Return of the Cuckoo
Cast:
Cheung Chi-Lam as Man Chor
Charmaine Sheh Si Man as Chuk Kwan Ho
Nancy Sit as Q Yee
Steven Ma as Szeto Lai Sun
Synopsis:
"Return of the Cuckoo" is a story mainly set in Macau and probably thats why it's called "O Mun Kai" in Chinese. In this series, Chi-Lam plays Man Chor, a mute but NOT deaf guy. Charmaine plays Kwan Ho, who is Q Yee's daughter and Man Chor's step-sister. Nancy plays Q Yee, mother to Kwan Ho and the person who raises Man Chor after his real mother made him drink detergent, made him mute and left him. Kwan Ho is the daughter between Q Yee and Q Yee's "prince charming" who left her.
Steven is Szeto Lai Sun, a reporter who lives in Hong Kong and is perfectly normal and not that bad looking, but has a sad past. He comes to Macau, hoping to write something about the casino run by Man Sai Kong. Lai Sun meets Man Chor who saves him after finding out that Lai Sun's camera was fitted with a bomb. However, Man Chor ends up in the hospital himself. Kwan Ho since then had a grudge against Lai Sun, thinking that it was him who had caused Man Chor so much pain.
So, like any story, Kwan Ho later falls for Lai Sun but the catch is that Man Chor has feelings for Kwan Ho. He knew it was forbidden (some sibling love isn't allowed thing) and had also felt that Lai Sun feels something for Kwan Ho too. Lai Sun and Kwan Ho begin to date...and Man Chor is left alone. Man Chor had also wanted to keep a distance from Kwan Ho because he thought of allowing Kwan Ho to have a happy life and thought that if he had been with Kwan Ho, he would be a burden - because he was mute. Lai Sun later on helps Man Chor in every way possible to be able to speak once more. Man Chor does and tells Kwan Ho and Lai Sun to be happy always.
Q Yee's "prince charming" meets up with Kwan Ho once a year but the once-a-year meet-up has since then became very frequent after the series starts with him wanting to send Kwan Ho to the States to study. She does in the final episode, after having a row with Q Yee and leaves with Lai Sun. Fast forward 5 years; Kwan Ho returns to Macau with Lai Sun together with her kids. She meets up with her friend, Hoi Lam, who was in love with Kwan Ho's cousin, Pui Kin, who died in a car crash. Hoi Lam tells Kwan Ho the truth that she had helped Man Chor lie to Kwan Ho. We go one day ahead, Lai Sun and family goes to the cemetery to pay respects to Lai Sun's ancestor and Kwan Ho wandered around. She hears a song that was very familiar to what she used to sing with Man Chor to entertain Q Yee and goes behind a few trees. She sees a whole lot of kids playing in the river and a man singing with a group of girls under a tree. Using the whistle she had, she blew hard and the singing all stops. The man turns around, revealing Man Chor. They step up close to each another and Man Chor greets Kwan Ho. She replies to him lightly saying that she misses him and then they smile. The End.
Characters:
Cheung Chi-Lam as Man Chor
Chi-Lam doesn't speak a lot in this series because he's mute but you'd still hear his voice as he narrates for the viewers his sign language. He portrayed his sadness when he knew he couldn't love Kwan Ho very well and his disappointment when his mother refused to admit him. His scenes with Q Yee were a little off but still good as mother and son. His scenes with Kwan Ho were hilarious as you see them fight at the start of the series and off and on during the process of them falling in love. It was this series where I've begun to have liking for Chi-Lam as well as the song that went along with this series that was sung by im, a song named "Chuk Kwan Ho"
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Charmaine Sheh as Chuk Kwan Ho
Charmaine did pretty well in this series, being a tom-boy in order to protect Man Chor. There were annoying scenes of her which consisted of her referring to Chi-Lam as Chor Kor Kor but telling him that she wanted to hear him tell her that he had loved her just like she loved him. Her scenes with Steven Ma (Lai Sun) were a little fake where they had to be lovers. Her looks with Q Yee were totally off as they did NOT look at mother and daughter AT ALL!
Overall rating: 4/5
Nancy Sit as Q Yee
Q Yee was a down right children loving-friend helping person and Nancy had portrayed this character pretty well...a thumb up for her as she has rows with Kwan Ho and later on showed how she had sacrificed for her. Her crying scenes were annoying, especially when Chuen Hoi Keng died of lung cancer...I mean, who cries in the middle of nowhere on the steps while everyone thinks that Chuen Hoi Keng had only fainted? Pathetic...
Overall rating: 4/5
Steven Ma as Szeto Lai Sun
Steven potrayed a reporter...but does not look like a reporter...I felt it was weird. His reasons in loving Kwan Ho were silly but the way he befriends, trusts and helps Man Chor were great. Lai Sun had a sad past but had not showed it off. His will to help Pui Kin get together with Hoi Lam were good, though they never got together. His disappointed scenes were OK but definitely not as good as Chi-Lam.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Overall:
"Return of the Cuckoo" is a series good for Chi-Lam's fans because he's quite good looking in this series. Besides that, if you're into forbidden love and 'I'll sacrifice for her happiness' kind of series, this isn't too bad. If you're looking for series with evilness and what-not, "Return of the Cuckoo" is a huge no-no for you because there were none of those scenes except a few where Q Yee's sister portrays but that's really all. I've been left a pretty good impression on this series and I believe it's a series that's good for viewing.
