As a fan of the Queen of News series and both Charmaine Sheh and Alice Chan, I was excited for this new series and to see their chemistry. I have to admit my interest decreased after seeing comments about how it copied the K-drama Juvenile Justice. Although I have not seen Juvenile Justice, the premise about a judge in a juvenile court does sound very similar. Still, I gave it a chance anyway. There’s the first case aka the central case that acts as the catalyst for Judge Yin (Sheh)’s motivation to transfer to the juvenile court, and how her mistake continues to haunt her every decision moving forward.
It’s hard not to compare this to Queen of News when it shares so many elements down to the same background music cues, a lot of the same cast of supporting characters, a very dramatic English song by Quinn Lui in the ending credits, and it also takes place in the SNKverse. However, it’s a lot less dramatic in terms of character dynamics and conflict, and frankly a bit more boring. You can put Charmaine in a pair of specs and change her hair a little, but Judge Yin is still a very Man Jie girlboss type of character who cares too much about work. She has an estranged family and a separated-but-not-divorced and a teenaged (step?)daughter that you forget about most of the time. It’s structured like a police procedural drama with each case, and for some reason the judge is very involved with solving each case, sometimes speaking to witnesses or victims directly outside of course. (Just like how News characters were obsessed with solving cases and finding the truth while being impartial at the same time, except it makes more sense for reporters to be hands-on.) I also have no idea how accurate any of it is, like are judges really allowed to grab dinner with one of the lawyers and discuss the case’s details? How is that impartial? Is there no conflict of interest for a mother to represent her child in a criminal law case? I don’t know what bullying looks like in typical Hong Kong schools, but the type of bullying they portray is a lot like the super violent ones in K-dramas / South Korea.
Still, I think it is worth a watch cause I like most of the cast. It’s only the beginning and I hope there’s more to the Joman Chiang and Kalok Chow siblings sideplot, and it’s nice to see Kalok in a serious role. The drama gives a lot of chances for new/younger actors to have a chance in the spotlight, given that everyone is supposed to play a teenager. Sam Lau is great as Ko Shing Bun, a (spoilers) teenaged boy who’s deeply disturbed with violent tendencies. It’s also interesting to note that they cast an AFAB actress to play the teenaged boy character. I hope we get to see more of Charmaine and Alice’s interaction, as friends to enemies, maybe to friends again in the end if they follow the Queen of Castle route?
Of course, the show likes to end on cliffhangers to keep you hooked on each case, although the intrigue level for each case varies. Each case is kind of gone through very quickly, sometimes resolved in under an episode, but then again there’s not much to say about some of these crimes. I believe they’re supposed to serve a greater narrative purpose reflecting Judge Yin’s decision-making and judgment. I think it’s also meant to be a little PSA to any parents watching to care about their kids more so that they don’t turn out to be delinquents (especially boy moms notorious for excusing misogynistic/problematic sons). I think if done right, it could potentially be an interesting exploration into what causes youths to do crime, and maybe to a further extent nature vs nurture, and whether people are born evil. Or, if they do commit acts of evil, is there truly a chance for them to repent? Does providing correctional services for youths prevent them from becoming criminals as adults? I might be giving it too much credit, or it could prove me wrong in a delightful surprise. I guess we’ll see in 18 more episodes.
Finally got the opportunity to see this on the big screen. Yes it’s 100% fan service but I’m a fan and I like being serviced! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the experience, although realistically it shouldn’t rate as high (Prefacing this by saying I’m incapable of giving an unbiased rating cause I’ve been so swept up by the hype and following along with the promo online over the past few months I’ve practically made this movie my entire personality.)
