Love in a Miracle

**YanHei** · 10-14-04, 06:16 AM

this series are great i start like benny chan chin pang after i watching this series
cus i like his character in here and don't you guys think that he is hot

**MetalAZNWarrior** · 10-15-04, 08:15 PM

I finished this series and I'm

at how my overall preception of all of the characters and plotline have changed. Hmm where shall I start on my review? First I will comment on every character.

Steve Ma - What a tragic outcome to his character! He got burned really badly and it's so touching how he would risk it all to save his son. From start to end I sympathized completely with his character.

Amy Chan - An amazingly great actress. Her crying scenes are very real; her nose becomes red and the tears flow down naturally. I felt so bad for her character. *sigh* Having to sleep with someone she doesn't know, parting with her children and not knowing if they're dead or alive, poor or wealthy... It's so depressing how she seemed to have no control over her life. When she discovered the truth, it was a lose-lose situation.... At least she could be happy finally in the end.

Ma Su - My heart totally went out to her character. From the beginning she was hurt and until the very end she was hurt. *sigh* Ma Su is very pretty but her acting is only ok. Her whole life was captived in the family and she just wanted to be with someone who loved her and to be blissful. Yet she had no control over her life. Everything was arranged for her and she couldn't do anything about it. She's naiive, young, and delicate. Being forced to marry someone she doesn't love, can't give birth, and finally discover her husband doesn't love her the most... She thought she finally had happiness, but everything came crashing down and she lost everything. I was so sad when she died innocently while hugging her "son." Her last words (to Steve), "If you could choose again, would you take me on a train trip and leave?" Of course when she goes to rescue Steve and Amy was very very touching. She realized that she can't force things that aren't hers to remain in her possession. What a lovable character! She really grew up and matured throughout the series. At times she's unreasonable and mean but when you look at her motives, it's totally understandable.

Benny Chan - Such an interesting character! Although he has power and money, he's always so lonely and keeps everything to himself. He rose from rags to a "big brother" in a gang. His whole life was dedicated to seeking revenge for his mother. It's scary to think how everything that happened was part of his plans. He's very smart and quick. It's understandable why he hates the family so much since "they" killed his only love and his mother. It's touching when he goes to fight the war and takes up his real last name. An adaquet performance overall.

First Master (the eunuch) - He's a character I really hated. His mind is so wicked but I have to admit, his actor did a good job. He looked really sinister! Towards the end, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He lost his happiness because he was sold into the imperial palace as a eunuch so that his family could survive the winter. Because he lost his manhood, he couldn't stand up and be like everyone else - hence he beated his maids/wife to show people that he was still manly. But I'm glad he got payback for killing his wife (Yammie). I couldn't help but feel a tingle of grief when he was forced to die.

First Mistress (Yammie Lam) - I really liked her since she appeared on the screen. So mysterious and interesting. Although she was always smiling, inside she was very depressed and dying. She only wanted someone who could love her and to be happy. Good performance and very pretty but too short of an appearance. I heard she's suffering from depression these days. I hope she gets better. It'll be a pity if we don't get to see more series from this veteran actress!

Second Mistress - Her character is someone I both liked and hated. At times I could connect with her reasons for her actions and at others, she was too unreasonable. Excellent performance and she totally fitted her character. Her lines were witty and smart. Too bad she got disillusioned by her relatives and in the end, she lost everything. All she ever wanted was to be able to relax and enjoy her life, but fate is cruel and never let her be laxed. Her whole life she spent working to make money and keeping the family in wealth. I was very sad when she got killed. She thought she could be God and change fate by putting everything into her own hands. Never did she complain or ask someone else for help nor did she desire help. She relied on herself and she was wrong in this aspect. She thought her opinion was the best and just tried to do too much.

Second Master - He provides a lot of comic relief during really dramatic scenes. His character is interesting because his lines somehow reveal that he is totally aware of the family's situations and isn't really as "crazy" as people think.

