*contains spoilers*
鐵探 The Defected (30 episodes) – 2019
Plot: 10/10
A police inspector, while on duty is shot in the head. He survives to tell his story and challenge the higher official abusing the Hong Kong police system, wanting who was responsible for the incident to be charged. Another police, the Chief Superintendent wants to continue climbing the ranks and will do anything it takes to become the first female Police Commissioner. Meanwhile, an undercover cop feels betrayed by his handler and decides to use his own means and methods to prevent her from climbing up the ranks, even if it means stepping beyond his boundaries.
Characters: 9/10
Benjamin Yuen is a police inspector who rarely goes by the rules. If he can get the job done, he does not mind stepping beyond borders to get it done. On the day of the incident, he was instructed by his supervisor Benz Hui to watch over the drugs with Oscar Leung, no matter what. However, Kara Wai starts chasing a suspect into the woods. Benjamin chases into the woods as well, accidentally being shot in the head by Philip Keung. He spends a few months recovering in the hospital, wishing to go back to the front line. No matter what his doctor tells him, he refuses to obey his instructions, causing his health to deteriorate time after time. He is finally able to rejoin the police force, but only by secretly using adult diapers and drinking minimal amounts of water because his bladder malfunctions as a prognostic symptom of the incident. Furious that Kara is able to abuse her authority within the police force, Benjamin files a formal request to investigate and report her, only to be denied because she is too high ranked. With the help of Ben Wong, he finally succeeds. Benjamin is very well-liked by his subordinates as they see each other as family and support each other. Benjamin’s good friend is his co-worker Oscar Leung. Benjamin’s love interest is Grace Wong. They are separated but have a daughter together. He has proposed to her on multiple occasions but she rejects him. After the incident, they get back together.
Kara Wai is the Chief Superintendent of the Kowloon West Region Police Headquarters. She is ambitious and strives to become the first female Police Commissioner in Hong Kong. She makes sure the people around her are loyal to her. Her husband died years ago, having committed suicide because she forced him to climb up the ranks in his company. Her eldest son Tony Hung, a police senior inspector, died three years ago and ever since she has been trying to hunt down his killer. Her younger son is Matt Yeung, who a police senior inspector. Kara was the handler of undercover Philip Keung. They originally agreed to let the person who Philip was under to go freely, but she shoots him in the woods, triggering Philip to accidentally open fire next to her ear, but the bullet also bounces onto a tree to hit Benjamin in the head, causing the unfortunate incident. After the incident, she still works with Philip in secret, who is on the run, in exchange for information. She has nearly 30 complaints from people who have previously worked under her, but none of those complaints have gone through until Ben Wong starts a disciplinary investigation against her. Her other undercover cop is Gloria Tang, a new police officer, sent to monitor Philip’s mom in the suburb village house. Her son Matt dies near the end as a result of her decision in trying to catch Berg Ng. At the end, she is left with no family and no job because of her selfishness and greed for authority.
Philip Keung was the undercover cop under Kara Wai. He requested for her to let his friend go in exchange for his information. However, Kara shoots his friend in the woods. Out of frustration, Philip fires a bullet next to Kara’s ears, which bounces onto a tree and hits Benjamin Yuen in the head. Philip refuses to turn himself in, staying on the run instead and using his own tactics to take down Berg Ng. He also feels regretful for causing harm to Benjamin, thereby donating money anonymously to him to cover his hospital expenses. Philip asks his deceased friend’s wife Vivi Lee to help take care of his mother Angelina Lo, who has Alzheimer’s, constantly asking Philip to not be a bad guy. He continues to exchange information with Kara in secret, but at the same time, he also knows her darkest secret. On the day of his older son, Tony Hung’s death, Philip had asked if he should go in to rescue him, but she declined, which resulted in Tony’s death. Kara uses his mother to threaten him in going by her ways, which then led to the death of her second son. Before he can tell it all to Otto Chan, Kara’s right-hand man, both are shot by snipers, under the instructions of Kara.
Matt Yeung is the younger son of Kara Wai. She constantly compares him to his older brother Tony Hung, who died three years ago. He was the former handler of Sisley Choi, a childhood friend. Although he knows that she has a crush on him, he tries to draw a boundary between them. He has rescued her a couple of times when she was in danger. He reveals to his mother at the end that he knows his father committed suicide and his brother also tried to commit suicide, all because they were forced to fight for power at their respective workplaces. He tries to persuade her to stop fighting for power, but she refuses to listen. On the day he dies, he finally understands what she is trying to tap to him on multiple occasions previously and confesses his love to Sisley, but before they begin, he dies under the gunshot of Berg Ng.
