nominees here, while no one in the Best Actor category is less than a second male lead, this category is littered with supporting actresses including Crystal Fung and Samantha Ko for "Al Cappuccino."  The "Lo and Behold" actresses arguably should be in the supporting categories still, but I am more forgiving for a sitcom where the focus shifts much more between characters.  

I've heard Mandy is the hot favorite to win after going home empty-handed despite an acclaimed performance in "Threesome" in 2018.  I don't have particular issues with Mandy winning, but she was also clearly a supporting role in "Line Walker" and hardly had room to really display her acting chops.  Mandy is someone who is clearly capable of giving a memorable, strong performance, but in recent years has been relegated to boring, uncomplicated roles (she played a straight-edged cop in both her series this year) and this in turn has also made her performances boring.  Hopefully, a TV Queen win will finally give her meaty roles again. 

Like with Best Actor, there is no one I am supporting to actually win, but if I had to choose, Ali probably gave the best performance of the bunch.  While many current actresses seem to only excel in one type of role, after watching her as "Cash" in "Death by Zero," I am persuaded Ali is the most versatile and chameleon-like, having played villain, dramatic, and comedic roles well.  She is uninhibited in her acting, which allowed Cash's silly and funny side to shine without making her cartoonish or exaggerated.  Though not Best Actress level (then again, who is these days?), I was also impressed with Sisley, who noticeably improved from the first "Legal Mavericks 2" and did much better in her emotional scenes.

Favorite Male Character

Top 5: Joel Chan, Moses Chan, Vincent Wong, Raymond Lam, Michael Miu

Predicted Winner: Joel

Personal Choice: Joel

I am surprised how much I have come to genuinely enjoy Joel's acting in recent years and how much screen presence he now has, especially in "Brutally Young" as the charismatic gangster with a good heart.  Vincent could possibly win again, but given Joel went unrecognized last year for "Barrack O'Karma," hopefully he will be able to go home with something this year.  Moses' "Zero" is also Moses at his best, playing a suave, confident, and clever yet humorous assassin but just restrained enough he was not over the top and annoying (the same cannot be said for his performance in "Beauty and the Boss").  

Favorite Female Character

Top 5: Selena, Sisley, Mandy, Ali, Katy 

Predicted Winner: Katy

Personal Choice: Ali

I'm throwing stones a little here, as Selena, Sisley, and Ali have all won this award already.  Mandy could win if someone else pulls an upset for Best Actress, but after that, Katy is probably next in line.  She garnered buzz for "Death by Zero" (admittedly, not the good kind), and she is nominated for "Hong Kong Love Stories," which has been receiving praise despite its bad time slot.

Best Supporting Actor

Top 5: Brian Tse, Tsui Wing, Benz Hui, Bowie Wu, Kent Tong 

Predicted Winner: Brian

Personal Choice: N/A

Snub: Anthony Ho for "Brutally Young"

While he certainly effectively creeped me out in "Death by Zero," I'm still not convinced Brian Tse is a strong actor.  With the moderate buzz he received for the series, and the excessive amount he was hounded by the press this year because of the Ashley Chu and Jackson Lai scandal, TVB may be looking to give him some encouragement.  

Although not a nominee in this category, I would have supported Mark.  I always get nervous when TVB dramas portray characters with any kind of disorder, but Mark clearly took great care in portraying a doctor with autism spectrum disorder, nailing subtle mannerisms while making the character lovable and realistic.  It was particularly impressive after watching him as the guy next door in "Lo and Behold," and I look forward to seeing him in more roles.  I was not a fan of Tsui Wing's character in "Al Cappuccino" at all, but he is always a solid supporting actor so I'd love to see him win one year.  

Anthony got to play a very substantial and meaty role in "Brutally Young" compared to his usual characters and was sympathetic and likable, so it's surprising he did not even get a nomination.  

