Line Walker: The Prelude (使徒行者2)

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This, obviously, was a prequel to the previous installment, Line Walker. How was it? Mixed feelings actually because it was hard to get used to the additional cast somewhat. It was also because of some tangent plots that got me annoyed, which I will explain later. Other than that, it was decent, I guess.

Main Cast:

• Michael Miu as Cheuk Hoi (卓凱). Continuing to show solid acting from the first season, he allowed us to travel into his past along with the other characters. We got to see how his past journey had shaped him to become so cautious and so protective of his undercover agents as he did in the present time. He showed great restraint in some situations versus others. Did he lose his patience? Yes, he did. Did he feel lost at times? Yes, that had happened. Yet thanks to some of his fellow colleagues and good friends, he managed to get past that and continue on with his mission. He also made mistakes, which led to a rift in relationships and trust issues–as it did with Tin Tong’s situation. However, he proceeded to try and fix it and proved himself again. Because he was able to relate to their own struggles as undercover agents.
• Jessica Hsuan as Sze Ka Lei (施嘉莉) / Scarlett. I felt Jessica should have received better challenges in her old days with TVB than just portraying her typical characters. This was one of her more memorable performances. I watched the majority of Jessica’s series already but had given up over the past few years. I think the last time I was impressed with her was in Gun Metal Grey because she was so lively and natural without looking like she was uncomfortable–although some people disliked her in there. It was different. The talk she had with Cheuk Sir in episode 14 was important because it defined her character and humanized her more. Although some of the past scenes already highlighted her capabilities, those were professionally and related to the crime operating business. The part where she told Cheuk Sir about her past assignment showed a small window into her past, and what her journey was like before arriving at the current point. She already showed us the wise and level-headed side of her. Not to mention her well-planned schemes. We finally got to see her vulnerable side and learned more about her background. I liked her throughout because of her struggles at times and her determination–regardless of which side she was on. I thought she–out of all the characters–had the right to doubt the authorities in general and on such a grand scale. It was like many of the undercover agents who had doubted their superiors and the purpose of the whole operation, even harming those who tried to protect them. On the grand scale, they hurt more people because of their greed, but sometimes, there was always a question, just like how it was addressed in season 1 with some of the characters who had gotten too attached with some of the gang members. However, I found it disturbing to the max that she chose to return to Victor’s side near the end. Of course, they didn’t succeed with their schemes. Yet I was still disturbed. Because she turned into a typical character who would follow some guy who would do anything for her. Didn’t she see how scary he was? Sure, he did everything for her, but did she forget that he manipulated her to stay by his side? Like she was there with the chip planted in her and she wasn’t sure if she was going to survive. He let her live in that fear. Not to mention the downside of how if she were to oppose, she would face a consequence worse than death. So, yes, I was really disappointed in that change. It downplayed her character in the final moment that the show was going down. I didn’t expect her to end up with Cheur Sir since that was impossible and unrealistic. But I expected her ending was how she rode off into the horizon and gotten away with everything. In fact, it should end up with how she was finally able to be free of everything and headed toward her final destination to find peace at last. Cheuk Sir was willing to turn a blind eye to that part because he sympathized with her past. So, making her return to Victor’s side sort of set her character up for destruction. I understand that it was probably her blind spot, but it didn’t make sense or it just seemed like a typical way to wrap up the plot. What would have been an even more awesome move though? She could have returned in the third season to aid Cheuk Sir with some side mission or as a contact or an anonymous tip. She didn’t have to be a key character to hog the scene like some people, but that could have been an interesting turn.
• Moses Chan as Ngai Tak Shun (魏德信) / Victor. Someone give him a comb, please. Mean, but seriously, I was getting annoyed by it. It wasn’t like it was messy but the style made it look that way. I think I wasn’t impressed with this role as I was supposed to be. The most impressive part or the one that I got the chills for was actually the part where he passive-aggressively tried to dethrone his father with that speech shortly before announcing his father’s retirement. It was really chilling. Even more chilling than when he took down the others. The legit fear his father had for him said it all too. The whole scene was memorable in that it let us know how creepy he was. Aside from that, he wasn’t the least bit impressive to me. So what if he was ruthless and acted like he owned Hong Kong? Chum Foon Hei was even scarier because he was good at playing long games. Look who turned up on top, right? Moses miscalculated IF he had ever thought of stealing the show by being in this installment. I don’t want to blame him because everyone has bills to pay and TVB’s decisions are always tricky. So I don’t know all those inside plans OR whatever. But he couldn’t really shine for me in here. It was interesting to see another character, but he wasn’t what made this series for me. 