As a sequel to a Hong Kong tv series from 25 years ago, this film is largely based on collective nostalgia for people who watched the show in 2001, or for new fans like me who binged the series last year but have always been familiar with these actors. It may be hard to explain the zeitgeist of this to the average clueless moviegoer who walked in to this, but we’re talking about the frenzy of an entire nation buying blindbox snacks to collect character photocards, gachas, attending multiple screenings à la Avengers Endgame, etc.. Not to mention, after repeated release delays since its filming in 2019, sometimes the mere existence of a film is enough to bring in excitement. As an avid Mission: Impossible enthusiast, I can’t help but compare it to the franchise (not just because of the mask technology) but because it is similar to The Final Reckoning in the sense that it provides a lot of flashbacks from 25/30 years ago respectively to remind audiences of the nostalgia, and to help new viewers catch up. Those who simply don’t get it can’t fully experience it and may only see it as a corny, mediocre-at-best sci-fi action popcorn flick with a weak script and dated CGI and slow-motion effects. I agree with some of the criticism, there’s definitely more blatant telling than showing with character intentions, plotholes and ridiculous tech inventions that just kind of makes you go “what the hell sure”. As a fan of the TV show, I would have loved to see some of the OG characters get more screentime (especially his wives, Wu Ting Fong and Kam Ching), and could have done with less of the new characters that I wasn’t as invested in. (Please release the extended cut!)
Still, I had such a blast watching it and there was never a dull moment and it was so much fun watching it in a packed theatre with people laughing along. There were a lot of jokes that only hit if you know Cantonese. The runtime was way too short, making it seem convoluted with that many characters and not enough development (again, please release the extended cut!!) and I was left wanting more. I had chills down my spine hearing the familiar theme song play, and the score was so beautiful I feel like it was underrated cause I haven’t seen anyone mention it. Shoutout to Joyce Tang, it was an incredible experience getting to watch one of my favourite TV actresses on the big screen, and getting to watch her give an amazing performance despite the short screentime (please release the extended cut x3). Even though I read spoilers online beforehand, the experience was still enjoyable and I felt so emotional at certain parts it made me cry. Let’s just say whatever yaoi emotions people are feeling with Heated Rivalry, I feel that with Hong Siu Lung and the Emperor. To me, that was a beautiful portrayal of a heartbreaking and bittersweet relationship. Even though the script may be weak plot-wise, it does have some beautiful lines. Selfishly, I do wish there was more yuri material between Sin Yau and Wu Ting Fong that could’ve carried over from the TV show cause trust me it was there.
Lastly, I had fun with the alternate ending and easter eggs. It did seem very cheesy “TVB BBQ ending”, but that’s the kind of thing that gives you a warm, fuzzy, lasting impression. Safe to say, I can’t wait to watch it again.
“Back to the Past” — film continuation of the 2001 TVB Hong Kong series, known as “A Step into the Past” in English, Chinese title remains unchanged: 《尋秦記》.
FINALLY! This gets to see the light of day! 😻 I'd about given up on this ever getting a release date!
Prefacing this by saying it’s more of a ramble/rant than a proper review, but if you’ve seen my review for Queen of News 1, you’d know that I absolutely LOVED the first series and thought it was as close to perfect as it gets. I was afraid of season 2 not living up to it, so I already lowered my expectations. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as good, it was more convoluted and all over the place in execution. Spoilers below.
Let's start with the things I didn't like so much:
There are a lot of loose ends that kind of don’t go anywhere, like Madam Yuen’s apparently super-serious news case that she was investigating. It’s supposedly so dangerous that she goes into hiding and can’t return to the US, but suddenly it’s fine and she can “deal with it”, while everyone else just stops digging further. I recently saw a post saying characters should be treated as characters with the sole purpose of serving some narrative function, not to be viewed as a real person. Her re-introduction into Man Wai Sum’s life was to serve Man’s character development, to get through her childhood trauma, and raise the stakes for her dilemma when choosing between her and Fong Tai. She’s also another figure to show that Man Jie isn’t invincible, and there are people who hold power over her. That being said, I would’ve liked if it somehow connected to the last story of the scammers, it would have been a nice wrap up.
