EPISODE 2

Talking about the 1st episode, I noticed 2 oddities, amongst the many I listed yesterday. One has to do with the calm and cool looking Cheung Ping and Sai Hin when they were paraded in the streets by the Qing at the beginning of ep 1. That is quite odd but made worse when the Qings were shooting the commoners who screamed at them "TRAITORS" and the gentle Cheung Ping and patriotic Sai Hin looked ... so in love. Second would be later when the King's mother blamed the Queen for not hiring her favourite opera troupe to perform in the palace and instead the evil concubine's family got hold of the opera troupe. So the King's mom traveled there to watch whilst the Queen said "I couldn't hire them because someone hired them first..". What's the problem? Queen Elizabeth who now has little power doesn't even need to travel to another place to watch her favourite show, I am sure one word from the Queen the whole troupe would have traveled in lightning speed to perform in the palace exclusively for her. Likewise in this series, more so the Emperor of China was the most powerful man in the country! Sometimes too many series love to depict royalties as ordinary families in power struggles and squabbles but many really always neglect the fact that he can in one command chop the head of another. Stupid you know.



Now to Ep 2.



Nothing new. Frankly I have had it with Sai Hin and Cheung Ping's puppy love, complete with a real puppy. Today we see them planting trees in a very lovey-dovey manner and how Sai Hin got punished because he refused to say he won't see Cheung Ping anymore. Are they all living in the same place or Cheung Ping can leave the palace anytime? Whatever that may be, I have had it with this pair. Amazingly the girl (still too old mind you to play and 8 year old) smiles and behaves amazingly like Charmaine Sheh and the Cheung Ping (adult) we see at the beginning, complete with dazzling smile and wimpy looking expressions. Yes I am very annoyed. Please end this nonsense! Luckily towards the end we see how Jan Lau (the really evil one) plotting to get rid of the nice queen. We know of course the Queen got booted from the palace and Cheung Ping too to be commoner. Now now, I don't buy that. I just don't, because there were many stories of how queen kills other concubines and how she will take the son of another concubine and claim it as her own. Of course our Queen here is too kind but still unrealistic. But it all made for great drama and amazing end performance by Jan Lau who looked positively manic as the evil depressed concubine whose real son (yes she got a son) died just minutes after his birth. Poor thing!



Of course I hope the drama gets better. I expect a wimpy Cheung Ping. I thank this series for successfully in just 2 episode kill the spirit of the brave, intelligent, kind hearted, compassionate Cheung Ping. I actually like the other Cheung Ping in Crimson saber and the one starring Mi Xue. This Cheung Ping looks empty, young or old. No intelligence, just full of love..ahhhhh...



Now when will I get to see a grown up "Superman" (Chiu Yan)? I don't think I can stand the torture!