Third Mistress - I was totally shocked at her dedication to the family and the heart that she has. At first we're led to believe she's someone who likes to show off. Yet as the show progressed, we saw that she has a good heart. It must have been heart-breaking for her when she found out that her husband and son plotted against the family. So sad how she was wrongfully framed as being involved in the plot. I was touched how she stood by the family all the time. In the end she says "Everyone has roots, this is my home and I will stay here and wait for everyone to come back." She cares about everyone and I grew to really like her.

Third Master - His actions are expected as he isn't given trust or respect in the family. He's always belittled and ridiculed as being useless. I don't blame him for hating the family and plotting against it. I felt bad for him actually. I loved the scene when he finally sticks up for himself and yells back at his wife. I'm glad in the end he comes back to his wife.

Ninth Master - Probably the biggest turnaround in this series! At first I thought he was just someone who wanted to make money and didn't have compassion. I was astounded when he came back to help his sister. I guess all he wanted was to provide for his family and show people that he's not useless.

Ninth Mistress - She is very funny and also pretty! I enjoyed her scenes. She is someone who stands by her husband and their relationship is so touching.

Miss Ninth - I'm ecstatic that she ends up with Steve's brother. Thankfully in the end she finds the happiness she yearns for. Again, one of my fave characters. At first I didn't really like her but as the series progressed and her storyline/character was revealed, I fell in love with her character and really felt bad for her. She's weak and just wants someone to love her. As for her actress, somewhat of a weak performance, but passable. She is cute though.

Steve's brother - He's so comical and slow. He has a big heart and his scenes with Miss Ninth are so cute! They have good chemistry and I was glad he was given a bigger role than just Steve's "younger brother."

Auntie Kiu - One of my favorite characters and a really good performance. Her acting is so credible that at times I really believed she was blind. I grew from hating her to loving her character. Her lines are so witty and funny. I really enjoyed her relationship with Amy. At first she seems really evil but as her story unfolds, wow... Her life is so tragic, especially the reason for her blindness. Her philosophies are good. "The heavens gave us a tragic life, so we have to laugh and be happy to make "him" mad." I just really enjoyed all of her scenes.

Head Maid & Servant - Two extremely dedicated people to the family. Although they helped them do evil, in the end, their overall actions won me over, especially head maid (the personal assistant of Second Mistress). She gave up her happiness to serve Second Mistress and she always holds a deep grief because she indirectly caused her younger sister to be raped and eventually commit suicide. Head servant is great and I was touched when he died to save his masters.

Steve & Amy's son & daughter - Two very likeable characters. At first I dispised the son because he was so rude and spoiled. But wow, he became really cute after Amy taught him manners. The daughter is also very cute because her mannerism is like Amy's.

Upon reviewing, all of the subplots tie together and not one scene in this series was wasted on nonsense. The storyline is very good, refreshing, and interesting. The pace is nice and the way the story is told is good. The beginning was heavily dramatic, fast-paced, and interesting. The middle was slower-paced and somewhat more laid-back with more comical scenes. The ending is just a thrilling ride of drama, tears, and excitement. The whole storyline is shocking with twists and turns everywhere. It's highly interesting. There's a lot of irony as well. This is one tragedy that spans 15+ years.

Favorite scenes:

- Amy & Steve's "7 days"
- Ma Su staying at Steve's village and trying her hardest to fit in
- Everytime Auntie Kiu & Amy are together
- When Ma Su finally accepts and loves Steve
- Miss Ninth's divorce storyline
- Benny's revenge plot being achieved
- The irony that Second Mistress realizes in the end
- Death of Second Mistress and Master in the house sitting together on the bench and dying along with it
- Whenever Second Mistress showed her smart tongue and power
- Amy bonding with her son and daughter
- When Amy unfolds Steve's bandage and cries
- Third Master's confrontation with his wife revealing his true thoughts
- Ninth Mistress & Master's funny/loving scenes
- "Lantern Festival" episodes
- Yammie's story and how they related it to a story about a bird
- Ma Su's death
- Every scene that challenged conservative/past thinking with modern morals
- Ma Su & Steve & Amy love triangle
- When Amy discovers the man she loves and yearns for is Steve
- Ma Su going to rescue Amy & Steve

And many, many others that I can't remember at this time.

