Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion

Summary:
This is the story about two races, the Mongolians and the Hans. While the Mongolians are so set on restoring their empire, and the Hans are dying to protect their country, engaging in countless battles and wars, the ones who suffer the most are actually the civilians. However, many times, these fighters don't have a choice… An example is Fung Hang Lit (Raymond Lam), who gets torn between good and evil, love and country...

A Little Side Analysis:
Raymond Lam & Bosco Wong- Different Yet Similar
You might think that Raymond and Bosco are polar opposites. One is funny, one is serious. One is innocent, one is cunning. And of course, one is a Han, one is a Mongolian. But actually, if not for their environment and their races, Raymond and Bosco are very much the same. Both of them have a kind heart, both of them are the peaceful type. Unfortunately, each of them has to fight for their race. Thus, they have to turn from friends to enemies…

The Outfits:
Generally, the outfits here are kinda plain, plain but nice and also stylish. I like Raymond's mature look very much. His Mongolian outfits and hair after episode 18 are the best on him. Charmaine's outfits are very unique, making her very 'sacred'. The yellow one is the best. Sharon's hairstyle is a little modern, but it makes her look very very lovely. Bosco's clothes when he was still poor were plain but lovable.

The Good:
Raymond Lam as Fung Hang Lit
At the beginning, Raymond is nothing but a big victim of Derek Kwok, who caused him to suffer so much. After episodes 13 and 14, you'll realize that Derek only wants to help him, and who Raymond really is - the Mongolian prince. However, that only makes Raymond's life more tragic, as he has to lead his people to fight the country back, and lie to everyone around him, including his best friend and the woman he loves most. At first, Raymond believed that he could have both Charmaine and his country. After Derek died, Raymond realized that it's nothing but a dream. Raymond finally decided that he should pay any price to win his empire back, and realize his ideology of 'racial equality'. Ironically, the journey to peace is a bloody one. Raymond was confused, but finally found a way to peace.

I love Raymond's character the most in this series. Even though he puts on a cold front, he has a warm heart. Even though he seems selfish, he is really selfless. Also, he is really smart, easily the smartest character of the series. Raymond's performance was also the best, with lots of angst spirit in the eyes. I think he suits this kind of 'warrior' role perfectly.

Bosco Wong as Hon Pak
Hon Pak is a very kind and innocent boy. He encounters many people, who help him become powerful in one way or another. I loved him very much for the first 25-26 episodes of the series, because he is really good at making you laugh. However, after Bosco and Sharon became 'siblings', his story somehow lost steam, but he still had lots of screen time, which makes me not look forward so much to seeing him…

Derek Kwok as Pong Ban
When Pong Ban first appeared, you might think that he's a big villain, but you'll realize that he is doing everything for his people. You might hate him for his cruelty, but love him for his loyalty…

For many many years, I never really cared about Derek as an actor (I wonder why). This time, I became a big fan of him. From episode 1 right up to his death, and even his appearance in Raymond's memories after he died, he got all my attention.

Power Chan as Fan Leung Gik
Fan Leung Gik appears to be a very playful person, but he's also an intelligent man. Even though he doesn't do much, without him, this series would be a lot less interesting and funny…

Dislikes
Too much talking, too little action
Yes, this is the most major flaw of this series. The people here talk more than they do. Even though most of the dialogues are very well-crafted, too much of them might still make you feel bored. The first 17-18 episodes and the last few episodes were pretty happening, but for a big part in the middle, it got slower… I just wished more things could have happened…

Raymond's bangs
As much as I love Raymond's hairdo, his bangs sometimes bother me, especially during the war, when he buns up his hair, but the bangs are still fluttering about. Don't you feel the same way?

Charmaine's Master
Yuck, why did they have to choose HER to play this sacred role? Remember Mary Hon in "Twin of Brothers" (TOB)? I can't say she's great but she is way better than Suet Nei. I can't stand the way she acts and talks. She doesn't even know how to act a dying scene well!

Fighting scenes
Compared to TOB, the fighting scenes here are way better, because there is more hand-to-hand combat. However, they are still not quite good enough. Also, I felt that there were quite few fighting scenes. What is an Wuxia series with so little fighting scenes? I want more!

Loopholes:

Why is it that for a big part of the series, Raymond walks around with his Mongolian hairstyle but no one seems to care, even the paranoid emperor…

In episode 29, Charmaine started suspecting Raymond because she found a grass bird on a table in the palace. I don't really believe someone so meticulous like Raymond would leave the bird lying right in the middle of the palace...

Why is it that in the last episode, Charmaine saw Raymond's blood on the sabre, but doesn't seem to care? Hey, Raymond is missing and she's not the least bit worried. In fact, she kept smiling… Yes I know that she's happy that Raymond finally earned his peace, but her reaction just doesn't feel right...