• Benz Hui as Chum Foon Hei (潭關喜). It was already revealed in the movie (which didn’t have much to do with the first season and wasn’t really worth it if you didn’t watch) that he was an undercover agent already. However, this one extended to his back story even more and how he ended up going rogue. I mean, can you even blame him? It was like survival of the fittest out there. His cowardly handler didn’t make it easier for him. Although the guy did redeem himself and aided his escape, the damage was already done. Not to mention he wanted to survive under Victor’s empire, he had to go to the extreme. His revenge schemes were hurting lots of others as well. However, I didn’t really blame him for what happened. Sure, he manipulated people and got what he wanted. It wasn’t news. Yet between him and Ngai, I was rooting for him all the way. It was obvious who won because this was a prequel and we already knew he even survived with the other one, so why not, right?
• Pakho Chau as Lok Siu Fung (樂少鋒). I liked him from the start yet felt a bit shame that he was from the supposed “bad” side. But soon learned he was an undercover cop, so I was reassured. I liked the development for him with being around the gang and Pak-key for so long that he developed an attachment to them. However, the grand twist of his true identity made everything even more intriguing. Like it stopped becoming a typical formula of the show with how they were either undercover or cop turned bad. YET this one sort of pushed us into thinking other possibilities again. I suspected that the timeline didn’t fit and thought the scriptwriters made a mistake when it was described that he somewhat grew up in the gang and had followed Pak-key a long time already. However, it was explained later that his brother was the actual undercover agent. That made more sense. What made his character for me was his complex relationship with various characters in here–whether it was romance, friendships, or some sense of loyalty toward. He vowed to avenge his brother and Pak-key’s deaths. He was able to carry out both in some ways. Even if he’d gone to the max with his method but it was in some sense understandable. At first, he was also hostile toward Chum Foon Hei but later also became loyal to him–or somewhat developed a bond with him. It was really unimaginable after how he saw Chum fled and saved his own skin after Pak-key’d gone down. But over time, they reached an understanding with many complex actors coming into play. Not to mention the similarities between their characters. I think Chum mentioned it at one point as well–with them being undercover agents and then becoming rogue. However, the twist was Lok wasn’t an undercover agent at all. He was just posing as one and also wanted to avenge his brother’s death. They also managed to cheat death, so yeah.
• Priscilla Wong as Cheng Shuk Mui (鄭淑梅). I initially didn’t like her because I thought she was so awkward around Michael’s character, thinking she was uncomfortable with interacting with him. As the series progressed and I understood her character more, I felt it wasn’t like that. I was glad I stuck around. Her suggestion with creating their own codes to Lok Siu Fong was really smart because she said even Scarlett knew their CIB codes. Not telling Cheuk Sir was a good idea too. She had alternative motives, but in a way, it did help in the future. Perhaps, it was like what Cheuk Sir said, the reason Lai Sir picked her was because of her innocent nature and her vulnerability. Her genuine nature had made her an asset to them, making it easier for her to gain trust from people. Not to mention her determination to continue on and beat all odds, not giving up when she ran into an obstacle, like how Cheuk Sir had pushed her limits at the beginning with those training sessions and small tasks.
• Benjamin Yuen as Tsui Tin Tong (徐天堂). I liked him at first because I felt his character was intriguing. Then I felt he was a typical villain character. Like the cunning type YET he sort of grew on me and I tried to get past that since it was hard to hate him with all the comedic scenes that he had. Then the truth came out with him being another undercover agent and it made sense with how he tried so hard to act like some money-grubbing asshole throughout just to gain trust. Although his comedic acts were fun to watch, I thought his best scenes were with Lok and not Ah Mui. Because it showed his constant struggle of keeping a level head and also to focus on his goals. Despite knowing his actions weren’t going to be rewarded or anything. His friendship with Lok and the struggle with helping Lok or not made it even sadder. Because it was another decision that they had to face. He had his struggles with trusting others and somehow learned to do so with Lai Sir again. Yet was disappointed when confronted by Cheuk Sir and Ah Mui. After proving themselves to be the real deal, he learned to trust them once again.

