Ending & Thoughts: Secret Door 2023
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good thriller drama. But I don’t know if I would consider this a good one. There was way too many annoying characters in it.. like very few likeable ones. It got to the point I started rooting for the evil characters cause of how horrible everyone else is. Probably the first TVB drama I’ve watched where there’s so many characters that I hated.
Luna’s mother in law definitely wins in the obnoxious, irritating character department. My goodness I just wanted her to die. Every time she shows up on screen I just wanted to fast forward. Literally you’re like so old already can’t she just chill out? She’s always so rude to Luna and so damn selfish. She played a huge role in Luna becoming evil. This old lady kept pushing too hard and wouldn’t let go of her. Every time Luna takes a step back even if it meant her putting aside her pride and dignity this grandma crushes it and gives no effs about it. This grandma is so convinced she killed her son, well lady if that’s what you think why don’t you SHUT UP? Aren’t you scared she will kill you too? And she tried to and let me tell you it was satisfying I wished she did die though. She actually convinced her son to not give his liver to his own daughter, Ching Ching even if it meant her niece dying. Manipulated her niece into thinking how awful of a Mom she is and tried to take her away. Luna even gave her the insurance money and agreed for all 3 to just live together, yet she wasn’t satisfied. She barely cared for Ching Ching back then and only shows care now cause she knows no one wants to take care of her selfish butt. So when she fell down the stairs, as bad as it sounds I was happy cause this woman is soo crazy like she actually installed a spy cam on Ching Ching jacket like wtf? Anyways I was very disappointed that she survived that fall, yes she is paralyzed and can’t talk anymore but like Ching Ching is still taking care of her and will for the rest of her life. In a twisted way the Grandma got what she wished for. She wanted Luna out of the picture and Ching Ching to always be by her side and well she got it.
One thing that gets me worked up is that Ching Ching, won’t ever really know that the only person who truly loved her is her Mother. She just thinks of her as a criminal who killed her Dad and paralyzed her Grandma. She doesn’t understand the reasoning. Now I get it murder is murder… people should never go down that road unless it’s out of self defence. But Luna did all of that cause she was pushed way over the edge. When she tried to seek psychiatric help and take medicine, the Grandma tried to use it against her to take away Ching Ching. The Dad didn’t want to give her liver to her Ching Ching, which meant her daughter could die while waiting for another donor. He also didn’t show a lot of care and wouldn’t even listen to Luna’s reasoning only saying how he wants to divorce her cause she is a daughter of a thief. But Ching Ching is too young to even realize that those two people caused so much pain to her Mother. So while Ching Ching thinks about the seemingly good memories she has with these 2 people, her Mother was coping with trauma from the harsh verbal abuse she suffered in that household.
Yip Siu Tin, damn his character was evil of the evil. He committed every crime possible. Yet I find his character more likeable then the Mother in law. Solely, because he talks shit and he knows it everyone else tries to play the victim too hard. This guy though always gets away with everything even in the end the police was never able to charge him with anything. Justice did not prevail for him, Luna in one final act decides to take him to the grave with her. And I loved how Luna was the one to do it, she always lived her life scared of him and the idea of becoming him. So for Luna to be the one to end it all was great. I do wish we got some last words from Yip Siu Tin, though he was irredeemable.. he had done way too many bad things and is not capable of being a good person. But I do wonder if for those last final moments of his life, while he watched his own daughter cut both of her wrists and wait for death.. did he wish he could save her? Now, Luna had stabbed him with a needle that temporarily causes him to be unable to move. But he can still see and hear what is happening, we also see him attempt to move his fingers when he saw Luna slowly lay down. So it just makes me think whether if he was able to get up, would he save Luna? Or is he that shit of a person he’d just get up and save himself? Would’ve been nice to hear an inner monologue from him at that moment.
Luna was just overall a tragic character it’s like she never stood a chance at having a happy life. Her father was an abusive alcoholic who traumatized her childhood. She grows up having to hide her identity ends up marrying into a rich household BUT her husband and mother in law treated her like doormat. She was basically a second maid, no one really cared about her feelings. I’m confused why her husband even married her. Her father gets out of jail and looks for her immediately and right away restarts the abuse. Physical abuse from her father, verbal abuse from her husband and Mother in law. Her anxiety is crippling from trying to hide her past. Back then if she had embraced that she is a daughter of a thief things would’ve been so different. One thing for sure she should’ve chosen Zhong Zhi Kiu back then, as they had an understanding for one another. The tragedy of her character doesn’t sit well with me, cause she’s always been treated so badly I really wanted her to have a happy ending.
Yeung Yan Hiu, Roxanne Tong plays her and I noticed she got a lot of hate for her bad acting. But I didn’t see it that way at all, I just think people are so blinded at her annoying character they think it’s her acting. For real you guys are hating on someone cause of a damn character. Yan Hiu was so fudging annoying as well. All she did was follow Luna and especially Zhi Kiu around cause she has biased views that children of incarcerated parents are as evil as them. She would do mindless things to get in their way. And what makes it more annoying is that the one she should be investigating and stalking is Yip Siu Tin himself. Like she knows damn well he’s the criminal and the one who shot her Mother. But no let’s follow Zhi Kiu and Luna around cause she’s related to him like wtf? If Siu Tin was still in jail or dead I’d understand her investigating them but like bro he’s alive and well? How about you take yourself over there and try to find evidence instead? Why are you bothering the side characters when the mastermind that you know yourself is right in front of you?
That’s the thing with this drama, we all know Siu Tin is this undeniable villain the amount of horrible crimes he committed is scary. Yet, they focused more attention on catching others. The biggest example would be Zhi Kiu capturing Siu Tin and basically got him to admit some criminal things.. but even though he plotted this he didn’t record anything. But of course when he does this to Luna, he has a handy dandy recording device. LIKE LMAOOO are you serious??? Siu Tin has done some horrible stuff and has admitted to so many crimes in front of you and others but no one, NO ONE ever decides to film or record anything. Luna, did what she did cause of her deteriorating mental health cause of the effed up abuse she received practically all her life and opened up to you yet you were finally “smart” enough to record? I don’t know man, is it dumb or lazy writing?
The things I did like though was that Zhi Kiu’s Father was not a good man. All his life he believed his Father was forced into this and that he’s not all bad. But then we finally get video proof (which is stupid cause who would have such a clear video of something that happened 30 years ago + who on earth would hold on to this footage for so long only to release it now) that shows his Father pushing the pregnant lady onto the floor contrary to Zhi Kiu remembering it as him trying to “save” the lady. We also get another backstory that his Father is an awful wimp of a man. Only thing he did right was call up his old friend and ask him to take care of his son. It was nice that TVB decided for once to not twist the narrative of “oh he was actually a good man”, like nah he wasn’t a good person and the death was needed.
The ending wasn’t satisfying for me, I felt that it was too rushed and there were some questions left unanswered. Does Yan Hiu and Zhi Kiu end up together? How is Yan Hiu’s Father now? The randomness of Luna’s husband raising his insurance money was not explored… like did he do it out of his own free will? Definitely not a drama I would rewatch but it is the type of drama I won’t forget.