The AI issues that it tried to tackle are very relevant in this day and age, and I've always criticized generative AI ands its ethical and other harmful problems. In the end they sort of compromised to keep using AI but "for good" to use their software to help them find the resources they need, which I suppose is the inevitable outcome nowadays. Much like in Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning, you can't beat and destroy the AI, you have to coexist with it.
Another thing that I didn’t like about the last four episodes are the random/unnecessary side plots of Lau Yim and PM suddenly getting married and Lau Yim being pregnant. While they were always together, and I guess there were implications, it was never even clear that they were even in a relationship. So, their sudden marriage and pregnancy came as a weird shock and didn’t seem relevant to the story. For someone who just started her new company Open Platform, which is barely just taking off in the past year, it doesn’t seem like her to leap into starting a family so quickly. Open Platform is arguably her baby, the thing she built from ground up and cares about more than anything.
The other is Cheung Ka Yin rekindling with her ex, Lawyer Siu, which the character credits to being inspired by Lau Yim/PM. If you remember from the first series, she showed very little interest in him and their relationship, the proposal lasted 5 seconds and she cared more about news than him. She broke off the engagement, and they had very different goals in life. It makes little sense for them to get back together so easily, especially when the second series hadn’t shown the audience any real development in their relationship. Ka Yin claims that he will no longer pressure her into marriage/having a baby, and will respect her wishes, but the problem is we didn’t really see that prior to the last few episodes. Their only scenes together were just some awkward “running into your ex” tension. For someone as stubborn as Ka Yin, one would think that it takes more than that to convince her to get back with someone she didn’t have strong feelings for in the first place. Moreover, what does it really add to her character? Finally giving her a shot at happiness after being lonely (evident when she checks her phone with no one to call while Cathy calls her husband) and sad all season? She could have been happy without him there.
These two plots would have worked much better if there was more build up throughout the series, rather than coming out of nowhere and blindsiding us. Perhaps these storylines are meant to show that women can pursue their careers and have a family and romance at the same time. To me, it seems almost like they were worried the female characters were too “strong” and “independent” and they needed to add some traditional nuclear family/patriarchal/heteronormative values in there just to balance it out. The fact that it was added in the last few episodes and rushed seems like it was a last minute change, but what do I know? Still, Ah Kit and Ivan’s characters already serve this purpose for Man Jie, showing that “strong female characters” can still have love interests.
What I did love:
I already made a separate post previously about analyzing this through a horror/ghost lens with George’s character haunting the narrative, which made the viewing experience more interesting for me. This plot stops around ep 18 and then comes back in one final mention in the finale just to tie things together.
This series gets the mise-en-scène (basically everything you see in the frame) right, there are some shots that are set up in deliberate ways that I love. The chess symbolism can be a bit on the nose sometimes, but I loved how the glass bottles lined up like pawns on a chess board. The other thing I noticed was how Man Jie and some other characters’ clothes are often black or white like opposing sides in chess. In some scenes with two characters, they are shown wearing opposing colours when they are in a conflict, but may wear the same colour when they have a common goal. Another thing is when Man Jie is in distress and curls up in a ball, then the shot zooms out to show how large her living room is, thus emphasizing how small she is. It really adds to the emotional layer of pain for her.