Supporting Cast:

• Vincent Lam as Chai Fing (猜 Fing). How could I have forgotten to talk about him in the first installment? He was a very interesting character from the start. I was glad to learn more about him in his installment and how he followed Chum Foon Hei since then. We all knew how he died tragically fighting off those rivals and allowing for the others to run in the first season so he won’t return in the third season–unless he had a twin, lol. His loyalty to Chum was shown throughout and he proved it time after time. No wonder Chum trusted him so much after all these years.
• Nathan Ngai as Ben Sir (朱志彬). I initially really liked him. Maybe it was because of my biases toward him being Cheuk Sir’s apprentice. His intelligence and his righteousness was his shining point. However, those were also what fused his ambition and ego. Sure, having ambition wasn’t something to be ashamed of. Yet his perfectionism and his ego got in the way, which finally led to his downfall. It seemed like he couldn’t be manipulated to cave. However, the other gang proved their capabilities by being able to twist things and find people’s weaknesses to get their way. I felt disappointed in Ben though, because of how he wasn’t able to let go. He was one of those supposed heroes who was only good for being a shell because he liked to look good on paper but failed the test when it actually mattered. Good acting from Nathan though. Especially, during the scene where he came back and had the memorial ceremony for Cherry. YES, I thought the actor brought out his emotions well, however, I couldn’t sympathize with the character at all. He chose.
• Louisa Mak as Yeung Wing (楊詠) / Cherry. She was actually my favorite character in here in regard to the female population. Yes, I hate to compare, but she was the favorite one among the female characters, so it was really tragic and sad to see her death. She seriously was very likable from the start. It was to the point that I feared she might be another agent from the other side. It was a surprise reveal that she was also one of Lai Sir’s undercover agents. She was very smart and cautious. Too bad she trusted the wrong person, which led to her inevitable demise.

Others:

• Eddie Cheung as Lai Sir (黎瑞權). I was surprised to see him in here. However, I enjoyed his brief appearance. He delivered flawlessly and I got a little teary-eyed when he died. I swear, I knew it was coming. It was basically a copycat version of how Hong Sir died in the first season but because of his performance, I got sucked in. I know these events were years before, but since this was written after, I couldn’t help but think they just somehow changed some details and location and that was it. Regardless, we still got to see a very wise Lai Sir at times before he exited the show.
• Jimmy Au as Hong To Hang (康道行). I was soooo sad to see him killed off so shortly in the first one, but that was part of the setup for the whole chase in the first season. So, of course, I was glad that he was in the prequel, trying to see him in action versus having characters talk about him at various points like in the other one. It wasn’t exaggerating to say that it was one of his better roles and worth mentioning roles of recent years as well. He appeared sometimes in here but wasn’t the main focus because of the way the story was crafted, which made sense. We could see the bond between him and Cheuk Sir as they met up at times to talk and gave one another advice. It was revealed that he was gathering up the team for their next assignment at the end of the series, which unleashed the chain of the events of the happenings in season 1. He wanted to consult Cheuk Sir about the members that he picked. However, Cheuk Sir didn’t look. He wanted to go out first. That topic was obviously delayed once again and obviously never addressed until Cheuk Sir finally had to seek out the actual team members as seen in season 1. Couldn’t blame Cheuk Sir too much–after all the stuff that went on during this installment. Cheuk Sir needed a break and some fun, and he also trusted Hong Sir to choose his own team members, so it was never talked about again.
• Kenny Wong as Pak-key (鄭弼奇). For the first time ever, I actually liked his character and performance. I meant he’d been shoved into our faces for so long with various projects and the same cast that I got tired of watching him and eventually wanted to avoid everything he was in. I was actually kind of unsure about this one too, wondering if he was going to hog the camera thus ending up minimizing other characters. However, this character was really intriguing and a mix of depth within the character itself. It was like it wasn’t supposed to copy any past characters on purpose. His performance was actually quite more genuine than some past ones. I think TVB shoving him in series after series might have overworked him thus not solid performance at times. Yet I was actually sad when he wasn’t around anymore in this one. Strange, lol.
• Alice Chan as Yao San San (姚姍姍). Chum Foon Hei’s wife. In the movie, she was portrayed by someone else and also was killed by someone else. However, once again, ignore the movie if you watched it. Because the movie followed its own timeline somewhat and made a big mess of the overall plot. So, for once, I forgive TVB for being inconsistent in that area. Anyway, she sure was an interesting character and fought bravely till the end. It was too bad her husband couldn’t tell her that he was actually a cop all along. Her death also fused his anger even more and caused him to go rogue with his revenge schemes. However little she appeared though, she had a great impact on the overall storyline, especially that of how Chum came to switching sides and eventually was just looking out for number one.
• Tony Hung as Wong Wing Cheong (王永翔). An undercover agent and one of the team members who died after the mission in Thailand. He was very charming and likable. It was too bad that he didn’t get to stick around for the later scenes. It made sense with the plot and how Cheuk Sir was even more cautious of his decisions and actions later on, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.
• Stephanie Ho as Sparrows (雀雀). An undercover agent and one of the team members who died after the mission in Thailand. She was another interesting character that I would have loved to learn more about if the plot had allowed for that.
• Koo Ming Wah as Tomato (蕃茄). An undercover agent and one of the team members who died after the mission in Thailand. It has been a while since I’ve seen him portraying somewhere near an interesting character. To bad.
• Shiga Lin as Cheung Yuk Luen (張玉瑄) / Birdy. An undercover agent and one of the team members who died after the mission in Thailand. Yet another interesting character that could have been developed into much more. Once again, too bad.
• Yeung Chiu Hoi as Tam Siu Lung (譚兆龍)/ Raptor. Assumed to be dead along with the rest of the undercover agents in Thailand. It was later revealed that he was the mole. He arranged the explosion and escaped. After he returned, he was chased down many times. Then he went and worked for Victor. Too bad he assumed that he would be spared by double-crossing Victor.
• Karen Lee as Leung Si Man (梁斯敏). She was another undercover agent under Lai Sir before he passed away. She was so deep undercover that she gained trust from several parties within the triads/organizations. Also, she had terminal liver cancer. Um, recurring theme? The other one, Kobe died too. Tenfold more dramatic and tragic. But seriously? What gameplay were they doing? Seriously, she was a mixture of Kobe and Bao Seed because Bao Seed got so frustrated near the end that he didn’t care what extreme he went through to seek justice. He was frustrated that innocent people were dying and bad dudes kept living in such luxuries and getting away scot-free. So, yes, in a way, we could understand Si Man’s approach–even if we didn’t agree–because we were able to connect them to Bao Seed’s actions previously. Good performance from her though, because I’ve seen her in really sweet roles before and believed she couldn’t harm anyone, lol. This one, she exuded the creepy and mysterious aura quite well. It wasn’t until she finally revealed her identity to Cheuk Sir and explained the situation that we saw her vulnerability.
• Gill Mohindepaul Singh as Yu Lok Sing (佘樂成). He was hilarious. He had some talents with the other two but were oddities among the cops hence being tossed out. He became a valuable connection while Cheuk Sir needed backup.
• Kandy Wong as Law Siu Sze (羅小絲). She was equally hilarious as the other two recruits. She sure had some wit. It was funny to see her tossing it right back to the other two when they tried to pick on her height.
• Penny Chan as Lee Man Hung (李文雄). The third of the recruits and was as valuable to Cheuk Sir when needed.
• Kenneth Ma as Ngai Tak Lai (魏德禮) / Klein. I was rolling my eyes when he appeared. I meant I was sick and tired of the Ngai empire and their neverending dramas. Yet I changed my mind later when he appeared in the present time. So, I will stop here for now and save it for that review.