Overall, this series is excellent. It has soul and realism. Highly recommended if you love drama, especially ones set in the 1930s-40s. It's no wonder why it's ATV's 2004 anniversary series. It's such an impressively delighting and engaging series. Great costumes, music, powerful acting, and a storyline that will leave you in tears throughout.

Other comments (SPOILERS)

I felt that the ending is fitting and real. Amy, after all, loves Steve much deeper than physically. So what if he's burned? It's thankful that he didn't die and Amy will truly be happy just to be with him. It's sweet when they were walking together into the sunset. Finally the village will have a new day. It'll become successful again with the wine business and after much tragic events, everyone can finally be happy.

It's so ironic how every action of Second Mistress to save the family actually hurt it. I was deeply sadden when the family was torn apart and all of the riches were stolen. Throughout the series, we saw them happy with riches. Yet in the end, there was nothing left. *sigh* Still the event proves that there is deep kindred connections between them after all and that they weren't just binded by money.

This series does a good job in showing what "love" is. The title is not just referring to the love between Amy & Steve, but is incorporating every love in existence (motherly, fatherly, brotherly, friendly, kindredly, etc). I was left with a good feeling in many scenes that depicts it. It is really a good show with morals and wholesome humanitary sentimentals.

Some questions raised in this series:

- Is sex really that important in a relationship?
- Is our characteristics determined by genes or environmental upbringing?
- Is fate controllable or is everything pre-destined?

Nitpicks:

- Who told Benny about his past?
- Amy's mother. What a peculiar character! She leaves her daughter in the forest to find someone to help aid her in giving birth, yet she just disappears after Amy is captured. Is it because she knows Amy was caught so she didn't go find her and felt too embarrassed? Why didn't she go back home during all those years? Really a character with many holes in both plot and characterization.

**earth4477** · 10-15-04, 11:46 PM

I have not watch this atv series.
I wonder does it tell the real historical background of the World War II & the cruel invasion of Japanese army into China.

I watched the good old days I & II many years ago, it seem not to mention directly of the real historical background during that era regarding world war II & the cruel japanese army invasion into china. It just mentioned some men needs to join the army to go into war.

It should have a storyline including the real historical background of that time period of the peoples' lives during the world war II & cruel japanese army invasion into China.

**2socks** · 10-16-04, 05:42 AM

Hey Metal, glad you'd enjoyed the series. Yes, it's full of irony and that's what I love about it.

Your nitpicks.... yeah, I've the same thoughts as well. Amy's mother was probably a just a 'serve-the-plot-purpose' character and nothing more... as in... she's merely there to provide the reason for Amy being caught and ended up in the Dowager plan. Otherwise, how can the plot explain how Amy ended up being caught... if you know what I mean.

**MetalAZNWarrior** · 10-16-04, 10:01 AM

Another good factor about this series is that all of the characters (with the exception of Steve & Amy) were not truly "bad" or "good." They were realistic in the way that they acted upon needs/circumstances. Throughout most of the series, we thought the mistresses/masters of the family were evil and only wanted money and to hurt the poor, yet towards the end, we see that isn't just the case.

**Cinnamon** · 10-18-04, 12:11 AM

Originally Posted by earth4477

I have not watch this atv series.
I wonder does it tell the real historical background of the World War II & the cruel invasion of Japanese army into China.

I watched the good old days I & II many years ago, it seem not to mention directly of the real historical background during that era regarding world war II & the cruel japanese army invasion into china. It just mentioned some men needs to join the army to go into war.

