Episodes: 30 Cast:
Joe Ma: Martin Ko Fung, the CEO of Royal Court Hotel. Kenix Kwok: Becky Koo Bik Kay, head of communications at Royal. Ron Ng: Wong Kai Kit, Wong Yuk Ting's third son Ella Koon: Li Hoi Sum, Kit's good friend Derek Kwok: Martin's assistant and good friend, an intelligent lawyer. John Chiang: Cheng Wing Fat, the younger brother of Ting's first wife and the uncle of Ji and Yip. Ellesmere Choi: Wong Kai Ji, Wong Yuk Ting's oldest son. Mok Kar Kiu: Wong Kai Yip, Wong Yuk Ting's second son. Winnie Yeung: Kai Ji's wife. Mary Hon: Kit's mother and Yuk Ting's second wife. Elaine Yiu: Fat's daughter. Lo Hoi Pang: Ko San/Tsang Dai Hoi
Plot Overview (Spoilers)
Lau Dan is the founder of the Royal Court Hotel, a five star hotel in Hong Kong. Business isn't well, and on top of it all, his three sons are constantly fighting with each other. Ron Ng is actually the son of his second wife. When Lau Dan's first wife, the mother of Ellesmere and Kar Kiu, was sick, he hired a nurse, Mary Hon, to take care of her. They had an affair and she became pregnant with Ron, but she did not move into the Wong household until the first wife passed away. The two older sons regard Mary Hon as the third person in their parents' relationship, and therefore never liked Ron and call him a "Yee Lai Jai" (it's an insulting term).
Ron is basically a very angry, irrational young man. He does not enjoy a good relationship with his family, with the exception of his mother, whom he cares about and loves.
One night, Lau Dan died in a car accident. Enter Joe Ma. He somehow mysteriously had 40% of Royal Court Hotel's (RCH) shares. He later tricks Mary Hon into giving him her 5% of RCH's shares that Lau Dan left her. This angers Ron Ng and he cooperates with his two older brothers and swears to get RCH's shares back. In the process, the three brothers form a close bond.
John Chiang is Lau Dan's first wife's brother. Because he had tried to use RCH for personal gain before, Lau Dan does not trust him in the Board of Directors. Chiang places Kenix to spy on Joe. Kenix does what he asks because he helped her in the past.
Ella is Ron's good friend who is always there for him.
Comments:
I've heard that this series is similar to "Golden Faith" (GF). I guess some aspects of it is similar, because they are both about big businesses, angry young men learning to grow up, an ultimate villain, etc. I would also say that both of these series are unrealistic, but I can accept that, since television can be used as an escape from our ordinary, mundane life. Despite this, however, I find that I prefer "Revolving Doors" to GF. Maybe the cast of GF is stronger, but I find "Revolving Doors" very enjoyable. The pace of the series is great, not too fast so that the viewer won't understand anything, and not too slow to the point where it is drags. I found some parts of GF unnecessarily slow. Okay, so ends my Golden Faith-Revolving Doors comparison. I'll move on to the series itself.
"Revolving Doors" is a high budget series. It is obvious from episode one - you can tell from the beautiful tailored suits, the elegant hotel set (the pool is so nice!), the makeup of the artists. Its cast includes some of TVB's most heavily promoted (i.e. Ron Ng, Joe Ma) and valued (Kenix Kwok).
This series was highly enjoyable, despite some faults. If this storyline had only been about the schemes of the rich people world, it would have been a bore. There are subplots which tie very nicely into the main story and which are enjoyable to watch. Some of them are:
-Ron and Ella's relationship. Ron doesn't think sometimes. I hated the way he trusted Elaine Yiu over Ella and actually slept with her. Why does he always sleep with women he doesn't like? (in reference to "Twins Of Brothers") Elaine Yiu really made me mad. She is so darn evil. I think Ella should have chosen Raymond Cho.
-The few scenes where the audience was able to tell that Kenix really loved and cared about her son. Joe's interaction with her son and his love for Kenix was very sweet also.
-Ron's family, the relationship between him and his mother, him and his father, and him and his two brothers.
-We, as the audience, got to see Kenix change from following John Chiang's orders to get close to Joe, to falling in love with him for real. Interesting.
-Joe and Lo Hoi Pang's father and son relationship.
-The strength of Ella's brother and Ron's friendship.
-Derek Kwok and Elaine Yiu's relationship. Derek is so sweet to her.
-Joe and Derek's friendship. I love the way they work together and their chemistry is amazing. Every time they laugh over some successful scheme of Joe's, I would laugh along with them!
Cast performances:
Joe Ma: I don't understand why people don't like Joe Ma. It's not like he is an overly-promoted actor whom TVB conjured out of thin air (ahem Ron Ng). I remember this guy has been playing minor roles for a long time. The earliest role I remember him having is in "Detective Investigative Files 4" - he had an affair with Maggie Siu. He came a long way. I think he played Ko Fung well. He wasn't spectacular, but he was acceptable. I did not find myself shuddering in his presence. There are times when I would feel a sense of authority and power from his character, like in that scene when he pretended to shoot Ellesmere and Kar Kiu. His height also adds to his authority. Joe Ma's performance wasn't breakthrough, but it was decent and solid.