The relationships:
There were a lot of moments for my shipper heart, and I ship Man Jie with literally everyone so I was just really enjoying all the content. Also the fact that the cast and everyone are aware of these wlw ships (or "cps" as they call it) being a thing but the chance of any actual representation happening is unlikely...sigh) I love the quieter moments between Man/Ka Yin, like exchanged glances of understanding and how they still know each other’s intentions or character even when they’re not in the same room. They are pretty much equals who respect each other even when not seeing eye to eye, and are powerful when they do work together. It was cute for Lau Yim to be like their daughter of divorced parents trying to get them to rekindle. Lau Yim being super protective on Man Jie was also heartwarming. I loved the introduction of the character Diana who is so cool and kind of flusters Man Jie for a change; their chemistry was incredible. In the place of Hiu Mei (who appears in an easter egg! My heart!) is Amber, Man Jie’s loyal fangirl who gives her undying support. Then there’s Ivan, her situationship from last season. Personally, I loved their relationship and got super emotional during their breakup scene. It’s doomed in the sense that he will always love her more than she loves him, but she could never truly let go of him completely, and part of her will always have a soft spot for him. I also liked her exchanges with Ah Kit, who is probably the most stable and comforting person in her life. It’s unclear whether they are in an actual relationship again, or if he’s just always sort of there to support her, but I like the small moments and body language, like when Madam Yuen is calling her and she avoids it, and they act like an old married couple. He’s the rational to her impulsive, and there’s another easter egg when he comforts her from a nightmare.
Cathy and Man are kind of just acquaintances, but I liked Cathy and Ka Yin’s friendship throughout the series, but it often seems like they’re always trying to fit Cathy’s government department into the plot somehow, and now they’re having a spinoff so I guess we’ll see how that goes. The main antagonist is Kingston, who does a great job of being incredibly irritating. I could keep going on about Man Jie's relationship to her "maternal figures", Madam Yuen, also the whole ordeal with Fong Tai (even though she's more like an older sister), etc. I think the whole sideplot showing that she lost her parents when she was young and felt like it was her fault shows why she seeks familial love in them.
As for individual character development, it feels like Man Jie and Ka Yin have just been going through hell the entire season. Man Jie had some serious repressed trauma to deal with, and both have been attacked and betrayed by the public and people around them. Season 1 showed how powerful Man Jie was, and Season 2 seems to show how her vulnerability, although that was touched on with the Caak Wong case last season. It was interesting to emphasize how obstinate Ka Yin’s character is, and how she refuses to change herself to fit the cruel world, but last season we literally saw her go through a major change already when she made the realization that the world was moving on without her.
The season ends in a similar way to season 1, with the four main ladies on good terms after accomplishing a common goal together. There was no surprise for me as I already saw the set photos months ago when it was filmed. Man Jie ends in a similar place as she started the season, a freelancer wandering wherever news takes her, and it’s an open ending for where she will go. Will there be a season 3? It’s too early to say, but I think season 2 was more divided than 1 which most agree was excellent. There are lots of ways it could go, but sometimes it’s better to leave things untouched.
Analyzing The Queen of News 2 through the lens of a horror/ ghost story
“What angles can we analyze this from?”
In the spirit of the journalists from The Queen of News 2, there are many different angles that one could read a piece of media. The Queen of News 2 may be a drama about workplace politics, but to me there is another angle, the horror angle. As an avid horror enthusiast, intrigued by Robin Wood’s film theory on the relationship between this genre and repression, I couldn’t help but view the series through the horror lens.
Haunting the Narrative
The trope of “haunting the narrative” refers to the phenomenon when a character dies or is already dead at the beginning of the story, However, the character and their death remains a crucial part of the storyline, their presence looming over the series like a ghost. In The Queen of News 2, the character haunting the narrative is George Leung (Kenneth Ma’s second series this year getting killed off at the start of a series lol). While it’s not immediately obvious at the start, his death and screentime is not as insignificant as it seems, though (as of episode 18) the George subplot seems to come to an end after the Coroner’s Inquest.
In episode 1, the four main heroines — Man Wai Sum “Man Jie”, Cheung Ka Yin “Alice” (no one calls her that), Lau Yim “Carrie”, and Hui Sze Ching “Cathy” — share a moment at his funeral, bonding over their past experiences with George, even though they are bickering. Their relationships with him were complicated in various ways, from archrivals in news broadcasting, moments of friendship, or perhaps ex-lover for some. Normally, the practice of “fridging” is a misogynistic trope wherein the woman is killed at the start of a story to motivate and further the development of the men. As a female-centric series marketed as a feminist, “Girl power” one, it’s interesting to see them reverse the trope, whether intentional or not.