Relationships/ Friendships/ Romances, etc

• Michael and Jessica. Like I said in the other review, I actually quite liked them in Gun Metal Grey yet just didn’t like the dragged-out story. So I was quite intrigued to watch how their story went in here. Obviously, we knew from the first season as a guide, they wouldn’t work out regardless and they weren’t the endgame. However, it was still one of the storylines I was looking forward to seeing their scenes more than some others in here. They were always friends more than anything else. As much as Cheuk Sir was able to share without compromising his identity and his fellow undercover agents, he gave her a lot of helpful advice yet didn’t force her to choose. His character seemed consistent for the most part with how he came to be in the other installment. I found it troubling at times that he wasn’t so to the book when dealing with her at various points and knew that it was his personal biases that had affected his decision as well. However, I treated it as that he sympathized with her and really wanted to give her a chance to run if she pulled out of the whole operation in time. However, she returned and deterred his goal in arresting Ngai, so she gave him no choice.
• Moses and Jessica. I’m not even sure if they’d ever paired up before since I didn’t watch all of TVB’s recent series. However, I didn’t feel their chemistry like with their other pairings. Despite all the set up of touching moments for them during various scenes. I also tried to push aside their characters as being villains or in-between characters throughout but didn’t feel so strongly for them either. That was seriously bad, lol. Because their story worked out well for one another. They had the same mentality and seemed to operate on the same wavelength. They both had the intelligence and wit alongside one another. However, Moses and Jessica didn’t give me the couple vibe that I waited so long–even till the end of the series. Also, Jessica’s character was tenfold more interesting than Moses’s because she had many layers. Moses’ character had the same vibe throughout aka kill regardless of consequences and only the result mattered. It was homicidal and maniacal. Nothing special. Yes, that seemed harsh, but seriously, he was a disappointing villain because he fitted into a typical villain mold like some of the past dramas or stories had gone with when approaching the formula of how to present their villain to us. That was why I said in the section above that Moses wasn’t going to steal the show anytime soon. The spot still belonged to Benz’s Chum Foon Hei through and through. Like I said before, Chum was playing the long game. Ngai just wanted to defeat his opponents quickly and easily and through the cruelest methods. He wasn’t going to last if the story had stretched out even more. His underestimating of his enemies was also his downfall. So, aside from comparing Moses and Jessica’s characters and lack of chemistry, lol, I didn’t have much else to go on with them.
• Michael and Benz. I actually wanted to put this in the other review but I decided to save it for this review instead. There were several overlaps here and there so yeah. I noticed their interactions and constant face-offs reminded me of their last memorable collaboration in The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung 1984. In fact, each time they appeared together, everyone was seeing the actual scene playing out, but I was seeing another image alongside the actual scene during their Chor Lau Heung confrontations all over again, lol. Their interactions once again made it one of the highlights of the show as far as the Line Walker installments went. It was the side talks that made me felt somewhat amused. The best scenes in the series were actually their confrontation scenes and the chess games they played with one another. They both made very good points during their various face-offs throughout. I have to agree with Chum Foon Hei when he said prison can’t stop someone like Ngai Tak Shun. But Cheuk Sir wasn’t wrong either when he said so many innocent lives have been lost because of the war between both sides, and because Chum wanted his revenge.
• Michael and Eddie. I don’t remember anymore when was their last collaboration in the old days. However, I really enjoyed their interactions in here immensely and felt that their talks at the beginning were probably one of the hallmarks of the show. Lai Sir was indeed very wise and had a strong impact on Cheuk Sir’s perspectives and principles also.
