EPISODE 5

I missed the first 5 min of this episode so when I started watching it was Onn Sin begging the old eunuch for a favour. It has something to do with that poor innocent maid featured yesterday and Onn Sin said "I will owe you a favour. Please help me.." and so she got her wish. I suspected
something bad but what happened next was truly devastating.

Onn Sin visited the girl who came down with fever. Onn Sin sat down and gently chatted with her and the girl was worried about the fate of the crows (or is it ravens?) that they might be punished. She innocently said what the birds did was to build a home for the little ones. Onn Sin was teary eyed and asked gently "At times like these you still worry about the crows? They will never be harmed" and she went on to tell the story about how when the Manchurians first entered the Han land there were some crows who helped the conquerer and therefore it was ordered that all crows will be protected and not killed. The girl didn't quite see the point of the story and Onn Sin went on and said "I promise you, you will get to go home to your family, be reunited with them" and the girl was so happy she wanted to drink the medicine fast so that she will be well fast. But Onn Sin kept stopping her until she took it and drink it and then Onn Sin helped her to lie down on the bed and the girl smilingly said "Kuku, don't let me sleep for more than 2 hours, please remember to wake me up" and she closed her eyes and slept a sleep where she will never wake up from. Onn Sin looked at her and she gently cried and said "I am so sorry, this is all I could do to help you, to let you go home in one piece to be buried at your village.." and she cried.

It was a very sad scene. In a way Onn Sin spared the girl from some horrible death and the girl died without knowing she was to die. I thought what Onn Sin did was noble and she did what she could as she tearfully said "You know if a servant makes a mistake it means only death for that servant" and it's true; how worthless can their lives be? An excellent scene and may I say Maggie truly brough out Onn Sin's anguish without resorting to screaming and kicking. In fact she was without facial expression when she was talking to that girl but tears were welling up in her expressive eyes.

Excellent performance by Maggie. Why is this character so underappreciated? It is such a great character. I find Onn Sin so much more interesting than everybody else as she is shown as helpful and really kind in many ways. The rest are just scheming which is tiring to watch. Andshe made me feel for this character. Anyway I don't think Yu Fei even knew the maid was sentenced to death. It is funny isn't it that the servants are so eager to clean up the so called mess even when the master was too busy worrying about other stuff. Quite disgusting really.

Bak Yeung just saw Yu Fei who thanked him and the gave a speech where in effect he was asked to do her bidding or else...then Bak Yeung left and met Hung Mo on the way. Hung Mo was on the rooftop when he saw a body being carried out and a flute fell to the floor and he knew who that body was. He was so angry he stoned several crows to death and Bak Yeung was there and Bak Yeung slyly said "You know you could die for doing this? I could report you and I could kill you.." and Hung Mo frustratingly answered "I could kill you too" when he held his powerful fist in the face of a smiling Bak Yeung. Glad to know friendships can start like this! Anyway Bak Yeung why he was upset and he said "This is the palace, somethings can't be avoided and this is how things are" and Hung Mo said "It shouldn't be! Is a servant's life less valuable than a crow? Even you, a high ranking official at the end of the day is doing the bidding of others, aren't you a servant like us all?" and I guess Bak Yeung agreed. Bak Yeung was curious and asked did he knew the girl well and Hung Mo regretfully answered "I did not know her well and she didn't have time to let me know her well". Excellent answer if you ask me. Bak Yeung tried to talk with Hung Mo more but Hung Mo was beyond words and he was angry and Bak Yeung said "When these things happened, we try not to bother and yet here you are, angry and very bothered" and then Bak Yeung bold declared that "I have no doubt you will one day achieve your ambition and may be more powerful than myself...what is you name?" and Hung Mo said "One day you will know my name" and I guess a friendship has been struck?

