Maybe the mysterious "twenty-first episode" is the special, little-known pornographic episode wherein all the characters get together for some sort of orgy.
If that's what it is, please burn me a copy.
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Will do...Quote:
Maybe the mysterious "twenty-first episode" is the special, little-known pornographic episode wherein all the characters get together for some sort of orgy.
If that's what it is, please burn me a copy.
If thats the case i will burn and send to every single spcnet members here.
QF
THE SHELL GAME series has its own internal mythology in regards to the great Gambler Kings of China during the late 19th/early 20th Centuries. The major acknowledged figures were:
Sau Dai Chin: Possibly the greatest Gambler King of all time. Undefeated for seventy years. Retired at age thirty-five, but returned to action some thirty years later to take on new Northern Gambler King "Golden Hand" Tao 1 Siu. Defeated Chan Yim Bak (twice, across thirty years), Zhuge Fong Ping, Tao 1 Siu, and Ah Lung, but finally defeated by King of Gambler Kings Tam Sing using Tao 1 Siu as a proxy. Notably, shortly before coming out of his long retirement to take on Tao 1 Siu, Sau Dai Chin boldly told his wife Yu Lan that during his thirty years of retirement, the gambling world had seen the rise and fall of Northern Thousand Hands Cheuk 1 Fu and Divine Southern Eyes Lo 4 Hoi, as well as the advent of their student, King of Gambler Kings Tam Sing, but he had never been interested in matching his skill against theirs. Ironically, when Tam Sing rebuffed his challenge during Ah Lung's funeral, Sau Dai Chin was notably enraged by Tam's seemingly superior enlightenment and self-awareness. Whether or not Sau Dai Chin would have defeated Tam Sing in a contest of games is debatable, but Tam Sing certainly outwitted him.
Chan Yim Bak: teacher of New Northern Gambler King "Golden Hand" Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung. Defeated by Sau Dai Chin twenty-two years before the events of THE SHELL GAME (I) and forced into retirement. Died in vain attempt to defeat and kill Sau Dai Chin thirty years after first failure to defeat Sau.
Zhuge Fong Ping: teacher of original Northern Gambler King "Thousand Hands" Cheuk 1 Fu. Lost a hand gambling with Sau Dai Chin and disappeared thereafter.
(unnamed): teacher of original Southern Gambler King "Divine Eyes" Lo 4 Hoi. Defeated by Cheuk 1 Fu and retired to Malaysia.
Northern Gambler King "Thousand Hands" Cheuk 1 Fu: Gambling King of Shanghai. Acknowledged as one of the greatest plotters of all time. Ruled Shanghai gambling industry for over twenty years. Adoptive father of Gambler Queen Cheuk Lei, whose father Cheuk 1 Fu executed for treason. Lost in Mah Jong Tournament in Guangzhou to Southern Gambler King "Divine Eyes" Lo 4 Hoi, whose teacher Cheuk defeated and forced into retirement years earlier. Later helped Hung Family of Guangzhou to defeat Lo 4 Hoi and oust him from Guangzhou. Hands crippled by Cheuk Lei, but with the help of Lo 4 Hoi, whom Cheuk 1 Fu befriended, trained Tam Sing to become King of Gambler Kings. Retired after helping Tam Sing to defeat Cheuk Lei. Died of natural causes immediately before the beginning of the events of THE SHELL GAME II.
Southern Gambler King "Divine Eyes" Lo 4 Hoi: Gambling King of Guangzhou. Acknowledged as one of the greatest gamesmen of all time. Acquired Divine Eyes and other skills in Malaysia, and became folk hero to the people of Guangzhou. Known for his chivalry and kindheartedness as well as his great skill. Was the original teacher of future King of Gambler Kings Tam Sing, teaching Tam the fundamental skills of gambling and plotting. Defeated Northern Gambler King "Thousand Hands" Cheuk 1 Fu in a legendary Mah Jong tournament in Guangzhou, but later blinded and driven from Guangzhou by the Hung Family and Cheuk Lei. Later, joined with Cheuk 1 Fu to complete training Tam Sing into the King of Gambler Kings. Retired to Singapore with lover Tam Siu Tong after the events of THE SHELL GAME I.
