The Fearless Duo

Foreword
Yung Mei Ling has worked with Miu Kiu Wai in 5 dramas out of her 9 dramas. Do you wish to find out how they act in here as a couple?

Introduction of Characters

1. Lam Chor Yin – Yung Mei Ling
She is the only daughter of the scholar court official, Ho Yin (Lo Kok Wai). She sneaks out of home and envies Cheung to be able to use magical skills. She learns some magic from her nanny after much persuasion. Thus after drinking wine, she can see ghosts. On their wedding day, she drinks the nuptial wine. She accidentally hurts her mother-in-law when running after a child ghost and is thrown out of the family. She is a proud person but feels indignant over it. She goes everywhere to look for him and hopes to reconcile with him.

Seeing Yuk Tong wanting to hurt Mun Mou, she shields him from getting hurt but he dismisses her efforts. Mun Mou is in a new town with Dong Yee and she gets mad with him over this. But his poisoning case brings them closer. But now, her parents intend to marry her off to her spendthrift cousin. Lai Cheung and Cheung stop it from taking place so she and Mun Mou have to convince their parents now.

She is killed by an evil spirit on her wedding day. Cheung wants Mun Mou to lure her soul back on the 3rd day. He wins the battle but loses her soul accidentally. Cheung assures him that it should be safe if they can recover it within 7 days to make her relive again. They send her body back to her hometown. Mun Mou gets her soul back but is snatched by Chi.

Mun Mou manages to save her but she loses her memory. Cheung brings her to Dong Yee’s home but she still can’t remember. Cheung then arranges the young couple to get married again and he pretends to be the evil spirit to harm Mun Mou. She gets terrified and remembers everything. Both go through lots of ordeals in order to get married.

Yung’s smile is always dazzling. Her eyes will capture any guy’s attention. It is puzzling why Mun Mou doesn’t love her initially. She is at top form in this drama with adequate chemistry with Miu but I feel that she seems a bit tired at times. Maybe she had shot too many dramas that year.

2. See Tou Mun Mou – Miu Kiu Wai
Mun Mou chases after a thief who steals his jade pendant. Chor Yin thinks that he is a lecher and stops him. Both are at loggerheads later. He even pretends to be Cheung when he is drinking wine and eating dog meat with him to deceive her. He overhears her talking to the marriage god (Yuet Lo), hoping to marry a suitable man. He sneers at her and is dismayed upon knowing that he is getting engaged to her. His protests fall on deaf ears.

He is later engaged to Chor Yin but he is not devoted to her at all. Even though she loves him whole-heartedly, he deserts her on their wedding day. Soon after, he falls into an actress Ying Fung by knowing nothing of her veil of deceit. He keeps standing up for her and trusts her completely.

After being hurt seriously by Yin Fung, Mun Mou realizes that Chor Yin is his true love and he returns to her eventually. Unfortunately, Chor Yin’s spirit is captured by Chi on their wedding night. In order to rescue his wife, he starts practicing skills from Cheung’s manual. He is successful but Chi uses Chor Yin’s soul to fend himself off.

Mun Mou discovers that the manual has 2 missing pages but Cheung will not give him. He is discovered when he attempts to steal it. Cheung explains that it is black magic but this leads to disastrous outcomes if he becomes a devil. Mun Mou insists of practising it. Sure enough, he wins. Chi escapes after declaring that Mun Mou has become a devil like him. Sure enough, he finds it tough to control himself.

Chi offers to help Mun Mou but he must kill Cheung. Mun Mou is hesitant so Cheung fakes his death, hoping to lure Chi to tell the secret. Chi is too cunning to see through his scheme. Mun Mou gets so mad that he kills Chi. Cheung decides to kill Mun Mou and later brings his soul back into his body. Chor Yin has no choice but to do it. They are finally together again.

Miu is fine as the playful and happy-go-lucky man. He is energetic and lively. It tells of why 3 women fall for him in this drama but I think his fighting skills are not put to full use as he is always the loser.

3. Dong Yee - Wong Chou See
Mun Mou is angry when Ying Fung is killed. Cheung and Chor Yin catch up with him to a village. Dong Yee is an orphan who stays here. It is rumoured that vampires are around but it turns out to be a hoax. Dong Yee still believes their existence and also thinks Mun Mou loves her by fixing her broken house. He intends to leave with Cheung but she deliberately hurts herself to make the two stay.

Cheung comes up with a brilliant idea. He builds a hut near Dong Yee’s home. He cooks up with an excuse to teach Chor Yin and Mun Mou magical skills. He even pretends to be a vampire to hurt Mun Mou. Dong Yee is concerned and Chor Yin doesn’t wish to hurt her in front of Dong Yee. But she learns of the truth anyway. She buys poison for Mun Mou unknowingly so he remains unwell.

Thinking that he is dying, Mun Mou leaves the women. Chor Yin manages to find him nd promises to stay beside him. Dong Yee is terrified to know that vampires do exist. She later reconciles with Chor Yin. This explains why she keeps getting second fiddle roles in many dramas as her acting can be inconsistent.

4. Master Cheung - Lau Dan
Cheung is a Taoist but loves to eat meat and drink wine. Lam and See Tou go to him for help as they are seek after by the court for corruption so he wants them to donate their ill-earnings to the poor. He gets injured after fighting with the cult leader Chi. He runs away and meets his future apprentice Mun Mou as well as Chor Yin. He discovers that Mun Mou has 7 moles under his right sole and wants to accept him as his disciple. Knowing how Chor Yin feels, he intends to pair them together. His tricks are never ending – one after another.