• Michael and Jimmy. Also, one of the best interactions in here. Like said before, their scenes were a little more developed. We got to see their friendships and how genuine it was, just like how Cheuk Sir and Lai Sir were. Two completely different types of friendships but in some ways, they influenced one another from time to time.
• Pakho and Priscilla. They were all right, I guess. I didn’t feel as strongly for them as some couples out there. But considering how they were in such a complicated situation, it was hard to put that aside. Their only date was possibly the time before he said goodbye. It was indeed a relationship meant to fail.
• Benjamin and Priscilla. It was obvious that Tin Tong liked Ah Mui, but they were friends for the most part. There were many funny scenes between them at first. I actually enjoyed them since they were somewhat comedic within all the hectic stories developing at the same time. However, it was ruined by her mother’s storyline. The confrontation between them after Lok’s death reminded me of how Bao Seed and Ding Jie argued in the other one, asking why he wasn’t there to save the day. However, I didn’t feel as strongly about it versus the scene where Tin Tong and Cheuk Sir were on the roof talking about Lok’s death. It was very touching and expressed all their emotions well.
• Pakho and Benjamin. I mentioned above how I felt stronger with their bond than them with Ah Mui and my opinion remained unchanged until the rest of the story unfolded. They didn’t have many things in common at first and even had quite a strong misunderstanding regarding Pak-key’s death. What they were able to bond over was their common mentality with being undercover agents. Even if Lok wasn’t really an undercover agent but he’d been in the gang for so long that he understood too well of its operations and the harsh reality of it all. That was also why the two came to make the pact.
• Nathan and Louisa. Every series has a model couple. I think Cherry and Ben were it for this one. However, they were ruined because of what happened in the story. I was screaming mad when I realized he was turning bad. Yet it was turning into a whole new level of tragedy. Yeah, it fitted in with showing us how one caved to temptation or when faced with obstacles, how they would react. However, it still sucked. I thought they might be untouchable. But looking back at how the scriptwriters completely killed Kobe in the other one and let Yan suffered during the last few episodes, it was on par with it. This one wasn’t less frustrating, but it was actually making more sense because they were all trying to complete their missions? Kobe? How random was that? Killing him off with a disease so unrelated to the case as an overall? Sure, people die from diseases all the time. But it seemed off course and way off base for going that way while the series was reaching its peak in the other one. Anyway, back to this one. I think we were all heartbroken along with Cherry. I mean, it was frustrating and beyond cruel of that scumbag’s actions. (Yes, that’s what I’m calling him now.) However, I think she didn’t see it coming either. I think there was a teeny-tiny part of me that wanted him to reconsider or have some kind of wake-up moment where he realized he had to turn back for her sake. YET he chose himself. He chose self-preservation in the end. It was expected. But weren’t we like a little bit hopeful it was otherwise? At least we liked to lie to ourselves, thinking that love might save him? Well, it was love, but his love for himself over anything. But I think I could say I completely disagree that the scumbag was still a good cop. He totally looked out for his own ass. How could anyone say that? Unless you would have to say all cops are equally the same as in they always look out for their own ass, then yes, he was good at that.
• Cheuk Sir’s Thailand undercover agents vs Lai Sir’s undercover agents. Once again, I apologize for pitting them against one another. However, I felt more intrigued with the Thailand team more. They gave us some hints here and there and had them introduced. We were already invested in their characters and wanted to know more. Yet bam! They were gone. Well, boom, actually. But still. The least interesting person had to survive. Sure, that was the point of the plot and it was revealed he was the traitor. But still. I liked the characters who became the main focus of the rest of the plot as well or came to like them. However, I felt less intrigued because of their similarities to the characters in season 1.