Then Bak Yeung saw his father and Bak Yeung earlier did tell his assistant that his father never back stabbed him if not he wouldn't have been able to leave Yu Fei's chamber. Then his father met him and his father angrily told off his son for doing what he did and he sarcastically said he has achieved his ambition and he has prove his father wrong. Bak Yeung angrily told his father "I did what I did not because I am ambitious, it was because I knew I could do it" and he did say something else which was very good scripting but I forgot. Then Bak Yeung said "You prepared for me a route to escape but you needn't do that. I could help myself and since I got myself into this problem I will get myself out without your help!" and his father said "There is a time one must know when to back down. I do not want you to reach my age and then learn this lesson as it will be too late. Now it is too late for you to back down ...". I think his father meant from now on he is Yu Fei's errand boy. I understood his father's anguish and I think Bak Yeung did too.

That night Bak Yeung told his female companion at the brothel/motel he was staying that he once had many nights pushing a woman on a swing and that woman was his mother. His mother never once complained of being all alone as his father was too busy with taking care of other women, namely concubines. And then she became very sick and his father had to return to work and "my mother refused to go peacefully. Like she had always done, she patiently waited even as her every breath was painful and she was dying slowly. I begged my mother to go..imagine this, a son telling his mother to die..but she refused. She clung to life for 3 days and on the 4th day she reached the end of her life and she died and my father was never there..." which was why he hated his father because he loved his mother. He said whatever his father lacked and wasn't there for her, his mother pinned her hopes on Bak Yeung. I guess this is like Prince William-Prince Charles-Princess Diana type of relationship. Quite sad. BUT isn't Bak Yeung treating Hau Shu the same way his father treated his mother? I pity Hau Shu and I still don't like Bak Yeung. Anyway that scene also showed that whilst Bak Yeung hated his father, he knew his father loved him enough to risk his own reputation to save him.

Next scene was the news that the Emperor has returned! The Empress was very excited (and again best costume and head gear tonight, so stunning) and then she received news that the Emperor said he was tired and had stuff to do so he can't stop by to say hello. The Empress was
very disappointed and simply removed her clips from her hair. Quite a simple gesture but very powerful one. Rebecca Chan did very well in this simple scene.

Then Yu Fei received news the Emperor was heading HER way! Now you know why she is so arrogant. The Emperer sat down and she was all smiles. The Emperor even said he loved the Princess and Yu Fei was very happy. BUT he can't stay long because he had to look at the candidates!! Ha! Ha! Yu Fei pretended to be cool about it but she was looking very worried.

Time for painting of their faces to be given to the Emperor to see. Yuk Ying obviously bribed the painter and she was so helpful with Yee Soon and even gave her money. For a fleeting second Yee Soon looked almost guilty she will have to do what she had to do. But unfortunately Yee Soon and gang before that had bribed the painter and Yuk Ying was so ugly in the painting. Lucky for her, Siu Luk Tzi was taking the paintings upstairs one night and Yuk Ying's painting fell into the water and was destroyed. Onn Sin saw this and Siu Luk Tzi was worried but Onn Sin said she will describe Yuk Ying to him and he can repaint the painting since he knew how to paint. One look the Emperor had on Yuk Ying's painting and he was captivated by her smile and beauty.

The candidates heard that the Emperor will be going to the ancestral shrine and they will get to see him there. But Yee Soon wanted to stop Yuk Ying since she is no. 1 competitor and so they tricked Onn Sin and gang with some problems and one of the girl's put some powder into the golden bowl of water meant for Yuk Ying to wash her face. Once inside, Yuk Ying sleepily looked into the bowl and next thing the maid cried out and said Yuk Ying fainted! And she was down with fever and Onn Sin quickly asked for a doctor and some medicine.

Yee Soon stayed back to take care of Yuk Ying whilst the rest went to the shrine. The Emperor was eager to meet Yuk Ying but Yuk Ying was said to be sick. The other two god sisters of Yee Soon tried to capture the Emperor's attention but it was the younger clumsier one who caught the Emperor's attention and now exists rivalry even amongst the god sisters!

