NET DECEPTION

Chinese Title: "Jui Wan Gao Yik" (roughly translated as Chasing the Spirit and Exchange??)
# of episodes: 20

Cast:
Wong Hei as Yiu Sing Tin (Eros)
Myolie Wu Hang Yee as Kong Kin Yee
Jack Wu as Tong Ka Ming
Eddie Kwan as Zhong Jin Pang (Zhong Sir)
Tiffany Lam Man Lei as Hong Sin Yee (Erica)
Lok Ying Kwan as Hon Yee Leung

Supporting Cast:
Mary Hon Ma Lei as Yee's mother
Rebecca Chan Sau Ju as Ming's mother

Plot Summary

Ming- Tin- Zhong Sir
Tin and Zhong Sir were once classmates. Many years ago, Zhong Sir's girlfriend Ella fell in love with Tin. She broke up with Zhong Sir and was about to confess her love to Tin when she was struck by a car and fell into a coma. Since then, Zhong Sir became obsessed with catching Tin who became a professional computer hacker. Tin, however, is an exceptionally intelligent man who leaves no tracks of his crimes. And so Zhong Sir enlists the newly fired police cadet Ming to go undercover and approach Tin.

Little do they know that early on Tin blows Ming's true identity. Tin offers Ming a proposal: he can stay by his side and still attempt to gather evidence, basically, the two will engage in a battle of the brains. The ambitious Ming keeps this a secret from Zhong Sir, which creates a gripping tension that moves the plot along.

Eventually Tin's crimes catch up with him. Gang enemies kidnap his grandparents and sister Yee, and his grandmother dies as a result. Tin's highly competitive nature and obsession with revenge die down when Yee is once again kidnapped, shot, and falls into a coma after being rescued. By this time, Zhong Sir discovers that Tin has always known that Ming was an undercover, and the three of them team up to catch the big bad guys. The bad guys end up dying or are sent to prison, including Tin who is sent to prison for 10+ years.

Ming - Yee - Tin - Erica

Yee and Tin are half-siblings. Born from different mothers, they were strangers until Yee reveals her true identity to Tin. The latter did not take this very well, because Yee was seen as the bastard daughter conceived from his father who never told Yee's mother that he was married. Yee never gave up in her efforts to convince Tin that all she wants is to see him happy, and eventually they build a strong relationship despite their differences in personality.

After breaking up with his cousin Kwan, Ming falls in love with Yee and they begin to date. He hides his undercover identity from her, but is eventually busted when Yee accidentally reads his diary. Devastated and convinced that Ming never loved her, they break up. Even after Ming is fired from the police squad (because Zhong Sir realized Tin found out about Ming's identity), he tells her he never loved her, because in his heart Ming still wants to catch Tin. Middle man Tin tries to reconcile them, to no avail and Yee leaves to Europe for four years to study, and returns as a prosecutor. Ming takes over Zhong Sir's position, and when Yee returns to Hong Kong, they get back together. Happy ending #1.

Tin and Erica share a peculiar relationship a la Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Erica was hired by Tin's ex-boss Hon to seduce him and watch over him, and in the process, the two actually fell in love. They share a troubled relationship, with Erica often being torn between Hon (who actually loves Erica) and Tin, who is not exactly boyfriend material. He is uncaring, untrusting, and his words never reflect what is actually in his heart. His neglect causes much grief for Erica, who ends up aborting his child. However, when Hon is caught, Erica promises to wait for Tin and they even get married in prison. Happy ending #2.

Evaluation of Cast and Characters

Wong Hei
One of TVB's most talented actors and it shows. Tin is one of the two most difficult characters to play in this series (the other one being Ming) and Wong Hei delivers one of his best performancse as the troubled hacker. He made Tin a sympathetic hero, a character who actually (if indirectly) shed the blood of others (contrary to what Tin claims later in the series) and yet the audience still cares about him and what happens to him. Wong Hei also gave Tin an appropriately constant burdened air, reminiscent of Gallen Lo's Ivan from "Golden Faith". His interaction with Myolie was remarkably affecting, as was his surprisingly strong romantic chemistry with Tiffany Lam. A very fine performance, the best of the series, though Wong Hei is a horrific singer and the theme song made me cringe.

Myolie Wu
One of the few very gifted young actresses currently acting with TVB. Myolie is natural, versatile, and always fresh. You can tell from each and every performance that she truly puts her heart in her work, and her Yee is no exception. She is attentive to every aspect of her character, from the motivations that drive their actions to the less obvious emotions they feel. Her performance during the scene where Yee's grandmother dies in the hospital was heartbreakingly sincere and brought tears to my eyes (as did Wong Hei's). Myolie is always a joy to watch, and she delivers a very good performance here as well.

Jack Wu
Neither great nor terrible. Jack is photogenic and not a horrible actor, but he is missing that star quality. Why is it that the less good-looking people are super talented (Myolie, Wong Hei, Stephen Chow, etc) and yet the pretty or good-looking people just don't have that "it" that makes a performance memorable? That's what I call sweet justice, my friends. With perhaps the most interesting character of the series, Jack's performance just doesn't cut it - it is too predictable, too obvious, too "what you see is what you get". There is no depth in his performance, which is a pity because Ming is a pivotal character of the series. He and Myolie also have zero romantic chemistry, which doesn't help the fact that their relationship was rushed to the point of confusion in the plot.

Tiffany Lam
I didn't expect anything great or even passable from Tiffany as this is her first (and only) acting job and she is (predictably) a Miss Hong Kong champ (and we all know what happens with those in terms of acting). However, I was very pleasantly surprised. Tiffany has an undeniable screen presence and her performance was surprisingly affecting. Her character Erica is the classic outwardly-cold-inwardly-warm strong woman, yet Tiffany doesn't come off as icy at all. Instead, her performance makes her character both a strong and sympathetic one. Too bad Tiffany has since left the entertainment business, because with a few more years of experience I believe she could have become a very capable and versatile actress.
PS I do not own this review.