EPISODE 6

First thing first. Today no Maggie or Moses. The story is mostly about Bowie, Charmaine and Gigi but more on Charmaine.

As seen from last episode, we see a very cunning looking Yuk Ying crushing the pill. Today, somehow that scene jumped and totally different scene.

Yuk Ying was still having that skin disease and she wasn't getting any better. Nobody knows why but of course we the viewers know as Yuk Ying told Yee Soon that she was allergic to certain food which I couldn't hear which one and when Yee Soon, Yuk Ying was happily eating something which I assume was that food she was allergic too. Hmmm very deceptive woman but WHY?

Next scene we have Yee Soon who was still quite sick with her coughing discussing the Yuk Ying situation with her god sisters, the older and more evil Sook Ling and the more innocent and naive Yuen Kei. Sook Ling suggested that since Yuk Ying is sick why don't she remain sick then? So they hatched a plan where they bribed an eunuch from the medical dept to change the medicine for Yuk Ying with the medicine meant for Yee Soon half way through their rooms. So they did and as a result Yee Soon wasn't getting any better with her cough but happily so whilst Yuk Ying's rashes was getting more and more serious. Yee Soon thought everything was perfect except that Yuk Ying never took the medicine! Yuk Ying's serious condition which wasn't life threatening but still a concern reached the older Dr Suen and many doctors were not happy that the fact that she wasn't getting any better despite an accurate diagnosis and medicine was giving the medical dept a bad name. In the meantime Bak Yeung was doing rounds with the other concubines which was very funny to watch. One complaint of petulance (of course she had a very intelligent servant who quickly said "Sorry it was me" when it wasn't her, another who was dieting to seriously she was probably starving herself to death. All these concubines were trying to make themselves look better to attract the Emperor and to Bak Yeung he knew what they were up to but nevertheless perhaps felt that these were very shallow ways.

Anyway older Dr Suen ordered Bak Yeung to go see Yuk Ying since he was so popular with the younger concubines since he himself was a young man.

Once Yuk Ying saw him she was every polite and talking excitedly that she mentioned she felt her medicine was very bitter. This raised an alarm with Bak Yeung since her medicine was supposed to taste a bit how shall I say "kam kam tei". I'm sorry, I can't find the right words, I think sour? Definitely not sweet or bitter. Bak Yeung somebody changed the medicine of Yuk Ying.

Meanwhile Yu Fei was being extra friendly to the innocent and naive Yuen Kei since the Emperor expressed an interest in her, in a bid to get Yuen Kei into her gang I suppose. So she gave Yuen Kei a very beautiful hand held fan whilst everybody else got nice but ordinary ones. Everybody was quite ok with that except Sook Ling who became very very jealous that Yuen Kei was getting all the attention. Yuen Kei was extra humble in front of Yu Fei who felt she was of not much threat.

Anyway Bak Yeung investigated some more into the changed medicine and he caught the eunuch red handed when he was changing the medicine.When he became Yee Soon's doctor as well, he asked her what the medicine she was drinking tasted like. He mentioned was it bitter like it always has been and she said yes, a bit. I didn't quite catch this scene but I guess the answer was wrong since it wasn't supposed to be bitter before. So he suspected that either Yee Soon was lying or somebody other than Yee Soon was doing something. Yee Soon immediately knew Bak Yeung knows.

Yu Fei summoned Bak Yeung to her room and she said there was a rumour that someone changed Yuk Ying's medicine and she asked Bak Yeung if it was true and who did that. Bak Yeung looked quite blank and insisted that there was no such thing and that Yuk Ying's condition was getting better. Yu Fei was disappointed that Bak Yeung did not tell her the truth but she let it be.

Yee Soon and gang knew Bak Yeung didn't tell anybody because they would have been caught already. So Yee Soon figured that Bak Yeung will never tell since he too must have given face to eunuch Tsui. So Yee Soon felt quite happy and when she got the news from Mrs Tsui to not do anything to Yuk Ying for a while, Yuen Kei was very happy that at last Yee Soon can take back her medicine and get well soon. But Sook Ling wasn't happy. In fact she was fuming.

