I missed the 1st half as I was watching a Bio on the late great Sudirman. Can you imagine, he and Leslie Cheung standing together, he died first, many years later, Leslie Cheung also dead. Both talented men, entertainer, dead.
Anyway, when I started watching, it was the Emperor considering marriage (and we know who he was thinking about as Sam Hou and Hin Yeung both there) and Sam Hou smiled and said "I know who will suit you. Someone giving, kind and will do all she can to please you" and Emperor asked "Who?" and Sam Hou said "Kam Ling!" and Emperor said "You wish for me to appoint Kam Ling as a concubine?" and Sam Hou nodded and said "She will love you like no other".
And guess what?
He told his mother he wants Kam Ling as his concubine and Kam Ling, now no longer the supervisor of jewelry dept but serving the empress dowager exclusively (which to me is a downgrade but in this series that is opportunity) was very happy to hear his decision as they looked at each other; she with happiness, he well.. dazed I suppose.
Later General Ma walked in and the palace was buzzing with his intention to appoint some concubines. General Ma quickly said "I as everybody else is very concern about your marriage your majesty. I have the perfect candidate for you; Man Po Yin, the only child of General Man. She is beautiful, learned, ladylike and fit to be your empress one day! And she is my goddaughter and I know she will serve you well" and the Emperor knew he was trapped as was his mother as was Kam Ling (well she can't expect to be the only wife of the emperor and she can never be empress no matter how she claw her way up) said "Yes yes, wonderful. Indeed, thank you for your recommendation. If that is the case, I wish to appoint 2 concubines at the same time" and General Ma taken aback said "Well of course, your majesty is free to appoint a thousand concubines if your majesty so wish but who is the lucky lady?" and the emperor looked at Kam Ling and said "Lady Yiu Kam Ling" and Kam Ling relieved abd General Ma said "Of course I dare not question your majesty's choice but in the case of Lady Yiu, I will have to object"
Pettiness? Hatred of Sam Hou? Genuinely believes Kam Ling is not fit to be concubine? Eliminate competition? I wonder...
Empress Dowager said "What is there to object? Kam Ling is a good woman, she will serve the emperor well"
and General Ma said with spite; "She is a mere servant. She has no background, and I ask you Lady Yiu, do you even know your own parents?" and Kam Ling stuttered and he continued "Exactly! A maid who knows not her background is unbefitting to be your majesty's concubine. More so one who is the maid of a maid, Lau Sam Hou! Her class is too low, she is not suited at all! I object your majesty"
Which is correct essentially. Even concubines must be from certain families as with maids as well. However shouldn't there be different classes of concubines? This series suggest only one class. I mean maybe Kam Ling can start from the lowest ranked.
Kam Ling was crying, out of frustration, so close yet so far and the emperor then said "Well if you object, then I shall postpone her appointment... and all appointments of such candidates, including Lady Man Po Yin" and General Ma didn't expect that and stuttered (for someone so darn powerful and arrogant he does get shocked or stutter easily).
Kam Ling alone in her room, crying or rather trying not to cry, and she looks like she is ready to explode when Fei Yin the ke-po walked in and said "I heard a rumour you will be appointed concubine soon. I have a gift for you" and gave her a pouch with embroidery on it and Kam Ling wasn't happy to see her and said tersely "What is it that you want? Get to the point" as she recovered from earlier defeat and Fei Yin said "I know we haven't always been on good terms but I am sure someone as grand as you will not be so calculative with someone as insignificant as me" and Kam Ling smiled rather arrogantly and said "Of course not" and so Fei Yin reassured she is ok and Kam Ling has her slave.
Kam Ling in here was very arrogant. No power yet and she is acting like she is empress. Good there will be someone to knock her down a bit.
I am not sure when was this scene but the emperor teased Kam Ling and chased her around everywhere in a room and held her close (his way of showing General Ma his uselesness) and General Ma saw what he did and was angry the emperor did not attend to state business. Sorry, but wouldn't this be the best situation for General Ma? To have a useless emperor busy with women and playing and so General Ma can legitimately say Emperor calling in sick, but I am his representative and these are his instructions? Earlier there was a scene of the emperor pretending to be unwell and telling General Ma he could assist in several state business and General Ma was very pleased. So why should he be upset here?