King of Gambler Kings/New Southern Gambler King Tam Sing: The greatest Gambler King of the younger generation. Student of Southern Gambler King Divine Eyes Lo 4 Hoi and Northern Gambler King Thousand Hands Cheuk 1 Fu. Combined the best of Southern and Northern gambling and plotting techniques into an entirely new and transcendent style. First Gambler King to achieve "Denial of Six Relations" to defeat Gambler Queen Cheuk Lei and attain title of King of Gambler Kings. Retired immediately before the beginning of events of THE SHELL GAME II, but re-emerged two years later to conceive the plot that finally defeated Sau Dai Chin. Achieved a high level of enlightenment, surpassing Sau Dai Chin. Known to be ambidextrous, and retrained new Northern Gambler King "Golden Hand" Tao 1 Siu after Tao lost his golden right hand to Sau Dai Chin.
Gambler Queen Cheuk Lei: Adopted daughter of Cheuk 1 Fu. Surpassed and defeated her father, Lo 4 Hoi, and the Hung Family of Guangzhou. Finally defeated by Tam Sing, dying a horrific death. A beautiful young woman, she specialized in the use of seduction (against Tam Sing and Hung Pau) and other forms of emotional manipulation (Cheuk 1 Fu, Lo 4 Hoi, Hung Biu).
New Northern Gambler King "Golden Hand" Tao 1 Siu: Emerged in Shanghai three years after the retirement of Cheuk 1 Fu. Student of Chan Yim Bak and sworn brother of Ah Lung. Known for his "Golden" right hand. Flashier and more arrogant than previous Gambler Kings, though basically benign. First Gambler King to invest beyond gaming industry into gold market. Planned to expand gambling empire to all of China except for Guangdong (reserved for Tam Sing), but lost hand and fortune to Sau Dai Chin. Later, retrained by Tam Sing to use his left hand and the "Denial of the Six Relations" to defeat Sau Dai Chin. Killed shortly after victory over Sau Dai Chin.
Ah Lung: called the "most talented gambler in a generation," Ah Lung showed early promise but was warned by Tam Sing to not become a gambler. Eventually, became the sworn brother of Tao 1 Siu and aided him against Sau Dai Chin. Trained intermittently by Chan Yim Bak, Tao 1 Siu, and Sau Dai Chin. Became a mole in Sau Dai Chin's organization after Tao 1 Siu lost his "Golden Hand." Defeated Sau Dai Chin with a ruse, but failed to kill him. Later lost to Sau Dai Chin in a card match and forced for forfeit his life.
Apocrypha
"Little Gambler King" Lui Lik: Worked with Lo 4 Hoi before the events of THE SHELL GAME I to foil the plots of Japanese Gambler Tyrant. Appeared in CHALLENGE OF THE GAMESTERS prequel film, which might or might not be in THE SHELL GAME television series continuity.
Japanese Gambler Tyrant: Defeated by Lo 4 Hoi and Lui Lik.
Its actually....Chan Yim BakQuote:
Chan Lim Bak: teacher of new Northern Gambler King "Golden Hand" Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung.
A little rusty on the cantonese are we? :D
QF
So far i'm enjoying this more than Shell Game I.... Mostly cause of Ah Lung.
That guy is funny as hell.....Good job to Chow Yun Fat.
QF
I just saw Andy Lau in this series......hahahaahaha
The future Yeung Gor... who would have known...
QF
Hehe... I love those old gambling series/movies (which were actually cool and classy, not those new cheapo imitation ones now that make me puke - and hate Nick Cheung and Louis Koo)
Just to imagine a world where they crossed over with the Chow Yun Fat "God of Gamblers" world. Lo 4 Hoi vs Ko Chun! :cool: Ko Chun's invincible! :D
Chow Yun Fat played Ah Lung with a great amount of zest and verve. Unfortunately, due to plot developments that lead to character growth, Ah Lung loses his humorous vibe later in the series as its direction takes a more serious turn. As the tone of the series becomes more grim, so does Ah Lung's demeanor.
It had to happen, I suppose, but it was unfortunate...sort of undermined the character's best quality.
This might have been Andy Lau's first time on camera. What an opportunity it was for him: Lau always said that he admired Chow Yun Fat and became an actor himself because of Chow, so how fun it must have been for Lau to get to work with his hero in his very first acting job with TVB. Within a few years, Lau would take Chow's place as TVB's most valued actor.
I just want to say something about the music...
DAMN IT Mr. Goo Ga Fai!!!!! Why must you make the music so good....
I made the wrong decision by looking for the shell game music and now it makes me all pump up...
