TVB Ghost of Relativity Episode Thoughts - Episode 1 (鬼同你OT)

Episode 1 - Fresh new start. First we have Kristal Tin who was hurrying herself to an architecture firm for a job interview. Once the taxi driver arrived at the destination Kristal Tin noted, "The change isn't right." (I think the taxi driver gave her short in change by a small fraction or something). The taxi driver got frustrated at her but as Kristal left the car he noticed she left her Y-Phone (yes they can't use the iPhone term) in the taxi but he drove off anyway. Kristal was looking for her phone and came running after the taxi. The taxi driver stopped the  car and basically threw the Y-Phone at her;

"What Y-Phone? This is a fake one!"

Kristal Tin was trying to grab hold of the Y-Phone but it came fumbling on the concrete. (Lucky it was a fake Y-Phone because if it was a real iPhone I swear the screen would have been cracked).

Late for her interview, Kristal hurries to the place (GSZ Architects Limited) and then she finds Jenny who marks her down late (9:20am) even though Kristal was trying to make excuses. Another woman comes to collect the application forms and she notices that Kristal was 20 minutes late.

"Who comes late for a job interview?"

Pause. That's very true. Number one rule for job interviews is to never be late!!! 15 minutes early is the recommended time to come and I'd say 5-10 minutes early is just as good.

Continue. That bitchy woman takes a look at her resume and she notices Kristal's sub-par job experiences, rather low-ranking high school and she is aged 33! Nancy Wu then comes to the office space and rebuts the bitchy woman, "If we can't hire 30 year olds to be a receptionist then people aged 40 years old and over like you shouldn't be working here then?",

The bitchy woman of course says that it is more appropriate to hire a younger receptionist because she is more "presentable" and better at speaking. Nancy points at the other two applicants; one who has a tattoo on her and the other has a lip piercing. "How is this presentable and good at speaking then?"

Moving on is a scene of Moses and his co-workers. They become nervous as they prepare to test if the tilted model building will collapse without any support. Nancy comes and they accidentally get rid of the supporter for the building and voila - the model building stands still.

Pause. The thing that made this scene quite distasteful was the fact that Nancy was criticising how can someone who has a tattoo be presentable and someone with a lip piercing be a good speaker. I'm pretty sure that it was quite discriminatory and the firm could have been liable for big bucks. I don't know.

Continuing on, Kristal Tin gets hired to be the receptionist and the woman before warns her to never be involved in any inappropriate behaviour, such as someone perving at you, kissing you or physically touching you. They walk into the office space where Pierre Ngo is flirting with a bunch of girls and Kristal goes "Doesn't that match all the faux-pas?" The woman goes, there's a difference between inappropriate conduct and just having fun.

The woman then goes up to Charlie; "I can be the one to wake up you" and Charlie basically said no thanks by saying, "I'll use the alarm clock instead". Funny.

Kristal was trying out her new uniform and it ripped. Moses was simultaneously right behind her and Kristal was crying "you pervert"! Moses said hey you came in before I did. Kristal accepted his explanation and uses his method to having sticky tape taped on her butt to cover the rip and she goes hi nice to meet you, you can call me May.

Pause. Why May? Why the same name as her character in 'Black Heart White Soul' that was so damn serious and this series is so lighthearted?

I was yelling out "Why!!" more when Kristal met up her dodgy boyfriend outside (like in BHWS). He gives her a new handbag (that was obviously fake) and asks if Kristal can help him to borrow money from some place. Kristal agrees and off they go into a webcam interview and with the help of her boyfriend Kristal lies about her job position (as the leader), she's worked for three years and she's the lucky winner of the day to be allowed for more loan. Without needing to show any evidence to prove all this she got $80,000 and her boyfriend took it all.

As her boyfriend was about to say see you later got something to do Kristal wants him to buy her a real Y-Phone and then her boyfriend instead takes her to a small mobile repair center. Kristal's boyfriend winks at the owner of the store and the owner of the store recommends Kristal to not change her phone but instead change the battery and just add a new case (the same case as Nancy).

