Fathers and Sons

Warning! Spoiler Review!

Fathers and Sons is a TVB drama series starring Bobby Au-Yeung, Wong He, Yoyo Mung and Tavia Yeung.

Man Tin-Chi (Bobby Au-Yeung) is a top-ranking market research manager at CJ Thompson. His father abandoned his mother and him when he was ten years old. His only memories of his father was that he worked in Hong Kong and would spend the weekend with Tin-Chi and his mother when he returned during the weekend. Tin-Chi would be very excited by his return and he would hold his father's watch to his ear to hear the watch ticking while they walked home from the pier.

In the tenth year of his life, his father abandoned the family. Tin-Chi was convinced that his father would come back if he made himself really sick. Tin-Chi was hospitalised as a result but when he awoke from his hospital bed, he only remembered his mother crying saying that his father would never come back. Tin-Chi was very angry with his father and had cursed the "vixen" who stole his father away from them.

Thirty years passes. His best friend Kam Mei-Tsun (Yoyo Mung) is engaged to the eldest son of the Lui family. Mei-Tsun is pregnant and the couple decides to get married. Mei-Tsun breaks off her engagement to Leo Lui and calls off the wedding when she realises that he is nothing but a scheming heartless person who cares for nothing but himself.

Tin-Chi inevitably discovers that his father is Leo's father when he is engaged to work on a project for "Mui Kee". He is cold to Lui Pak Tong because he blames the old man for abandoning him and his mother for another woman. However he later discovers that it was his mother who was the "other" woman. He slowly learns that his father had been searching for him and his mother all these years and he begins to forgive the old man when he realises that his father never forgot his mother. The old man had named his meat ball factory after his mother "Mui Tao".

Lui Pak Tong has 3 other children with his legitimate wife. However, his children are spoiled and care only for themselves and his wealth. His eldest son, Leo is only interested in taking control of the family company for himself. He frequently schemes against his other siblings to make them fall out of favour with their father. Pak Tong's second daughter, Kar Wai is vain and spends her time with various boyfriends who are all after her money. Pak Tong's youngest son, Ben is a playboy. He is irresponsible and is only out to have fun.

Tin-Chi turns out to be the only son who cared about his father. Tin-Chi brings his own 8-year-old son to see his grandfather at Pak Tong's deathbed. Pak Tong's parting words to Tin-Chi were that he hoped Tin-Chi would be as lucky as him to have a filial son and grandson by his deathbed.

After Pak Tong's death, the Lui family makes it very clear to Tin-Chi that he would not be getting a single cent from them. Tin-Chi swallows his pride and asks for the old watch that his father always wore. He walks away from the Lui family contented.

Leo is however not happy to let matters rest and is determined to battle Tin-Chi. To fulfil their father's wish, Tin-Chi and Ben join forces to purchase "Mui Kee". Leo is determined to spoil their plans and he sells it to a third party even though they had an agreement. Tin-Chi had anticipated that Leo would renege and sought the help of an acquaintance to buy it off Leo thawing Leo's plans.

Leo is bent on taking revenge on Tin-Chi - he is angry that Tin-Chi is their father's illegitimate son and that Mei-Tsun is now with Tin-Chi. He tries to drive Mui Kee out of business - he steals their ideas by bribing and competes with them on price even to the extent of losing money on his own products! He is later arrested for insider trading.

Tin-Chi's godfather Ko Chi-Tim (Ha Yu) falls ill and Tin-Chi blogs his feelings towards his godfather. His blogspot is read by many and his story becomes very well known. As a show of support, the public starts buying Mui Kee's meatballs and their business soars.

Chi-Tim finally wakes from his coma but he has lost his memory. Tin-Chi and Ko Ching (Chi-Tim's son) agree to let Chi-Tim have only good memories and they make up stories about their life together as written in Chi-Tim's diaries (Chi-Tim had written about things he regretted not doing with Ko Ching when he left his family in Hong Kong while he earned a living in Macau) - so Tin-Chi and Ko Ching make belief that Chi-Tim did everything he regretted not doing in the past. Chi-Tim concludes that he must have had a very happy life.

Tin-Chi finally marries Mei-Tsun and they all live happily ever after.

Secondary Storyline

TC's relationship with his 8-year-old son
TC's ex-wife dies and his 8-year-old son is sent back from America to live with him in Hong Kong. Their relationship starts off rocky but father and son learn to love and respect each other eventually.

TC's relationship with Chi-Tim
After Pak Tong leaves TC and his mother, life takes a downturn for them. TC was forced to take care of himself while his mother worked as a maid. She would often give him money to settle his meals and he would try to stretch what little money he had by eating plain noodles. He goes to Chi-Tim's stall one day and asks for plain noodles. Chi-Tim takes pity on the boy and loads the bowl up with lots of “happy meatballs” (meatballs he scores with 3 slits to make a happy face). Chi-Tim becomes a father to TC after that but they lose contact when Chi-Tim returns to Hong Kong to look after Ko Ching when his wife passes away.

Ko-Ching's relationship with Ko Chi-Tim
Ko Ching always blamed Chi-Tim for being irresponsible as he witnessed his father fighting with his mother over money for what he thought was his father's gambling addiction. He was never close to his father. Chi-Tim was the exact opposite of what Ko Ching thought of him. He loved his son very much and would wait eagerly for Ko Ching to ask him out or visit him. He is always disappointed but he never gives up hope. Ko Ching later learns that his father had given all he had to Ko Ching's biological father to leave Ko Ching alone because Chi-Tim had loved the child so much and he knew that Ko Ching's father was only interested in money and would not take care of his own son (this was the fight with his mother that Ko Ching remembers). Chi-Tim had made a lot of sacrifices for a son that was not even his own.

Ko-Ching and Si-Hei
Ko Ching was a better father than son or husband. He loved his daughter to the exclusion of everything else and his attitude infuriated his wife who leaves him for her boss. Si-Hei is attracted by Ko Ching's devotion to his daughter but she soon discovers that he has no place in his heart for anyone else but his daughter.

Si-Hei and Ben
Ben starts off as a typical spoilt rich playboy who is irresponsible and only out for a good time. He is attracted by Si-Hei's indifference to him and is determined to have her when she spurns his advances. However he slowly changes for her and becomes responsible. He even joins forces with TC to revive their father's meat ball factory; Mui Kee in order to fulfil their father's dying wish.

Comments:

I liked watching this series very much. The pacing was just right and there was always enough to keep the audience interested.

The characters were all likeable, save for the villains. I enjoy watching Bobby very much as he was always positive even when things did not work out well for him. In the end, everything worked out for everyone.

I personally did not like the side story with the children of Tin-Chi and Ko Ching. The acting was much exaggerated and it was more like filler than anything else.

It is definitely a series well-worth watching.

Thumbs up!