Dislikes:

• Quotes. Were they necessary? It reminded me of When Heaven Burns so much and later of Master of Play. Having Moses in all three didn’t help the situation, lol. I learned some new and deep quotes through them. But I sometimes questioned it. Because it sort of veered off course from Season 1. I usually like deep stuff and discussions made but felt this one sort of didn’t fit in that aspect. Sure, they still talked about some of the themes addressed in the quotes in the previous season and this season as well. But I felt it was sort of off.
• Forgiving family because they’re family aka blood-relations. Enough with the BS about forgiving your mother because she’s your mother. In fact, enough with the BS about just because they’re family, you can’t cut them off. I know Tin Tong meant well when he tried to cheer Ah Mui up at the karaoke place. YET I’m sick and tired of the message about family and forced getting along OR brushing everything under the rug in the name of family. Just because those people give life to you that you have to take all the crap? If you looked at it, Ah Mui didn’t have a choice to be born either, SO why brought upon her all those miseries? Pathetic to think everyone could get away with it in the name of family. Although it gave Ah Mui some background story, I’m sick and tired of family dramas regarding gambling and all. I know it happened and is still going on in society in general. But this is a cop drama and finding the mole, etc. Just focus on that. They have other series where they could focus on those. And saying that having parents is better than none doesn’t justify their actions. NO one asked for their tragedies in life. BUT you can’t push your views on others just because you wanted parents OR whatever.  And unconditional love works both ways too if anyone wants to advocate for it. Because Ah Mui was ONLY useful to her mom because she worked at a financial company. But she was dead weight when she wasn’t making any money. OR at least wasn’t well off. It’s beyond pathetic to play the pitiful card throughout and guilt trip others into thinking that as long as they’re fragile and weak, etc at that age because they’re NO longer able to being abusive that you’re supposed to cave in. How come parents never have to be responsible for their actions? Or like face consequences for their actions? Just because they play the parent card? The amount of money Ah Mui gave her was already enough for expenses YET she still dared to gamble? Greed knows no bounds. Even if they want to play the angle she had addiction issues, at least make it that she gets help OR whatever. Stop trying to make it into major guilt trips just because she’s playing the parent card. It’s frustrating to no end to drag out that plotline. So what it was because her husband died AND she was wallowing in gambling to forget? It’s a pathetic excuse. I have enough and mean MORE THAN enough of the endless excuses that abusive parents get away with. It’s pathetic to make Ah Mui the one feeling guilty. So she didn’t stay in contact. But what was one supposed to do when one felt so unloved and unwanted? To keep staying in an abusive relationship? Or keep in touch just because? Always the wrong message regardless of time or situation. The pathetic act isn’t convincing anyone except for those sooooo deep in the Stockholm syndrome that they couldn’t pull out. What was supposed to be paved as a touching scene or whatever was intended to be that was really pathetic and beyond outrage that I just want to forward it so I could watch more relevant details to the plot. Again, Tin Tong meant well because his mother passed away when he was young. However, it wasn’t his call to say whatever or tried to pull them together. Again, the scriptwriters forced it that way. But it was seriously pathetic and infuriating.

Discussions:

• The gray areas of life. The struggles between carrying out your duty as a cop and betraying someone who had your back actually was addressed more strongly in this one. The struggle continued with wondering if what you were doing was right. In the first season, other themes were also addressed, but the majority of them agreed that the bad person must be brought in. In this one, the gray areas just seeped all over, not knowing what to do when you were too close to everything. Like how Scarlett had said about busting the druglord in Thailand. He told her to run because she was innocent, despite knowing the rest would be killed, etc. Or how Lok was so loyal to Pak-key. Technically, Lok wasn’t the undercover cop sent in, but he still witnessed those within the gang looking out for him, especially Pak-key. The gray areas brought forth, becoming a mess even if they knew what their duties were supposed to be. Chum Foon Hei was also a gray character because there were many reasons he was driven to the end. His handler was an asshole, except near the end of his life when he finally covered for Chum to run to his wife. So many things to consider.

Recommended? I thought this installment was all right. If comparing with the first season, I felt the first season was much, much stronger in the sense of characters, plots, and acting. However, it was inevitable with the precedent being set already. As a standalone series, I would say it’s worth it. Some of the new characters and stories weren’t that bad.

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