spotlight: "land of wealth"

Relieved is how I'm feeling after finally finishing Land of Wealth. It makes me sad re-reading and remembering how much I looked forward to watching it and how I thought it was going to be such a beautiful, powerful, and memorable drama.

The irony is that I might have jinxed the series from the start. Nine months ago, I said the following about Wealth: "[The] Dance of Passion had the "looks" of a great series, but not the substance of one - so I'm really hoping that Wealth isn't just for looks either". Unfortunately, my fear came true. Wealth looks so, so good. The on-location shots, the costumes, and the "grand production" feel about this series... it is all so splendid and alluring! However, the script is lacking so badly.

Wealth fell from being one of my "most anticipated 2006 releases" into being a series that I was very reluctant in watching. Ratings were really low (how ironic that its acronym spells this word) and the general word on the street was that it was a boring, draggy, and not worthwhile series. Thus, I began to lose interest in watching it. However, I knew I couldn't pass up on it because it received a few positive reviews and the "grand aura" made me feel remorseful in skipping it.

I fell asleep about three times watching Wealth in episodes 1-19. It was a combination of me being really tired and Wealth's unbearably boring script and slow pace. There are so many draggy and unnecessary scenes that I came close to giving it the Dicey Business treatment [fast-forward until I saw the outcome(s)] several times. Ultimately, I didn't skip any scenes. The series was just too beautiful-looking to fast-forward.

I had a hard time understanding Wealth a lot of times as well. They zipped through the historical aspects, so I had no clue what was going on sometimes. Some of the dialogues were also hard to comprehend. Despite my confusion, I couldn't bear rewinding to clarify myself. I just wanted to keep on watching so I could finish the series. There were small moments that were interesting, but as a whole, I wasn't enjoying it.

Thankfully, starting with episode 20, Wealth wakes up and realizes that it has a story to tell. I must say episodes 20-32 were pretty decent. In fact, it was kind of good. Comparing episodes 1-19 to 20-32, there's a huge difference. Whereas 1-19 was slow and boring, 20-32 was somewhat fast-paced and kind of interesting. There are some very good, powerful moments (the same ones I had been hoping for when I looked forward to Wealth way back when).

About the performances
Moses Chan - Moses is one of my favorite actors, but I must say that Wealth is not one of his best works. He over-acted several times. It was quite painful watching him in the first few episodes screaming. However, his performance improves as the series goes on and I really liked watching how "Bak Chuen" climbed up the ladder towards success. It was interesting. Overall, his performance lacked presence I think. It was bland. However, his character may be to blame. His crying scenes were very good near the end.

Sonija Kwok - Sonija has never been a "great" actress, but I must say I still like her. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by her performance in Wealth. While her performance was nowhere near "great" and there is room for more improvement, compared to her previous performances, this one is very good. She has improved tremendously. I think this could have been her breakthrough if only Wealth was well-received. Her portrayal of "Ba Ba Ha Yi Ko Wai" exuberates such a warm, cute energy that she lights up the screen with her smile and eager-to-please personality. Her emotional scenes (for the most part) has also improved quite a deal as she actually has tears now! There's a reason why she won both "Miss Hong Kong" and "Miss Chinese International" - and it shows in this series. Sonija was very, very pretty in this series, especially after she marries. She is stunningly beautiful sometimes. Overall, she is so likable in this series. Frankly, it's Sonija's cute and positive performance that kept me awake and going in much of Wealth prior to when the series got kind of good. Bravo to Sonija! [While I loved Sonija's performance and character for the most part, I have some complaints about "Ko Wai" which I will address further down.] I feel so sorry for her because of the negativity that she receives. If she hasn't been "banished" to the mainland, then she's being frozen. I don't know why everyone is so hard on her. She is really not such a bad actress.

Tavia Yeung - I'm liking Tavia more and more. She is pretty in Wealth and her performance in the last episode was great. Her role is a bit boring and there wasn't much for Tavia to do, but she did a good job. She gives a very refined, elegant portrayal of "Kiu Jun". I was expecting more out of "Kiu Jun", but the storyline doesn't utilize her until she marries Moses' character. Still, I liked watching Tavia whenever she appeared. Her chemistry with both Moses and Steven are a bit lacking, but I blame it on the little screentime.

