War of the Genders
War of the Genders - An excellent, light-hearted comedy that, arguably, has got to be one of the best modern dramas produced by Hong Kong (HK) in recent years, or perhaps, I should say ever. This is what I call an apotheosis of both quality and quantity (since it's pretty long too).
A few social issues are also subtly blended into the drama and dealt with in the most light-hearted manner. Basically, a law firm, a unit in the Ultimate Apartments and two main distinct characters form the groundwork for the plot development. To sum it up, it centres on a lawyer, Mao Xiaohui (Miss Mao) and her paralegal advisor, Yu Letian, how they constantly bicker with each other by jetting out shots of sarcastic yet hilariously thrilling remarks. In the midst of many other happenings (subplots and law cases), they gradually develop feelings for each other subconsciously (but this will only occur in the last few episodes). A very ordinary storyline it seems, but somehow, the producers have ingeniously managed to make this serial unique by the penning of eloquent and witty lines, hence resulting in amazingly entertaining dialogues by the artistes. Coupled with the near flawless performances by the casts, the end product is a remarkable comedy with no dull moments at all. Well, this has been the case for me as I have thoroughly enjoyed watching War of the Genders.
Best performance would have to be by Dayo Wong Chi Wah who plays the male lead, Yu Letian, a humourous, quick-witted, articulate legal executive who has no qualms about goggling at pretty girls and watching restricted shows. Generally speaking, this is a character with a flawed personality but however, as the show proceeds, one can't help but to grow to like this seemingly disgusting and perverted (in a harmless way) fellow. Of course, credit goes to Dayo for his brilliant portrayal in making this character so funny and realistic. His expressions and actions always either leave me laughing or grinning even though a few times, slightly appalled. Well, Yu Letian can actually be quite sentimental and kind-hearted and this is especially evident in his deep love for his buddy Xiaoqiang - The Cockroach. Xiaoqiang is like his Achilles heel, as it is always when something happens to Xiaoqiang, that we get to see the emotional side of him. Before this serial, Dayo Wong had been a completely unfamiliar face to me and I was wondering how come he could be the lead actor. But well, now, he has fully impressed me with his magnetic comical acting skills and the natural manner in which he carries himself throughout the entire serial. It's no surprise that his popularity has escalated madly after this drama was shown in HK. Dayo truly deserves accolades for turning this character, Yu Letian into such an immense joy to watch. In fact, he is my favourite character in the entire drama.
Renowned and accomplished HK celebrity Dodo Cheng Yuk Ling plays the female lead, Miss Mao, a bossy, unreasonable, razor-sharp but capable, acute and independent lawyer to perfection too. It has been quite a long time since I last saw her acting in a show. I remember her in the series of the 'Biao Jie Dao' movies where she portrayed a backward, ignorant yet brave peasant from China who goes to HK. Anyway, Dodo once again, proves her versatility in acting and I applaud her for doing such a wonderful job in her convincing portrayal of the domineering and self-opinionated Miss Mao.
Dayo and Dodo's chemistry in here is incredibly terrific. Ever since the first time they met in the first episode, which culminated them into becoming foes, I have enjoyed almost every scene with the two of them (or even when only one of them is present) where they would always argue with each other, sprouting line after line of sarcastic yet interesting contents. Strictly speaking, Miss Mao and Yu Letian are characters poles apart in almost every aspect (even physical appearance) that I actually find it inconceivable that they would be a good match. But somehow, because they are the main leads, the possibility of them being a couple eventually is high as this has always been the cliché. As the show progresses, I must admit I am increasingly looking forward to them building a relationship for they have electrifying on-screen sparks and they complement each other very well. It's real fun to watch their verbal battles.
Scenes of them, some, in particular, remain vivid in my memory. For instance, at one time, Letian sues Miss Mao for maligning him. There is this scene in court where Yu Letian gives his fluent yet non-sensible statements in a nonchalant way, on the difficulties of summoning his 'buddy' to be witness, that even the judge gets clueless and exasperated but to proclaim this case to be invalid. I find this extremely funny. Then at the end of the court case, we see Yu Letian and Miss Mao smirking at each other. Somehow I have always viewed this as a prime evidence of the initial surfacing of the unspoken mutual understanding between them, though at that time, they are still not on good terms yet. Miss Mao knows that Yu Letian has dropped the charges against her, though done in a subtle and unnoticeable manner. Examples of other equally amusing and entertaining parts include the scenes they begin to suspect that they like each other, the looks of awkwardness on their faces when they realize that this 'horrible thought' might be true and also, the scenes after they officially date but which have to done in secrecy, since they are a 'kind-hearted adulterous pair' (as quoted by them ^-^), the parts where CK Law film shoots an advertisement and many, many others (Ok, in fact, most of the time, throughout the show, I find myself either laughing or smiling non-stop). Well, if the degree of chemistry were to be graded, I would, definitely, unhesitatingly, award Dayo and Dodo an A-grade.
Throughout the drama, we have quite a number of trivial and funny law cases and one would definitely notice one baffling fact, that is the opponent of Miss Mao is always the same person -- Alex Pao. It seems as if they are the only lawyers in HK (?!). But well, the entertainment level is still very high here. The routine banters among the colleagues in the law firm are added joy inputs too. The success of a drama, apparently, depends on a collective effort and not merely the main leads. Everyone, to a different extent, has contributed to making this drama such a delight to watch. In general, I have nothing but praise for most of the supporting cast, with special mention to Yuen King Tan and Cheung Chi Kwong. Coincidentally, just before this serial, I had watched them in 'A Kindred Spirit' where they both had impressed me. Now, Yuen King Tan plays a middle-aged spinster, Xian-jie who will find true love eventually though. This actress simply possesses the talent for comical roles. Every gesture of hers is so natural and she really brings life to her character. As for Cheung Chi Kwong, his character is James, an effeminate but loyal lawyer who is also the 'good sister' of Miss Mao. This is so different from his role as the honest, hardworking Li Tianfu in 'A Kindred Spirit' and yet, he has managed to pull it off effortlessly too, just like Yuen King Tan. As for the rest of the casts, like Hu Feng, Marsha Yuen, Patrick Tang, the guy who acts as Alex Pao, Loletta Lee and many others, I would say they all have nailed their roles quite well too.
What is perhaps not so satisfactory would be the ending. Well, the last episode, as usual, does maintain the funny elements of the previous ones and I do enjoy watching it but somehow, the final parts are a bit rushed and sudden. When the show ended, I was like, "Uhh? That's it?" Come on, there is certainly potential for more scenes. It would have been much better if they could just stretch the serial by another few more episodes so as to give a more finalized and complete conclusion. An interesting observation to note though, is that the last scene with Dodo and Dayo in the Gents is a bit parallel to the first scene where they first met with a misunderstanding in the same location too. The only difference is that, their relationship has changed. Maybe I have read too much into it, but I simply have this niggling doubt as to whether this is a deliberate attempt on the part of the producers, to show the link. But well, anyway, I am still very disappointed and displeased with how this drama ended. I do expect much more.
In spite of some obvious illogical, lame and pantomime parts, this drama is very relaxing and hilarious, maintaining a high standard consistently. I really had a good laugh while watching it. This is indeed a solid and refreshing comedy with a nice script, exciting, in-depth and novel dialogues as well as superb and natural acting by all the casts -- a great contrast to some other comedies, which are usually funny just for the sake of being funny, and the annoying thing is that they are still not funny at all. To sum up, War of the Genders is one drama that I certainly would not mind watching again. It deserves two thumbs up!