Best Supporting Actress

Top 5: Moon Lau, Yoyo Chen, Angel Chiang, Winki Lai, Suet Nei 

Predicted Winner: Winki

Personal Choice: Winki

Snub: Vivien Yeo for "Brutally Young"

There's actually some competition in this category!  It's a difficult toss-up for my personal choice between Moon and Winki, but Winki edges out for me.  Moon's sweet and affable "Bei Bei" character admittedly has a special place in my heart and her passing over storyline in "The Exorcist's Second Meter" was touching thanks in large part to Moon's performance.  Similar to Yoyo, Winki showed in "Al Cappuccino" she is capable of playing far more than the "leng mui" characters she started off in.  She played the tough-as-nails big sister character well while conveying the character's more tender side who just wanted to a regular OL.  And of course, she had wonderful chemistry with Owen.  Winki is probably my favorite of the more up and coming actresses and I'd be more than happy for her to win.  

Yoyo is a black horse, having received good buzz for "Life After Death," and based on merit of performance alone I wouldn't go with Yoyo as she had a rather small supporting role where she mostly got to play the loyal, flirty, and fun friend.  However, she has gone from mostly only believably playing cute, young girl characters to naturally playing a charming and sexy mature young woman here.  With her focus on being a mother, TVB has put her on the sidelines for years, and if she does win, I hope it will propel her to be promoted and receive major roles, much like this award has done for previous winners. 

Although she received a Favorite Female Character nomination despite departing TVB this year, Vivien was snubbed for her performance in "Brutally Young" in this category.  This is the most emotive Vivien has been, having needed to communicate without speaking, and it is sad her best performance came just as she decided to move on from TVB.  

Most Improved Actor

Predicted Winner: Mark Ma

Personal Choice: Mark Ma

In a more ideal situation (for me at least), Mark could win Best Supporting Actor and Brian Tse could win Most Improved, as this is more reflective of their acting progress and experience.  Hopefully, Mark has this in the bag.  Of all the categories, this is probably the only one I'd genuinely be a bit upset about if my personal choice didn't win, especially if it went to one of the much more green actors I can barely remember the name of. 

Most Improved Actress

Predicted Winner: Moon Lau

Personal Choice: Gloria Tang 

If we're talking about actual improvement, Gloria has easily improved the most, having been unwatchable during her debut but becoming much more natural and likable in recent series such as "The Exorcist's 2nd Meter."  Moon is a relatively heavily promoted actress that has yet to win this award, but Angel Chiang may very well pull a win for "Al Cappuccino," though I still don't find her very believable as the sexy, flirty triad boss. 

Best Partnership

Predicted Winner: Vincent Wong, Owen Cheung, and Brian Chu in "Al Cappuccino" 

Personal Choice: Vincent Wong, Owen Cheung, and Brian Chu in "Al Cappuccino" 

While Vincent's romantic storylines with all four females in "Al Cappuccino" were haphazard and undeveloped (and overall just plain confusing), Vincent and Owen once again pulled off a great bromance and Brian was a welcome added dynamic.  Vincent and Owen are probably my favorite male partnership overall, as they are unafraid to get physical with each other while also being great banter partners.  I'm also a big fan of Kenneth and Hubert's partnership, but much more so in the original than in this year's sequel given their characters were often more at odds with each other. 

Best Theme Song

Predicted Winner: Raymond Lam and HANA's subtheme for "Line Walker"

Personal Choice: Man, I don't care. 

Best Drama

Predicted Winner: Line Walker 3: Bull Fight

Personal Choice: Death By Zero

"Line Walker 3" is the big anniversary production with the big cast and overall just part of a major franchise (that I wish would end).  While it started off promising, the series already had obvious difficulties integrating characters from the original and the prequel, particularly Benjamin and Priscilla's characters.  With the addition of numerous new characters, there was always too much going on and no individual character could be fully developed, leading to a mostly convoluted and disjointed storyline.  I was looking forward to watching Kenneth as a villain, but he mostly bulged his eyes.  

