The Fortune Teller II

How long
11 discs/20 episodes

Foreword

It is based on a folktale on how two experts try to surpass each other in their fortune telling skills. But they end up causing disasters instead. Does feng shui change a person's destiny? How do they rectify the error? Many thanks to Zhan Hui in lending me the discs.

Story/Introduction on characters

1. Loi Bo Yee - Miu Kiu Wai

The dispute starts when he helps fellow villagers against rival villagers in their feng shui setting. That is how he gets to know Chi and Yeung Chiu who help their rivals.

He is a kind fortune teller. He doesn't like using despicable means to earn money. After addressing But Kuo Gau as his teacher, he discovers that Chi and Yeung Chiu are her disciples so he switches to become Lam Luk's student instead. Both sides compete to look for a rare looking duck which has a red band with green feathers but end up in trouble instead. Bo Yee and Chi have wanted to find another better spot to bury their fathers but they end up burying their ashes at the same spot.

When that happens, their descendents will get killed. Thinking that they are dying, he lies to Ching Ching that he is in love with Chi. Both help the poor to get their money from the gambling den. He also consents to go through a wedding ceremony to make her happy but actually he only treats her as a sister as he loves his wife all along. But somehow their good deed wards off their bad luck and both survive.

But his good luck stops here. Chi uses the emperor's authority to force him to marry her and Pui uses his life to force Chi to find him a good burial ground. He is unable to change it although he is able to survive. He decides to spend all his life doing fortune reading with his family after the ordeal.

2. Cheung Yeung Chiu - Liu Wai Hung
He is Chi's junior who only knows a little on fortune telling but likes to deceive others' money to earn a living. He finds the duck in vain. So he paints a white duck to deceive him. When he finally finds one at an inn, he hurries after them to get a good spot. But he nearly bursts when Bo Yee questions their motive. This good-for-nothing harbours hope to be a court official so he sucks up to Chun Pui. He and Chi are later led into the palace. This man has no caliber but he manages to trick the emperor even though he breaks his precious ornaments repeatedly.

But when this happens too many times, he is nearly turned into a eunuch. Chi saves him. Seeing that Bo Yee nearly gets killed because of him, he tries to save his life. But he can never change his cunning ways of cheating people of their money.

3. Ah Chung - Long Tin Sang
He is Bo Yee's loyal servant who often lands his young master in trouble instead of helping him. He is always at loggerheads with Yeung Chiu.

4. Lai Lee
A parrot that But Kuo Gau keeps - this bird can read everyone's thoughts.

5. Ling Lam Luk - Tam Bing Mun
A well versed fortune teller who is also temperamental. After accepting Bo Yee as his disciple, he is puzzled on why Bo Yee has no descendents. His father's grave is on a good site so what goes wrong? Bo Yee refuses to be a court official and breaks his father's spell through his own steps. So he ends up with no children as the good 'feng shui' is broken. He then wants Bo Yee to find a special duck to break the spell. The young knows that he likes Kuo Gau so they manage to marry them. Knowing that Bo Yee is talented, he gives him a manual on fortune telling and he becomes a better teller than Chi.

6. Chun Pui - Lam Tien
An evil court official who controls the emperor like a puppet. You will be displeased how he escapes death because Chi helps him.

7. The Emperor - Lau Siu Ming
A brainless and superstitious man who believes whatever Pui tells him.

8. Chu Yee Chung - Ha Yu
He is Bo Yee's choice as Ching Ching's husband after his 'death'. A pig seller who has the same birthday as the emperor. It is hilarious - he has 2 boy servants - Kan and Lek - which means hardworking. But all the 3 are lazy to sleep continuously when Chi and Bo Yee meet them. He is initially lazy but when Bo Yee discovers that his house design are like pillars hitting on him, he changes the design to make him become a successful pig provider to the palace. He is grateful to his help and likes Ching Ching.

9. Ng Ching Ching - Wong Chiu See
She is Bo Yee's gentle wife who respects her husband's decision in doing everything. She sticks by him although he threatens to divorce her. Bo Yee manages to tell her the truth later and they become a loving couple again. When Bo Yee is away, she helps to manage the finances of Cheng Yun's pig business.

10. Kong Chi - Chong Jing Yee
She is Bo Yee's rival at first but later falls for him. You will never believe it. They pit their knowledge till she falls into a river and is nearly drowned. She thinks that he molests her by changing her clothes for her. But after knowing that he is righteous to get an old woman to do it, she begins to fall for him. It is hilarious when she keeps on calling Ching Ching 'big sister', hoping to be his second wife.

She pretends to be Bo Yee's lover upon knowing that both are dying so as to get Ching Ching a substitute husband. She hopes to win Bo Yee's heart. But when Bo Yee rejects her, she tries despicable means to force him to ditch his wife to marry her. When she makes up her mind to refine her skills in the mountains, Yeung Chiu deceives her that Bo Yee likes her and she joins their family in search of better lands.

11. But Kuo Gau - So Hung Yin
An experienced fortune teller who is bad-tempered but choosy on disciples. She dotes on Chi and hopes that she can marry Bo Yee. She is also secretly in love with Lam Luk but always like to spar skills with him to prove that she is superior. But in reality, she has a soft heart.

12. Mrs Ng - Lo Lan
A money-minded old woman who wants Bo Yee to be rich to provide her daughter a good life. She has waited a long time for them to have children so that their first son can carry the Ng family surname.

Song
It is an interesting song 'green sea, fine sky' - pik hoi ching tien by Kwan Cheng Kit. I adore the song very much - it has lyrics on feng shui! This shows how powerful the songwriters are.

Interesting scenes

Chi has predicted that the emperor will get a head injury. The man hides from everywhere - his bedpost, the lanterns and finally he settles in the garden with his troops. But there is no way he can escape from a natural disaster - the icebergs falling from the sky!

How Chi and Bo Yee change Yee Chung's destiny. They improve his father's grave, change his outlook and also the ceiling design which involves a lot of hard work.

How Chi tries to force Bo Yee to marry her - through the emperor's edict! How desperate she is!

How Bo Yee and Chi try to outdo each other in front of the emperor for different purposes. He doesn't want to marry her but she wants to win him. The winner will get the wish granted. How funny it is! They guess the famous historians correctly - the great general Yue Fei, Chun Pui, Yuen Sai Hoi, etc. the most hilarious part is Chun Pui to guess correctly that he himself is the evil court official to write his own name out on paper! Bo Yee even guesses correctly on the future weapons - submarines and fighter planes! But a pity that the emperor refuses to believe him!

Chi finds a good spot for Pui's fortune to continue prospering. Bo Yee tries to ruin it and she tries to fix it back. But they can't defy the real destiny although Pui's descendents will not do well.

Conclusion

I think I am unsuitable to watch folktale dramas. They bore me - despite Ching Yee and Ah Miu as the leads, I am neutral. Both are good but what a waste of their good looks and fighting skill talents - not to put them in a sword fighting drama! Moreover, the serial isn't really based on fortune telling all the time.

However, both are eloquent in theories. The first few episodes put on the wrong focus on the romance of their masters and the pitting of skills isn't that thrilling enough. The competition between them in improving the different villagers in their feng shui can be better.

Luckily, the later discs fascinate me with the ways the two fortune tellers present themselves. From partners to rivals, this is really a turn of change in their fate. Acting wise is nearly flawless with a great cast but unfortunately, the story can be better. I can't disclose too many details in this short review unlike other reviews because this will spoil all the fun of guessing the answers.

Sukting's ratings :

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

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

On story : *** (Scale of 5)