It should have a storyline including the real historical background of that time period of the peoples' lives during the world war II & cruel japanese army invasion into China.

i didnt think this series told much about japanese invasion except for the light and fluffy "run or you'll be killed" scenes. anywho, that's just because this is a love story and the plot is all around family troubles. WWII was just used to give a final conflict for the lovers. it shows that there love can endure the passing of time and hardship. however, if u want to see japanese cruelty and WWII heroics, there are lots of series out there about it. i cant remember the titles right now, but there are a lot out there.

just finish the series this weekend. i LOVE BENNIIE in here. he's soooooooooo awesome!!!! his best performance yet!

i like ma su too. she was an awesome mom. too bad she and the kid had to separate. it was cool that he still thought of her as his "actual mother" even after he found out about amy being his biological mother. her death scene almost made me cry.
amy and steven are okay together concidering that i dont really like steven's acting. i like him playing evil roles better. and what's with the hat?!! he always seem to be wearing a hat in every series i see him in.

**2socks** · 10-18-04, 01:35 AM

That hat was give to him by Yammie. It's sentimental.

**Cinnamon** · 10-18-04, 12:18 PM

yes yes. i know it was given by yammie. its just that i always see him wearing a hat in all the series he's in. was just wondering if its some kind of trademark or he just like hats.

**bubcas** · 10-18-04, 12:26 PM

Steve wears the hat thruout the entire series with any outfit he wore. I think he wore the hat like a memory of Yammie. The only outfit that bothers me a lot is the gray color winter wear with fuzzy collar. He even wear the hat with it. I like best on his modern outfit when he worked at the quarry site.

**Cinnamon** · 10-18-04, 01:52 PM

funny u mention the fuzzy collar. that outfit does look pretty bad.

**earth4477** · 10-18-04, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by Cinnamon

i didnt think this series told much about japanese invasion except for the light and fluffy "run or you'll be killed" scenes. anywho, that's just because this is a love story and the plot is all around family troubles. WWII was just used to give a final conflict for the lovers. it shows that there love can endure the passing of time and hardship. however, if u want to see japanese cruelty and WWII heroics, there are lots of series out there about it. i cant remember the titles right now, but there are a lot out there.

just finish the series this weekend. i LOVE BENNIIE in here. he's soooooooooo awesome!!!! his best performance yet!

i like ma su too. she was an awesome mom. too bad she and the kid had to separate. it was cool that he still thought of her as his "actual mother" even after he found out about amy being his biological mother. her death scene almost made me cry.
amy and steven are okay together concidering that i dont really like steven's acting. i like him playing evil roles better. and what's with the hat?!! he always seem to be wearing a hat in every series i see him in.

Can you post a picture of ma su? who's ma su?
Does anyone know a website link of this series with pictures of the artists?

I just thought since the time setting is during that World War II period & japanese invasion of china, it should mentioned it.
It would make the storyline better showing the struggle of people & courage & love & hatred, hardship & death, survival etc..

**Cinnamon** · 10-19-04, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by blood3

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://app.hkatv.com/_upload/gallery/miracle_062.jpg')

that's ma su and steven ma. she plays steven ma's wife in the series. as for the japanese thing, they did "mention" it. i mean they brushed over the parts of families running away from japanese oppression and slaughter. people living in abandon buildings with no food. children being separated from parents. all sorts of stuff. its just that this series didn't really go deep into that as in make a huge plot about it. it was like the last 10 minutes of the series thing. we didnt even get to see any portrayal of japanese people in here hurting people.

http://www.hkatv.com/drama/04/miracle/
dont know if you can read chinese but that's where u can find the character's pictures. click on the link that says this 角色扮演 .