The dark comedy vibe where a heavy and rather violent subject matter is balanced with witty humor is common in American media such as superhero shows, but not at all with TVB, so I was very hesitant about "Death by Zero."  While the tone takes getting used to because of its novelty for a TVB series, it is executed well.  This tone and style is of course not everyone's cup of tea, especially much of TVB's target audience, but is very much up my alley so I was pleased with the freshness.  While I wish some characters such as Samantha's were better utilized and some minimized, Moses and Ali in particular shined, along with supporting players like Timothy Cheng.  Sure, it gets a bit absurd at times and some of our assassins seemingly just kill in plain sight, but it's a hell of a fun and fresh ride and more than deserving of "Best Drama." 

"Between Love and Desire" Review

I had no particular desire (ha) to watch "Between Love and Desire," but the first half of the series is surprisingly probably some of the best written episodes of TVB of the year. It could've quietly gone under the radar as the best written series of 2016, but unfortunately fails to maintain its quality the second half.

The writers here finally grasp the concept of "show, not tell" with the use of flashbacks in the first several episodes. While there is a pretty heavy use of flashbacks in the first half, unlike in other series the device has been previously utilized in ("Burning Flame 3" comes to mind), they serve a purpose here, do not become irritating, and are executed well. They were interweaved seamlessly into the plot, allowing us to see Mose Chan's character in the present while also seeing flashbacks to the person he used to be and how he developed into the person he became. They also successfully built intrigue, and I loved how the flashbacks felt like they were slowly putting together a puzzle. I have to admit that while I have never been a fan of Moses, he proves here that when he gets good material, he is capable of delivering a good and nuanced performance.

However, once the flashbacks catch up to how Moses became the man he is in the present and he realizes the error of his ways, the series loses its intrigue and coherence. It was refreshing for the writers to focus their efforts on thoroughly developing one complex character, but once "Hugo" goes back to being good, the series loses its quality and direction. Moses' performance also becomes boring as a result.

Too much of the second half focuses on Brian Chu, who despite being presented with a good opportunity, is still very raw and unnatural. I understand that part of completing Moses' character arc was accepting that Brian deserves to pursue what he wants, but had no interest in the large amount of screen time his story line had and it was easily what dragged the series down.

In the process of this story line, the series' tone in the second half also shifts from a "show not tell" model to a "try too hard" model. Much of the dialog, especially from Moses, seemed like it was trying too hard to be deep and metaphorical, and instead came off as pretentious. The series suddenly went from being a meaningful drama to one that deliberately tried to be meaningful, by which time it had already lost its substance.

Like with Brian, "Between Love and Desire" overall suffers in the characterization department since the cast is so small and the bulk of the good writing went to early development of "Hugo." Maggie Shiu is good as usual, but makes no breakthroughs as the housewife who divorces her husband after realizing he's no longer the person she fell in love with. Ben Wong is likable as always and proves again that he can balance both being dramatic and funny and playful, but his character's pursuit of of Maggie was very confusing. He tries so hard to get her to go out with him while she is still married, yet as soon as she signs the divorce papers with Moses and he has a real opportunity, he suddenly backs off. Great strategy, Ben.

The resident scene stealer though is Roxanne Tong, who TVB needs to get on promoting. I found her good for a newcomer in "Come Home Love" though a little boring, but here, she is so much fun. She's natural, spunky, cheeky, and clever as "Hayley," especially in her scenes with Ben. The interactions between the two were funny and the highlight for me in the second half, and what kept me watching. However, their development as a couple was sudden (though predictable), and a little creepy too when you remember that Roxanne is Ben's dead wife's younger sister.

Overall

"Between Love and Desire" had been my biggest surprise of the year, as I had paid no attention to it when it was filming and had no interest in it when it was announced to be airing. I so thoroughly enjoyed the first half and how the flashbacks were executed to show Moses' development as character, and it should be commended for successfully showing instead of telling. Unfortunately, the second half descends into typical aimless TVB, made worse by the fact they tried so hard to make it deep and metaphorical. All that came out of that effort was dialog that was preachy and at times, slightly nonsensical. Luckily, Ben and Roxanne kept me entertained until the end.