Next thing we knew Sook Ling slyly told the naive Yuen Kei that since they were supposed to stop the changing of medicine, someone has to tell the eunuch in charge if not the medicine will be switched. Yuen Kei volunteered to tell the eunuch tomorrow and whilst they were reminiscing the old times and Yuen Kei was being playful with Sook Ling, Sook Ling had this angry manic look and almost strangled Yuen Kei but Yuen Kei was too dumb to know.

Next day Yuen Kei went to the room and was switching the medicine when she was caught by the eunuch who the night before received a letter from someone anonymous about the whole Yuk Ling-medicine switched incident. As Yuen Kei was crying and being dragged away, Yee Soon was in her room and she heard the commotion. She wanted to run out to help Yuen Kei but Sook Ling stopped her and strangely enought Sook Ling was very honest as she confessed what she did. Yee Soon couldn't believe her ears and she tearfully and in a high pitched voice ala Charmaine Sheh when in extremely tense and stresed out scene asked "Why? Why did you do that? She is our sister!" and Sook Ling in a very cold hearted and calculative voice answered "We need a scapegoat. Someone has to take the fall if not the whole issue will not die down. It has to be her, I mean even if she becomes the Emperor's concubine, she wouldn't be smart enough to help godfather. Why should she be chosen anyway? I am smarter than her, why must it be her who gets the Emperor's love?" and she had this manic jealous angry eyes. Yee Soon was like stunned and could do nothing but watched Yuen Kei being dragged away. Sook Ling said "This is for the better good, for our cause!" but Yee Soon ran out but could run no further as she realised perhaps Sook Ling was right.

Yee Soon then became very quiet but Yuk Ying was happily chatting away and cursing the evilness of Yuen Kei. For Yee Soon to hear those words they were killing her as she knew Yuen Kei wasn't the one.

Meanwhile Yu Fei knew about the anonymous letter and the eunuch said perhaps the informer wanted to get into the favour of Yu Fei since the letter reached the eunuch who is one gang with Yu Fei and not the Empress. Yu Fei reasoned that "The informer is very intelligent and that is a good thing but too intelligent is a bad thing" and I suspect Yu Fei will check out the informer and then kill her! KILL HER!

Then Bak Yeung came to see Yee Soon. But before he left, he said to Yee Soon that perhaps "You have attained what you wanted". Yee Soon didn't understand Bak Yeung and Bak Yeung explained about the whole scapegoat thing and Yee Soon asked "You think I did it?" and Bak Yeung kinda in a way said yes. And Yee Soon retorted "You assume you know everything but you don't" and Bak Yeung said "Perhaps it would be more wise to not do so many things and be thankful for what you have. Know your place and perhaps you may live better". And then he left and Yee Soon was crushed since she did feel kinda guilty about Yuen Kei.

Next scene Bak Yeung saw Yuk Ying who wanted to give him money for curing her rashes. Bak Yeung said no thanks, he was doing what he should be doing and Yuk Ying said no no take it you deserve it and that was when Bak Yeung delivered what was tonight's most memorable line and perhaps best scene. He looked squarely into Yuk Ying's eyes and said "I did nothing actually. Because you didn't take the medicine. Because if you did your rashes would have taken a worse turn but it didn't. You did what you did to get my attention so that I will investigate and report about the medicine switching incident. Goal achieved. Good bye". Something like that and Yuk Ying was trying to protest her innocence, that she knew nothing but the moment Bak Yeung left, again tonight't episode ended with Yuk Ying changing from tearful "please believe me" look to that cunning look again.

Tomorrow, Sook Ling will get her comeuppance. Hurray! But I wonder what happened to Yuen Kei?

