Where’s the line, Georgie? I gotta be first to get that guarantee!!
Now that I’m free from The Way We Were, I decided to check out a newly premiere SETTV’s drama, Love Cheque Charge, featuring baby Georgie and Phoebe Yuan, an actress who has an uncanny resemblance to his previous co-star, Annie. Then I belated realized it’s a freakin’ daily drama! For a whopping 70 episodes…. I am not happy with this arrangement. Georgie, I don’t do dailies! You know that! Can’t you be more a little more considerate and star in a normal 15-episode drama? With Gui Gui? (I had to throw that in there, drifters.)
First episode is decent.
Episode 1 Picture Commentary:
Year 2011.
We dive right into the main event, two strangers sitting across from each other. The man: He Bu Fan, and the crying woman is Xu Man Man.
His purpose:
Her response is unlike that of a real person…
Bu Fan thinks of a quick solution. He makes her an out-of-this-world contract because that’s what strangers do.
Outside, Bu Fan meets up with this “friend.”
Man Man walks away, holding the check.
Now that’s over. Let’s learn more about our male lead.
Because Georgie is my bias:
Those cherry lips. heehee.
3 years later. 2014.
Not much is known about Man Man yet, except she lives and takes care of three kids.
Man Man arrives at the train station and slips through the train doors, she misses the pole and falters backward…and..
Mental Pause.
Okay, I’m back.
She goes to a different seat and turns on her fangirl mode.
At a fancy building, she finally recognizes his face on the poster as the guy who broke up with her.
He’s currently a speaker at a conference, relaying the idea to people that “Love is a high-risk investment.” She tsks at his theory and gets up to leave but her cellphone rings and this irks the presenter and he publicly chides her, reminding her how important contracts and principles are in the business world. She turns around and challenges him, “You’ve never broken a deal before?” He confidently says yes, which prompts her to walk up to the stage and presents him with the Love Cheque he made three years ago.
What kind of person is she? Carrying that check around for three years?
They relocate to the cafeteria, with her having the upper hand now. Exasperated with her taking his silly promise literally, he calls himself the victim of the situation too and she’s incredulous. Since words do not enter her mind, he takes a bathroom break….
For 30 minutes. Man Man calls her doctor friend and wonders what could be wrong with him.
Nothing is wrong. He just gotta run far, far away from her.
That’s what I’m sayin’.
He returns home. The awkward moment where the father would like to ask how his life has been in the states but the son doesn’t want to speak too much.
Meanwhile, we meet two more important characters. The man in pink without the glasses is He Guan Yu (Jet Chao), and he’s Bu Fan’s younger brother. The nerdy guy is Wang Bo Hao (Jay Shih), a close friend.
Immediate observation about Guan Yu:
Flowers literally bloom under nerdy friend’s supreme strength and skill. LOL.
The brothers and friend meet up at the gym. Afterwards, we get these shots:
Some rippling back muscles. 😉
Story-wise, Bu Fan encourages socially-inept Bo Hao to step out of his comfort zone (read: Playing video games all day in the dark) and finds a decent job as a system engineer.
Guan Yu puts his arms around the two men and suggests they come work for his new online company. He’s the CEO and really needs all the manpower.
Bu Fan does not like the idea his younger brother threw out.
One is a serious business man whose obsession with time is gonna go haywire in the same area as his easy-going, devil-may-care brother.
A minute later, Bu Fan receives a notification from his company – they’re firing him. O_O
Lol, the silly brother is elated. “YESH!! Come work for me!”
Guan Yu reveals that if he doesn’t, the debts will fall on their father since the loans are signed under his name. Oh, you sneaky! Next day, Bu Fan visits the bank and runs into Man Man. He has the worst luck!
Within seconds, trouble comes in the form of a masked man trying to rob the bank with a fake gun.
I’m glad Bu Fan is no idiot and charges forward to pull her away.
She’s angry at him for risking her life and when he explains that it’s a fake gun, she sputters out nonsense, “SO? IT COULD HURT! WHAT IF IT HITS MY EYE?”
This mama needs a spankin!
Man Man complains to her doctor friend about the handsome yet irritating guy.
PREACH IT, SISTER. I’M RIGHT HERE WITH MY HOOK!
