The Gateau Affairs

Cast
Joe Ma - Ko Gun
Myolie Wu - Tong Sheung
Bobo Chan - Bo Ho Ho / Coco
Annie Man - Sa Lai / Dai Siu Jeh
Jack Wu - Suen Yu Lok
Jacky Wong Shu Hei (child)- Bun Jai

Plot
Ko Gun is a very skilled cake master with a wife and small son. But after a few years, his wife couldn't take it anymore because Joe was never home because he was just too busy making cakes. His son felt neglected too, but he still loved him alot. But his wife finally decided to leave him. Ko Gun, wanting to stop them from leaving, made a cake for his son and rushed to the airport but accidently hit a taxi with a senior woman in it. In a moment of desperation he threatens that there is a bomb in the cake box so he can run away, but he is caught by the police and arrested for making threats.

Meanwhile, Tong Sheung just got dumped and wanted to prove to her ex-boyfriend that she can open a cake store. She uses all her savings to open one, but all her relatives and friends know that she can't even bake a cake properly.

Ko Gun has to stay in jail for a period of time, where he met Suen Yu Lok. After a few months in jail, the owner of a big cake company, Gateaux, invited Ko Gun to be the head cook, to replace Sean-Paul. The owner's daughter Sa Lai really dislikes Joe and wants to get rid of him.

Sheung's cake store gets burnt down because of an accident, but she is sure that it is Suen Yu Lok and Ko Gun who did it. With encouragement from the "Cake Robin Hood" who is actually Ko Gun in disguise, she tries out for the Gateaux kitchen and eventually gets accepted, along with Suen Yu Lok and Bo Long.

In the kitchen, Ko Gun is very dissatisfied with the cooks because of the quality of the cakes that they baked. He is also very strict with the new trainees. Sheung is also convinced that Ko Gun copied her idea of the cruise ship cake. But later she finds out that it was because of his son's favorite toy, a cruise ship, that gave him the idea. She also has that very same toy because her dad owns a clothes washing store, and it got lost there.

In another accident, Ko Gun causes two middle-aged sisters from France to be injured. One of them is actually Sheung's long lost mother! Her sister is unconcious, so in the mean time, she requests that she live with him.

Soon, Sheung finds out that she misunderstood Ko Gun all along, and she starts being nice to him. Meanwhile, Suen Yu Lok keeps on fooling around with the waitresses outside the kitchen. Coco is very mad because her waitresses are always talking with him and not working. But then, one day Coco gives Suen Yu Lok a bag of chips which he thinks saved his life, so he starts to like her, and woo her. She is very shocked at first. One night, while trying to put some stuff in the freezer, she falls and faints inside. Suen Yu Lok finds her in time and saves her. This is when she starts to fall for him. Bo Long also has a crush on her.

Ko Gun finds out that Sheung's long lost mother is actually a famous cake master in France, but due to her attempt to suicide she lost her memory. When Sheung and her mother meet, she starts to remember everything. She remembers that she only attempted suicide because she beat her teacher at a cake contest.

Sheung and Ko Gun share some good, romantic days as a couple but Sa Lai and Sean-Paul tells Sheung bad things about him, and soon she thinks he is lying to her, and she starts hating him. In anger, she challenges him to a contest. In the contest, she is so confident that Ko Gun forfeited. Because of this, Ko Gun loses all interest in cake making and sleeps at home all day long.

One night, Bo Long brings Coco to his apartment where he stored alot of chemicals and scientific equipment. He also tied her to a chair because he was jealous that she didn't like him, and like Suen Yu Lok. Then he goes out to buy something. Coco tries to break away, but then the chair knocks some chemicals down and starts a big fire. She is terrified. Suen Yu Lok finds out, and sees alot of people evacuating out of the apartment. He rushes up to find her and saves her life again. She is finally convinced that Suen Yu Lok would make a great boyfriend, and they got together. Bo Long is satisfied because he knew he could never do something like that for her.

Sheung finds out that she has once again misunderstood Ko Gun, and realized she was lied to by Sa Lai. She wants Ko Gun to regain his strength but because she didn't want to show that she still loved him, she challenged him to another contest. To win the contest, Sheung injected herself with special hormones to make her hands very hot so that she could use a special technique to make her cake.