Very good episode tonight as we see a very cunning, resourceful and yet very good at avoiding being sucked into the vortex of power grabbing concubines and would be concubines Suen Bak Yeung. Bowie did well tonight, less about reciting lines and more acting. I love that scene where he told Yuk Ying what he thought of her and also to Yee Soon. But poor Yee Soon.

Tonight's episode is the highlight of one is always more cunning than the other. We see a cunning Yee Soon but she never suspected in her group there would be someone more cunning and much more deceptive person and that would be Sook Ling. But none of them would have thought that Yuk Ying is perhaps the most cunning and deceptive and pretentious of them all. At least not Yee Soon who herself may be pretending in front of Yuk Ying whilst doing harm to her without thinking every harm she did to Yuk Ying was directing back to Yee Soon and her gang. And who would have thought their own gang would be done in by their god sister who is by far the most evil and cruel one? I mean if she can do that to her own god sister whom she had lived with for so many years, more so other so called unrelated unknown people? Of course she had to be honest with Yee Soon because I doubt she can harm Yee Soon like she did Yuen Kei. I pity Yuen Kei, she reminded me so much of that poor servant and good friend of Onn Sin. A pity though that tomorrow Sook Ling will go bonkers because I would have loved to see her as a powerful concubine and do more interesting in fighting with own god sister. June Chan was very good as the evil Sook Ling though I find her being jealous and evil quite sudden. I wouldn't mind 2 more episodes to develop that to give the story more consistency.

Yee Soon was a bit disappointing in the sense that she didn't stand up for Yuen Kei. But seriously what could she have done? At least disagree with Sook Ling and slap her. But she seems to agree with her as she simply did nothing. I find Yee Soon very weak. Charmaine Sheh did well tonight, well as in my standard for Charmaine Sheh Acting Metre. I mean someone else and someone better could give more angst and character to Yee Soon but for Charmaine, let's just say I am very happy it wasn't the robot or the automaton. Her best scene was that window scene where she was looking out as Yuen Kei was being dragged away and the window shielded her entire face except for her big eyes and as we all know Charmaine is very good at crying and those about to cry scene. So this was her best acting actually. But the moment she spoke, all those effect all gone because quite frankly her voice spoilt it all. Her second best scene was with Bowie when she was giving him that laser cold "are you accusing me" look that only Charmaine could do so well. But she then said her lines...sighhhh..I mean I do prefer her sounding like this than the way she sounded in that cuckoo series but I wish for more expression in her voice which did not quite match the expression on her face. A pity. But for her standard, a good performance. But too thin. How I wished she looked like she did in HSDS where she was gorgeous.

Gigi Lai seemed to be in a dilemma. For me that is. When I kinda mention to the person sitting next to me that she was being done in by Charmaine and gang that person asked "Why?" and I explained the whole plot but she still couldn't get why. In the end I realise she didn't understand because she couldn't buy the fact that Gigi was supposed to be the prettiest of all the candidates so she couldn't understand why anyone felt threated by her! Ok, true but for someone her age she does look good. But ok, she is not THAT pretty. If Charmaine had look the way she did in HSDS I would say let Charmaine be Yuk Ying and Gigi be Yee Soon because I feel Charmaine is better in those pretentious type of characters. Not to say she is pretentious but she could do better at being fake as Yuk Ying is. Gigi was horrible tonight. I guess maybe she did it deliberately since Yuk Ying was supposed to be pretentious and fake but the way she went about the "ultra innocent" Yuk Ying to "ultra cunning" Yuk Ying is two extremes and I was rather perplexed how could Yee Soon not seen it like Bak Yeung did? But then Gigi perhaps kinda overdone the whole two personalities scenes. But what irritated me more was her heavy breathing whilst talking. Gigi, I get it. This Yuk Ying is fake but must you be so over the top?? I guess worse has yet to come.


Sheren was ok, not much scene. I am quite bored with her character, nothing much.

Everybody else was ok.

I look forward to Onn Sin joining the whole scheming stuff. Thus far not much important scheming yet. But imagine this; not yet a concubine already fighting to almost death. Things would be interesting after they become concubines.

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