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The Threat of Love II

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Series Reviews >> The Threat of Love II

Casts: Lawrence Ng, Sheren Tang, Nancy Sit, Kevin Cheng, Shirley Yeung, Chung King Fai
Length: 10 episodes
Genre: Short Stories

Review in Brief

The concept of telling short series with the same unifying theme is a refreshing one, and TVB should certainly revisit this idea. Not only does it challenge actors to morph into various roles, it also entertains viewers with such a great diversity in storytelling. Although the term "brilliant" cannot describe each storyline, I find the series overall satisfactory. More so impressive are the performances from our cast members, especially Lawrence and Sheren.

Plot

Episode 1 - Old Husband Young Wife | She used to want a simple life only. A loving husband who provides her three meals a day is all she asked for. But upon settling in Hong Kong, the path towards corruption began. She became greedy, not for money, but for a more compatible love. Though her secret affair gave her momentary bliss, it ultimately arrested her in a fate all too deserving yet pitiful...

Episode 2 - When EQ has matured | The typical storyline of a workaholic husband and his housewife. He works hard to get promoted. She spends her time consumed in worries and suspicions when he does not pick up the phone. And in enters a female colleague whose heart seemingly is entirely devoted to work...

Episode 3 - Goodbye Old Father | A car crash transported him back in time - to when his parents were around his own age. Living through days of simplicity, he finally understood that there is more to life than a successful career. Precisely, family is most important.

Episode 4 - Beyond Madness Pills | To escape reality, she became addicted to ecstasy pills. And soon, they took over her life and career. No longer the famous celebrity, she began dealing drugs. In an attempt to escape police officers, she got in a car crash and subsequently died. Her death awoke her best friend to start anew and lead a more meaningful life.

Episode 5 - Lonely Era | Terrified of loneliness, they love recklessly and irresponsibly. This self-destructive lifestyle was fortunately soon forsaken once they were reminded of family members and friends who have always stood by them. In the end, they chose to love sincerely and not to simply fill in the void of their lonely lives.

Episode 6 - Three Times in Haste | A pointless storyline of a wife confronting her husband's mistress (three times).

Episode 7 - Spirit Removal | A surprisingly touching story of a ghost blessing his family.

Episode 8 - Three Men With "Bags" | Um... I don't think I grasped the objective of this episode aside from it being an advertisement for condoms. lol.

Episode 9 - Winter Warmth | A drug addict sold his 18-months-old son. His wife since became an alcoholic and gambler, making a living out of pickpocketing. By chance, she made acquaintance with a police officer, who eventually found the whereabouts of her son. It was then that she finally found warmth in the middle of winter.

Episode 10 - Mainland Dancing Gigolo | In the pursuit of a successful career, husbands neglect their wives. To combat loneliness, these wives turned to dancing instructors. Some to merely dance, others to start an affair...

Favorite storyline: "Goodbye Old Father" - simple yet beautiful and meaningful. I believe I am more career-oriented than most women. But, at the end of the day, family is my number one priority. And this storyline illustrates precisely that. It was poignantly told, employing nothing but simplicity.

Performances

Lawrence Ng - Prior to viewing this series, I thought Lawrence was typecasting himself in good, professional roles. But wow, this series truly attests his versatility. I especially adore his performance in episode five. Lawrence portrayed a very, very cute gay role. Aside from that, he also successfully transformed into an elderly, a flirtatious guy, and of course, the honest role we've been accustomed to seeing Lawrence in.

Sheren Tang - She is the main reason why I wanted to watch this series. And certainly, I was not disappointed. All ten episodes featured Sheren in different personalities and hairstyles. She was innocent, flirty, hard-working, reckless, refined, corrupted, beautiful, old, and young. Her performance was realistic not only in facial gestures and attires, but also makeup - or the lack of makeup as some scenes required. This is an actress who is not afraid to show her "ugly" side if the script demands it. This is an actress that won my admiration since day one.

Kevin Cheng - Although his acting is more convincing here than his 'Best Actor' performance in "Under the Canopy of Love", I don't think Kevin could ever impress me.

Shirley Yeung - With the exception of episode 6, Shirley impresses me with her natural (and non-exaggerated) acting. It is rather ironic that she was a better actress in 2002 than in more recent productions that I've seen, i.e. "The Biter Bitten".

Overall

I recommend watching the odd-numbered episodes only. Although I thoroughly enjoyed watching several storylines unfold, the series as a whole is not more than average. The idea of mini-plots in one series is more alluring than the actual series itself.

Rating: C

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