Kenix Kwok: In interviews, she claimed that her character was fresh because she was a (subtle) villain. I honestly didn't find her performance that challenging. All she basically had to do was act like a good person most of the time, something that she usually does in her other movies, and act out a few scenes showing her "bad" side. In the end, she stopped being the bad person and loved Joe for real. What I'm saying is, her character wasn't particularly hard to portray. I'm not saying Kenix didn't do well. She did a great job! I just thought the hype over her character's "badness" was a bit ... hyped and overrated.
John Chiang: One word: spectacular. His conniving expressions are so natural, his smile is so charming and annoying. I would expect nothing less from him.
Ron Ng: This guy improved heaps! His acting is still slightly wooden at times, but a huge, huge improvement over his other recent series. His chemistry with Ella was great. His anger was believable and his acting was acceptable. Hopefully he'll continue to improve.
Ella Koon: Not bad, for her first movie. Her character, Hoi Sum, is sure to make you fall in love with her. She is straightforward, kind, caring, and naive.
Derek Kwok: I've always admired his talents as an actor. He is one of the most versatile actors TVB has, and he is way under-promoted. I'm glad TVB decided to give him a role as a good guy, for once. He pulled it off very nicely. He did a great job as the smart and intelligent lawyer buddy of Joe Ma.
Elaine Yiu: Oh my goodness. Even with her horrible acting, her character made me so angry. I mean, if you can't get the guy, let go of the guy! This girl cannot cry to save her life.
Final words:
Comment about the ending (spoilers!) - I personally thought the ending was a little too perfect. It is supposed to be a mainly dramatic series, and I don't like the idea that bad guys gets what he deserves, and good guys live happily ever after.
I wonder how Joe and Kenix could end up together. Both of them lied and used each other extensively in this series; is there enough love between them to overcome this mistrust? If their relationship doesn't have a firm foundation of trust, it makes me wonder if they'll really live happily ever after. But again, this is TV world, not reality, so that's okay.
About the Ron and Ella pairing: I think Ella deserves someone better, someone who actually cherishes and trusts her. Raymond Cho is someone whom she should love, but alas, love is often nonsensical. I thought the part when he sang and proposed to her was so sweet - he also has a great voice! Ron didn't trust her when she said she didn't talk about Chloe behind her back, Ron slept with Chloe, he couldn't even deal with his own conflicting feelings about the two women who loved him, ... get the point? In short, Ron's character is a really indecisive, emotionally confused character. Ella deserves better. I wish she had ended up with Raymond instead of Ron, whom caused her nothing but pain. But love doesn't care.
This series is definitely one of the better series TVB produced. If you like variety, "Revolving Doors of Vengeance" has it all: the typical tycoon drama with a hint of love, fairness, and comedy.
PS I do not own this review.Plot Overview (Spoilers)
Lau Dan is the founder of the Royal Court Hotel, a five star hotel in Hong Kong. Business isn't well, and on top of it all, his three sons are constantly fighting with each other. Ron Ng is actually the son of his second wife. When Lau Dan's first wife, the mother of Ellesmere and Kar Kiu, was sick, he hired a nurse, Mary Hon, to take care of her. They had an affair and she became pregnant with Ron, but she did not move into the Wong household until the first wife passed away. The two older sons regard Mary Hon as the third person in their parents' relationship, and therefore never liked Ron and call him a "Yee Lai Jai" (it's an insulting term).
Ron is basically a very angry, irrational young man. He does not enjoy a good relationship with his family, with the exception of his mother, whom he cares about and loves.
One night, Lau Dan died in a car accident. Enter Joe Ma. He somehow mysteriously had 40% of Royal Court Hotel's (RCH) shares. He later tricks Mary Hon into giving him her 5% of RCH's shares that Lau Dan left her. This angers Ron Ng and he cooperates with his two older brothers and swears to get RCH's shares back. In the process, the three brothers form a close bond.
John Chiang is Lau Dan's first wife's brother. Because he had tried to use RCH for personal gain before, Lau Dan does not trust him in the Board of Directors. Chiang places Kenix to spy on Joe. Kenix does what he asks because he helped her in the past.
Ella is Ron's good friend who is always there for him.
Comments:
I've heard that this series is similar to "Golden Faith" (GF). I guess some aspects of it is similar, because they are both about big businesses, angry young men learning to grow up, an ultimate villain, etc. I would also say that both of these series are unrealistic, but I can accept that, since television can be used as an escape from our ordinary, mundane life. Despite this, however, I find that I prefer "Revolving Doors" to GF. Maybe the cast of GF is stronger, but I find "Revolving Doors" very enjoyable. The pace of the series is great, not too fast so that the viewer won't understand anything, and not too slow to the point where it is drags. I found some parts of GF unnecessarily slow. Okay, so ends my Golden Faith-Revolving Doors comparison. I'll move on to the series itself.