Back at the office, Nancy coincidentally has the same phone case and same handbag as Kristal, the only difference is that Kristal has the fake bag and Nancy has a real HerV bag. Nancy was busy on the phone and Kristal was trying to compare the differences between the fake and real handbag, and she finds out that the difference was really just the zip that looked different.

As Nancy finished talking on the phone May (I'll call Kristal May from now on) places the handbag back to the table and Gin (I'll call Nancy as Gin from now on) went to collect the handbag and off she went. Kristal noticed that she gave the wrong bag.

How clumsy of her. For a minute I thought that May was going to swap the real handbag for herself but she was just clumsy.

Anyway May tried to find Gin so she can give the real handbag back. Gin was nowhere to be seen but the handbag was there so May tried to swap it. She tried to make sure that this time it would be right but she somehow manages to take the real handbag again (-.-). As May was leaving though she knocked on the model building and she was lucky to hold it before it was going to fall. Seeing that it was unstable, she used Moses's idea (only realised this when I was doing episode thoughts) to use sticky tape and stick the building to the ground with it.

During that time Moses and Gin and the crew were having a very very very important presentation to the judging panel for some architecture competition. The presentation was so far so good until when Eddie Kwan was talking about how good the model building was. He told the judging panel, "this building design we have is so good because it can withstand fierce winds and severe climatic conditions, and also Earthquakes... (Funnily enough they didn't actually test the model building about the Earthquake part yet). This led the judging panel to question if the model building design can withstand Earth tremors. Moses was confident about it and he tried to shake the already unstable building model. May was panicking besides the door and yelled, "Don't shake it! It will collapse!" Gin bluntly said "What are you on about?!?!" and Moses was still shaking the building model and then there we go - it collapsed.

So everything failed. The judging panel disqualified Moses' submission since the model building collapsed and May got hired for ruining everything when I don't think it was really her fault (the model building was probably unstable before May even knocked it) and she got absolutely nothing.

Gin was discussing with Eddie and Moses about the failed project and Eddie was unhappy with how many resources went towards the competition. After that Gin was saying some words to make Moses feel better. I couldn't remember much what Moses said afterwards but Gin got frustrated for what he said and she tried to ignore him for a little while.

Then Gin realised that she has the wrong handbag and phone as the phone was ringing. Gin said to May "I don't care if you stole my handbag or if it was by accident, give it to me right now". May said she was walking towards there and Gin said, "Run!" May was at the office entrance and she asked for the password to enter. Gin only managed to say "23..." and then May said, "23..and then what?" May's phone was running dead and Gin tried to charge it. The fake Y-Phone went unusual and then it electrocuted Gin!!!! Moses came in the room; "Gin!" and Gin was dead.

End.

It should have been quite a sorrowful episode for a main character to die from a fake Y-Phone (which was completely avoidable) but the character Gin doesn't end here as she will now become a ghost for the rest of the series. Overall I enjoyed this episode because the first episode was eventful, the script was tight and the performances were mainly good so far.

Kristal Tin is doing well as someone clumsy and naive. Her character has the same name, hairstyle, lovesick and both have a dodgy boyfriend compared to her other May role in BHWS but in here she is quite funny. I think this is the first time I've seen Kristal in a comedy and she can be quite funny.

On the other hand Nancy Wu is also doing fine as Gin: someone who only likes to buy famous and expensive items like "HerV handbag" and quite serious when at work. Yet to see her being funny though.

Moses as Michael is ok. Some might care he looks too old or this geeky role doesn't suit him but I might he is doing ok. Will comment more about him throughout the series.

Others like Pierre Ngo as Charlie are doing ok as well but one actress stood out to me in this episode and it was Celina Ma (had to look up at Wikipedia for it). She is blunt, bitchy and bias. Celina did a very nice job already by making her character quite entertaining.

Again overall I am impressed with TVB so far for a quite refreshing drama that I look forward in watching (unlike Master of Destiny that is unoriginal, unimaginative and underperformed in many aspects).