Guan Yu welcomes his brother to his new store.
Then…
———————————– END ——————————————
Kappy: As with all dramas, passing off a judgement after one episode is hardly fair, let alone a daily drama with over 60 episodes. But since I’m not planning to follow this monstrous baby, episode 1 felt a bit off to me. I don’t blame the actors but the writing definitely needs some brushing up. Man Man’s reaction to the break-up scene? Clearly a set-up and not to be taken realistically (what kind of women react that way? Shouldn’t she be asking where the dude is and why? Shouldn’t she be suspicious of this stranger?) The absurdity, of course, is needed to move the plot forward without a logical explanation. This screams laziness on the writer’s part.
Character wise, I’m liking the the supporting secondary boys – Guan He and Bo Hao. They are natural in their roles and because of their contrast in personality, it makes up for some fun teasing and bonding moments. They might steal the limelight away from the main pairing, if the writers are not careful. As for George’s Bu Fan, so far he’s irritable and too anal at the moment. I’m trying to remember whether he smiles at all during episode 1 and I can’t think of one. Georgie! Where’s that sunshine smile? Phoebe’s Man Man is also slightly exaggerated right now. Maybe she’ll calm down in a few episodes.
Performance wise, too early to judge. It might help Phoebe to turn that bugged-eyed expression down a notch or two. No comments on the rest.
This has potentials but too long for moi! Daily drama fans must be happy though!
7 thoughts on “Love Cheque Charge: Episode 1 “Potentials but…””
Lol….some of these comments crack me up! 😀
I did not know George’s english is this fluent. He sounds so sexy and confident. He does put kdrama actors to shame. In general, Taiwanese drama actors do a better job of speaking and incorporating English.
I read some comments at viki and some fans are a bit mean – asking to replace the main actress with Annie. I mean, really? The drama has already started filming – watch it or you don’t. I’m all for new pairings. It’s too recent for Annie and George to reunite. Phoebe reminds me of this chinese actress but I can’t put finger on a name yet.
The “friend” seems suspicious. He looks fine and all, so why not break-up with her in person?
70 episodes, I don’t even watch sagueks with 40 episodes…..
7 thoughts on “Love Cheque Charge: Episode 1 “Potentials but…””
IKR, what’s wrong with the fans lol. I got bored of Annie/George’s pairing in Love Around. Love, Now is enough for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love them in Love, now. Annie made a good decision not to do a 3rd love collab with George.
70 episodes…I stopped watching this after ep8. will continue when I feel like it lol
SPOILERS* friend* is an angel now and he will appear in later episodes.
7 thoughts on “Love Cheque Charge: Episode 1 “Potentials but…””
So they were in two dramas together? LOL. I keep thinking it’s one long, long drama. 😛
Ah, I guessed that “part” when they showed the missing friend in the before and after photo of the couple taking pictures together. I’m a geeeeenius! 😎
7 thoughts on “Love Cheque Charge: Episode 1 “Potentials but…””
er no. actually most TW drama english can hear that they tried. i often watched american drama and movies. i think oni very few of HK and TW actors can speak really well. even Kdrama up till now hvnt seen one very fluet. but i dun often watch kdrama anyways.
7 thoughts on “Love Cheque Charge: Episode 1 “Potentials but…””
George’s first language is English though… he only learnt Chinese when he entered the industry!
I saw a little bit of the first ep and thought it was fun. The other actors in this are cute so I think that’s a good reason to pick this up and have no life for the next few months lol.
7 thoughts on “Love Cheque Charge: Episode 1 “Potentials but…””
Our Georgie is a genius! Ahhhh! ~~~
I’m not a daily person…gawd. Judice, yep, I saw the comments too, very unpleasant.
Kat, Lol….the life of a drama fangirl. Tragic case of panda eyes!
7 thoughts on “Love Cheque Charge: Episode 1 “Potentials but…””
hahahaha.. seriously, this recap is hilarious.. you’re so creative.. LOLs..
70 episodes.. okaaayy i like daily drama.. my fave daily drama is still Inborn Pair! but i love watching and enjoying Georgie’s handsome look on Love, Now. he’s soooo fine!
ps : is he dating someone with now?