**earth4477** · 10-21-04, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by Cinnamon

that's ma su and steven ma. she plays steven ma's wife in the series. as for the japanese thing, they did "mention" it. i mean they brushed over the parts of families running away from japanese oppression and slaughter. people living in abandon buildings with no food. children being separated from parents. all sorts of stuff. its just that this series didn't really go deep into that as in make a huge plot about it. it was like the last 10 minutes of the series thing. we didnt even get to see any portrayal of japanese people in here hurting people.

http://www.hkatv.com/drama/04/miracle/
dont know if you can read chinese but that's where u can find the character's pictures. click on the link that says this ???? .

Thank you for your rely.
I thought amy chan & steven ma was a couple in this series?
I don't know how to read chinese, is there a storyline on any internet websites you might know of?

That ma su actress, I never saw her in atv before?
Is she new actress? or taiwan actress?

**Cinnamon** · 10-21-04, 10:13 PM

actually. . .didnt mean to confuse u but amy and steven are a couple. its like a love triangle thing. the story is really complicated. steven got married with ma su but the person he will end up with is amy.
ma su. . .i dont really know where she comes from but somewhere in this forum they said she was a mainland china actress or from taiwan. dont know any other sites about this series. if you have time to go back and read the entries in this forum. . .they basically spill the whole story in here.
its a decent series for me to watch and i dont usually watch series from this time period. my parents usually rent them and forces me to watch. anywho. . .my motivation was Benny Chan Chin Pang. hee hee. he's really awesome in this.

**bubcas** · 10-22-04, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by earth4477

Thank you for your rely.
I thought amy chan & steven ma was a couple in this series?
I don't know how to read chinese, is there a storyline on any internet websites you might know of?

That ma su actress, I never saw her in atv before?
Is she new actress? or taiwan actress?

Unfortunately, there is no storyline in English on any websites. But if you go to Page 1 on this thread, there are some screenshots and storyline on this series.

Ma Su is a Mainland China actress. She is not new and had appear in other chinese series ie: Silk Road. I believe this is the 1st time she acted with ATV.

**Sorrow** · 11-05-04, 08:22 AM

This is the first series I've watched since I retired from TV Series about three years ago and I must say it was totaly awesome. Yes there were some dragging scenes and there was a lot of stories which I (personally) found no interest in but overall I enjoyed the series very much and finished it in two days! *LOL* Can't believe it but it's all for Amy and Steven! Gosh I love them! They still look good together!

One thing I had against the series is that Benny guy, I think that's his name. I read through some messages in this forum and if he's the gangster guy that was Yammie's lover than that's the guy I'm talking about. Anyways my rant on him is that he was only an infant when his mother died so there was no way he could have known about his background. Even if he investigated it would have been very hard because even his aunt (old lady house keeper that follows the 2nd mistress around) didn't know who he was. Yammie oviously didn't know his background so he couldn't have found out from her.

The plot of him being the son of 2nd master (crazy old man) was not a sudden thing at all. I noticed many clues from the beginning where the 2nd master says and does many things that gives clues that he had another woman before and that he wronged her very badly too. So I don't understand why they didn't work that into the plot a little better.

Second thing I had against the series was the ending. Did they really have to burn Steven? Ok I'm on boths sides of this. I understand about the whole love for who he is and not how he physically looks but really now they didn't need to burn him. The ending left me a little disappointed. I can't express it so well now because I'm sleepy so when I can I'll be back.

By the way MetalAznWarrior, I loved how you analyzed the series. Very well done and I agree with you on many of them but I have some sligthly different views which I will comment on later too.

**trieuminh** · 11-08-04, 04:43 PM

how many tape in viet version??

thanks

**Cinnamon** · 11-08-04, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by Sorrow

One thing I had against the series is that Benny guy, I think that's his name. I read through some messages in this forum and if he's the gangster guy that was Yammie's lover than that's the guy I'm talking about. Anyways my rant on him is that he was only an infant when his mother died so there was no way he could have known about his background. Even if he investigated it would have been very hard because even his aunt (old lady house keeper that follows the 2nd mistress around) didn't know who he was. Yammie oviously didn't know his background so he couldn't have found out from her.

