Square Pegs

Cantonese Title: Wong Fu Seng Long
Chinese Title: Gang Fu Cheng Long
(I’m not going to translate the title directly to English since it's a Cantonese pun on a Chinese proverb that roughly means “hoping one’s husband achieves greatness”. Just replace “hoping one’s husband” with “idiot husband” and you get the idea)

No. of Episodes: 20

The Cast:
(In Cantonese with Chinese pronunciation in parenthesis)

Roger Kwok – Ding Seung Wong / Lei Gai Zhong (Ding Chang Wang / Li Ji Zong)
Jessica Hester Hsuan – Leng Choi Fong (Ling Cai Feng)
Raymond Cho – Bao Gai Zhong (Bao Ji Zong)
Leila Tong – Leng Choi Dip (Ling Cai Die)
Winnie Yeung – Yeung Pui Kwan (Yang Pei Jun)
Yuen Wah – Bao Heng Fong (Bao Qing Feng)

Introduction:

“Square Pegs” was the runaway success of 2003, commanding a viewership of 3.5 million or roughly half of Hong Kong’s population during the last week of its broadcast, and breaking TVB’s ten-year ratings record. It also went on to win four awards for its two lead actors in the TVB 36th Anniversary Awards, and made both Roger Kwok and Jessica Hsuan household names in the territory.

The story itself is innocuously simple, with most of the action happening at the beginning and the end of the series. Written as a character-centric piece, it depended largely on the main cast to carry the entire show, lock, stock and barrel on their shoulders. And what a piggyback ride it proved to be!

The Story:

Choi Fong (Jessica Hsuan) is the eldest daughter of the Leng family that includes her oft-absent father, stepmother and stepsister Choi Dip (Leila Tong). Like Cinderella, she undertakes all the housework, does the grocery shopping, cooks for the family, and prevents her father’s antique collection from falling prey to her stepmother’s gambling appetite.

One day, Mrs. Leng’s vice finally catches up with her and to pay a particular debt, Choi Dip is consigned to marry the village idiot Ding Seung Wong or Ah Wong (Roger Kwok), who is about as intelligent as an eight-year old. Unwilling to commit her real daughter to a life of misery, Mrs. Leng arranges a double wedding and switches the brides so that Choi Fong ends up marrying Ah Wong, while Choi Dip marries Bao Gai Zong (Raymond Cho), the scion of the wealthy Bao family. And so begins Choi Fong’s merry schemes to escape from her marriage with Ah Wong who, to her consternation, takes an immediate liking to her and clings to her like sticky biscuit dough.

After several failed attempts evading her fate, Choi Fong gradually resigns herself to play Ah Wong’s ‘lou por jai’ or ‘little wife’. One day, a strange girl Yeung Pui Kwan (Winnie Yeung) arrives in town and claims Ah Wong for her fiancé. Choi Fong soon learns that Ah Wong was actually a bright young man and the real heir of the Bao family who inexplicably disappeared two years ago, only to reappear a retard.

Hoping to return Ah Wong to his rightful babysitter as soon as possible, Choi Fong agrees to help Pui Kwan get to the root of the mystery. So the girls embark on a campaign to expose the bogus Bao Gai Zong, reinstate Ah Wong as the rightful heir, and help him regain his memory. But just as Ah Wong begins to show signs of recovery, Choi Fong realises to her dismay that she has fallen for him...

Review:

Regular drama viewers might recognise familiar elements in the beginning of the story. A girl being forced into marriage with a rich man’s son who unfortunately turns out to be a retard is prime fodder for a tragic feudal drama. The twists here come from the fact that the retard gets to be the protagonist, his family runs a modest biscuit bakery, and the girl is unusually strong-willed and clever. The combination is a refreshing series that is equal part comedy and equal part fairy-tale.

The Cast:

Spot-on casting of the two leads is, in my opinion, why this show performed so well. Roger Kwok especially, slips into the role of Ah Wong so effortlessly that most viewers cannot imagine another actor playing him. He has the experience to carry off the role, and his boyish looks and voice are great selling points in portraying the character. So much so it actually makes me wonder if Ah Wong was specially written for Roger.

