desperate widow no. 2

Empress Chow - Maggie Siu from Perish In The Name of Love

Character Introduction: Empress Chow is the last Ming empress and one of the many wives of Emperor Sung Jing. Being an empress is not an easy feat, especially in the dying days of the Ming. The country is falling apart, but this doesn't stop the endless fights and plotting among the concubines. Empress Chow's biggest rival and threat is the evil Tin Fei (Jay Lau). She gets Empress Chow kicked out of the palace and later causes her to become a low palace maid. Despite the setbacks and constant hurt, Empress Chow remains kind and hopeful. She loves her husband regardless of what he has done to her. As the mother of Cheung Ping (Charmaine Sheh) and Chiu Yan (Sonija Kwok), she cares and loves them above all else. Because of her rather meek personality, Empress Chow is often abused and taken advantaged of. She faces her problems passively, leading a life of quiet desperation, which worsens when Emperor Sung Jing dies and the Northern Ming falls to the Manchurians...

What is she desperate for?
Saving her marriage, family, and the Ming dynasty.

Why is she desperate?
Because of Tin Fei, Empress Chow loses the favor of Emperor Sung Jing several times. This and the fact that he is very lustful jeopardize her marriage and relationship with him. Chiu Yan constantly disappoints Empress Chow by engaging in corrupt and selfish acts and she finds it increasingly difficult to love Chiu Yan. The corruption among the Ming officials has grown so bad and the government has become so weak that it's almost an impossible feat for Emperor Sung Jing to save his country.

What acts of desperation does she commit?
Despite her humble and passive personality, she takes charge in the Southern Ming after the Northern Ming falls. She tries to take over her husband's position and continue what he would have wanted to do had he not had to commit suicide. She stands up against the Southern Duke and attempts to lead toward a Ming dynasty resurrection. Even though she's sick, she pushes herself to appear fierce and powerful for the sake of her family and Emperor Sung Jing.

Is her desperation satisfied?
Yes and no. After all that they went through, Empress Chow and Emperor Sung Jing finally reconciled and shared a deep and loving relationship. He realizes that she is the only person who understands him and supports him unconditionally. Despite the hurt and betrayal of the past, Emperor Sung Jing and Empress Chow come to stand on common ground as they fight for the Ming dynasty's life. Unfortunately, actions were too little and too late. The Ming was doomed. Empress Chow tried so hard to lead the Southern Ming and to rebuild the empire, but her efforts were undermine by power extortionists and an ungrateful daughter. She died not being able to witness Cheung Ping's marriage nor to see glorious days for the Ming dynasty, but still thought of the people in her death bed.

Additional Comments: Like many widows, Empress Chow tried to take over her husband's position and fill in the gap left open by the husband's death. Upon a husband's death, there's a void in the family that must be filled. Usually, the husband holds the power in the family and makes all of the decisions with the wife just supporting him. Similarily, Empress Chow stood behind Emperor Sung Jing as he made actions to save the Ming. However, once he was gone, she had to take over - leading and making the decisions herself. She was no longer a supporting role, but the main one. This transition isn't easy and it's overwhelming to be suddenly placed in a position of power and forced to make crucial decisions. However, the transition must be made because there cannot be a void in leadership.

I loved Empress Chow and Maggie Siu did a wonderful job - as expected. Surprisingly, Maggie and Moses were acceptable as a couple. It was definitely strange that TVB casted Maggie to play the mother of Charmaine and Sonija and I feel sorry that Maggie had to play such an "old" role so soon. Surely, TVB must be blind. In any case, Maggie shone in her scenes and she overpowered everyone. I especially loved it when she begins to take a stand. But then again, it was sad because you could see that she was really pushing herself. In fact, Empress Chow is not a leader nor an emperor. She's just a loving wife and mother. Her ending was definitely a tear-jerker.