It’s a Ghost Story
I’m a firm believer in the idea that every love story is a ghost story, and all ghost stories and the horror genre are primarily about repression. Horror is often the vessel used to tell a story, and reveal more about the characters. The idea of The Queen of News 2 being a ghost story became extremely poignant when the AI George storyline was introduced. The shot of Ka Yin having an emotional breakdown in the news anchor desk, sitting alone next to an empty chair, and cutting to a shot of Ka Yin next to AI George on the screen stuck with me. It was as though AI George was a ghost, unable to respond to her, out of reach, yet his presence weighs heavily over her. I never cared about their past romantic relationship, which was already a thing of the past in the first series, but even if George hadn’t died, the memories of him and their relationship would continue to haunt her.
This imagery is replicated again with George’s parents, when they visit the AI, a ghost-like image of him for their illusion of closure with their deceased son. It’s also a very relevant and cautionary tale of how AI may be used (or is already being used) to immortalize the dead, in a way that can be unhealthy emotionally and ethically, which could also be a whole other discussion.
Repression and Trauma
George’s death is a major source of trauma for Man Jie, which leads her to see a therapist. She feels guilty about the incident, and struggles to recover memories about the night. The sequel reveals depths in Man Wai Sum’s character, showing more of her vulnerabilities in contrast to the all-powerful, revered “girlboss” from the first series. As the series progresses, we learn that George’s death is just the tip of the iceberg, merely something to uncover Man Jie’s deeper repressed childhood trauma involving the death of her parents. In other words, the ghost returning to haunt her is really her guilt and trauma manifesting in the form of George. She even admits to her therapist that she “locks” her bad memories into boxes in her mind, much like the protagonist Dan Torrance in the horror movie Doctor Sleep. Again, it’s prominent when some scenes are shot in a horror-style, with the flashbacks in the cave, and he calls out her name eerily while her younger self appears too.
Man Jie then goes on a soul-seeking journey into a cult while investigating them, but simultaneously uncovering her own trauma. Episode 18 is a turning point, where she finally confronts what she kept hidden in her mind, and even addresses it in her broadcast. With 7 episodes left, at the moment there’s no telling what else is in store, but with the introduction of Man Jie’s adoptive mother returning, it seems like there is still a lot to unfold. Nevertheless, at this stage it seems to me that the horror/ ghost vessel used to move the story forward to this point has already done its job.
I know nobody knows what the fuck I'm saying 90% of the time but tonight's episode of the queen of news so good... I thought it was very TOUCHING. It basically talked about how our female lead rose to power and all the sacrifices she made in order to do so. her dialogue basically went like "If I could choose differently, I would've quit my job and moved away with (my boyfriend), but there's no what if's in this world. a chance appeared in the night sky like lightning, I caught it in the moment and everything changed. I rose higher, while (my boyfriend) fell deeper. I received all the presents, but it was he who had to pay for it. everything I have now, I've traded it with both our souls so I'll never see it go to waste. not now, not ever." I know out of context this makes no sense but she was a journalist that caught a once in a lifetime crime scene that essentially propelled her career forward, but in the midst of recording, her cameraman, who was also her boyfriend got shot. It was just good ma'am... her monologue, the way she expresses her love for boyfriend, and acknowledgement that he took the brunt of the matter. maybe I shatttttttttt 😭
The Queen of News recently swept the TVB awards (well-deserved), namely Charmaine Sheh's 3-time best actress in 3 different areas for this role. Her acting is subtle at times but chillingly good, conveying something with the smallest eye twitch. I went back to really rewatch it in depth and wow I'm just obsessed and blown away at how good it is. I forgot how damn good dramas can be when they're serious about the production and having a thoughtful creative process. There are a number of things that I want to talk about, so where do I start?