TVB Ghost of Relativity Episode Thoughts Welcome

Hey everyone I will be doing episode thoughts for the new TVB series 'Ghost of Relativity'. This year TVB's load of drama production has hardly appealed to me at all but I want to give this series a try because it is a comedy and it's about ghosts - something that TVB has hardly touched on at all.

Stayed tuned!

TVB's Empress of China & The Legend of Zhen Huan Update

As I watch TVB's version of 'Empress of China' and at the same time watching 'The Legend of Zhen Huan', I have come to the conclusion that Empress of China is a trashy series that had potential but poorly executed. There were plot holes everywhere such as the random pregnancy of Meiliang. The Legend of Zhen Huan isn't without its own flaws but comparing to the big budgeted series 'Empress of China' it is superior in terms of casting, performances and storyline.

Even though The Legend of Zhen Huan was broadcast years ago I didn't have the urge to watch it because I was very occupied with TVB series back then. I didn't know any of the actors from Zhen Huan and after looking at the '72 episodes' info I was discouraged already. But now it all started after I finished watching 'The War of the Beauties' (which was a very good scheming series in my opinion), some netizens said the plot resembled 'The Legend of Zhen Huan'. There I pop on YouTube and I could watch in on HD on my phone and boy was the series quite good. At times the Legend of Zhen Huan got shit-serious but it was rather suspenseful and the back story of what happened to the previous Empress intrigued me a lot.

This doesn't seem I will stop watching 'Empress of China' for now but my interest is fading day by day.  On the other hand I am now watching the American version of 'The Legend of Zhen Huan' and I think I might make episode thoughts for that. 

TVB's Master of Destiny

Just saw the trailers for Master of Destiny and whilst the plot looks rather dramatic I still don't have the urge to watch it even though I am on holidays right now. Wayne Lai is in danger of having the habit of always being loud and I think he is a miscast being coupled with Selena Li as his wife (Liza Wang's younger version). This series marks the ultimate return of Harwick who in my opinion is so far does look convincing when he is crazy but his botox look does get in the way. Kenny Wong's performance is also very wooden and making me fall asleep whenever I hear him speak. And now TVB officially is not broadcasting any of their real drama production (with the exception of the never-ending sitcom series Love Come Home).

Not many bloggers reviewing TVB dramas anymore

I've come to the realisation that more and more bloggers are losing interest in TVB dramas nowadays. It seems like hardly anyone is tempted to do episode thoughts and reviews on series like 'Madam Cutie on Duty' and etc. 

Even though I am becoming more busy and attracting with study and work and social life and so on I am still a TVB fan. Just maybe that I also like watching mainland shows now such as 'The Virtuous Queen of Han' and 'The War of Beauties' and 'The Legend of Zhen Huan' and before 'The Empress of China'. 

About 'The War of Beauties' mainland series though, that series got me addicted to it because I've never seen so much scheming in a television series before. Before I watched it for Jessica Hsuan, now I watched it for the busy storyline. Seriously have a go at watching this series if you are looking for a genuine scheming series!!! 

When is TVB's No Reserve going to be broadcast?!?!

I am eager to watch TVB's 'No Reserve' for some reason. Maybe it is to monitor Myolie Wu's performance in a supposedly challenging role, or maybe how will they make it different to the 'No Regrets' version that I extremely enjoyed watching and whether Wayne Lai would make a breakthrough performance with his dual role.

TVB please make it anniversary series or something and broadcast it soon la!

Watching TVB's Version of 'Empress of China' at the moment - Comparing the differences between China and Hong Kong's version

Haven't updated my blog for a while and at the moment I am watching TVB's version of the highly popular 'Empress of China'. I looked at what was my last post and it was the episode thoughts for TVB's 'Eye in the Sky' that I did not get to finish (and did not regret so since it was a series that turned out to be promising but nothing more).

As some people may have realised that I have already watched the mainland's version of 'Empress of China' by FanBingBing ever since it was released. Frankly despite all the budget and grand-looking costumes the plot itself is nothing spectacular and way too long for my taste. Nevertheless I enjoyed watching the whole series. 

Want my opinion on TVB's version? I initially did not get used to the cantonese dubbing and then different angle shots but yes I think TVB did a decent job by cutting down the unnecessary scenes and fast-forwarding the pace of the series. 