5. Fa Ying Fung - Cheung Lai Ping
Mun Mou leaves home after his failed marriage. It is love at first sight for him as he sees Ying Fung. She is an actress from a troupe. He even offers to work as a stuntsman in the troupe in order to get close to her. he even tells Chor Yin that she can’t match up to Ying Fung. This makes Chor Yin jealous and wants to make fun of her to get scolded by Mun Mou instead.

When Cheung deduces that the cult sect’s Yup Fung has joined the troupe and he doesn’t know her identity, she requests for an amulet to protect Mun Mou from danger. But Mun Mou gives it to Ying Fung. Ying Fung gets to know Cheung’s identity and starts to run after him. She casts a spell on Man Mou, wanting him to kill Cheung. Luckily, Cheung knocks him out on time.

She later falls for Mun Mou when taking care of him. Her maid reminds her to be deprived of feelings so she continues to cast spells to harass Chor Yin’s family. He pretends to be jailed to lure her out. Although he and Chor Yin tell Mun Mou the truth, Mun Mou chooses not to believe them as he thinks that Chor Yin is jealous of Ying Fung. Chor Yin tells him to tail Ying Fung on a full moon night. Sure enough, he sees her drinking the evil water and the evil mark is formed on her face.

He gets so frightened that he nearly falls down the cliff. Although she saves him, he reprimands her for making use of her feelings. She doesn’t bear to kill him so she has to leave the troupe in sadness. Mun Mou can’t suppress his urge and goes around searching for her. Love rekindles between them. Chi still forces her to kill him. Luckily, Chi and Chor Yin arrive and she is killed by Cheung. She wants to jump off the cliff with Mun Mou but Chor Yin holds him back. She is a singer but I am amazed that she acts well too.

6. Suen Chi –Sek Kin
He has been eyeing on Cheung’s position for a long time. He gets his disciples to attack Cheung and he has to escape from his residence. Still, he isn’t satisfied till he sees him dead.

7. Lee Chung Leung – To Dai Yu
He is c court official who is in love with Chor Yin. Chor Yin often uses him to spite back at Mun Mou but he doesn’t mind it. He is overjoyed when her first wedding to Mun Mou fails. He often accompanies her to look for Mun Mou, fearing for her safety. He yearns to marry her and when she rejects him, he turns mad. Through here, Chor Yin realises that love can’t be compelled and waits patiently for Mun Mou. To is luckier than his other counterparts to get a meater role in here.

8. See Tou Chun Yip – Bak Mun Piew
He is Mun Mou’s father who is also as corrupted as Hou Yin. Although they dislike each other, they allow their children to get married so as to share their profits. He is a general court official so Mun Mou loses out to him although he spars with him over the issue.

9. Aunt Ng Lai Cheung – Chan Kar Yee
She is Chor Yin’s nanny and is a widow. Someone harms her to place an evil foetus into her body, wanting to seize her home deed. She nearly kills herself over it. Cheung manages to remove it. Sensing that Cheung likes her, Chor Yin creates chances for them to be together. But she only considers him as her benefactor and doesn’t intend to marry him.

10. Kam Yuk Tong – Kam Kok Wai
He is an actor from the same troupe as Ying Fung. He tries to woo her but is angered to know that Mun Mou is also in love with her. He nearly kills him. He discovers that she is a killer from the cult. She kills him after he knows her secret. Mun Mou is framed for the killing but luckily Cheung discovers the truth.

Favourite character
Chor Yin, she is sweet and gentle. She also listens to advice, willing to change for the better.

Most hated character
Mun Mou, he has hurt Chor Yin so many times. It seems that he either likes to compare Chor Yin with other women. He also can’t tell right from wrong even after many reminders.

Song
There is no question that the theme song "Who Can Change", 誰可改變 written by Koo Kar Fai, Cheng Kwok Kong, and sung by Tam Wing Lun is one of the most popular drama tunes of all-time. Who can forget this song till this very day? I heard Tam singing it at his 2007 Singapore concert. It brought me beautiful memories. But I only got to write this review recently when I rented this series recently.

Conclusion
There are many reasons why The Fearless Duo is considered as one of the great TVB drama series. One will be the pairing of Miu and Yung. Right after the hit Legend of the Condor Heroes as bitter enemies there, Miu and Yung become on screen lovers in here. From then on, they became the fan-favorite screen couple in other dramas. Another will be the theme song as it matches the drama perfectly.Who doesn’t wish to turn back the times as stated in the lyrics?

It is fun to see how some of today's great actors like Lau Ching Wan, Ng Chun Yu, Ng Kai Wah (They either act as Chi’s evil disciples or as cheats in the vampire case.) and Ng Kuan Yu (as Ying Fung’s maid) appear in bit parts here. All have placed in their best and many will not be let down by their acting.

In this comedic tale of sorcery and romance, Miu and Yung match so well and make this low production stand out. It has a lot of action and special effects but they can be quite fake at times. The two are so funny when they are quarrelling. They sink into their roles. I must say that they are one of the best onscreen couple I ever liked so far. The starting is boring as I don’t like Qing dramas that much but soon the story line picks up and keeps me hooked till the end.

Seeing Yung again triggers sad memories as she is such a great actress but she has left this world. The periodic costume she donned here was her coffin wear for her funeral. Her mother had requested for it as she loved it so much. Some fans also shed tears when re-watching it – why can’t she live again the second time like Chor Yin? Her works will always be unforgettable so all Yung’s fans should get this drama.

Sukting’s ratings :

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

On story : ***1/2 (Scale of 5)

On songs : ***** (Scale of 5)