The theme of the contest is "hope" and Ko Gun makes two very special cakes that bring out the theme. Sheung is very touched, and at that time she suddenly faints because of the hormones she injected into herself. Everyone is very worried, and Ko Gun finds out what she did to herself. They go back together, of course, but Sheung has a brain tumour. She refuses to do an operation but Ko Gun really wants her to because he doesn't want her to die. To convince her, he made a very special cake for her that has flowers that actually blossom. She is very touched, and decides to undergo the operation. The series ends beautifully with a phone call to Ko Gun that Sheung has woken up.

Actors and Actresses
Joe Ma - Ko Gun
He was very good acting as a cold and strict cake master with moments of pain from memories of his son. You could tell that when he was with his family, he was so happy, but when he was in the kitchen he was very sad. During his cake competitions, sometimes he would have moments where he would think about his family and his hands would turn warm, disabling him to handle chocolate. But soon he warmed up and was very nice to Tong Sheung. I feel that Joe Ma did a great job at this character.

Myolie Wu - Tong Sheung
Myolie barely passes my favorite actresses list (from "Lost in the Chamber of Love"). But my goodness, there's just something with her expressions and exaggerations in "The Gateau Affairs". Her portrayal as Tong Sheung was kind of annoying. Maybe her characther is supposed to be like that, but I found it very irritating to watch her. It was better when she was having heart-to-heart talks with her cousin Coco because she didn't have that attitude. Also, I didn't like the glasses.

Annie Man - Sa Lai
She acted out this character extremely well. She had the attitude, the look, everything. This character is supposed to be very prissy, just like the rich spoiled girl. Her attitude that she acted out looked very real, and natural. I was happy to see that she changed in the end though.

Bobo Chan - Coco
Bobo was really cute in this series! Her facial expressions and voice are very nice. Her character development was also very nicely done, we see that her parents were divorced so she feels a bit unloved. We also understand the reason why she is afraid of starting a relationship because of her parents. She's pretty funny in here too.

Jack Wu - Suen Yu Lok
Jack Wu was amazing in here. He was good at acting like the non-educated guy with many jail records. Afterwards he really wanted to change for Coco and he does everything, from asking Sheung about her childhood and the things she likes. I liked his scenes most with Coco. Totally cute except for the hairdo!

Jacky Wong - Bun Jai
Yes, although he's only a kid, I just had to comment on his acting. He is absoutely adorable! Unlike the other kids of TVB, this little guy doesn't have an attitude and he doesn't have to try very hard to be cute. His crying scenes where he missed his daddy were just so touching that I cried with him. This is the first series that made me cry!

Chemistry
Joe Ma and Myolie Wu
Wow, this couple is so... unsuitable. Joe is just too old for her. Yes, I mean, it IS the 21st century and it's not abnormal to have a couple with a large age difference, but I can't imagine Ko Gun being married, having a kid, divorced than pairing up with someone so..corny as Tong Sheung. In the romantic scenes, the lines are said, but I just couldn't feel the emotion. Also, Joe didn't look like he really cared about Myolie.

Jack Wu and Bobo Chan
I adore this couple! Yes, even though it's the usual TVB development, guy and girl are sworn enemies, then suddenly guy likes girl and girl falls for guy. But this chemsitry is special. Suen Yu Lok became very understanding when he found out her parents were divorced so she didn't want to start dating. Then he tried everything to woo her.

Other
I must comment on the cakes that were featured in this series! They are all so very beautiful! They are just absolutely amazing! Even the ones that in the series that Ko Gun didn't like. They look so real, and hard to make.

Favorite Scenes
1. When Bun Jai was really sad and wanted his dad, he'd cry. Total tearjerker.
2. When Suen Yu Lok rushes in the burning building to save Coco, and he sacrificed a big amount of money for her.
3. When Suen Yu Lok and Coco were in the hospital, and Ko Gun was pushing Lok in a wheelchair while Sheung was pushing Coco in a wheelchair and they were so loving. They called each other "Hor Hor" and "Lok Lok" like little kids!

Scenes with Joe and Myolie were not very emotional or special, maybe only at the end.

Overall
Overall, I really enjoyed this series. The sad moments were very touching, with Bun Jai crying for his dad, the happy moments when Ko Gun and his son are playing, the comic relief with Sheung's brother, and the scenes that just make you go "aww" - Coco and Suen Yu Lok!

The only general bad part is the pairing of Joe and Myolie. I would have suggested maybe switching Joe with another actor, but Joe's image and age suits the cake master style. But overall, nice series!