The Edge of Righteousness

How long : 30 episodes

Foreword
This is the second time Man Tse Leung works with the late Kwan Hoi San, Fat Yung and Wai Kin after ‘Keyman’. Did they create sparks again?

Story/Introduction on characters

1. Lui Mun Fung – Man Tse Leung
He is a top neurological surgeon. He is a very earnest and resolute type who will try to achieve his goals by hook or by crook While treating an eight-year-old boy, he loses his physician license for using a banned drug. The little boy’s young uncle Ah Choi becomes his best friend after this incident.

He refers him to work for a pharmaceutical company. Because of his character defects, he has been on bad terms with his family. Lui returns to Hong Kong and is put up at Luk’s home. This gets Mun Fung involved in a murder case that happened twenty years ago, pushing him to a point of no return! He suspects that the owner of the pharmacy Chang Dang may have something to do with a murder that happened ten years ago. To find out the truth, he has set off a wave of disturbances.

First, he kidnaps Chin Pang to force him to stop selling illegal drugs that will harm the consumers’ health. Then he discovers Ah Choi’s father’s body cemented into a wall. He tries to bring Dang to justice by all means – getting evidence, hunger strike, parading on the streets, etc. That costs him his life. Before he dies, he leaves a book on his life story.

This character is completely insane – can someone seek the truth to this extent? Someone should have sent him to hospital long ago for psychiatric treatment as we can see that he doesn’t behave normally. Unlike other dramas, Tse Leung is a big let down here with his exaggerating gestures.

2. Luk Ah Choi – Cheung Wai Kin
Ah Choi works in a pharmacy. He doesn’t do much but draws a meaty salary. He has wanted to marry Hou Hou all along but she only treats him like a friend. He is often at loggerheads with Hoi Mien and they do date for a while. But his heart is still with Hou Hou to woo her back later.

Eight-year-old Ng Siu Tung (Cheng Pak Lam) has been suffering from brain cancer. Wishing for a medical cure, he follows his uncle Ah Choi to the United States to seek consultation treatment. By chance Mun Fung comes across the boy’s letter to Santa Claus. He feels for the child and offers to help him. He decides to operate on Ng regardless of the hospital’s policies and procedures, for which he is disqualified from practicing as a doctor. Ah Choi feels guilty for causing him his job.

On his recommendation, Mun Fung gets a job with Chang’s Pharmacy Company, which leads both to a shocking discovery later on. Dang actually kills his father accidentally and is making amends to him. He wants to seek justice but decides to give up when seeing how much trouble is caused. Unlike him, Mun Fung preserves till the end and he gets very upset over his death.

We can see that Wai Kin keeps on acting as the happy-go-lucky with his annoying trademark expressions. However, he can be convincing in a serious role, coming to the end for this one.

3. Cheng Chin Pang – Doi Chi Wai
He is Dang’s nephew who hates Ah Choi. He doesn’t know why his uncle keeps such a nuisance in the company. Ah Choi has no qualifications. Neither has he the capability. Whenever he wants to dismiss Ah Choi, he will run to Dang for help. That forces him to change his mind.

4. Mr Lui– Kwan Hoi San
He is Mun Fung’s father who has a very strained relationship with him. Although he does well in the U.S., he doesn’t depend on him for a living to prefer to work on his own. Upon knowing the trouble Mun Fung is involved in for the trial, he tries to dissuade him. Mun Fung initially agrees to let go but later regrets. That angers the old man and causes him to die of a heart attack. But he still doesn’t change his mind.

5. Cheng Dang – Cheng Jut Si
He kills Ah Choi’s father by accident and hides the body. Feeling remorseful, he gives Ah Choi an important post in the company. He knows very well how incompetent he is. He hopes that he will shut up even if he discovers the truth. He never expects Mun Fung to dig up the past to put him in trial. His attitude towards Ah Choi and his family totally changes as he shows no remorse. He later dies of a heart attack as he is in poor health all along due to overweight.

6. Lam Hoi Mien – Chan Fat Yung
She is very vain and dreams of marrying a rich man although she has poor qualifications. Hou Hou wants to get away from Ah Choi so she hides her away. Knowing her fear of chickens, Hoi Mien throws many chickens at her home to force the truth out of her. But he feels sorry later after knowing why she is so afraid. Her family sells chickens. She was rebellious when young and her mother locked her up in the cage with chickens.

Still, she braves her courage to own a chicken farm to make profits with Ah Choi after he leaves the pharmacy. She gets hysterical when they run everywhere due to a flood. Ah Choi comes to her rescue and she likes him. But knowing that he likes Hou Hou, she gives up on him.

7. Suen Hou Hou – Chu Yan
She doesn’t know how to reject a persistent Ah Choi. Not because he dresses like a countryman but because the way he talks. He doesn’t allow her the chance to talk at all. Thus she thinks of breaking up with him. Hoi Mien is once traumatized over her breakup so it brings her and Ah Choi again when they try to console her.

8. Yip Mun – Hsuen Huen
Mun Fung is a genius in brain surgery working in the U.S. He dares to break rules and regulations to save the lives of his patients. Mun is Mun Fung’s nurse girlfriend who works with him and always worries that his personality will bring him trouble. She hates his raging temper. The relationship between the pair therefore involves frequent quarrels and arguments. She gives birth to their son and hopes he will be as righteous as him one day.

Songs
Definitely a masterpiece. The fast paced theme song is ‘the reality is a dream’. The subt heme has the same music but is played slowly. It is called ‘Severed By Still Connected’ by Lau Tak Wah. I simply love both versions!

Conclusion
Everyone is normal except the two main actors. They give a lower than expected performance. It is very annoying to see how they act the same way repeatedly. The plot becomes confusing and I also think I am going mad like Mun Fung. He has gone too far to seek the truth. Only the actresses give a refreshing feel with their earnest acting. I don’t find any dark humour in it as claimed. It is an excuse as TVB has reached a bottle neck period in story creation during this time.

Sukting’s ratings :

On acting : *** (Scale of 5)
On story : ** (Scale of 5)
On song : ***** (Scale of 5)