Sisley Choi grew up with a tragic past, being abducted by a serial killer. Because of this, she is unable to sleep lying down and is afraid of confined spaces. She was the undercover cop of Matt Yeung, who was sent to crack a case on drugs. When the drug dealer discovered her true identity, they forced her to take drugs, nearly causing her to overdose. She grew up with Matt and became a police following his footsteps. She has a crush on him, but the feeling is not mutual. She joins the police force after her undercover duties are over, being under Benjamin Yuen. On one particular operation, Matt realizes he wants to protect her and confesses his love to her, but is killed by Berg Ng moments later. She had waited all the years to be with Matt, but at the end it did not happen.
Ben Wong was originally the Chief Superintendent of the Internal Complaints Department. Ben is the second husband of Sharon Chan, who works as a Public Relations Police Superintendent. He is paraplegic, but finds the strength and courage to rock-climb. Over the years, he has tried to assist police officers to file internal complaints against Kara Wai, but they have all been rejected time after time because her ranking requires someone higher to file the complaint. When he is appointed as Assistant Chief Superintendent at the Kowloon West Regional Headquarters, or in other words, directly below Kara, he accepts the challenge. He is able to get Shek Sau, the Police Commissioner to side with him and request for a thorough rearrangement of positions at the headquarters, citing this new change would prevent people from gaining too much authority. He enlists all who had previously filed a complaint against Kara to join his team. Because of this, Kara tries to find an opportunity to get him in trouble. She demands to take charge in the operation to capture Berg Ng, but she allows him to go so that she would be able to catch him instead and therefore taking all the credits. However, her plan backfires when her own son Matt Yeung is killed. He is able to capture Berg at the end on a ship by using his arm strength to grab him as Berg tries to throw a bomb to kill him. After Ben in promoted to Assistant Commissioner, he files a complaint against Kara for disciplinary hearing.
Benz Hui is the Chief Superintendent of the Narcotics Department. He is not liked by his subordinates because he would push the blame to them every time something goes wrong. He had told Benjamin Yuen and Oscar Leung to not move and watch the drugs no matter what, but they choose to go into the woods to help Kara Wai, resulting in Benjamin’s incident. Because of this, he believes he should be responsible for getting shot in the head. After Benjamin underwent surgery and with a label reading ‘no skull’, Benz would still poke at his head. At first he was constantly butting heads with Kara, both trying to be the next Police Commissioner. Later, they work with each other to their own benefits.
Berg Ng was a former captain in the Vietnamese army and is very cold-blooded. He is the big boss behind all the illegal trades in the series. His fellow teammates all seem very loyal to him. When Philip Keung shows up agreeing to assist him in exchange for money, he has a hard time deciding whether he is telling the truth or not, although all his teammates are against this decision. Berg is also responsible for the death of Kara Wai’s sons, both of whom he killed in execution style. Ben Wong captures him at the end on a ship, and he is jailed for life. When Kara visits him in jail, he proudly professes that both of them are jailed for life: he, behind bars for his wrongdoings and she, outside of prison for sacrificing everyone around her to achieve her goals.
Oscar Leung is a good friend and subordinate of Benjamin Yuen. He would stand up for Benjamin when he is mistreated by Benz Hui and Kara Wai. When he was an undercover cop, he had to get close to Joman Chiang, his boss’ girlfriend to get information. Although it was for work reasons, in reality, he actually fell in love with her, trying to persuade her to leave the triads and live life like a normal person. His handler at the time was Tony Hung. It was also because of him that caused Tony to be indirectly killed by Berg Ng. He has a slight gambling addiction, but his friends and fellow co-workers including Benjamin, Brian Tse, Dickson Yu, and Bowie Cheung often help him out with his debts. When he gets together again with Joman, Berg Ng sets a trap for them: an explosion at her apartment, causing him severe burns all over his face and body.
Joman Chiang was the girlfriend of a triad leader, of whom Oscar Leung was trying to get close to as part of his undercover mission. But she is not as simple as anyone thought. She is actually the leader of a Vietnamese girl gang group, trying to take things little by little away from Berg Ng. When Berg finds out, he creates a bomb explosion in her apartment, causing Joman to die and Oscar to sustain serious injuries.
Grace Wong is the wife of Benjamin Yuen. She is the owner of a bar. She refuses to accept Benjamin’s proposal because he prioritizes work and his co-workers over her and their young daughter. She secretly dates her doctor Geoffrey Wong, who ironically witnessed Benjamin proposing to her the first time when they found out she was pregnant. They try to move to Finland for her daughter’s health and to have a better environment and education to grow up in, but she gets back together with Benjamin again after his incident.