Damn it!
QF
Come again? When did he and Tao 1 Siu became sworn brothers?? Throughout the series, he always refered him as either 1)Boss, 2) Partner 3) Master. Never once he said "big Brother"... Ah Lung considers him as a teacher more than anything else.Quote:
Ah Lung: called the "most talented gambler in a generation," Ah Lung showed early promise but was warned by Tam Sing to not become a gambler. Eventually, became the sworn brother of Tao 1 Siu and aided him against Sau Dai Chin.
QF
It was done more obliquely than usual, but recall when Ah Lung first joined Tao 1 Siu's organization: Ah Lung *wanted* to be Tao 1 Siu's student, but Tao 1 Siu told him flatly that he wasn't interested in having a student. Tao 1 Siu did say, however, that he wanted a partner, which in the Shanghai triad societies meant brotherhood. When Ah Lung's half-brother Ah Fu came to town, his mother (i.e. Ah Lung's mother) said that Tao 1 Siu was "dai gor" and Ah Lung was "2 gor."
Ah Lung definitely never had the traditional student/teacher relationship with Tao 1 Siu that Tam Sing had with Lo 4 Hoi or Cheuk 1 Fu.
Chan Yim Bak was more Ah Lung's proper teacher. Since Chan taught both Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung, it's reasonable to see them as "see hing/dai."
They all say that in the beginning. Lo 4 Hoi also said that. All great kung fu masters say that.Quote:
It was done more obliquely than usual, but recall when Ah Lung first joined Tao 1 Siu's organization: Ah Lung *wanted* to be Tao 1 Siu's student, but Tao 1 Siu told him flatly that he wasn't interested in having a student.
Well damn...thats pretty much means that T1S has alot of sworn brothers then huh?Quote:
Tao 1 Siu did say, however, that he wanted a partner, which in the Shanghai triad societies meant brotherhood.
Your kidding me. You are gonna take an out of town, uneducated woman who wants to impress her son, words for a fact?Quote:
When Ah Lung's half-brother Ah Fu came to town, his mother (i.e. Ah Lung's mother) said that Tao 1 Siu was "dai gor" and Ah Lung was "2 gor."
Sure. I agree.Quote:
Ah Lung definitely never had the traditional student/teacher relationship with Tao 1 Siu that Tam Sing had with Lo 4 Hoi or Cheuk 1 Fu.
That above would have been fine except for the fact that Ah Lung called T1S "SIFU" on a couple of occasions.Quote:
Since Chan taught both Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung, it's reasonable to see them as "see hing/dai."
And.....T1S's wife, Si Ling, told Ah Lung that T1S never regreted in taking him in as STUDENT.
Sorry dude, as much as you want to make them as partners or Sing hing/Si dai, is just wrong.
QF
Lo 4 Hoi didn't mean it, but Tao 1 Siu did. He never did take Ah Lung as his student, and left Ah Lung's training in the hands of his own teacher, Chan Yim Bak. Ah Lung never called Tao 1 Siu "see fu," but he did call Chan Yim Bak that.
Yeah, including his right-hand man Ah Gai. But Ah Lung became the most important one.Quote:
Well damn...thats pretty much means that T1S has alot of sworn brothers then huh?
She was right, though. This was indeed the set-up that Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung had, and everybody in Shanghai knew it.Quote:
Your kidding me. You are gonna take an out of town, uneducated woman who wants to impress her son, words for a fact?
No, he never did. He called him "Mr. Tao" out of habit and respect, but to other people, Ah Lung always referred to Tao 1 Siu as "my dai lo," not as "my see fu."Quote:
That above would have been fine except for the fact that Ah Lung called T1S "SIFU" on a couple of occasions.
Chan Yim Bak, on the other hand, was referred to by Ah Lung's grandmother as his "see fu" on more than one occasion. Chan Yim Bak did more hands-on teaching of Ah Lung than Tao 1 Siu ever did. In fact, I don't know if Tao 1 Siu ever trained Ah Lung at all.
I'm not there yet, but as of Episode 11, there's no reference by anyone to Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung being teacher/student. They're always referred to as partners or occasionally brothers, but never teacher/student.Quote:
And.....T1S's wife, Si Ling, told Ah Lung that T1S never regreted in taking him in as STUDENT.
