a "maiden's" choice

I recently finished Maidens' Vow. As seems to be the case with most endings these days, the ending left viewers with an "open-ended" ending. Did Dai Sze Ga (Charmaine Sheh) ultimately choose to marry Fong Ga On (Joe Ma), who was waiting for her at the chapel confident she would come, or not?

Before I discuss my interpretation on the ending, I want to first reflect on Maidens' portrayal of marriage for women through the last century.

In the 1900's, women were forced into marriage. Marriage was the only way they could survive. Being unmarried or married at a late age was a shameful thing and most unmarried women suffered a hard life. They were viewed as incapable of making their own living; they had to rely on their husband to live and their only duty was to raise a family. With the fall of the monarchy in China and the invasion of Western culture, new ideas started to emerge, especially in terms of love and women's rights. The shocking thought of "free love" was sought after by young girls. They wanted to marry the person they chose, much to the displeasure of the older generation. In the 1960's, arranged marriages were gone and free marriage was the only way to go. Women were still expected to be a good housewife, but they began to have itches. Housework bored them and they hated being captured in their house, so they longed to go into the workplace and have a "life" other than being a wife. This idea strained some marriages because for his woman to work, this means the man was incapable of providing for her - a thought husbands wouldn't have. In current times, marriages come and go. Divorce rates are high and the value of "marriage" seems to have lost a lot of meaning. Nevertheless, most people still want to get married.

Sze Ga lost faith in "marriage" and thought that only "idiots" would get married. Of course, this isn't mean to say she doesn't believe in "love"; Sze Ga is a passionate romantic. She loves being in love. She fatefully got to know Ga On and fell deeply in love with him, spending several months happily "living together." "Cohabitation" is a new concept that emerged with modern times. Couples would live together just as any other married couple would do... without the marriage. It's a revolutionary concept and serves as a way for some couples to test whether or not they can stand being "married." However, statistics show that cohabitation prior to marriage has a significantly higher rate of that marriage ending in divorce. Sze Ga and Ga On began to have problems resulting from misunderstandings, so they broke up and Sze Ga moved out.

Their "fate" didn't end there though; Sze Ga discovered she was pregnant. At first, she was going to abort, but the thought of losing her child made her change her mind. She was going to a single mom. The "single mom" is also a new idea that came out in modern times. It is a bold move for a woman to raise a child on her own, especially with all of the financial implications of raising a child these days. However, as more modern women lose faith in men, but still love children, they opt to be a "single mom" instead. Some women even go so far as having a child on their own - a radical "self-fertilization." Sze Ga happily raised her child, but as the heavens decided (or rather the TVB writers) that Ga On came back and learned that he was the father of the baby. She slowly lets him back into her life.

Finally, their misunderstandings are cleared and Sze Ga and Ga On reignite their love. The family of three spends blissful days together - still without a marriage certificate. Ironically, the roles are reversed for this modern couple. It is the guy who wants marriage and it is the girl who refuses. Ga On has always wanted to be married because it gives him the security of being a "family" - something he desires. Ga On knows that there is no other lady than Sze Ga for him. He persistently suggests that she marry him, but in vain. Finally, he makes one last request and tells her that he'll meet her at the chapel, where it will be an unelaborated ceremony. He knows she doesn't like to be flashy, so he wants the ceremony to just be between the two of them.

He waits for her at the chapel. The priest grows impatient and asks if she's going to come. He answers confidently that she would. However, Sze Ga is nowhere near the chapel. Instead, she's at The Phoenix, feeling carefree and happy, reflecting on her ancestors and their trials and tribulations with marriage. Abruptly, she seems a rainbow. In a previous episode, her great-great-grandmother, Ngai Ju Fung, told her that whenever a "rainbow" appears, it means that it's the right decision. Then, she turns around and sees a bright white light and a phoenix coming out of the elevator. She smiles self-assuredly and the ending credits roll.

So what happened next? It's up to each individual viewer to decide.

I believe that Ga On - her true happiness - comes out of the elevator. He accepts her decision not to marry. After all, like she said, if the only difference that would happen to their relationship once they were "married" was a marriage license, then what was the point? She felt that marriage was too "binding" and "suffocating" and she feared that their good relationship might be strained or ruined consequently. Therefore, I believe that Sze Ga will not marry Ga On. Instead, the two will embody everything that marriage symbolizes without the marriage license. Ironically, these two probably show how marriage is supposed to be better than "married" couples. They trust and love each other unconditionally... and what could be better?

Furthermore, the [corny] "rainbow" confirmed her decision. It made her assured that she made the right choice in not going to the chapel to get married because the decision was made from her heart. It's a happy ending and also the best way to conclude the series. As Sze Ga always says, the only thing that matters is happiness in love and this maiden's happiness in this case comes from not choosing marriage.

My opinion: I thought that Maidens' did a passable job at portraying the concept of "marriage" through the ages. The highlight of this series is without a doubt the entire 4th generation. The writing was snappy and fast-paced and it was realistic and meaningful. I felt that the first two eras were too pretentious, shallow, and sickeningly clichéd. A major flaw of the 2nd generation is that they lose the characterization of Wong Jee Gwan after she elopes with Li Gat Cheung. Suddenly, Jee Gwan becomes so soft. It was like they were two different people. However, Charmaine looked absolutely stunning in the 2nd half of the 2nd generation. The 3rd generation was way too silly for me. Although there were some cute and funny moments, that generation was too draggy. The final quarter of the series redeems Maidens' and takes it home for the team.

The cast acted the best in this era and it was ingenious. For the first time in a long time, Charmaine's acting was impressive because the role was different and she was very convincing. I have to say she looked so pretty after her make-over. Joe was disappointing. After his breakthrough in The Conquest, I expected so much more... Perhaps it was due to bad characterizations, but Joe retreated from commanding the screen to more mediocre and rather bland performances.

Going back to the plot, the 4th generation shocked me with how provocatively sexual it was (however, if it wasn't, it wouldn't be as representative of modern times). Overall Maidens' is a relatively mediocre to underperforming series. The 4th generation is Maidens' saving grace because it is fantastic story-telling with multi-facet characters and it ties the series together wonderfully; I just didn't care for the first 23 episodes. Watching the 4th generation only would suffice. The first three are the same old, same old with very little surprises and delights. Maidens' had the potential to be an amazing series because the concept of the "four generations" is innovative, but its execution ultimately causes the series to falter because of clichéd writing and poor characterizations (besides the last generation).

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