(I got to the end of the episode and realized that my screencaps didn't save, argh! So no picture today. Sometime, I'll rewatch the episode and update this.)
*Episode 36 spoilers.*
Considering how close we are to the end, I’m surprised to be getting an episode that’s fairly insular and has very little connection to the larger story until the second half. It’s still a good one, though, and features some nice scenes for Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
Wai Siu-bo has managed to avoid pretty much everyone who’s after him. After neutralizing the last of the Devine Dragons, he plans to embrace an idyllic island life with his wives in tow. Tranquility, it turns out, doesn’t suit him, but a trio of unexpected arrivals on the island bring the action back to him in a major way. Back on the mainland, the emperor’s army tries to squeeze out Ng Sam-kwai, who has other ideas.
It's one of those episodes where it sticks tight to Wai Siu-bo for the first 80+% of the runtime, then hops over to a different plot at the very end. In this case, it’s the Ng Sam-kwai stuff. He’s been off the board for a bit, so it’s good to check back in him, as well as his (now former) wife Chan Yeun-yeun.
The rest of the episode takes place at Take-All Island, which is where Wai Siu-bo previously camped out during the military operation against the Devine Dragons. Their foes presently defeated and/or evaded, Siu-bo prepares to settle in for a nice long rest with his wives. There are complicating factors, of course—the princess doesn’t play well with the others, and despite Siu-bo’s longing for peace and quiet, he quickly goes stir-crazy with boredom. There’s a fun scene of him trying to teach his wives the not-so-subtle art of shouting and swearing while playing dice, and when they don’t really get the point behind it, he throws a tantrum and sulks off—very on brand.
However, we get more than just running around and humorous overreactions from him today. There are some nice serious scenes as well that give Tony Leung Chiu-wai the opportunity to flex several groups of acting muscles. I like the heart-to-heart between him and Fong Yee, where they addresses her past betrayals of him (even though some of those betrayals were definitely performed under duress.) There’s an excellent dramatic scene after some of his enemies finally catch up to him, with Wai Siu-bo alternately frantic and heartbroken to see someone close to him in dire straits. We see his steelier side when he discovers a secret one of his friends has been keeping from him. And he finally shows a kinder side to Or, gentler and more respectful instead of “playfully” crossing her boundaries.
I also want to shout out a scene where Wai Siu-bo’s wives decide to throw dice to see which one will share his bed during their first night on the island. As Siu-bo waits outside for them to see who wins, he observes, “I am a gambler all my life, but this time I am the bet. Serves me right.” That cracked me up.
No comments:
Post a Comment