They were definitely partners and most likely sworn brothers as well, and they did indeed share a teacher. The only time that Ah Lung ever called Tao 1 Siu "see fu" is when he offered himself as a student, but Tao 1 Siu rejected him (only to accept him as a partner/brother).Quote:
Sorry dude, as much as you want to make them as partners or Sing hing/Si dai, is just wrong.
QF
What?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!? Youre not even finished yet and you're already making those assumptions? Oh brother.....Quote:
I'm not there yet, but as of Episode 11,
Ah..yes he did....He wouldn't have taken him if it wasn't for Tam Sing's sister.Quote:
Lo 4 Hoi didn't mean it,
Maybe you havent' finished that series either.
Suuuuuuuuuuure dude.Quote:
but Tao 1 Siu rejected him (only to accept him as a partner/brother).
Quote:
No, he never did. He called him "Mr. Tao" out of habit and respect, but to other people, Ah Lung always referred to Tao 1 Siu as "my dai lo," not as "my see fu."
And this coming from you that haven't finished the series yet?
HA!!!!!!
And all this time i thought i wasn't paying enough attention to the series.
QF
I already watched it twice before, although the most recent time before now was 1986.
But why this hostile, borderline courtroom drama tone? You sound like you're desperate to prove something. We're just having a conversation about a series we both enjoy. Every time we do this, I swear you start acting like there's some sort of six-figure cash prize to be gained for being "right."
You may disagree all you like, but I don't understand your compulsion to rudeness in these discussions. If you persist in it, I'm not going to participate with you in these discussions anymore. That'd be a shame for both of us because I enjoy these discussions when you're not being rude (and I'm guessing you do too), but your attitude kills much of the joy of it.
All right, enough lecture. On to the business at hand.
Lo 4 Hoi wasn't that shallow. He wouldn't take on the burden of accepting Tam Sing as a student if gaining favor with Tam Siu Tong were the *only* reason. Lo 4 Hoi had Tam Siu Tong's favor whether he accepted Ah Sing as his student or not, but when he realized the depth of Siu Tong's commitment to her brother, and then also realized that Ah Sing had the kind of character that made him a worthy candidate to pass his skills on to, that's when Lo 4 Hoi decided to make Tam Sing his student after all.Quote:
Ah..yes he did....He wouldn't have taken him if it wasn't for Tam Sing's sister.
So Tam Siu Tong's lobbying for her brother certainly helped, but if Ah Sing weren't the kind of character that Lo 4 Hoi thought was worthy of being trained, it wouldn't have happened.
Years later, however, Lo 4 Hoi wondered if he had made a mistake in accepting Tam Sing as a student. Cheuk 1 Fu's training had brought out a dark side to Tam Sing that Lo 4 Hoi had not anticipated. Tam Sing finally did reign in that dark side, but not before he had created a catastrophe that killed an innocent child (his own son, no less).
I didn't think i was rude..but ok...maybe i should do some smiley face more often eh:):)Quote:
But why this hostile, borderline courtroom drama tone? You sound like you're desperate to prove something. We're just having a conversation about a series we both enjoy. Every time we do this, I swear you start acting like there's some sort of six-figure cash prize to be gained for being "right."
You may disagree all you like, but I don't understand your compulsion to rudeness in these discussions. If you persist in it, I'm not going to participate with you in these discussions anymore. That'd be a shame for both of us because I enjoy these discussions when you're not being rude (and I'm guessing you do too), but your attitude kills much of the joy of it.
All right, enough lecture. On to the business at hand.
Well, since you haven't finished the series, i'll let you finished the series before we continue...
Ah Lung as T1S student is pretty much irrefutable. Ah Lung knows it...T1S knows it...Si Ling knows it(and she even mentions it).:):):):)
Sounds good? :):):):)
QF
It's not the number of smilies used or not used. People who come here want to feel like they're sharing a conversation among friends, not sitting before a board of inquisition. Put yourself on the receiving end of some of your own remarks and you'll see what I mean.
A little tact goes a long way. If it gains you nothing else, it'll at least gain you an audience that will read what you want to say with a more open mind. Give people a reason to think you're there to cause trouble for them and pretty soon, they'll tune you out altogether.