Meanwhile General Ma met with General Man and told him he has recommended Po Yin as concubine and surprisingly, General Man wasn't very happy. Anyway his wife came in and was happy with the news, I mean the emperor is young and not bad looking and General Ma is rather happy to place his own people within the emperor's inner circle which is normal in all dynasty anyway and Po Yin sporting the worse possible "helmet" hair in this series was overjoyed and looked like a decent girl until General Ma said "Your competition is that supervisor in jewelry dept, Yiu Kam Ling" and Po Yin face changes and said "A lowly maid? She can be of no competition to me. How can the emperor be so foolish?" and surprisingly again it was General Man who tersely said to Po Yin "Watch what you say Po Yin, you will not wish to step on people even before you enter the palace" which is very interesting. I am beginning to like General Man and I will declare my undying love if and when he does slap his wife and kick General Ma and I hope he will. But Po Yin ignored her father (spoilt brat!) and said to General Ma "Godfather, you're greater than the emperor. Even the emperor has to listen to you!" and both laughed happily with the wife and interestingly General Man didn't laugh. General Ma said "We must introduce you to the empress dowager. Once she sees you she will fall for you and pressure his majesty to appoint you as concubine" and Po Yin was confident she can charm the empress dowager.
HELLO!! Empress Dowager likes Kam Ling, OK?!
Anyway she did go in to see the Empress Dowager in her ordinary clothes (actually she is already in the palace since General Man and family lives in there) when she should have changed clothes. How rude. Anyway she smiled and Empress Dowager politely greeted her and then she said to Po Yin "I have a gift for you, a special tattoo from *I suppose Tibet?* that Lady Yiu Kam Ling from the jewelry dept chose especially for you" and Po Yin knew that's her competition and she politely said "Ahhh Lady Yiu, thank you. I too have some gift for Empress Dowager" and Kam Ling took the painting, opened it and said something and everybody stared at her as Empress Dowager kindly corrected Kam Ling. She mispronounced the words and Kam Ling felt very embarassed as Empress Dowager said "Ahhhh please excuse Lady Yiu. She has dedicated her life to making precious jewelry and she has quite a talent"
Pause here.
Excuse me. Are you telling me since 6 as they entered the palace their education consists of embroidery, cooking, decorating and making jewelry BUT NONE OF EDUCATION AS IN READING AND WRITING?! These are supposed to be an elite group of maids, and they're all potential concubines and they represent the palace and no classes for reading and writing? TVB.... TVBeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..... this is just stupid!
Anyway Po Yin said "An expert in jewelry? If I may seek your advise, I have a few beloved hairpins that's broken so I wonder if you may advise me on how to fix them?" and Empress Dowager said "See if you can assist her Kam Ling" and Kam Ling smiled and said "If the damage is not too extensive, I am confident I will be able to fix them"
Alone in some garden sitting down facing each other, Po Yin gave Kam Ling a box of hairpins and Kam Ling earnestly examined them and said "These are easily fixed. I am confident I can fix them" and Po Yin said "Well indeed, I am sure you could. After all an elite maid such as yourself having spent your life as a maid jeweler..." and Kam Ling knew where this was heading as suddenly she pushed the cup onto Kam Ling and Kam Ling yelped in pain as it was hot tea and Po Yin quickly grabbed Kam Ling's hand and rubbed it and said with venom "Your hand is a maid's hand, so coarse. How can his majesty let you touch his skin with such coarse hands?" and Kam Ling withdrew her hand as Po Yin continued "Don't think you are qualified to be near the emperor serving him. You're nothing but a lowly maid and I am of higher status. Always remember that!" and she walked away as Kam Ling looked on with tears welling up not out of sadness but of anger as she was insulted.