???????

against BENNIIIE??????

just my opinion here. . .but the way everyone puts it here, it seems that most of you believed that the only people who knows about the affair is the crazy guy and benniie's aunt. by what the series show us, it almost feels like this was true. however, if we think life here. . .if there was a girl who was hired into family and suddenly got pregnant and leaves. . .there will certainly be a suspicious few. . .who might dig up what happened. the movie never ever stated that crazy guy and aunt are the "only people who knew." they just never mentioned the rest of the population that does.

also. . .benniie can find out in many ways once he became gang leader or before hand. i mean, bennie's mom left him at the bank of a river when he's a baby and SOMEONE has to pick him up or else he'd be dead. that's one way. also she probably didnt give birth to him on her own. there's always whoever that helped her--though never mentioned--but there must have been someone. so saying that there's no way he can find out is not exactly right. the writers were a bit off by not at least mentioning how. . .but they never put anywhere in the story that it was impossible.

also. . .defending the writers now. . .about complaining how we dont get to see how he finds out. . .if the writers puts in a scene where benniie finds out than that would be completely out of context to the story cuz it must have happened way before the story actually begins. if they gave him a flashback than the ending would be annoyingly predictable. if they made him tell the people how he found out than that would make his character completely lame. . .like some sort of stupid villains that reveil everything (i personally wouldn't like THAT at all). by keeping him cool till the very end. . .his discovery and everything else about him must stay mysterious. . .end of lecture.

**Sorrow** · 11-09-04, 05:17 AM

Hey trieuminh,

If I calculated correctly the viet version had 27 tapes.

===========

And this rant is for Cinnamon,

Hey, girl (I hope you're a girl because I inferred that you were by your post and pseudonym) My rant wasn't because I'm against him or his character. I worded that quite strangely due to sleep deprivation.

I actually enjoyed his character the most and found him quite charming. What I actually meant was Ithe only thing I had against the series was how they flashback to tell the audience (us) about Benny's past.

From my perspective, it was erroneously presented to the viewer. If the writers had written him to be at least 5 or 6 when his mother died, it would make the story more fathomable. Considering that she could have informed him of his past before she passed away.

It's not that I believe the only people who knew about the affair was The father (2nd Master) and Benny's aunt (Head Maid) alone, however that is the only message conveyed by the script.

Although the midwife helped develop the baby, it is highly doubtful that she knows or was even aware of what happened to the woman (Benny's mother). Furthermore, the family has always shown us how chaotic and secretive it was from beginning to end. I would say it was comparable to the forbidden palace. With that in mind, having an extra servant and then having her vanish without anyone knowing is not odd whatsoever.

As for the person picking him up by the river, I find it highly unlikely that the person knew anything about his past. During those chaotic times, if an ill-hearted person picked him up and knew his background, I would presume that person will wreck havoc on the family before Benny could. However, if a good-hearted person picked him up and knew his background I'm sure the person would not let him know due to future complications.

Benny was always portrayed as a companionless person and in his character always transmitted the feeling that he felt forlorn. Therefore, it was hard for me to imagine that he was picked up by any good-hearted person. From personal experience, I would define a good-hearted peson as people who would try and make him feel like a member of the family or at least bring him a feeling of love or forgiveness. However you can clearly see that only Aunt K and Amy were able to bring him any of those feelings. Therefore, I concluded that he wasn't picked up by anyone good-hearted. That's just my personal views.

I don't agree that flashbacks would make the story annoyingly predictable. There were many flashbacks in the stories which I didn't find annoying or made the series too predictable. But of course as a long time series-goer the series was very predictable from beginning to end (except the actual ending, I was hoping for more) I agree that I wouldn't like him revealing how he found out either because that wouldn't be neccessary. I only have a problem with the one flash back that he actually had about his mother. I beleive it should have showed more during that time frame.

**Sorrow** · 11-09-04, 06:00 AM