Clesias
This review may contain spoilers
Based on my experience watching the first installment in the Burning Flames series, I was pretty ready to bash the second installment. But to my surprise, this was absolutely a delightful watch, from the plot, the characters to even the theme song!As opposed to the first installment which mainly relied on melodramatics to progress the plot, the writers decided to go a different way in this show. Instead on the firefighters' lives, the focus shifts to the act of fire-fighting itself. A huge kudos to the writing/research team for adding depth (deeper research into the mechanics and tools of fire-fighting) and also breadth (introducing other parts of the fire bureau that the general public might not know much about, like the airport fire-fighting station, naval stations and divers), and also the production crew for creating the "fires" and "explosions" that made the show more thrilling and yet, realistic.
The characters are also much more nuanced than those in the first installment. Wong Hei's character is no longer the one-dimensional Yau whose only ambition is to be a fire-fighter. The most interesting thing in Hei's portrayal in both shows is that Gei-Tak is is complacent and lazy, an anti-thesis to Yau, and yet he was able to bring out both of his characters to life in a memorable way. The reason for his complacency is because his priorities solely lie in caring for his daughter and though he slowly learned to take his job seriously, his priorities never changed. Yiu-Yiu remains his anchor throughout the show, even with the addition of Yee in his life, and that is what struck me as really good character writing. It wouldn't make sense for a single father to place his only child as a lesser concern just to focus on his job and his love life. His character development comes not from his shift in focus, but him learning to care for his daughter in a different and more challenging way - pushing himself at work so as to make a better future for the both of them and to provide her with a good example to follow.
As much as I disliked the idea of not including any female fire-fighter in this installment, I absolutely love Yee. Maggie Cheung has always been a phenomenal actress and so, it's no surprise that she's able to endear Yee to the audience (me) but Yee is also a rather rounded character, with differing emotions, fears and desires at various points of the show. She doesn't remain stagnant in the show but the change in her perspective or in the way she relates to Gei-Tak and Mark doesn't seem jarring to the audience. Yee might very well be one of my favorite female characters in TVB history.
Alex Fong was really the reason I started on this show as I love him to pieces and I'm on a lifelong quest to watch any show he's in (except Split Second because that was a terrible show and I would not waste a single second on it.) Generally, the love triangle between Wilson, Yan and Michelle annoyed me and I felt that it was one of the weaker plot-lines as it was so unnecessary. The growing differences between Yan and Wilson's perspectives were actually enough for her to leave their marriage and learn to be independent, without throwing in a third party. But at the same time, I adore the friendship between Yan and Michelle. In an ideal world, we would have them best of friends without Wilson boggling it down, sighs. What redeemed this tiresome plot-line was how they all matured through this experience. Flora Chan was charismatic in her role that it seemed that she was the one destined for Wilson, not Yan. (I think Michelle actually became a basis to how she approached her role as Belle in Triumph in the Skies and it worked.)
The theme song is probably the most obvious change between the first and second installment. No longer an anthem for simple bravery, as in Andy Lau's 火焰心 (Flame Burning Heart), Aaron Kwok's 燈蛾 (Moth) is heavier in terms of its beats and lyrics. I never thought Kwok to be a good singer but his rugged/rough singing here actually suits the tone of the song as it refuses to reduce the characters into one-dimensional depictions. It acknowledges the fear in the fire-fighters, their emotions when it comes to their loved ones, and also their courage in setting all these aside to do their jobs.
Sophisticated is the word I will use to describe this show. It properly balances the occupational aspects with the emotional plot-lines, and weaves the theme tightly in the use of its theme-song and especially the characters. Really one of the best TVB drama I've seen in years! (Such a pity that the third installment was another disappointment.)
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What actually stopped me from doing so was the way the story quickly derailed into the kind of melodrama I absolutely abhor in the 90s and early 2000s TVB dramas. Messy love triangles? Checked. Jealous, prideful male characters who insist on emotionally blackmailing the women they so-called love? Checked. Mental illness being twisted into something scary? Checked. Unnecessary resorting to suicide? Checked.
Nitpicking aside, the performances by the artistes were top-notch, especially Wong Hei's. It's no wonder he was in all three installments of the Burning Flame series as he quickly grabbed the audience's attention as the passionate firefighter. Tin-Yau's rash and impulsive abandoning of his own safety can be a tad annoying at times but ultimately, we all root for him. Same goes to Chin Ka Lok's Dai-Heng and tragically, Joe Tay's Bat. Even Lee San San, whom I was never really impressed with, managed to win me over in her role of endearing and sweet girl-next-door Yuet.
Ultimately, this is a prime example of 90s TVB dramas and definitely, a lasting memory of many HK citizens. But it is not something I would like to re-watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Urban legends and folktales have always been an interesting topic to me, which was why I was really excited to finally start on this. In just a week, I finished the whole series because the episodes mostly ended on cliff-hangers and I had to watch the next episode immediately to know who's the murderer. That being say, I was disappointed in two ways. Firstly, the mysteries didn't really focus on the urban legends/folktales, even though the murder plots were based on them. More often than not, the urban legends/folktales merely acted as McGuffins and even then, the stories don't get developed much. Although, it does help that Doctor Poon is a professor in folktale studies and she provides the academic explanations that goes well with her theories. Speaking about her theories, most of them need a huge jump of faith in order to reach them and I can't be the only one who felt that they seemed very illusory and grasping at straws?
Secondly, a series like this is undoubtedly plot-driven. But to sacrifice proper character writing is a huge mistake. All of the characters seem empty and devoid of proper character development. Even Doctor Poon, who underwent an emotional roller-coaster at the end of the series, didn't really feel like she was very much affected by what she had learned (including the truth about her identity and her family). That is not to say Rosina Lam gave a bad performance. I feel that all of the cast did well with what they have been given, especially Rosina who executed her role with poise and gracefulness.
What I actually liked about the show is that it's not framed as a horror show meant to scare but as a form of education, to remind the audience that these stories are a part of Hong Kong's history and that it is important to learn and appreciate about one's culture and history (especially the histories not included in the official national narrative).
All in all, this was a thrilling watch and a great premise, but the writing seems clunky at times and poorly executed. While the poor writing can be a turn-off, it didn't really affected my watching and these are the things that will surely be better, should there be a sequel. Those who are fans of crime shows like Elementary and Bones, which feature intricate murder plots and unassuming murderers, will like this.
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