The edited portion of Dor Bo's scenes towards the end of the series.
Themesong sounds so much more powerful and intense now that it has the images to evoke atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed episode 1. Though it has several flashbacks, the whole episode flows smoothly enough and very entertaining. The whole cast did well except for Natalie, whose performance is quite bland; instead of speaking her lines with emotions she read them impassively and quite awkwardly too. Power Chan didn't quite portray the kingly look or the aristocratic bearing. Seems almost cowed by the whole accusation.
And as for Ching Hor Wai, she too didn't exude the calm, control, confidence, the innate strength and fortitude that I expect of Hao Chong, especially when compared with Mainland actress,Sechen Guwa 斯琴高娃) in Cheng Dao Ming's 康熙帝国 (Kangxi Dynasty), which btw is a brilliant Mainland tv series.
But Steven and Kenneth were wonderful. Steven never fails to deliver his character, and Kenneth finally departed from his si pi xiao nian (frivolous roles with silly smiles) roles.
As to the fate of Dor Bo's real family - No wonder it has always been said that accompanying an Emperor is like accompanying a tiger, never know when it will turn on you and take your life, or that you and your family will be destroyed because of secrets too deathly to know.
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If a bundled up baby (a newborn at that) could survive a flash flood over rocky surface without drowning or bodily harm, then indeed, he was destined for big things on earth. lol!
At first I thought the 15 years ago incident referred to Kenneth meeting Steven but then their meeting couldn't have been that long ago - 15 years? No way!
I think the incident refers to what Jack Hui, that Manchu troublemaker in the inn says: Let me tell you what this place used to be many years ago. It's the government building 護國公府 which used to house defeated Ming dynasty ministers. But they took in Qing insurgents and hid them in the building. Together they conspired to revolt against the Qing. So the Qing court had everyone of them and their clans of 9 generations executed. Blood flowed like rivers that day.
Fuk Chuen must have been involved in that bloody massacre. Probably his carelessness with a slip of tongue caused those innocent people their lives. Notice how the inn's name 常滿樓 changes to 護國公府 as he recalls the bloody killing of the people inside a building.
screencaps at: steven baidu
It's interesting that I saw much of the same things you pointed out in episode 1...
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I really liked the way the first episode was done -- start with the climax then flow back into the background story via beautifully incorporated flashbacks. The episode captures the audience's attention right from the start and keeps us hooked, wanting to find out what all the 'commotion' in the palace is all about.
Glad I wasn't the only one who felt that Natalie's performance was a bit stiff...I couldn't help thinking whether that was really her or not...in that first scene, she sounded really bad (I thought maybe she was sick or something).
Ah, I feel the exact same way regarding Ching's Hao Chong -- so far, I feel that her portrayal is a bit exaggerated. Even though I never saw Sechen Gaowa's portrayal (interestingly enough, I have the Mainland version of Kangxi Dynasty on DVD, but just never watched it), I've seen various other actresses take on that role and somehow, I feel that all of them were more convincing than Ching Hor Wai (so far at least).
I definitely need to "warm up" to Power's Kangxi as well (I love the guy's acting) -- though I think it may be a bit tougher for me because I've seen way too many actors (from HK, Taiwan, as well as China) in that role, so it's hard not to compare. I guess I'll have to watch further and see what happens.
No particular comment regarding the rest of the cast (especially Steven and Kenneth) -- EXCELLENT JOB to all of them!!!