Not to chalk it down simply as a matter of natural choice, Roger also gained 30 pounds and had his hair cut every two weeks to play the stupid but good-natured Ah Wong. In the hands of another actor, Ah Wong might have been reduced to a clumsy and farcical personality with exaggerated motions. Roger’s winning performance does not so much lie in his overt behaviour and speech, but through his body language, especially his subtle hand gestures and eye movements. Even so, his unabashed crying scenes towards the end of the series will probably leave a lasting impression on many viewers.

The story also needed a serious and mature presence to counter-balance the mood of the show and compliment Roger’s performance - hence Jessica Hsuan’s Choi Fong. This production actually marks the first time the two actors are playing lovers, despite both having been in TVB for so long. A possible reason might be that although in real life Jessica is younger than Roger, she looks older when paired with him. However, the effect is perfect in this particular occasion, because Choi Fong spends much of the time looking after Ah Wong and reining him back from his wilder antics.

This isn’t one of Jessica’s more outstanding performances in a series, but her appeal remains strong in here. Choi Fong is a very likeable character, taking things in her stride, but nevertheless refusing to play the hand that fate deals her. Her refusal to compromise a strong set of principles under the most daunting of circumstances is especially admirable because she ends up paying a big price for it.

Apart from a few exceptions, the supporting cast is quite forgettable. If I have anything bad to say about the production, it is that the rest of the pairings did little to engage my interest. There wasn’t much effort made to weave their roles into the main narrative either. Aside from the next most prominent couple in the show, Raymond Cho’s Bao Gai Zong and Leila Tong’s Choi Dip, who are at least involved in the plot, the other pairings serve only to furthur illustrate how disparate individuals can come together through the strength of love.

The Story:

Beauty exists in simplicity is what this series is trying to say, but that simplicity in relation to the plot raises eyebrows sometimes. One example is how Choi Fong so readily forgives her stepmother and sister for tricking her into marrying a retard. Another is the incredible strength of Ah Wong’s affection for Choi Fong. She never acted to win his heart, and her conduct towards him was entirely consistent with her obliging nature in the first place.

Still, I wouldn't call the story unrealistic because it plays like a fairy-tale or a series of sayings like Ah Wong’s famous line, “I’m happy as long as the one I love is happy”. Every character in the show is involved in one scheme or another, except for Ah Wong who blithely goes on with his life, unaware of the conspiracies revolving around him. His only concern is that his family and wife are happy, even if his own happiness is on the line.

This is the point where the series reveals itself as an unmistakable love story. Although romance is always a big part of TVB productions, it usually supplements the storyline or remains one aspect of the narrative. Here, romance takes the centre stage.

At a glance, Ah Wong doesn’t seem to have anything going for him in his pursuit of Choi Fong. However, the lengths he is willing to go to earn her approval and affection is heartrending. Towards the end, Ah Wong sets no reward for himself other than to make her happy, regardless of how much he has to suffer for it. The effect is an utterly touching love story that leaves you rooting badly for him to succeed.

So it goes without saying that I watched with gleeful joy as Choi Fong begins to fall for Ah Wong. But the scene where Pui Kwan obliquely asks him to choose between his wife and fiancé foreshadows a moral dilemma that even simplicity cannot solve. Which is why I didn't look forward to Ah Wong regaining his mental faculties, because it means that the two halves of his life, pre-and-post-knock-on-the-head, are now at odds, and he must finally settle on one choice.

Like any comedy, the conclusion sees the incorrigible get their just desserts and the errant characters mend their ways to live happily ever after. I shan't disclose the whole ending here, which I felt was justified even if it peeved me. Suffice to say that the scriptwriters seem to have written themselves into a corner again.

Conclusion:

Because of overwhelming demand, TVB currently has a sequel in the works, although I doubt it will repeat the success of the original production. “Square Pegs” was one of the reasons why I started watching TVB dramas again, because I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. It is undeniably good, even though I feel it doesn't deserve the extraordinary accolades it has received. Instead of expecting it to live up to the yardstick of media hype, you might want to simply watch this enjoyable series for its own sake and appreciate it for its own worth.