Saturday 13 February 2016

TVB Short End Of The Stick - 公公出宮 Episode 1-4 Brief Thoughts



Back in 2012 I watched The Confident and ended up disliking the series for the rather empty plot and bland characterisations, which left me unamused for any sequels or spin-offs. But seems like this series can succeed without relying on the success on The Confident.

You can say Short End of the Stick is the spin-off sequel version of The Confidant. A lot of the main characters back, though different role. Same producer, but different formula. In this case, it's comedy and it's working great.

Episode 1 had me intrigued from the start to the end. It's refreshing to see a storyline on eunuchs who are dismissed after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. Where will they be going? Are they going to be accepted in the society of the new revolution? So far, Wayne, Power and Raymond all master their roles as eunuchs. Some might think they look like sissies but they are funny without going over the top. 

Nancy Wu's costume looks great with a dose of authoritativeness and status attached to it, but I think she is lacking something at the moment. I find Nancy Wu a very competent actress but failed to see anything hilarious about her here. Her expressions thus far are rather bland. Either she is worried looking or silent. Perhaps she is a miscast and Sheren Tang or Charmaine Sheh might do a better job. 

Wayne is awesome and surprised me because of his great portrayal as a funny eunuch. He didn't hold back acting feminine (like he was in The Confidant). 

I have a few doubts about Edwin who has yet to prove how good or how bad he is. 

There are rather a few sore points thus far though. I am quite irritated by Grace Wong who speaks so bubbly, so fluffy and so high in all her roles, including this one. Yoyo also is rather inadequate with her one dimensional expressions at the moment. 

By the way, the theme song is well sung. 

So far, it's the main male leads and that little kid's great performances, along with some brilliant lines and story that makes me want to watch. Everything else is worth ignoring. 
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