But up to the halfway point of the series, nobody verbally acknowledges it.Quote:
Ah Lung as T1S student is pretty much irrefutable. Ah Lung knows it...T1S knows it...Si Ling knows it(and she even mentions it).:):):):)
Tao 1 Siu will be leaving Shanghai for Hangzhou in just an episode or two, while Ah Lung stays in Shanghai attempting to undermine Sau Dai Chin as a mole in his operation. Not a whole heck of many opportunities left for their partnership/brotherhood to suddenly (and unnecessarily) become a teacher/student relationship.
I think it was a good idea for Wong Jing (scriptwriter for THE SHELL GAME I and II) to take this route because if Ah Lung and Tao 1 Siu were to become student and teacher in the formal sense, it would be redundant: it would just be Tam Sing and Lo 4 Hoi all over again, which was already done in THE SHELL GAME I. This is a good twist on the setup from the first series.
You're welcome to still offer your observations; just run them through an internal tact edit before you post so that they come out sounding more like discussion and less like an inquisition.Quote:
Sounds good? :):):):)
It will happen. You'll hear Ah Lung say "Sifu" as if he called him that before.Quote:
But up to the halfway point of the series, nobody verbally acknowledges it.
And you will also hear him say "i want to avenge my sifu"...and no he is not talking about Chan Yim Bak.
And then you will hear Si Ling say "T1S told me that he doesn't regret accepting you as his student".
Noted.Quote:
just run them through an internal tact edit before you post so that they come out sounding more like discussion and less like an inquisition.
QF
Still no reference to Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung's relationship as being that of teacher/student as of Episode 12...
However, tonight's episode did yield this tidbit: when Ah Lung discussed with Chan Yim Bak his plans to cancel his engagement to Fok See Ling so that she could take care of Tao 1 Siu, Chan Yim Bak remarked, "brothers are like limbs; spouses are like clothing."
It's an old Chinese maxim, of course, reflecting Confucian culture's placing brotherhood as a higher priority than spousal relations, but as far as I know, that principle is NOT transferable to the teacher/student relationship. The "brothers" that Chan Yim Bak referred to were obviously Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung. If they were truly teacher and student, Chan Yim Bak would not have made this remark because it would not have been applicable to their situation.
Keep on watching.Quote:
Still no reference to Tao 1 Siu and Ah Lung's relationship as being that of teacher/student as of Episode 12...
QF
My first post and it's got to be about this show b/c it was so good! I just finished the Shell I series and LOVED it! But I now realize I saw the cut version since it didn't have the scene with Tam Sing gambling against Cheuk Lei. I am so pissed! I am wondering how you are getting your hands on the uncut versions on these shows? Also, I want to watch Shell II and would love the uncut version. Where are u downloading from? Lastly, I love the music but don't know what the song is saying - does anyone know a place to get interpretations of lyrics or can one of you tell me what the music is saying? Thanks!!!
I will be ordering the uncut version and can't wait to see it. Does anyone know how many episodes were cut out and where? otherwise, I guess I will need to rewatch the whole thing to find those missing episodes!
Ken- are all the DVDs on yesasia uncut? Thanks so much for your help!
Every episode of the original series is there, but on some episodes, the first two or three minutes are missing because, during the early 1980s, TVB briefly experimented with a new format for its TV series. Like a James Bond movie, these episodes started with two or three minutes of action before the theme song was played. In some cases, it was merely a flashback to key events from the previous episode, but in some other cases, it's the lead in for the new episode.
This was especially problematic for THE BUND, which was unique in that there were no opening titles for the series (as has been standard for almost all TVB series since the station began broadcasting in 1967). In THE SHELL GAME, however, it's much less of a problem because only one episode opened in that manner (although unfortunately, it did kill a very memorable scene); both parts of THE SHELL GAME retained the traditional opening titles.
So on the DVD, you're getting 95% of the series...which is not bad considering that the VCDs usually gave you only 60% of the series.
Thank a lot for the info, Ken. I watched the VCD of Shell Game I. It was good but I realize that I missed some scenes including when Cheut Lei and Tam Sing play a match against each other. Do you know what and where the other scenes were missing from the VCD version? If I can figure out where they occurred, then I won't need to rewatch the entire DVD set. Of course, it was a great show so it won't be awful if I need to rewatch it but I'd love to move onto watching Shell Game II.
Also, here are some questions I've got re: SGI. Would love to hear people's thoughts on these:
(a) Don't you find it odd that Lo 4 Hoi so easily got passed the fact that Cheut Lei kidnapped and tried to seduce him? Did he really think he saw a ghost?! It just seems strange to me that a wise man like himself could overlook the fact that she could be a huge suspect.
