EPISODE 25

Oh, now I know why Sam Kwai never came for Yuen Yuen for 3 long years. He was leading 5 thousand men to battle some 30,000 enemy army and only 80 left standing and he was captured, and was tortured as a POW for 3 long years! What a heroic man. No wonder when he talked and when he walked he showed little respect for the King, because he definitely earned it.



This episode clearly shows why the King valued Sam Kwai more than just a good General and treated him like a close friend. Sam Kwai won many battles for him and at last the King finally agreed to put Yuen Yuen in a temple and Sam Kwai could not see her for another 3 years and he must win the war against the rebel. Sam Kwai reluctantly agreed. Of course tongues were still wagging about a threesome in the castle, you know Tin and gang. Empress Dowager included. So one day Sam Kwai lied to the King that he wanted to see his dad for 15 minutes when he actually went to see Yuen Yuen who was starving herself because she could not see Sam Kwai, love sick you see. When Sam Kwai came back late, the King could smell the incense and knew he was at the temple. At the same time Tin Wang Yu went and killed the chief nun and blamed it on Sam Kwai whilst Tin forcibly removed Yuen Yuen's undergarments and told lies like Sam Kwai went cavorting around naked with Yuen Yuen in the temple. The truth was the King believed Sam Kwai and even if they did what they did, the King was ready to forgive Sam Kwai because he knew Sam Kwai was an asset to the Ming Dynasty. He was even ready to give Yuen Yuen away. But Empress Dowager demanded Sam Kwai to be arrested whilst the Queen must be removed from her rank (every opportunity she got she will put the blame on poor useless soundless Queen). Sam Kwai was so angry he screamed at the traitors, delivering what I thought was purely dramatic lines but really very good lines like "What have you done for Ming? What blood have you shed for Ming?". The King simply wanted him to shut up so he slapped him and Sam Kwai took that as betrayal. Then Sam Kwai tearfully said, "I have done so much for this kingdom, WHY?! Because of Ming Dynasty, because of you (the King) and what have I gotten in the end? Give me Yuen Yuen and I'll serve you to the end and fight for your cause without question, if not I will leave all this behind". The King told him to go away and Sam Kwai ran away, half naked (he took off his shirt to reveal some nasty scars to show his sacrifice).



That was a very good scene if you ask me. But the best was after Sam Kwai ran away, the Empress Dowager asked the King, "Why you didn't execute that traitor? Why did you let him go?" and the King looked at Tin, Tin Wang Yu and his mom and said in a very strained voice, "What have you all got against the Ming Dynasty? What have the Ming done you wrong that you're all so eager to destroy it?". The answer? Unfortunately next episode only will know.



I pity the king, I really do. I used to think of him as useless and then Sam Kwai came back and gave him hope that the Kingdom could be saved. He tried his damnedest best, Sai Hin helped all he could, Sam Kwai was willing to help with a condition of course and he was even willing to let go of his pride, make a whore out of his daughter and give away his concubine and in the end, all he gotten was a bunch of busy bodies who were too ignorant that what they were doing was going against the very purpose of all the sacrifices made by the King. One earlier scene had the King so angry when again about rumours about Sam Kwai and Yuen Yuen, being pressured by scholars and alike to arrest Sam Kwai and that Sam Kwai was not the only good general that can save the kingdom. The king went into his room and removed his crown and threw it onto the floor, declaring the Dynasty is officially dying. I really pity him. He had done so much and gotten very little. I can't blame Sam Kwai for being so angry, for feeling that he got a bad deal whilst I can't blame the King for feeling so pressured and having to kneel and kow tow to Sam Kwai. It's a peculiar relationship.



Frankly I thought those rumours were much ado about nothing. I am sure there must be some dynasties that had Kings giving away their concubines as gifts to their trusted and most loyal generals who must deem this as the highest honour, like marrying a princess. So I was a bit curious why can't the King just do that? Just shut everybody up. Of course someone mentioned to me Confucianism and all, and I guess the King is bound by ethics. But if he could give Chiu Yan away without a proper sent away, I don't see the problem with Yuen Yuen and Sam Kwai.



The above was the best part in this episode. There were of course some really horribly badly scripted scenes earlier.