Gloria Tang is a new police officer who was selected by Kara Wai to monitor Philip Keung by getting close to his mother Angelina Lo. She becomes Philip’s friend, often showing him home recordings of his mother, as he cannot constantly be by her side. When she realizes that Kara had used her, she agrees to stand up against her to tell the truth that she had wanted to put Ben Wong in trouble and capture Berg Ng by herself, which ultimately led to her own son, Matt Yeung’s death.
Music: 7/10
The themesong 鐵石心腸 (Hardhearted) is by Fred Cheng. The first subtheme song 鋼鐵有淚 (I Finally Cried) is by Hana Kuk. The second subtheme song 我記得 (I Remember) is by Jinny Ng and plays almost every time the scene is related to Matt Yeung and Sisley Choi. Overall, I did not feel attached to any of the songs, perhaps only Jinny’s when I listened to it again.
Interest Level: 9/10
Thank God for the time displayed for the sequence of events leading up to and after the incident, because sometimes it would be a few days in between while other times months would have passed. I loved the intensity and excitement of Kara Wai’s character, doing anything she could to achieve what she wanted, including sacrificing those around her. Benz Hui also did an excellent job being the bastard supervisor that everyone hates. The only thing I hated was the fact that Matt Yeung died at the end. It was heartbreaking and sad to watch. I’m a fan of happy endings, so I was not a fan that after all they went through, Matt and Sisley Choi could not have a happy ending.
Overall: 9/10
白色強人 Big White Duel (30 episodes) – 2019
Plot: 8/10
Hong Kong’s medical healthcare system is about to undergo a drastic reform, which would convert public hospitals to a private company which people could buy stocks from the hospital as an investment. Public hospitals will no longer charge a flat rate for everyone. The less fortunate might not be able to afford medical expenses. Marshall Paxton, the leading hospital in Hong Kong is set to be the first to undergo this change. There are those who strongly support this reform, those who strongly oppose this reform, and those who do not care and only want to save people as doctors.
Characters: 9/10
Roger Kwok is one of Hong Kong’s top neurosurgeon. He gave up on his private practice and moved onto Marshall Paxton Hospital to become its Deputy Chief Executive and Head of the Neuroendovascular Surgery Department as he awaited for the reform proposal to be approved by the Hong Kong government. For this reason, they have held multiple conferences, but have been unable to reach a final conclusion. If successful, he would become the CEO of Marshall Paxton, which would become privatized, under the reform. His main rival is David Chiang, who has opposed the reform from day one. Roger is willing to teach his subordinates, including Kelly Cheung, who is ironically the daughter of David. He deals with Stephen Wong’s carelessness, but only because he has a rich father supporting the medical reform. He is good friends with the married couple Max Cheung, a government official who is working on the reform together with him, and Ashley Chu, who is a news anchor and constantly helps to provide updates and reports to the general public in regards to the latest about the medical reform. But when their marriage falls apart, so does the friendship with Max, who thinks Roger is having an affair with his wife. When Roger finds out that the investors plan on cutting the A&E (Accident & Emergency) Department as the first step, he realizes that the medical reform has changed and is no longer what it was supposed to be. He begins to pave his way to stop the reform from being approved, even if that means exposing he came up with the fake numbers in the original report.
Kenneth Ma is the head of the Cardiothoracic Department. He once operated a heart transplant surgery on the Chief Executive of Hong Kong in secret. Originally he did not care about the medical reform, but was later pushed by David Chiang to become the Chief Executive of Marshall Paxton after David had to undergo surgery. This forced him to go against the reform as well, becoming a rival in the eyes of Roger Kwok. On the professional side, he is well liked by his subordinates. He was married to Natalie Tong before, but divorced because she felt he spent more time on his job than with her and was never there for her when she needed him. When there is a scare of MERS in the A&E and a lockdown is ordered, they rediscover their love for each other and get back together. He is finally there to take care of her when she needs him most. He is admired professionally and personally by Ali Lee, a good friend of Natalie, who works under him in the same department. When he finds that Ali has a tumor on her heart, he volunteers to be her doctor.