(b) How did Cheut Lei have the same jade necklace that Lo 4 Hoi stole off her neck? It sounded like one-of-a-kind
I had one more question but it escapes me right now. If it comes back to me, I'll post it. Thanks!
I never bought the VCD set for THE SHELL GAME (after I got burned buying the VCD for THE BUND, I resolved not to buy any more of TVB's severely butchered VCDs), so I don't know precisely what got cut. If TVB followed its typical practice from the early 2000s with the VCDs, though, you're probably missing a good 30% of the series.
The DVDs, though not perfect, at least give you 95% of what was originally broadcast. You might as well rewatch the entire series; you probably missed 30% of it on the VCD.
Lo 4 Hoi knew there was something wrong with Cheuk Lei. He didn't believe he actually had seen a ghost, but without more evidence, he couldn't really accuse Cheuk 1 Fu's daughter of being a seductress either. Lo 4 Hoi had great respect for Cheuk 1 Fu, and by the time that Cheuk Lei tried to seduce Lo 4 Hoi, he and Cheuk 1 Fu were friends. Lo 4 Hoi definitely had his suspicions, but he couldn't do much to act upon them. There was really no way Lo 4 Hoi could have told Cheuk 1 Fu to watch out for his daughter.Quote:
(a) Don't you find it odd that Lo 4 Hoi so easily got passed the fact that Cheut Lei kidnapped and tried to seduce him? Did he really think he saw a ghost?! It just seems strange to me that a wise man like himself could overlook the fact that she could be a huge suspect.
That's a good question. Lo 4 Hoi thought he had her that time, and was going to expose her, but she surprised him by producing that second butterfly pendant. Somehow, she arranged to have a second one on hand just in case Lo 4 Hoi decided to use it to expose her (which he did). Chalk it up to her being a truly formidable swindler capable of outmaneuvering even the great Gambling Kings.Quote:
(b) How did Cheut Lei have the same jade necklace that Lo 4 Hoi stole off her neck? It sounded like one-of-a-kind
Yeah, I'm going to rewatch the whole series.
I wouldn't expect Lo 4 Hoi to tell Cheuk 1 Fu but I'd at least think he'd be more on guard especially when they were after that HK gambler "Geen". Lo 4 Hoi seemed like he entirely forgot about the incident with Cheuk Lei.
I find it hard to believe that she could create an exact match of that pendant. That really needed some explanation.
Okay, so I remember my other two questions:
(a) why were Lo 4 Hoi and Cheuk 1 Fu willing to risk their lives to steal back the opium for Hung Bui? I know they called a cease-fire but it seems pretty odd to me that both of them would be willing to do such a task for Hung Bui.
(b) after "Geen" captured Lo 4 Hoi and Cheuk 1 Fu and Hung Bui refused to put up the money to rescue them, why wasn't Cheuk 1 Fu angry and seeking vengeance against Hung Bui? Instead, he was pretty cordial to him. I know he was putting on an act but why? Why not turn on him?
There wasn't much Lo 4 Hoi could do unless Cheuk Lei made another move. In any case, Lo 4 Hoi was completely distracted by his wife, Yung Wai Ching, their daughter Ying Ying, and the complications that reuniting with them would cause with Hung Biu and with Lo's new lover, Tam Siu Tong. In light of all this, it's not surprising that the Cheuk Lei incident was pushed way back on Lo 4 Hoi's list of priorities.
A focused Lo 4 Hoi might have treated Cheuk Lei differently; he had too many fires lit at the time to give Cheuk Lei the proper attention, though.
For what it's worth, Lo 4 Hoi did suspect that Cheuk Lei was a problem before anybody else did, but never was able to act upon it. Every time he noted something suspicious about her, something more important to him claimed his attention.
In some ways, Cheuk Lei was lucky; she didn't have to deal with Lo 4 Hoi when he was completely focused and thinking clearly.
Well, part of the key to being successful in being these "Chin Wong"-type swindlers is being able to conjure up what you need on demand. It's not magic, exactly, but it achieves the same effect as magic sometimes. :)Quote:
I find it hard to believe that she could create an exact match of that pendant. That really needed some explanation.