"Revolving Doors" is a high budget series. It is obvious from episode one - you can tell from the beautiful tailored suits, the elegant hotel set (the pool is so nice!), the makeup of the artists. Its cast includes some of TVB's most heavily promoted (i.e. Ron Ng, Joe Ma) and valued (Kenix Kwok).
This series was highly enjoyable, despite some faults. If this storyline had only been about the schemes of the rich people world, it would have been a bore. There are subplots which tie very nicely into the main story and which are enjoyable to watch. Some of them are:
-Ron and Ella's relationship. Ron doesn't think sometimes. I hated the way he trusted Elaine Yiu over Ella and actually slept with her. Why does he always sleep with women he doesn't like? (in reference to "Twins Of Brothers") Elaine Yiu really made me mad. She is so darn evil. I think Ella should have chosen Raymond Cho.
-The few scenes where the audience was able to tell that Kenix really loved and cared about her son. Joe's interaction with her son and his love for Kenix was very sweet also.
-Ron's family, the relationship between him and his mother, him and his father, and him and his two brothers.
-We, as the audience, got to see Kenix change from following John Chiang's orders to get close to Joe, to falling in love with him for real. Interesting.
-Joe and Lo Hoi Pang's father and son relationship.
-The strength of Ella's brother and Ron's friendship.
-Derek Kwok and Elaine Yiu's relationship. Derek is so sweet to her.
-Joe and Derek's friendship. I love the way they work together and their chemistry is amazing. Every time they laugh over some successful scheme of Joe's, I would laugh along with them!
Cast performances:
Joe Ma: I don't understand why people don't like Joe Ma. It's not like he is an overly-promoted actor whom TVB conjured out of thin air (ahem Ron Ng). I remember this guy has been playing minor roles for a long time. The earliest role I remember him having is in "Detective Investigative Files 4" - he had an affair with Maggie Siu. He came a long way. I think he played Ko Fung well. He wasn't spectacular, but he was acceptable. I did not find myself shuddering in his presence. There are times when I would feel a sense of authority and power from his character, like in that scene when he pretended to shoot Ellesmere and Kar Kiu. His height also adds to his authority. Joe Ma's performance wasn't breakthrough, but it was decent and solid.
Kenix Kwok: In interviews, she claimed that her character was fresh because she was a (subtle) villain. I honestly didn't find her performance that challenging. All she basically had to do was act like a good person most of the time, something that she usually does in her other movies, and act out a few scenes showing her "bad" side. In the end, she stopped being the bad person and loved Joe for real. What I'm saying is, her character wasn't particularly hard to portray. I'm not saying Kenix didn't do well. She did a great job! I just thought the hype over her character's "badness" was a bit ... hyped and overrated.
John Chiang: One word: spectacular. His conniving expressions are so natural, his smile is so charming and annoying. I would expect nothing less from him.
Ron Ng: This guy improved heaps! His acting is still slightly wooden at times, but a huge, huge improvement over his other recent series. His chemistry with Ella was great. His anger was believable and his acting was acceptable. Hopefully he'll continue to improve.
Ella Koon: Not bad, for her first movie. Her character, Hoi Sum, is sure to make you fall in love with her. She is straightforward, kind, caring, and naive.
Derek Kwok: I've always admired his talents as an actor. He is one of the most versatile actors TVB has, and he is way under-promoted. I'm glad TVB decided to give him a role as a good guy, for once. He pulled it off very nicely. He did a great job as the smart and intelligent lawyer buddy of Joe Ma.
Elaine Yiu: Oh my goodness. Even with her horrible acting, her character made me so angry. I mean, if you can't get the guy, let go of the guy! This girl cannot cry to save her life.
Final words:
Comment about the ending (spoilers!) - I personally thought the ending was a little too perfect. It is supposed to be a mainly dramatic series, and I don't like the idea that bad guys gets what he deserves, and good guys live happily ever after.
I wonder how Joe and Kenix could end up together. Both of them lied and used each other extensively in this series; is there enough love between them to overcome this mistrust? If their relationship doesn't have a firm foundation of trust, it makes me wonder if they'll really live happily ever after. But again, this is TV world, not reality, so that's okay.
About the Ron and Ella pairing: I think Ella deserves someone better, someone who actually cherishes and trusts her. Raymond Cho is someone whom she should love, but alas, love is often nonsensical. I thought the part when he sang and proposed to her was so sweet - he also has a great voice! Ron didn't trust her when she said she didn't talk about Chloe behind her back, Ron slept with Chloe, he couldn't even deal with his own conflicting feelings about the two women who loved him, ... get the point? In short, Ron's character is a really indecisive, emotionally confused character. Ella deserves better. I wish she had ended up with Raymond instead of Ron, whom caused her nothing but pain. But love doesn't care.
This series is definitely one of the better series TVB produced. If you like variety, "Revolving Doors of Vengeance" has it all: the typical tycoon drama with a hint of love, fairness, and comedy.
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