Rating: 3.75 stars
(4.5 stars for the first half, 3 stars for the second half)

"Fashion War" Review

TVB finally offers up something different from their usual family and romance-heavy dramas, and this time it paid off. Although "Fashion War" may have initially looked unappealing to me due to the cast, it has surprisingly become the first series I breezed through this year and could say I thoroughly enjoyed. The writers waste no time diving right into the world of office politics in the intriguing but cutthroat fashion magazine industry. 

Not only is office politics the theme of the series, but it takes front and center, with next to zero romance, which was surprising in a cast full of attractive females. This allowed "Fashion War" to be very plot-driven and character dynamic-driven. While it could become a little overwhelming (seriously, between all this plotting against each other and trying to protect themselves, when do these people have time to actually do their jobs?), the office politics theme was entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat. 

Although I'm glad it was not dragged out, it is another series that would have benefitted from a couple more episodes because with all the characters the series possessed, further development of them individually wouldn't have hurt. Instead, we focus more on how these characters interact with and work (or rather, compete) amongst each other.

My main concern going into this series was the cast. In particular, I haven't enjoyed Moses Chan in a series since probably 2002's "Family Man" and wasn't thrilled to see Sisley Choi leading. 

For Moses, as annoyed as I could get by the pretentious aura he gave off, especially in the early episodes, I have to admit he brings out the cool and aloof image of "Yip Long" well. However, it is in the later parts of the series where he shows some emotion, such as when he expresses proudness of Ah Yan, that I really started to warm up to him. After 20 episodes though, I still just barely tolerate that skunk hairstyle.

Sisley is adequate as "Cheung Yat Ling" (or more commonly referred to as "Ah Yan"). It's obvious she tried very hard to control her voice so that it would not get too high-pitched and grating for
viewers. The result is that she's likable enough, especially with her character's genuine passion for MODES in comparison to the ulterior motives everyone else has for doing what they do. Ultimately my biggest complaint is about the character Yan herself. Time and time again Yip Long and the writers remind us that Ah Yan is incredibly gifted and poised to become the next editor-in-chief and trendsetter of the fashion world. Yet, we are never shown that, other than for her messing around with the magazine spread on the wall before her first interview. We just keep getting told it. By the end, I still did not think that Ah Yan had the capability to take over for Yip Long. 

Ali Lee gives the strongest performance of all the females as "Kei Wan Wan" or "Vincy," though that is also in part because of her more fleshed out character. She is convincing as the smart and manipulative advertising manager without going too overboard. At the same time, she also brings out the vulnerabilities in her character. She gives off a very similar aura to Kate in regards to her more mean but strong girl look, but her acting is already much more natural than Kate's was at this point in her career. I have a lot of confidence in Ali and am looking forward to seeing her in her next leading roles. 

Him Law rounds out the cast by providing some comic relief in the beginning. As lazy as he was in the beginning, I found it hilarious whenever he was supposedly sleeping, but still heard everything else the others would say and would chime in with a blunt but true remark then promptly go back to sleep. I enjoyed his friendship with Ah Yan, and loved how she positively influenced him to work hard and tap into his potential. "Ah Fan" states that without modeling he is nothing, but I would've liked for him to realize he truly did like working at the fashion magazine and acknowledge he had talent. However, the writing for the character got sloppy towards the end when
he suddenly started showing so much concern for Vincy. 

The rest of the cast is unsurprisingly mediocre, although not too cringeworthy. The series is plot-driven enough that, coupled with its large cast, made it easy to overlook the acting. For example, Jacqueline Chong says almost all her lines in the same way with the same facial expression, even though she is sometimes content and other times angry. Yet, it can be overlooked since "Danielle" is probably the most indifferent of the supporting characters. Vivien Yeo is probably the most confusing supporting character because she perpetually looks pretty mad or annoyed, yet we never find out "Ada"'s true motive for staying with MODES. It's definitely not because she genuinely loves MODES, and I don't buy that she has feelings for Yip Long. If there was one person who made me want to rip my hair out though, it wasn't one of the girls, but Hanjin Tam for his obnoxious and almost cartoon-ish character. 