Back to Yuk Ying who was still not concious yet. That fleeting moment Yee Soon was observing Yuk Ying's face and her expression was one of curiousity. I think Yee Soon began to feel a bit guilty for wanting to harm an innocent helpful Yuk Ying who had always been like a sister to her. In fact I think that moment was Charmaine's best acting in these past 5 episodes as she sat there looking intently like as if "Are you for real Yuk Ying? Why are you so nice to me?" type of expression. Then Yuk Ying woke up and Yee Soon immediately went into the concern mode. I think an eunuch walked in and gave Yee Soon some pills and Yee Soon gave it to Yuk Ying and she said I'll get the water.

The next scene was puzzling but full of promises of what may come in future episodes. Yuk Ying took the pill smilingly and as Yee Soon left he face turned all serious and almost cruel and she squeezed the pills and flicked it away. The end.

Next few episodes will be dramatic as Yee Soon's god sisters (the older one) will harm the youngest one out of jealousy.

Story wise today is a great one. You will find several great scenes where great lines were delivered. I thought the scene between Onn Sin and the innocent maid was great but the one I thought was most revealing was the one between Hung Mo and Bak Yeung. The dialogue there was strong and very meaningful although again some words were kinda deep and took quite a while to sink in. The above is really my interpretation of what happened but the dialogue was great.

Tonight also we see the weaker side of Yu Fei even for one fleeting moment.

In fact you can say tonight's episode is great for those one fleeting moments of utter silence. Like how Onn Sin tried to look away from the young maid as the maid was showing her concern for the crows and Onn Sin looked like she was about to cry. The scene where Hung Mo said "I don't know her well and she didn't have the time to know me well" or something like that as he walked away from Bak Yeung who was looking intently at him, like how the Empress removed her clip from her hair when the Emperor said he wasn't coming, how Yee Soon sat there observing an unconcious Yuk Ying and her face full of questions and how Yuk Ying looked in that final scene for tonight. Such fleeting moments just eleviate this series from the norm to something extra and I hope such fleeting moments will continue and give many great moments in this series.

I must note though some said Yuk Ying fainted because of that bowl of water. I doubt that was meant to make her faint. I think she pretended to faint when she realised something was wrong with the water? But why would she miss seeing the Emperor? And how come Yee Soon stayed back? Was it because she never thought the water would make her faint and so it was guilt? Yee Soon is still as ambigous as ever.

Performance wise, Sheren Tang did well but still her role is still limited. Maggie was great as described above. I appreciate such performances, no big movements, just the eyes doing the talking. Gigi was bearable in here but prone to over the top facial expressions but I wonder now perhaps it was deliberate for Yuk Ying to do things over the top to divert attention? We shall see but really Gigi is still the worst. Charmaine did very well tonight thanks to that ambigous moment I described and I like the fact that her character is silent and not smiling most of the time which gives her an air of mystery and yet doesn't require much acting in the sense that she has to stay expressionless. So she did well. Bowie wasn't that well. He was still reciting his lines like a robot and in more emotional scenes he faltered in the sense that he tried too hard. Moses on the other hand for someone always so limited in his dramatic acting did surprisingly well tonight since all he had to be was to be angry.

So far the women are beginning to show more to their character whilst the men are still not quite moving forward yet.

Amongst the veterans, Chan Hung Lit was ok tonight but again someone why no dubbing huh? Can't understand.... Yu Yeung as the Emperor finally appeared and it was like "THAT'S IT?" kinda thing. Ewwwww...can't TVB find a better looking more esteemed looking older actor? Bad bad performance.

All the ke-le-fes were ok.

I am looking forward to the next episode and the development of the female characters. Whilst I think Sheren Tang did very well, I am not that sympathetic or even interestd in Yu Fei. Maybe in later episodes there may be reasons to actually like her..PLEASE don't tell me. I wanna discover it for myself.

Tomorrow (Friday 28.10.2005) no episode 6 as ASTRO will be showing beauty pageant and stuff. That screwed up my entire episodes posting list!

- For screencaps of this episode do check out Sehseh's WAB page -