"dance of passion" thoughts (i)

Episodes 01-03

One word: unimpressed. I had a lot of expectations for this series because of all the hype that TVB put into its promotion. I had faith in the cast and production team, but when I read that the series wasn't living up to all of the hype, I lost confidence that Dance of Passion would be a TVB classic. I wasn't so excited to see it anymore. Still, with this cast and the amount of money that TVB put into it, how could I pass it down? Plus, I love tragic series.

Three episodes into the series, I am not thrilled with Dance at all. The themevideo suggests sparks and fireworks, but the series is far from spectacular. For the first two episodes or so, I was bored and confused out of my mind. I was yawning and just felt so frustrated with how "complex" they tried to make the characterizations, storylines, and dialogues. I just feel like they are trying too hard. I fail to be taken in by the characters and their situations. A good series makes the viewer care, but for Dance, I could really care less right now about it. Maybe I'm too shallow to appreciate the series or I'm not intelligent enough, but I'm just having a really hard time making myself interested in it.

The yellow tint that TVB used is really hurting my eyes. It does indeed add a unique touch to the series and definitely allows the viewer to experience the heat and how sunny it must be where the series is set, but I don't know how much more of the yellow I can take. For Under The Canopy of Love, the soft light effect gave the series a very dreamy touch and that was great. But for Dance, it's just too much!

Ada Choi is doing well as "Jiu Yuk." I love how she's so smart, conniving, and calculating. I'm most interested in her character and learning more about her past. The other character that I think will prove to be interesting is Moses Chan's "Dung Sing." He seems innocent, but he definitely has plots up his sleeves because he vowed to get revenge. I don't find myself enjoying Bowie Lam's performance. I feel the role isn't suitable for him. I liked him so much in Always Ready, but here, I fail to like him. At this point, I don't "get" "Man Hei" either.

"Chun Fan" is like all of the other roles that Charmaine Sheh has had in the past. How many more times do we have to see her play the role of a girl cursed with a bad fate - one that kills her (future) husband and dooms her family members? I'm just so sick of it. It's not Charmaine's fault, but TVB really needs to stop typecasting her! However, she is quite good and I do like watching her optimistic personality, even in the face of so much tragedy. Her crying is always beautifully done. I'm interested to see how she will react once she learns of her husband's impotence and I also can't wait to see how her romance with "Dung Sing" will start.

I'd actually like to see Gigi Lai and Charmaine switch roles. That would be interesting. Once again, Gigi's character ("Ming Fung") is throwing tantrums. However, this time around, she seems a lot smarter. I really like how her character is so clever, but powerless because of her status as a woman. Still, she manages to find ways to not be so "powerless." One question though - if Gigi's hair is so short, how did she manage to make it into a bun for her wedding day? Did they have wigs in ancient times too? I can't wait to watch Bowie and Gigi's first meeting to see how their abusive relationship will occur and develop. Honestly, I don't like Gigi's performance once again. Maybe she will impress me later, but right now, it's "Yuk Ying" from War and Beauty all over again (and you guys know how I feel about that performance).

I feel sorry for Maggie Siu once again. Her role has very little screentime and is somewhat boring. I pity her character for being criticized and looked down upon for not being able to bear children. In ancient times, it's always the woman's fault. I find it touching how she was willing to sacrifice herself and sleep with another man for her husband though. I don't really understand what Kenny Wong's problem is exactly. Is it because he can't have sex with Maggie because of feelings of incest? Or is it because he really can't get up to do it? Or is there a problem with his sperm? I feel really sorry for him though as it is really embarrassing as a man (especially in ancient times) to not be able to have children. It's refreshing for me to see "Auntie Chuen" (Helen Ma) in such a role like "Kwai Laan." I'm so used to seeing her being greedy and hilarious in Virtues of Harmony. Nevertheless, she proves her versatility in this series. She seems so wicked and I'm really suspicious of her relationship with "Jiu Yuk." Although she's seen serving her and helping her with her plots thus far, I just get this feeling that "Kwai Laan" has her own goals and is not so "loyal" to her master.

The only part that I truly liked in the first three episodes was when "Ming Fung" and "Chun Fan" went off to get married and were abducted by one of the bandits. The man wanted to rape them and then get money for "Ming Fung"'s ransom. They ended up outsmarting and then killing him. "Chun Fan" was freaking out because she didn't want anyone to find out that they had met a bandit. She pined about how she just wanted to get married so she could have kids and raise a nice family. However, if anyone found out that someone had tried to rape them, no one would want them (even if rape hadn't actually occurred). "Ming Fung" was trying to convince her that it doesn't matter what others think, that their souls were clean was enough. They ended up burning the bandit's "house" so that the secret from their wedding day would only be known by the two of them. I really enjoyed seeing how the two became closer as a result of this secret and it's interesting how both of them were married out on the same day, but both will have totally different fates. Both brides also looked very beautiful as well.

Dance of Passion fails to intrigue and entertain me at this point, but I think it should get better later on once everything is set up. I'll cross my fingers. It would be a shame if it remains as boring and bland as it is now for the rest of the series.