Steven Ma - I'm sorry, but I wasn't impressed by Steven in this series. He is again one of my favorite actors, but his character was really disappointing, so not much Steven could do. I really don't have much to say about his character or performance because it was so bland. While the character is likable as "Sung Man" is such an all-around nice guy, he lacks depth and intrigue. To be frank, he's dull. His predicament with his family going against what is "right" (especially at the end) proved to be nothing more interesting than anything else he was given.

Lau Dan, Chan Hung Lit, and Kwok Fung proved the versatility in their acting. Their performances respectively made me hate them so much in Wealth, but in other series, they are quite endearing actors (especially Lau Dan in Virtues of Harmony). On the other hand, John Chiang wasn't convincing to me. Perhaps I've seen him in way too many villainous roles, but I couldn't accept him as the respectable and wise "Kiu Boon Yip". I loved the role, but his performance is pretty bland and his eyes looked kind of dead sometimes. Lai Lok Yi was bad. I'm not fond of this guy. If he's not boring, he's just unlikable. Kenny Wong was awful. He's so expressionless. How refreshing it was indeed to see Claire Yiu in a role that didn't require her to somehow become a "third party". She is another pretty girl and her role was quite likable. Sadly, "Kiu Ching" never becomes anything more than a one-dimensional (almost background) character. She hardly has a subplot of her own, so Claire couldn't do much. Her acting was kind of weak, but I loved that she had a new role. Rebecca Chan was good as the conniving aunt. Cheng Ho Wai was very good as "Empress Dowager Tsz Hei".

Looking a little deeper...
I commend the writers for not letting "Ko Wai" and "Bak Chuen" end up together. How disrespectful and Point of No Return that would have been to "Kiu Jun" and "Kiu Boon Yip". Yes, "Kiu Jun" told "Bak Chuen" that she hopes he will marry "the one he loves" after she dies and she told "Ko Wai" to take care of him for her, but that doesn't make it right [if they end up together]! Yes, "Kiu Boon Yip" knows that "Ko Wai" never loved him and only has "Bak Chuen" in her heart, but it doesn't make it right either.

I also think that at the end, "Bak Chuen" no longer felt love for "Ko Wai". What he had for her was only appreciation and a different kind of love. I do believe that he grew to love "Kiu Jun". "Ko Wai" just had to leave because she loved him too much and she knew that they couldn't be together again. Too much had happened and their relationship was far too complicated. There really was no turning back. I liked their last bit of dialogue to one another. "If you can let it go, it doesn't matter where you are." "I know... but it makes it easier to forget."

I love the fact that "Ko Wai" never loses her title as the [second] wife of "Kiu Boon Yip". Even though she doesn't love him, the fact that she doesn't denounce their marriage to the public almost redeems her selfish act in marrying him in the first place. I hated the fact that she married him out of revenge to spite "Bak Chuen" for not appreciating her love and marrying her. If she loves him, why wasn't she more willingly to trust him and be patient? Marriage isn't something to play around with. I felt so sorry for "Boon Yip" because he truly loved her. By staying married with him (especially after his death) she shows respect towards him and redeems her mistake. [It was very odd hearing Tavia, Claire, and former lover Moses address Sonija as 'Mother'.]

Truthfully speaking, the relationships between "Ko Wai" and "Bak Chuen" and "Sung Man" and "Kiu Jun" both felt really flat and shallow. It's almost like a Wealth curse - things look so good on the outside, but the inside is quite poor. Both couples had some very nice moments and I don't doubt that there was love, but their lack of trust and understanding in each other broke them both. Communication and trust are the two main ingredients in a long-lasting relationship. The guys didn't explain the truth to their girls and the girls didn't have enough trust in their guys to believe them. Like "Kiu Jun" said to "Sung Man", "Perhaps we are predestined ('yau yuen') but ill-fated ('mo fan')". That saying is very true for these couples - what a shame indeed.

I hate the fact that "Ko Wai" goes off in the last episode and we never hear any more about her. Even the narrator says their relationship "ends with a question mark". What the heck? After 32 episodes, we can't even get a conclusive ending? I was disappointed about that. I expected "Ko Wai" to come back or something and she and "Bak Chuen" could maintain a life-long friendship. Okay, who am I kidding? A guy and a girl can never just be friends, especially if they have a romantic past. Still, I wanted to know what happened to my favorite character.

Dance versus Wealth...
Comparing The Dance of Passion and Land of Wealth, I have to say that Dance wins. As confusing, slow, and boring as Dance was sometimes (comparable to Wealth) the final ten episodes or so were excellent. While Wealth also improved a lot in its last 12 episodes, its improvement doesn't compare with Dance's. It's a pity that both series had the looks of great series but failed so short and miserably.