For those curious viewers out there wanting to know the differences between the mainland and HK version, here we go:

1. The most notable change was that TVB's version cleverly covered the cleavages with computer generated effects. 

Did TVB do the CGI effects to cover the cleavages? If so that was some pretty good editing and I shall tell you why:

-The cloths covering the cleavage don't look fake if you don't pay special attention to it because it's got shading and folds that makes it look convincing. 

-The cloths are colour co-ordinated according to the colour of their orginal costumes which blends in with the appearance in general. 

-Even when the characters are moving with the cloths the cloths seem to move at nearly the same pace, so amazingly it does look real. 

2. Thus, the camera shots that you see in TVB's version are much more varied and medium and long shots are much more plentiful with cleavages covered. 

I tell you that there were some shots that I definitely did not see from the original version, like the background and the whole costume of the female characters. It allows you to see much more scenery and yes at the expense of seeing the 'you-know' parts (not that you could see the cleavages in the censored mainland version anyway). In short, TVB's version is better. 

3. The title of the TVB's version is called 'Wuzetian', whereas the mainland Chinese title is 'Wumeiliangzhuangqi'.

Although strange there is nothing much to fuss about since this is just a name change. I suspect TVB decided to use the former name because it's more concise and straight to the point as in Wuzetian was the title for the first female emperor in China's history? Even though I get what TVB might have done but I think the latter name is more appropriate because the series itself was about FanBingBing's journey from nobody to empress and emperor. Despite how many episodes there were, there were only very very very few scenes of her actually as Wuzetian. 

4. The sound effects and background music is different in TVB's version. 

Wasn't sort of expecting this but in TVB's version they used TVB's mundane sound effects. At the first few episodes you could immediately tell that TVB used some dramatic sound effects from the 2012 TVB series 'King Maker' and then some sad sound effects from the 2014 TVB series 'Storm in a Cocoon'. I would have liked it more if TVB could of just left the sound effects as they were since I prefer the sounds from the mainland version instead. 

5. The theme song, opening and closing credits are all different. 

So Joey Yung replaced the original theme song in TVB's version. Not much comment expect while both theme songs are ok the mainland one was more dramatic and grand whilst Joey's one was more emotional. The two versions have different opening and closing credits and I don't mind either. 

Also did someone say Linda Chung's singing voice will somehow appear in the series? So far nowhere to be seen (more like heard). 

6. TVB trimmed down many scenes (worth episodes long). 

TVB definitely did the right thing by quickening the pace of the series (only if they cut the unnecessary parts and keep the important turning points in the series - in one of the episodes on TVB's version they cut the scene of Consort De actually falling to the river which was odd because I thought it was a rather necessary scene to show). According to Wikipedia, the Hunan version (that I watched) was 96 episodes, the original version was 82 episodes and TVB's version is 70 episodes. 70 episodes is still draggy in my opinion but better than 82 and 96 I suppose haha. So kudos to TVB. 

7. Needless to say, TVB's version has cantonese dubbing.

Obviously for everyone in HK to understand and listen comfortably their own language TVB's version put in cantonese dubbing with traditional chinese subtitles. I wasn't used to the dubbing at first but now I think the voice actors did well. Whoever did the dubbing for Emperor Lishimin did an excellent job since it sounded similar to the original version as sharp and authoritative. The dubbing for FanBingBing was fine and so were the other dubbing for other characters like Kathy Chou, etc. 

8. Lips look weird on TVB's version.

I realised that some netizens complained about the lighting of the series being too bright and my eyes did notice the over-brightness of the lips on the female characters, especially Kathy Chou. It looked quite artificial and looked like it was some photoshopping error or something (I'm pretty since the overbright lips weren't there on mainland's version). Strange. 

OK so basically 8 notable changes in TVB's version. In my opinion TVB did some nice adaptations but if you really want to hear their original voices and not miss out some scenes (trust me most were just talking scenes) then mainland version it is. Other than that I am impressed with how TVB handled the footages! 

I might comment more about this series as I watch more of TVB's version.