The Women
This drama is women-centric, with its 5 main women as some of the most 3-dimensional, complex, morally-grey characters that I've seen in a while. It's easy to make a shallow drama with women fighting (usually over men), with some typical "women are catty" misogynistic tropes. Though this show doesn't have a female director I'm glad it still handled the women's storylines well in my opinion. They're women doing some awful, questionable, morally grey things in the name of news, in the name of the truth, or in the name of gaining power. You end up gaining sympathy for them nonetheless.
You have the queen herself, Man Wai Sum "Man Tse" (Charmaine Sheh), who's at the top now and she's a tough girlboss, using everyone around her as chess pieces, but you come to find out that she too has weak spots and vulnerabilities. She also has regrets, she wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She had to lose a part of her soul in exchange for her spot, in a very Faustian way actually.
Cheung Ka Yin (Selena Lee) is a very very interesting character. In the beginning she's the only one with morals, a heart, and real news in her best interest. She's stubborn but resilient in her beliefs, but you watch as her hope in Man Tse and humanity in general, dwindles over time, until it reaches a breaking point. When she snaps, she becomes a different person and she's had enough. I was fully rooting for her up until the incident with Slash (Mark Ma), but that’s the whole point. None of these characters are fully good or evil, and that’s what keeps them interesting.
I didn't find the character of Cathy Hui very compelling personally, but that’s just me. She’s also devious, starting out in George (Kenneth Ma)’s side, before switching over to Man Tse’s team. The audience is pretty much made to hate her until we gain a little sympathy when we find out that she does all these things to be Prime Time host, not for fame but so her dad with worsening dementia can remember her again. She’s a woman who is portrayed to feel comfortable with her sexuality and uses it to her advantage, and that’s liberating for her. Good for her.
I ended up having the most sympathy for Tsui Hiu Mei (Regina Ho), not just because of her mental illness but come on that girl went through so much trauma on the show. Loyalty is supposed to be her forté, but she's also the most treacherous, playing both sides. At the end of the day she just wanted to feel useful, as that gave her purpose in life. She grew up poor and wanted a better way of life, but the system is rigged so she had to cheat the system, and can anyone blame her?
The only character who might actually be “good”, is Lau Yim (Venus Wong). She’s the fresh faced newbie who Ka Yin takes under her wing, and she may be “Stupid” but she has a fierce passion, she’s headstrong, and remains just despite how bad it gets around her.
Of course, there’s also other supporting female characters like the ever mighty Mrs. Fong (Mimi Kung) who is the real queen of the game, the only woman who can make Man Tse tremble. Then, there’s Wa Tse (Stephanie Che), a has-been, a woman who once was in a high position but gave it up for the sake of family and children, and now struggles to keep up with the times.
There’s compelling though maybe shallow surface-level explorations into questions of women balancing their careers with motherhood, and the role of being a wife whilst being a working woman.
The Women’s Relationships with Women
Watching this from a sapphic perspective, it’s really hard not to put a yuri spin onto these female relationships. Just look at the supertopics of the top 3 f/f ships on this show - Man/Yin , Man/Hiu Mei, Ka Yin/Lau Yim. Man Tse and Ka Yin are my favourite pairing, two very headstrong women and Ka Yin is probably the only one who could get near to Man’s level. When they collaborate, they work really well together, and have some great moments, like the volleyball case for example. Yet, they’re always in some argument because Ka Yin doesn’t agree with the way Man Tse works.
On the other hand, Hiu Mei is essentially Man Tse’s maid, she does everything she says even though she’s also kinda secretly dating George. Man Tse will tear her down and be the cause of her breakdown, and then also be the first one to comfort her. The toxic yuri potential is there. It’s even wilder to think that when Hiu Mei was attempting to end her life, she hallucinated Man Tse, who she took out her rage at and then eventually gave her a pep talk to continue to live strongly. Man Tse obviously cast a huge shadow over her life, and she’s sick of being her chess piece, but you can tell deep down Man cares about her.