Memorable moments
These are the scenes that stuck out to me...

The way "Kiu Jun" and "Sung Man" met (albeit not face to face) was absolutely beautiful. I loved how they were fated through the matched harmonies of their respective instruments. It was filmed very nicely.

I looked forward to this scene since its filming was reported in the news. The results were as beautiful as I had imagined. The scene was much shorter and had less of an impact than I had predicted and would have liked, but it is still such a gorgeous scene. The snow, Tavia... everything about this scene is stunning.

This was the first scene that actually touched me. The women of the "Kiu" family were making dumplings for "Kiu Boon Yip" and he had to guess who made which dumpling. His analogies of the dumpling to the person who made it was quite touching. As clichéd as what he said afterwards regarding eating and family was, I was still moved by it.

This scene reminds me of candle lighting scene between "Fung" and "Ping" in The Price of Greed. That was a gorgeous scene and this one is as well. It's very pretty. I love "Ko Wai" and "Bak Chuen" so much... It was touching how they got together in this scene. Too bad it doesn't last long.

Sonija is so cute in this scene! The way she acts is very young and innocent. "Bak Chuen" agreed to marry her. They were so happy and were going to be such a happily married couple if only...

This is such a tragic scene. "Ko Wai" and "Bak Chuen" call off their wedding. She misunderstands him as having "changed" and only loving fame and fortune. The dialogue, the tears, the slap... everything is well-acted and filmed in this scene.

"Ko Wai" is off to marry "Kiu Boon Yip"... Her crying is so tragic and beautifully done. This scene exemplifies how much Sonija has improved as an actress.

"Kiu Boon Yip" discovers the truth about "Ko Wai" and "Bak Chuen" - two of his most loved and trusted. This is a very sad scene. Sonija's crying is again very nicely done and she looks beautifully tragic.

Finally, "Kiu Jun" becomes valuable to the main storyline. I loved how she saved the day by declaring that she was going to marry "Bak Chuen" - it was very powerful. I was surprised that "Kiu Jun" marrying "Bak Chuen" was her own choice. I had thought that they were going to marry against her wishes... "Kiu Jun" is really such a filial daughter and a nice girl. I'm glad her marriage to "Bak Chuen" was her own decision because it fits her character as she loves freedom.

"Kiu Jun" discovers how wrong she was about "Sung Man". What I like about "Kiu Jun" is that unlike "Ko Wai", not once does she consider leaving "Bak Chuen". She knows she's a married woman and even though she knows that "Sung Man" still loves her, that "Bak Chuen" doesn't really love her, and that she still has a place for "Sung Man" in her heart, she holds that inside. She respects her marriage to "Bak Chuen".

"Bak Chuen" confesses the truth about everything to "Kiu Jun". This is an interesting and sad revelation scene. Tavia's crying is nicely done.

The tragedy strikes! "Kiu Jun" is poisoned [by accident]. She gives birth to a baby boy in the jail. She is losing a lot of blood and feeling weak, but her determination to wait for "Bak Chuen" keeps her going. "I have to wait for my husband [to come back]." Everything is solved and "Bak Chuen" saves his family... but it's too late for poor "Kiu Jun". The whole death scene is so well-acted by Tavia and Moses. "I know you don't love me.... marry the one you love... I'll be happy." "No, there's only one wife to me and that's you." It's very touching and sad.

Final thoughts
Unless you are a fan of the cast [Sonija fans must watch for her awesome performance!], love costume dramas, or have a lot of time, I honestly do not recommend Land of Wealth. Everything about the series looks so gorgeous and glamorous with the beautiful costumes and sceneries, but for the most part, it's not really worth the investment in time. Seriously, I wanted to stop so many times and sometimes I watched just for the sake of watching so I could hurry up and finish it. However, episodes 20-32 actually have some merit. Wealth actually held my interest in those episodes and was sort of entertaining. The last 2 episodes were exciting and have some very memorable scenes. As a whole though, the series feels a bit empty and there's always a sense of "Isn't there anything more?" A disappointment indeed.

Despite my unfavorable impression of Wealth, I will always remember how "grand" the series looked (and could have been on the inside as well if the script was a lot better) every time I listen to the awesome themesong by Eason Chan. The themesong is so good! It has such a grand and exciting feel with the melody and Eason's powerful singing.

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