FATE TWISTER

Cantonese Title: Hak Ye Choi Hong Chinese Title: Hei Ye Cai Hong (Translates as: “Night Rainbow”)
No. of Episodes: 20
The Cast: (In Cantonese with Chinese pronunciation in parenthesis)
Lawrence Ng - Lok Tin Sang (Le Tian Sheng) Ada Choi - Seung Hei (Chang Xi) Gigi Lai - Lam Oi Mei, Amy (Lin Ai Mei, Amy) Eddie Kwan - Hong Zheng (Kang Zheng)
Special Mention:
Jenny Shing - Siu Loi (Xiao Lei)
Introduction:
This series is one of the sleeper-hits of 2003. Made with a low budget, it managed to garner good viewership ratings in Hong Kong despite being overshadowed by other high profile productions. Story-wise, “Fate Twisters” is unremarkable, playing on familiar scenarios such as a rich man finding his long-lost son, corporate ladder struggles, and the lives of the lower middle-class. But what made it such a success were the spot-on casting, accomplished characterisation, and outstanding performances all round.
The Story:
Lok Tin Sang (Lawrence Ng) grew up never knowing the identity of his father . He becomes the sole breadwinner after his mother’s death, driving a delivery van to support his uncle and cousin who are your average good-for-nothings. A traffic accident causes him to be charged in court where he becomes acquainted with the key witness, Seung Hei (Ada Choi), a shy and bumbling girl. Even though Tin Sang is eventually acquitted, the both of them hit off on a wrong note and retain bad impressions of each other.
Shortly after, Seung Hei’s sister and brother-in-law pass away from a series of freak accidents, leaving their infant daughter behind. A guilt-stricken Seung Hei is forced to abandon her studies and vows to raise her niece up as her own. She begins taking on menial jobs, working wee hours of the night to support her ailing daughter, and basically forgoes all chances of meeting the right partner.
Several years later, Tin Sang finally graduates from university and finds work in a logistics company. There, he meets up with old friend Hong Zheng (Eddie Kwan) and super-career woman Amy Lam (Gigi Lai). Initially loggerheads with Amy, Tin Sang eventually become buddies with the duo, and the three of them begin working as a team to carve a niche in the company.
Meanwhile, Tin Sang’s uncle and cousin finding themselves in dire financial straits, accepts Seung Hei and her daughter as tenants without Tin Sang’s knowledge. And so begins a domestic relationship between Tin Sang and Seung Hei that involves much name-calling, fist-flying and many hilarious incidents. Gradually, Tin Sang realises that Seung Hei is not the money-grubber that he envisions her to be, and Seung Hei comes to find Tin Sang a very caring man who doesn’t mind that she is an uneducated housewife saddled with a child.
Hong Zheng also confesses his love for Amy, and the duo begins an secret love affair because Amy has her eyes set on becoming the co-owner of the company through ahem, amorous means. Finding the chairman Choi Wing Chi impervious to her charms, she switches target to Tin Sang after stumbling across a secret that reveals Tin Sang as Mr. Choi’s illegitimate son. Amy discloses the news to the paparazzi, forcing Mr. Choi to acknowledge Tin Sang and accord him a position in his family and business. She then works next to wreak Seung Hei’s reputation in order to separate her and Tin Sang.
Rebuffed, Hong Zheng pursues the second daughter of the Choi family to boost his own position in the company while secretly hoping that Amy would openly reciprocate his affections one day. Meanwhile, Amy latches on Seung Hei’s daughter as the weak link. Her antics eventually land the little girl in a coma, and Tin Sang and Seung Hei’s relationship in shreds.
Unfortunately for Hong Zheng and Amy, their tryst is caught on camera by Kiki, Tin Sang’s friend, who then proceeds to blackmail them. Amy eventually murders Kiki, but Tin Sang ends up being accused of the crime. To save Tin Sang, Seung Hei gives a false statement under oath, and is sentenced to jail on the charge of perjury. She entrusts her comatose daughter to Tin Sang who promises to wait for her release…
Characterisation and Performances:
Lawrence Ng as Lok Tin Sang
Lawrence Ng does a fine job of portraying the likeable Tin Sang. His character starts off as an unpretentious deliveryman and he convincingly carries that down-to-earth attitude throughout the show even when he rises to become a logistics manager. There is however, a little glitch that distracted me about his performance: the character of Lok Tin Sang is too good to be true!