Finally there’s Ka Yin and her mentee Lau Yim, who she’s slightly annoyed by at first but slowly grows to care about. They’re endearing to watch, and she gives her tough love. It’s a little like Man/Hiu Mei but not as toxic. She also does care about Lau Yim, but Lau Yim’s morals are in check, and she chooses not to blindly follow Ka Yin down an unethical path towards the end.
The Women’s Relationships with Men
It’s clear that this show centres the women’s relationship with other women, since the men in their life are very much background noise. She’s everything, he’s just… well. George is supposed to be Man Tse’s greatest opposition, but he’s not really all that threatening. Fei Ye (Eric Tang) is supposed to be an exec in a high position but is honestly pretty useless and has a non-threatening aura.
It’s interesting that Man, Ka Yin, and Cathy all have younger love interests. Man Tse has her situationship Ivan (Matthew Ho), a man who is much younger and her subordinate at work, plus she makes him leave her house by 11pm. It’s clear who’s in charge in the relationship. Her ex Kit (Shaun Tam) is a bit closer to her age, and honestly they were a really cute couple until that incident changed their lives forever, but in present day he’s still the only one that she can be herself around. He is the only one who Man is vulnerable, chill, and funny around, which I think is important to show that she also has a weaker side. Ka Yin’s romantic storyline is evidently about how she won’t succumb to patriarchal ideals of marriage, and throughout the series showed zero interest in her boyfriend-turned-fiancé-turned-ex Lawyer Siu played by Matthew Ko. She refused to quit her job and settle as a housewife, and she’s a modern feminist through and through. One line I remember is when she said “Women aren’t war trophies” ( 戰利品), it made me love her so much. Cathy also dates a much younger man, Wong Wai (Niklas Lam), who she also seems to be kind of playing with this feelings sometimes. He also has a super boyish and dorky look to him that really highlights their difference. I feel like these relationships are to show that the women are the ones in control for once.
The Themes
CW: Sexual assault
I was nervous to watch sexual assault storylines cause I didn’t know how the show would handle them. The first case with #MeToo called out for George was kind of iffy for me with how they handled Debbie (Judy Kwong)’s storyline. The incident kind of becoming a tool for Man Tse to do some manipulation made me worry it’d be bad for victims if they highlighted the false accusations too much, but I suppose they tried to show every side. It was a good segway into the volleyball team SA storyline, which I think was handled really well (surprisingly). Nicole Wu’s character voices the struggles of victims, about how no one believes them, not even their friends sometimes, the isolation, and why they’re afraid to speak up. Roxanne Ho’s character also shows that unfortunately sometimes even women aren’t stepping up for other women, until they become victims themself. The way Man Tse handled it despite being an old friend of the assailant also shows how sometimes people may know someone for many years, and swear “they’d never do something like that!” or “they never did anything to me, so that can’t be true” but still be wrong.
The rest of the themes and symbolism is quite self-explanatory and even on-the-nose sometimes. The constant Chess pieces, the Queen piece (I don’t play Chess but I suppose the point is that they’re the Queen), Hiu Mei referring to herself as Man’s chess piece, etc. Yes, they’re all making sneaky moves at each other, also shown in the many Mahjong scenes.
I feel like overall, this is a very excellent series. Of course, I went in with low expectations as I always do, and I understand that there are certain things they can’t really touch on. Nonetheless, a very well made series that I will be thinking about for a long time.
Man Wai Sam ♕ QUEEN ambitious, charismatic, leader
Chui Hiu Mei ♖ ROOK devoted, sensitive, efficient
Hui Si Ching / Cathy ♗ BISHOP cunning, outgoing, competitive
Jeung Ga Yin ♛ QUEEN curious, rational, creative
Lau Yim ♞ KNIGHT righteous, outgoing, focus
Leung Ging Yan / George ♟ KING PAWN paranoid, social, confident
Ku Siu Wa / Kingston ♚ KING? unknown
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