The ones to feel sorry for:

Sonjia Kwok & Derek Kwok
Let's start with Sonjia. Everyone deemed her as a betrayer because she works for Derek. Despite that, Derek wasn't too nice to her, making her do many things she didn't want to do, like sleeping with Raymond… Nevertheless, Sonjia has no regrets, because deep down, she knows that Derek does love her. Unfortunately, she only got to hear those words come out from Derek's mouth moments before she dies…

Derek is the one everyone hates, everyone wants to kill, but every evil deed he committed was due to the fact that he loves his people too much. Before he dies, he told Raymond lots of things. You will feel really touched…

As a couple, Derek and Sonjia were also very pitiful. They can't live to see their dreams fulfilled, and they can't be together only until they die…

Raymond Lam & Charmaine She

Fortunately for Raymond and Charmaine, the scriptwriters managed to salvage the whole mess and get Raymond unstuck. In the end, Raymond and Charmaine had the most satisfying reunion. Nevertheless, the process of their love story was torturous. You'll feel so sorry for them, but it was also really entertaining

After episode 15, when Raymond and Charmaine got together, you'll sense that their love story will be a tragic one. You'll pity Charmaine for loving someone who has been lying so much to her, and pity Raymond for having to lie to Charmaine. Watch the stabbing scene in episode 33, the emotions gushing out can drive you crazy.

The Chemistry
There are 3 pairings which I love here. Each of them are great in their own ways. Here are the reasons:

Bosco & Sharon
A funny poor boy and a lovely rich girl make a perfect combination. Right from the beginning, Bosco and Sharon forged a great friendship, together with Power Chan. They care a lot for one another, and at the same time, bring us lots of laughter. However, all these will come to an end after episode 26. I don't feel so comfortable about them being siblings, and Sharon being with Evergreen… Bosco and Sharon have much better chemistry.

Derek & Sonjia
Before watching this series, I hardly cared about this pairing. But right from the first episode, I found myself paying close attention to them, because all their scenes are so intriguing. From the beginning, you can see that Sonjia is deeply in love with Derek. You'll keep asking yourself, does Derek love Sonjia? Slowly, you'll find that Derek IS very much in love with Sonjia. However, both of them have a very tragic end…

Raymond & Charmaine
At first, nothing much happens between this couple. But it simply gets more and more intense until you realize that the very thing keeping you watching is their chemistry. For Raymond, even though he tells Charmaine so many lies, he loves her very very much, and won't let anyone harm her. That's why when Charmaine stabbed him, he didn't retaliate. All he could do was to say sorry… For Charmaine, she was utterly disappointed by Raymond's true personality. She hated him so much, yet she still loved him so badly, making herself very painful. I love this story very much. It was a torture, but also an enjoyment. ~.~ And I have to say, Raymond does NOT look too young for Charmaine, neither does Charmaine look too old for Raymond. They make a perfect couple and share perfect chemistry. If you're avoiding this series because Raymond and Charmaine plays a pair, that is a big mistake…

Favourite Scenes:
- Out of the countless hilarious Bosco-Sharon scenes in the series, this one is the best. That is when they re-enacted the scene between Power and Mimi. I'm sure, this is the funniest scene of the entire series, and might be the funniest scene of the year!
- Here comes the least expected moment of the series- when Charmaine stabs Raymond. Yes, I did not say it wrong. Charmaine stabbed Raymond, and she sure did Raymond LOTS of damage. Raymond's blood was flowing like crazy, and Charmaine's tears were also flowing like crazy. The last line Raymond said to Charmaine before collapsing is likely to make you cry. He said, 'Mung Yiu, I'm sorry. Our fate has ended'. Raymond and Charmaine's eyes are full of spirit, LOTS of spirit. Man, this scene totally rocks!

The Deaths
How many deaths were there in LWOLAP, was is seven, eight or more? Anyway, all the deaths, major or minor, have their significance. Some are really emotional, while some (actually only one) look really stupid. Here's my analysis.

Kwok Fung- Maybe you have forgotten completely about this character. This is the crippled man who passed all his kungfu to Bosco and then died. Kwok Fung and Bosco have a very short-lived but interesting chemistry. Without his death, Bosco can never become a general or whatsoever.

Gordon Liu- He is Raymond's master, and truly loves Raymond as a disciple, until he found out that Raymond is a Mongolian. Right before Gordon died, he was still trying to kill Raymond. Raymond finally realized how badly his master hates him. He almost became insane...

Bosco Wong- Relax, of course Bosco survived in the end. Nevertheless, he did die, not once, not twice, but THRICE. Each time he dies and revives, he'll become more powerful. However, I don't think Bosco made good use of his power, perhaps until the last few episodes. Anyways, this is the only 'funny' death of the series. Not only funny, it's hilarious!