For one, officially Sing Hing and Cheung Ping were married, according to custom and all. But it was all fake, he slept on the floor, she on the bed. He will call her wife in the morning and sis in law at night. Why? Why? Why? Can't he just call her Fai Lei in the morning and Cheung Ping at night? Poor Sing Hing and damn that Cheung Ping. Anyway, again wimpy Cheung Ping missed Sai Hin so much that she never once mentioned "I wonder how is daddy? How is mommy? How is Chiu Yan?". NEVER. In her mind it's that man and no one else. Shallow empty Cheung Ping and her entire scene in this episode is a complete waste of time. Sing Hing should just say "I am taking Fai Lei for a holiday at Jiangnan" and then escape to the palace and come back declaring Fai Lei was killed or something. Then that will the end of this ridiculous plot and the end of my misery. When will this series end?



Then we have Chiu Yan doing bad deeds again. One thing you must admire about these two sisters, they are both very single minded in their actions and purpose. They will live, eat, breath and think for their man, that is Sai Hin and nothing else, not even the dying kingdom, not even the Qings or rebels. They are like ordinary woman waiting for their man to come to them, to be home and cook and all. But one thing one must never forget; they're princesses, they have a stake in this kindgom. I don't see that in this entire series, all I can see are love sick women pining for one man. Sai Hin of course was the perfect gentleman and I do think Chiu Yan had good taste in targeting him. In one of the most contrived and worst scene in this episode, Cheung Ping sent a letter home telling Sai Hin about the fake wedding through a secret messenger and of course Chiu Yan got the letter first. She smudged the important parts, stepped on the letter and soaked the letter. So all Sai Hin could read was "Sai Hin, Sing Hing and I got married and we are very happy". The rest was of course about the dangers, why the fake wedding, the Qings and all. Sai Hin being an intelligent man would be able to see a very soaked envelope but the first paragraph, the most revealing of all that only says half the picture is intact. Coming from Chiu Yan, he should have suspected some hanky panky. So we have Sai Hin saying he believed in Cheung Ping and Sing Hing whilst Chiu Yan says one good thing about Cheung Ping and then 10 bad things which are all lies. Is there anything more obvious that this woman is trying to bad mouth wimpy Cheung Ping? Even Sai Hin's mom and dad bought the lie. And I sat there wondering, when will, nonono, WHEN WILL THE REST OF THE CHARACTERS EVER REALISE CHIU YAN IS UP TO NO GOOD ALL THE TIME? WHEN? How much more of this junk must I take? I know for sure those two love birds ended up together thanks to the first episode so how much more must I endure this slow mo torturing love, that is torturing me?



But nooooooo, the worst had to be Chan Yuen Yuen. This woman created all the problems. She was so darn naive thinking she must marry the King and then she can be with Sam Kwai at the same time. But I tell you what. The worst of the worst of the worst is the writer who thought of all these connecting plots. Totally screwed up a potentially good storyline of Chan Yuen Yuen and Sam Kwai, who should have been given more time to develop, who should have been given a far more intelligent way of meeting each other again. Cheung Ping should disappear for maybe a few episodes, because she is hogging the time that could have been well spent somewhere else. All in all this episode is like sometimes good, mostly bad.



As for performances, I need not tell you who was the worst. Not Sonija Kwok, surprisingly her puffing-huffing-looking sore but overall wooden expression was suitable for some of her scenes in here. Anne Heung was really horrible because she had so little to do and I was glad she didn't have to do more. No, it was Charmaine Sheh with her scene per scene acting. Have she ever asked herself what would be in Cheung Ping's mind then, when she was far away from home, in enemy land and not knowing what was going on in the palace? Oh yes, missing Sai Hin. Not one worried look, she looked way too happy. She should look distressed, worried, thinking, planning and all I can see is breath in, breath out, open eyes big big and try to look innocent and cute. Can her acting be as shallow as her character or is this a reflection of the real person, the actress herself??



The best performance of the night is of course Moses Chan. I thought he looked really pale towards the end. Marco Ngai was given a good role historically but not so good as appeared on paper. Everybody else was either petty good (meaning they were good in a character that did little) or pretty good (meaning they were good in a character that had something to do).



I am glad this series will be over soon. I love the title now; I am PERISHING IN THE NAME OF LOVE.