Mediocre acting from the supporting cast aside, "Fashion War" is worth checking out because it's very different from anything TVB has been doing lately, making it a breath of fresh air. It is a treat that for once, a series isn't being bogged down by draggy romantic storylines and instead focusing on the central plot and interpersonal working relationships. The pacing is fast and the plot is juicy. Overall, it's the most entertaining thing TVB has put out all year. 

Rating: 4 stars

"Ghost of Relativity" Review

Although "Ghost of Relativity" is appropriately paced, it also felt aimless at the same time and I was left not quite knowing what exactly went on to fill up 28 episodes.

Female leads Kristal Tin and Nancy Wu are the driving force of the series, generating consistent laughs and enjoyable entertainment. They are the saving grace in an otherwise incredibly poor ensemble. They work well together and are a very fun duo to watch, especially in the earlier episodes when Kristal has to repeat everything Nancy says. Combined with people not being able to see Nancy, there were many moments of hilarity that ensued from their interactions.

Kristal is probably one of TVB's best comedic leading actresses because she is much more loose and fluid compared to her peers, making her acting and comedic moments very natural. Nancy in contrast plays the uptight and professional Gin well, to no surprise.

However, besides the two leading ladies, "Ghost" has nothing else to offer. The cast does have some good supporting actors such as Ngo Ka Nin and Raymond Chiu, but with such unlikable and irritating characters it just didn't matter, especially in the former's case. I much prefer Vivien Yeo playing cool and aloof characters in action series than doing whatever it was she was doing here. She succeeds in being an annoying seductress, but that doesn't make her entertaining to watch. Male lead Moses Chan has little to do and plays an awkward and geeky character that fails to be funny or interesting.

Watching the employees at the GSZ firm was beyond irritating, from the incompetent HR department to the air headed sales department, as they never got any work done. Gossiping was their real full-time job! Also, why does an architecture firm only have one licensed architect? And given that Moses' "The tilt that never falls" project had been delayed time and time again, how did the firm not go bankrupt? Perhaps the intention was for "Ghost of Relativity" to be an office comedy with a supernatural twist, but it failed because I wanted to forward any scenes that did not involve Kristal or Nancy (and often did). The episodes where the entire firm is scared out of their minds with the prospect of there being a ghost in the office were the most lame and hard to watch.

By the last few episodes, the main story line starts to become less fun to watch as well due to Nancy's character becoming more spiteful, constantly calling Kristal cheap, and writing off Kristal's genuine feelings for Moses. She does realize she has misunderstood Kristal and redeems herself in the end by finally letting go.

Kristal and Nancy are looking over the horizon to see if there are any better TVB series in sight.

Overall

There are laugh out loud moments throughout the whole series, but they are almost exclusively provided by Kristal and Nancy. Everything else was lame or unfunny. Fans of the two leading ladies will enjoy their scenes, but other than that, it's forgettable and not worth the time unless you have too much of it on your hands or have your mouse cursor always hovering over the forward button. "Ghost of Relativity" may feel refreshing initially since it was the first TVB production to air in a while, but if you look at it objectively, it is still another sub par series.

Rating: 2 stars

"Will Power" Review

After skipping the series when it aired in 2013, I recently went back to watch "Will Power" after reading some good reviews.

I originally didn't have an interest in watching "Will Power" because of leads Wayne Lai and Moses Chan, which sounds silly since they are TV Kings. I was tired of seeing Wayne in his usual yelling roles at the time and was never a fan of Moses save for a few enjoyable performances here and there. However, they both deliver superb performances here and anchor the series.