Suet Nei- She is Charmaine and Sonjia's master. She got killed by her own disciple Sonjia. I think she deserves it, for not understanding Sonjia, for trying to kill Derek. Am I sounding biased? Of course I am biased! I can't stand this actress. She can't even act out a dying scene well! Let me warn you, her dying scene looks really stupid.

Sonjia Kwok- I never expected Sonjia to die so early, and I never expected Sonjia to die because of her stupid master. Anyways, this might be one of the saddest deaths of the series, because of her final conversation with Derek, because of the way Sonjia touched Derek's face before dying, and because of Derek's precious tears. Sonjia's death had a great impact on Derek, though he doesn't show it. It also had a great impact on me, because I missed her after she died…

Hui Siu Hung- Derek was bent on killing him or he will thwart their rebel plans. Raymond did not want to kill him because he is his best friend's father. He still died anyways, because he was smart enough to find out Raymond's identity, but not smart enough to rescue himself…

Raymond Lam- Like Bosco, Raymond DID die, just that he got revived eventually. Why did he die? Charmaine stabbed him, duh. The fatal stab turns out to be the best torture of the series. And also, you cannot miss the riverside scene when Derek yells at Ray and asks him not to die, and when Charmaine tried to make herself believe that Raymond deserves to die. I think these scenes can totally break your heart, because Charmaine, Derek and Raymond's performances were SO powerful.

Derek Kwok- Why did Derek die? Derek died to save Raymond, duh. But there are also some other factors which contributed to his death. Since the day Sonjia died, Derek's heart was as good as dead. What kept him living, the thought that one day, his and Sonjia's dream would be realised. Raymond was his only hope of restoring the Yuan empire. What would he be living for if Raymond died? Even though he knows so well that Raymond will not succeed because of his personality, he still takes the chance. Nevertheless, Derek still gave Raymond a choice to leave or to stay… What a great guy…

The Prime Minister- Raymond silenced him, yeah. This is a very minor death, but it shows the intelligent and cruel side of Raymond. ~.~ He deserved to die, because he's loyal to neither Raymond nor the emperor.

Ko Hung- The emperor did deserve to die, for the way he massacred the Mongolian kids and all the innocent lives he took. However, the emperor did become less hateful before he died.

John Chiang- By the time the emperor died, everyone hated Raymond. By the time John died, everyone practically wanted Raymond dead. Raymond didn't kill him, (Jimmy Au did) neither did Raymond WANT to kill him. It was Evergreen whom Raymond was after. John died while protecting Evergreen. What a great loyal hero. However, I hate the way the sword died following its master's death. I think that is really stupid…

Wow, 12 deaths in one series. That's a lot. However, I could make it 14. Firstly, I thought Raymond should die. Yes, everything in the last episode made sense, but it just feels strange that a tragic ancient hero withdraws and survives. I wonder what Derek and Sonjia would think in the netherworld. But I guess I'll accept the ending as the way it is. Secondly, I think the emperor's grandson TRULY deserves to die. He's stupid, he's evil and he NEVER repents. Every character has their own reasons behind their evil deeds, only him, who simply wants all the power in the world, but has no idea how to be an emperor.

Original Novel Versus TV Adaptation
Fans of the novel are likely to hate this series, because besides the names and the setting, every thing was changed. The villain of the novel (Fung Hang Lit) became the main character of the series. The big hero of the novel (Long Fan Wun) became nothing but a sidekick. Even the pairings got jumbled up. My advice to everyone is to watch this series as a completely different story. Leave the novel behind, like what you did to "Twin Of Brothers" and "A Step Into The Past". That way, you'll enjoy the series a whole lot more.

The Performance
The best performance totally comes from Raymond. As I have said, Raymond is perfect for this role. His performance was marvelous. For Bosco, I do think that he can act, but his storyline wasn't so attractive towards the end. He was the best from episodes 1 to 26. Sharon Chan also improved a lot in her acting, and became much lovelier than before. Charmaine was also SO good, especially towards the end. I totally love her crying scenes. However, sometimes you might think that Charmaine's character preaches too much, maybe due to the sect she belongs to. Derek and Power Chan are the best supporting actors. One is really intriguing, one is really funny. Without them, the series won't be what it is. I can't really say I like Sonjia's performance, but I loved Sonjia's character very much, and I like the way she was represented by white pigeons. Bing Wun is a very special girl, who is hard to forget…

Worth Watching?
A BIG YES! Do watch this series. Despite those slow moments I mentioned, this series has everything: good characterization, good performances, good chemistry, great love stories, great scenery, great background soundtracks… I definitely didn't regret watching.