Next episode, Kam Ling does become a concubine of the same rank as Po Yin who did not hesitate to slap Kam Ling who promised she will return 100 fold that slap to Po Yin. I don't think I will pity her death at all. In fact I dislike Po Yin. Is every female of any status in this series gonna be like a total bitch, insult maids and have this insane hatred and jealousy for a mere servant? I mean come on! Why should she feel threatened by a maid? Probably because the emperor ignores her and Kam Ling became the favourite, sort of. Imagine Sam Hou becoming concubine! And since we are talking about status, imagine some princess from faraway land as the concubine, this is like some slapping chain. Kam Ling slapped by Po Yin slapped by that princess probably slapped by the eventual empress! And silly of Po Yin to think she can be empress. She is a mere goddaughter of an eunuch, daughter of a mere general. Sorry, it must be someone higher class even if General Ma tries to muscle her in.
And with all these insults being hurled, everybody seems to forget that the Empress Dowager Zheng herself was a lowly maid and whose son is now an emperor! I would love to see Empress Dowager Zheng coming to Kam Ling's rescue when such insults being hurled and said whilst grinding her teeth "So you mean I was unbefitting the late emperor?" since she was a maid! Come on, give us this ultimate bitch fight scene! Why let Kam Ling struggle alone?
Performance wise, Sam Hou is increasingly like someone perpetually on LSD. She smiles too much, too calm, too cool, too vague, too dazed and that is thanks to Charmaine's rather souless performance. But to be fair to her, Sam Hou is a caricature but no personality inputed into her by the actress. I hope to see her on fire.
Moses also is as if he is on drugs as well; too darn dazed. I am beginning to dislike his emperor. So many opportunities to kill that darn General Ma and never did. Bad move to pretend to be a weak stupid king because NO OTHER SCENE SHOWING HIM IN SECRET MEETINGS WITH LOYAL GENERALS OR OFFICIALS TO OVERTHROW THAT GENERAL MA.
Lee Kwok Lun overacts. And I don't like the fact that he is so darn powerful and yet I don't see his power. I see him as pushy and arrogant. Maybe show him surrounded by generals and such.
Tavia did well. I actually thought she would explode in one scene, the way she had to "yan".
Selina Li had the worst hairstyle thus far since it looks like a put on helmet with this huge ugly thing on top. Performance wise, atypical of all female characters in this series where she immediately turned on the bitch mode. Sort of disappointed. With her harping on class and status and all, I see Po Yin as someone without class and status. Selina Li was ok, but so far no one is earth shattering in here ever since Susan Tse left.
Mary Hon was ok but her role has been greatly reduced and since Susan is dead, surely she doesn't need to take those lowly servants insults anymore by way of Kam Ling. I hope to see her slap Po Yin, just once.
Yoyo Chen as Fei Yin is a caricature sort of acting. She wasn't horrible but her character is like that. Nothing to her character but just that one looks; disgust in trying to suck up to other people.
Kevin Cheng from when I switched on the TV stood in front of the camera and that was his contribution for this episode. I have nicknamed him that tree, that doesn't even have leaves. May I ask, what is he doing? I mean he doesn't even act cool, or look cool or be cool. He was just there, like a tree. And all those protocols with no relationship whatsoever, hey, Sam Hou and Hin Yeung are ALWAYS together. Shouldn't Hin Yeung have some job to do?
Thank god no bickering Susanna and Michelle today from when I started.
This series is just repeating itself every 5 episodes. Kam Ling and Po Yi is exactly the same as Susan and Mary and Kam Ling and Sam Hou is exactly the same as Michelle and Susanna and the emperor is still trying to do something, what I do not know. The story and insults and therefore dialogue is on a revolving discs; every 5 episodes or so you see the same thing repeated again and again and again.
Give me something new. But since this is only Episode 15, we have a looooooong way to go. The way this series goes, 25 episodes will do because of the darn repetition we have how many? 31 episodes? 34 episodes?
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December 21, 2010 at 12:56 PM
I'm sure the maids have some education...but should be very little and very basic? Despite how elite these maids are...they are maids! I would actually not be surprised if they have no education...when is the palace a nice place? BTW I don't think they are potential concubines...not in a million years. Only in rare cases do maids get selected to be concubines...technically concubines, regardless of ranks, come from very well-off or high-ranked families. Empress Dowager Kwok would never let one of these maids become a concubine!
Selena later becomes one of my most favorite characters in the series :)
You probably don't care about this series too much to watch the first half you miss, but if you do...here's a direct viewing site.
http://www.mysoju.com/hong-kong-drama/beyond-the-realm-of-conscience/