The Last Breakthrough

Starring:
Nick Cheung, Raymond Lam, Sonija Kwok, Leila Tong, Bosco Wong, Andrew Lin, Sharon Chan

Main characters:
Nick Cheung: Nick Cheung plays the almost-too-good-to-be-true "Grass Dragon" doctor who is a credit to the Hippocratic creed. You can't help but love him for his devotion to his patients and his selflessness. Of course, like most TVB heroes, he is wishy-washy in his love life and this lends to quite a fair bit of frustration for both his love interest (Sonija Kwok) and the viewer. However, to be fair to him, you really feel for him each time you see him hurting when memories of his dead girlfriend (Gigi Leung) comes back to haunt him.

Sonija Kwok: Sonija Kwok plays the love interest of Nick, a long suffering damsel in distress nurse who has to take care of a chronically ill younger brother and a somewhat irresponsible mother. This is the first time I saw Sonija after her respectable performance in Angels of Mission and I must admit I am somewhat disappointed. Sonija fails to carry off this role and her chemistry with Nick Cheung or rather the lack of it really hurts this show. It is hard to feel for the couple and their struggles to get together when you wince each time you see her act. While she is definitely easy on the eyes, her performance isn't.

Raymond Lam: Raymond Lam is the hidden ace in this show I feel. He delivers a stellar performance as the spoilt rich brat turned caring doctor. You can see his character grow each episode and especially when he is diagnosed with cancer, you can really feel for him. His relationships with his father and step-mother are another source of interest in this plot, thanks to his strong portrayal. His chemistry with Leila is another highlight of this series, you really have to love this couple.

Leila Tong: Three words: I love her! Leila is immensely likeable as Gigi Leung's sister who helps Nick in both his clinic and his volunteer work at Life-force. She is so cute especially when she grudgingly kisses Raymond to help him out of a fix with the tribal people. Get ready the Klennex when she discovers Raymond has cancer. Although her love triangle (or rectangle if you count Bosco) with Raymond and Sharon is somewhat cliched, you still can't help but feel drawn in due to their strong performances.

Story:
Nick was initially a successful heart surgeon but his life turned around when his fiance Gigi Leung was killed by a hit-and-run driver. After that, he learnt to appreciate the finer things in life and carried on her work in the volunteer organization Life Force. He even becomes a gynecologist just like her. The somewhat jaded monotony of medical dramas is broken up by scenes in Africa and Guangxi thanks to the nature of Life Force.
Nick, Bosco and Andrew run the show for their clinic which goes beyond the normal call of duty for doctors. This trio is later joined by Raymond and the show revolves around the clinic and its personnel. In this respect however, don't expect the same level of intensity as Healing Hands, after all they run a clinic not a hospital so not that much drama.

Through the course of the series, you really come to admire the doctors for their dedication although it borders on being utopian, especially Nick. The highlight however is Leila and Raymond, I really loved their chemistry. They will make you smile, cry, laugh and rejoice together with them. You really feel for this pairing.

Towards the end, the series tends to lose momentum and the ending is silly. I won't give any spoilers but I really have to warn you not to expect any climax. Seems like the producers didn't know what to do with Raymond and Leila's relationship.

Bottomline:
Watch this if you:
1) are a fan of Nick, Raymond or Leila
2) have never seen Africa before and do not subscribe to National Geographic
3) want to restore your faith in the medical profession
4) can ignore its flaws and enjoy Raymond and Leila's chemistry
5) don't want to watch the ending

Okay, I sound too harsh, just that thinking of the ending frustrates me. All in all, this is a decent show, just don't expect Healing Hands material.