Natalie Tong was a family doctor and now a doctor in the A&E department, having completed her studies and transferred over after her divorce with Kenneth Ma. She continues to collect $1 a month from him as alimony, just a symbol that they are no longer together. The reason for their separation is because she felt he was not there for her when she needed him at times, with Kenneth sacrificing her over his career. During a MERS scare at Marshall Paxton Hospital, the A&E Department is ordered a lockdown, where no one should enter and no one could leave. Kenneth noticed on the surveillance cameras that she had not appeared for a while and suspected there was something wrong. Natalie suspected she had contracted the virus as well, but Kenneth disregards everything and decides to go in to take care of her, which turned out to be the common cold. At the end, they are scheduled to remarry. Natalie is good friends with Ali Lee and Kelly Cheung, often waiting for each other to get off work to grab dinner.
Ali Lee is a doctor in the Cardiothoracic Department, slated to become the Head of the Department when Roger Kwok was overseeing their department as well, but David Chiang hired Kenneth Ma instead. She did not see highly of Kenneth at first, but later began to admire his work ethics and professionalism. She was originally appointed by David to be the Chief Executive of the hospital, in hopes that she would side with him and stop the medical reform from happening. However, her medical history is exposed and the opposing side cited that she would be unable to take on the role. She goes to the US to recover from the heart tumor removal surgery and joins Doctors Without Borders. Her fate is unknown as someone points a gun to her head at the end.
Kelly Cheung is a doctor under Roger Kwok in the Neuroendovascular Surgery Department. Although she knows her idol Roger and her father David Chiang are on opposing sides of the medical reform, she does not bother choosing a side and barely cares about the reform. She becomes Roger’s assistant in attending meetings and conferences related to the reform.
David Chiang is a Cardiothoracic doctor and the Chief Executive of the Marshall Paxton Hospital. He has opposed the medical reform bill from the very start, stating as long as he is overseeing the hospital, he will do anything to stop the reform bill from passing. During a tumor removal procedure, he falls into a coma when he is infected by Stephen Wong, who forgot to wash his hands after handling another patient with meningitis before the surgery and his plastic gloves had a hole. After he wakes up from coma, he is barred from being the Chief Executive. He has no choice but to persuade the council members, who he had been actively standing with to accept the reform bill when they hint they would temporarily not allow his daughter Kelly Cheung to operate at her medical internal hearing.
Ram Chiang is the head of the A&E Department, as well as a good friend to both Kenneth Ma and Natalie Tong, witnessing them get married, get divorced, and get back together again. When their emergency room announces that they should no longer accept any patients because the first step of the medical reform is to shut the entire A&E Department down, he makes the brave decision to accept those injured in a car accident as they are they closest hospital to the location of the incident.
Matthew Ho is a resident in the Cardiothoracic Department. He came to Marshall Paxton with Kenneth Ma, who he sees as his mentor. He is very willing to help others. Moss Wu, a nurse at A&E secretly admires him, but his love interest is Crystal Fung.
Crystal Fung is a resident in the Cardiothoracic Department. She is friends with Ali Lee and very outspoken when she feels something is not right. She would speak up against Willie Wai at first because he often took phone calls during work hours and even during a surgery one time, denying the blame and trying to take credit for something he did not do. When Crystal realizes that Moss Wu also likes Matthew Ho, she lies about Matthew being flirty to all females so that Moss would give up.
Ashley Chu is a news anchor and good friend of Roger Kwok, whom she has a crush on. She was the wife of Max Cheung, until she got pregnant after an overseas trip and the baby was not Max’s. She only told this to Roger, causing Max to think she had an extramarital affair with their good friend Roger. She does whatever told by Roger, including exposing the dark secrets of the medical reform proposal to stop it from happening at the very end.
Music: 6/10
The themesong 選擇善良 (Choice) is by Fred Cheng. The first subtheme song 沒有你開始 (Without You) is by Hana Kuk. The second subtheme song Can You Hear is by Kayee Tam. This song was played almost everytime there was a scene of Kenneth Ma and Natalie Tong, to the point where I got sick of hearing it!
Interest Level: 9/10
This was a very unique theme because it not only revolves around the lives of medical personnel like the typical medical themed series, but also focuses on the medical reform. The whole series is very intense from start to finish because each side makes it clear that they are either supporting or rejecting the bill. We see both opposing sides’ stances. The procedures done were also more realistic looking that previous medical dramas. Part 2 is in the works and slated to begin filmng soon but Ali Lee is out due to her Instagram post last year about Hong Kong politics and Ashley Chu will most likely be out due to her scandal with Jackson Lai earlier this year.
Overall: 9/10
Part 1: Airport Strikers and Brutally Young
Part 2: Flying Tiger 2 and Line Walker 2: The Prelude
(COMING SOON) Part 4: Fist Fight and The Man Who Kills Troubles