How’s this to capture your interest?

I wonder if this is all planned. After Kristal bagged home the Best Actress Award a week ago, her drama Return of the Silver Tongue immediately premiered. Not only is she the female lead, she also sings the theme song with adorable actor, Fred Cheng, who has been basked in the limelight for his participation in The Voice of the Stars. It’s an entertaining series so far with Kristal anchoring my interest in her vibrant, saucy performance.

Episode 1-4 Impression & Summary:

In the small Ching Sum County, our hero, Cheung Sei Wai (Roger Kwok), lives as a dutiful scholar and a teacher, determined to spread Confucius teaching to the younger generation. However, he only has 5 students (if you count the cow) because people are more interested in superstition than learning about principles. To top it off, the official of Ching Sum is powerless and dim-witted, which allows the rich to flaunt their privileges and pull the strings. To fight the increasing injustice, Sei Wai resorts to writing charge letters for the poor. His first case is about a widow, Suen Chor Chor (Grace Wong), whose bad luck causes the death of her first husband before the wedding ceremony was completed. Unfortunately, another wealthy man salivates to marry her.

Poon King Chuen (Cheung Kwok Keung), the attorney notorious for his ability to distort facts, twisting the story to his client’s favor, wins the case by saying that it’s immoral to have a widow lives in the same household with men who are strong, single, and sexually active. To prevent indecency from happening, Chor Chor should marry (again). As they say, she’s a husband killer, so during the second wedding ceremony, the perverted lecher dies suddenly. More troubles arise when the lecher’s lustful son leers at his new step mom. Once again, Sei Wai prepares to help but his eagerness is deemed inappropriate and obscene in the people’s eye.

While King Chuen is unbeatable in court, he hides an upsetting secret. Upon first look, his son, Poon Yee Ming (Jerry Lam) seems as demeaning as his dad but the truth lies in his nervous glances. Turns out, the anxious behavior stems from his pair of deaf ears. He compensates by screaming his way through the roads, hoping that people would back off and never learn about his disability. When night falls, this loud-mouthed man paints his eyes black, puts on fake breasts, adorns a black outfit to give money to the people his dad has bullied. When caught by his personal maid, she comes along to be his eyes and ears.

While the townspeople are not friendly with Sei Wai, he has a few good friends. One is Ha Hau Mo (Evergreen Mak), head detective of Ching Sum County. Well-trained in martial arts, Hau Mo only has one goal in mind: to find a missing attorney, Chan Mung Kat. Hau Mo believes that the said attorney has wrongfully framed his father years ago, leading to the man’s death. Hau Mo hates the man so much that a simple mention of Chan Mung Kat turns his face into a pink tomato. Working under Hau Mo is Choi Do Wah (Fred Cheng), a male with an unhealthy affinity to gambling.

Priscilla Wong plays Chow Guk, a devoted student under Sei Wai’s teaching. She loves to eat and often boasts about her unusual strength for a woman. Chow Guk’s a friendly tomboy. Not a threat.

Well, unless she has you pinned against the wall with a desk. 🙂 And she’s adorable so far!

Our leading lady, the witty and assertive Ho Wai Chun (Kristal Tin) makes her appearance at the end of episode 1. Her background is questionable and she’s able to talk her way around everything, enough to make Sei Wai agrees to let her stay in his place (after a naughty incident in the opening screencap, *hinthint*) When Chan Mung Kat’s belongings begin to circulate in the market, she comes up with a brilliant idea to pose as his daughter. I love that she’s always ten steps faster than the villain, to the point of preparing Chan Mung Kat’s spiritual tablet to explain his disappearance and eventual passing. However, her lie is quickly exposed because Sei Wai doesn’t like that she’s using Chan Mung Kat’s reputation to take advantage of the silly townspeople.

To complicate matters, Wai Chun gets involved in Chor Chor’s legal dispute and lends a hand to the case by writing the charge sheet using Sei Wai’s blood. She explains it’s necessary to show the authority that they’re sincere and dramatically serious. hehe. The group questions her ability but she assures them confidently, “I just know how to win. I don’t know how to lose.” Of course, after hounding the storyteller for King Chuen’s background, she wants to pee in her pants. Lo and behold, her brain starts spinning out a plan. Knowing that King Chuen has a condescending habit of making the people and officer wait for him at court, she trades out his sedan-chair carriers and hires a new crew to drop him off in the mountain.

By the time his old legs carry him back home, the case is long over, and Wai Chun sets up a desk right at the entrance to gloat about her easy win. He hisses at her underhanded strategy but she remains unfazed, “I just used the right trick for the right person.” When he turns around to leave, she reminds him of their bet. He has to write the word “Admiration” and sign it.

While he doesn’t show it to her face, King Chuen is impressed with Wai Chun and smiles that an interesting person has appeared.

Episode 4 ends with this scene. A silly sequence that quickly turns tiresome as Hau Mo and Do Wah chase the masked men. Two of them are Yee Ming and his maid out to give some money to Chor Chor, and the new masked face is someone we don’t know….yet (Knowing Tvb, it’s obvious who he is! lol.)

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Kap: I like it so far. The humor is at times amusing but other times needlessly dragged out. My main issue with the story is the instant switch between drama and comedy, which is jarring and disconnecting. Take the scene below for instance. The step son is trying to rape his step mother but the door abruptly opens and smacks his face (not that he didn’t deserve that.) It’s like you’re investing in the emotions and then bams! the director takes you out of the moment. Funny background songs often pops up at an ill time too. Here’s a case where the writer should pick one genre and stick to it.

Looking at all the characters, Kristal’s Wai Chun is the standout star. She’s shrewd and quick on her feet, never backing down from a verbal argument. And what she sputters out is logical things that we regularly scream at the candy heroines. What I love more about Wai Chun is how she lives in the moment. She isn’t bogged down by past experiences and always look forward to a new day. She says, and I quote, “Yesterday, I didn’t have money. I was broke. That doesn’t mean I still am today.”

What to do when someone looks down on you: Turn your head defiantly and stare at them right back. I luff her.

Roger’s a capable actor but his role so far isn’t challenging his acting chops at all. But I love their dynamic and chemistry. They work well together because one plays strictly by the book while the other one has a brain of street smarts.

Themesong: “Two Words” – Kristal Tin & Fred Cheng

I also adore the themesong! It’s catchy and upbeat. You feel happy listening to it. I didn’t know that Kristal sings so well! She has a smooth voice that blends well with Fred’s.