Wayne Lai was finally able to play a character here where he doesn't have to constantly be screaming since being promoted to leading actor. Wilson Yu is a very smart, sharp, and confident lawyer who can command attention in the courtroom while still overall being someone who is calm and mild-mannered (except when it comes to Sheila sometimes anyway), allowing Wayne to be much more at ease here. His personal life, particularly his health, is somewhat of a hot mess in the first third of the series, and he plays a convincing stroke victim before Wilson is able to move past his psychological obstacles and get back into the courtroom.

In pure comedies, Moses Chan easily becomes over the top and annoying (though I do suspect it is mostly under the command of the director and people behind the scenes), and in dramas, he can become boring. However, he excels at roles such as "Morris Lee" where his character gets to be comical, charming, light, and playful, while still showing that he's serious and can get the job done.

However, Wayne and Moses are better together than apart and play off each other very well. They will make you laugh out loud, particularly in the early scenes they share together with their rivalry, even if they do act childish. The banter they engage in later on remains hilarious, perhaps even more so because the audience knows these two lawyers have grown to greatly respect and even like each other despite what they may say. Although the ladies' characters here are a complete disappointment, the mens' behavior because of them or towards them could become pretty darn funny, showing how Wilson and Morris are serious lawyers, but silly and jealous little boys at heart when it comes to the women they love.

Unfortunately, similar praise cannot be said for the female leads. Christine Ng gets to sit and act all judge-like, and Fala Chen gets to box a little, but other than that, they are there mostly to serve as the love interests of our leading men. As a result, they perform adequately but simply do not have much material to work with. There was potential for us to witness Fala's "Eugene" become a better lawyer, but she was later moved to the sidelines. Wayne and Christine look compatible as husband and wife, while I enjoyed Fala and Moses much more as close friends, and thought they looked more like brother and sister when they became a couple.

Jason Chan's acting here remains rather unnatural, but he is helped by having a relatively likable character. Sire Ma does quite well in her street-smart role, but her performance becomes more unstable when "Nana" is raped, going from being strangely calm to overly hysterical from scene to scene.

The MVP award goes to Vincent Wong, whose "Gilbert Sung" may not be the main character, but certainly a central one that moves the story along. In his early days, Vincent always appeared incredibly unnatural when portraying characters who are pompous rich guys, perhaps because it is far away from his real-life personality. Yet, although he slightly overacts at times, Vincent is able to really step into the shoes of Gilbert, an arrogant, immature, pill-popping rapist who got by on his daddy's money. By the end of the series, I became convinced that Vincent was a jerk in real life like his character. Also, kudos to him for yet again taking so many slaps from a veteran like a pro.

The veterans in the series get the job done, as always. Chung King-Fai is convincing in his scenes as a much more manipulative character than he usually plays. However, I couldn't help but notice and be annoyed by scenes where he is watching trials in the background of the courtroom, and how he always wears an angry facial expression that makes him look like he's sucking on a sour lemon. Power Chan is endearing and sympathetic as the autistic but kindhearted "Sung Ka Cheung," but unfortunately does not have too much to do.

As a law drama, "Will Power" fares much better than TVB's last few efforts, and this is despite the fact that Christine, for whatever reason, is the judge on all the cases shown in the series despite being Wayne's ex-wife and Moses' ex-girlfriend. Conflict of interest may not exist in the universe of this series, but the probate cases are surprisingly quite interesting, and I was relieved that while the series incorporates a lot of humorous moments, the courtroom scenes were kept serious.

Overall, "Will Power" is a much more mature series than TVB's usual offerings these days. There's plenty of laughs and chuckles to go around, but there's no fooling around when these lawyers get to work, and thankfully, no overly messy relationships. The main characters here, for the most part, actually act like adults. For once, the scriptwriters decided to avoid a love triangle between the two leads, and the only "love triangle" in the series involves Wayne and Patrick Tang pining over Christine, but the handling of this situation is done decently with no immature fighting.

The series is appropriately paced, funny, and interesting, making this 32-episode drama an entertaining one that takes little effort to finish. The female leads leave much to be desired, but are mostly balanced out by our dynamic male leads. Not bad, TVB. Not bad at all.

Rating: 4 stars