There is a scene towards the end when Ada breaks off with Lawrence, and Gigi begs him to give her up. He replies that it didn’t matter if nothing was ever possible between him and Ada again, because she was his one true love and he’d take care of her for the rest of her life. Lawrence’s versatility prevented that line from sounding corny, but I remember thinking, gee, all the women in the world must be blind if they aren’t snapping up a guy like that...
Ada Choi as Seung Hei
Ada Choi is indisputably one of the reasons why this series is so good. Seung Hei is very different from many other roles she has played previously, and she is an absolute joy to watch here. As an uneducated, loudmouthed housewife cum over-protective mother with a heart of gold, she hits the nail on every aspect of her performance. Her crying scenes are wonderfully done, drawing the audience in effortlessly, and she has certainly earned a new fan in me.
I also love the word play on the name of her character: Seung Hei means ‘Always Happy’, but it also sounds like ‘Long-Winded’, which sums up her character very well. Ada has amazing chemistry with Lawrence, a fact already established in “Healing Hands”, and it is refreshing to see that chemistry re-kindled in two humble and down-to-earth characters that you might see every day on the streets.
Gigi Lai as Amy Lam
Gigi Lai also undertook a role that is very different from the gentle, goodie-two-shoes characters that she usually plays. Her Amy Lam is sophisticated and posh, but beneath that smooth exterior, she is emotionally and psychologically stunted, having never grown up after her traumatic childhood. Gigi brings a strong degree of professionalism and dignity to her performance that prevents the character of Amy from becoming overly pathetic. She is a formidable antagonist in the series, but she also invites sympathy in her portrayal. This series proves that Gigi can break out of the roles she is usually typecast in.
Eddie Kwan as Hong Zheng
This is Eddie Kwan’s first role since returning to TVB, and he can still deliver quite a performance even though I felt that he didn’t have much to work with in here. Eddie’s Hong Zheng starts off unremarkable, but as his anxiety for Amy edges to the surface, he becomes a more interesting character to watch. His performance is especially solid in two particular instances: when he thought he has killed somebody, and when he realises that Amy is ready to sacrifice him to the law so that she can go scot-free.
Other Characters
Other than the four main actors above, there are also many supporting characters that deserve mention. Jenny Shing, the child actress who plays Ada’s daughter shines in here, and I especially like the parts where Lawrence, Ada and Jenny interact with each other as parents and child.
The other three actors that gave above-average performances were Tin Sang’s uncle and cousin and Kiki. Many a times, you’d feel totally exasperated by their ‘cheapness’, but they provided a nice counterbalance to the more serious characters in the show.
The only complaint I have is of the actor who plays Choi Wing Chi. I like many of the older actors who take on supporting roles in TVB series, but this guy just irritates the hell out of me. The character of Choi Wing Chi has a lot of scope for expression – the realisation that he actually has a son with his lover, the fact that he has to answer to his wife and family for his illicit affair, and the problems that plague his business, but all this guy succeeds in doing is looking stuffed.
My Overall Opinion:
“Fate Twisters” is a heart-warming production that doesn’t try to shove its themes in your face. Usually, I am liable to cringe over badly written scripts and over-the-top performances that are rife in such social dramas, but I find little that irks my sensibilities in here. There are strong elements of comedy, drama and suspense, and the plot is nicely paced. The ending also came as a natural conclusion that didn’t feel rushed. I do have one query though: are the Hong Kong paparazzi as bad as they are portrayed? I couldn’t help my sense of disbelief at the intense scrutiny that the characters had to face from the reporters in the series.
Conclusion:
The theme song is sung by William So, and it’s a great addition to an already excellent production. Don’t miss the scene where Ada dresses up as a giant chicken and runs across the road to reach Lawrence and her daughter. I was laughing so hard because it was downright hilarious. My conclusion? I wholly enjoyed this series even though I started out not being a fan of any of the actors. It is, in my opinion, one of the best productions of the year.
PS I do not own this review.