Cheuk 1 Fu did it, I assume, because Hung Biu paid him to. Certainly, he had no personal reason to do it, so my guess is that there was a monetary incentive of some kind (although this was never made explicit in the series). Additionally, perhaps Cheuk 1 Fu simply enjoyed the challenge of designing a scheme to swindle Chui Lo Geen, and perhaps he relished the opportunity to work with Lo 4 Hoi (whom he greatly respected) as a partner.Quote:
Okay, so I remember my other two questions:
(a) why were Lo 4 Hoi and Cheuk 1 Fu willing to risk their lives to steal back the opium for Hung Bui? I know they called a cease-fire but it seems pretty odd to me that both of them would be willing to do such a task for Hung Bui.
Lo 4 Hoi had personal reasons for doing it: he needed to find a way to approach Yung Wai Ching and Hung Ying Ying and to do that, he needed to stay on Hung Biu's good side. The deal that Fok Man Ting set up among Hung, Lo, and Cheuk was not only that they would stop struggling against each other, but would help each other out in times of need. Although Lo 4 Hoi didn't like Hung Biu much, he nevertheless had reasons for honoring the agreement he had with Hung.
Cheuk 1 Fu was a veteran...a "lo gong wu," as they say. He's seen people like Hung Biu before, so he knows how the game is played. Unless you really give Cheuk 1 Fu a reason to hate your guts, he's a pretty easygoing guy. After their little adventure in Hong Kong ended, Cheuk was eager to return home to Shanghai. Only the sudden renewed outbreak of hostilities between Hung Biu and Lo 4 Hoi's camp held him over to get embroiled in their conflict anew.Quote:
(b) after "Geen" captured Lo 4 Hoi and Cheuk 1 Fu and Hung Bui refused to put up the money to rescue them, why wasn't Cheuk 1 Fu angry and seeking vengeance against Hung Bui? Instead, he was pretty cordial to him. I know he was putting on an act but why? Why not turn on him?
By the way, I highly recommend THE SHELL GAME II. It's a nice followup to the first series, although it's a bit awkward to see Patrick Tse and Liza Wang appear in the sequel as new characters unrelated to the characters they play in THE SHELL GAME I. :)
Simon Yam does appear as an older, wiser Tam Sing in THE SHELL GAME II (although his appearances are limited), and Chow Yun Fat's character Ah Lung is highly memorable as well.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Ken! It's great to be able to bounce questions off you. I loved SGI and am definitely going to get SGII. On Yesasia, it seems like there's only the option to purchase both together anyway. Once I'm done watching SGII, I bet I'll have some questions for you! :DBtw, is Yesasia the only place to order these uncut DVDs? There are some other titles that I'm not seeing there that I'd love to get my hands on.
THE SHELL GAME I and THE SHELL GAME II are currently available only as a boxed set that includes both series. It's a great value, however: that's forty-five episodes.
Yesasia isn't the only retailer offering it, but they are the most reliable and their prices are reasonable (though not necessarily the lowest).
The main cast of THE SHELL GAME II features:
Patrick Tse Yin (again) as New Northern Gambler King "Golden Hand" Tao 1 Siu: He plays another gambling king, but Tao 1 Siu has a different style and different personality than Lo 4 Hoi did. He's much more arrogant than Lo 4 Hoi (or Cheuk 1 Fu or Tam Sing), and much more flashy, but the flip side of that is that he also has much greater insecurities and personal demons for his enemies to exploit.
Liza Wang (again) as Fok See Ling: Fok See Ling is initially a clumsy newspaper reporter, but she soon becomes the private tutor of Tao 1 Siu's mischievous young son, Ah Jen.
Chow Yun Fat as Ah Lung: Essentially, Ah Lung is THE SHELL GAME II's version of the young Tam Sing, but Ah Lung is much funnier than Tam Sing ever was. His antics during the first part of the series are hilarious, and as the series becomes more serious later on, he becomes a tragic, but heroic figure.
Simon Yam as Tam Sing: The only returning character from THE SHELL GAME I. It's eight years after the events of the original SHELL GAME. Tam Sing is older and (much) wiser, and has become something of a great sage among Gambler Kings. He appears only in the first and last few episodes of the series, and is sort of like a deus ex machina character. It's great to see how much his character has grown since THE SHELL GAME I, however, and at the end, we are reminded why he is truly the King of Gambler Kings.
Lau Siu Ming as Sau Dai Chin: The ultimate evil Gambler King, sometimes called the "Gambler Demon." Has a fetish for chopping off the hands of those who lose games to him (which is everybody who ever played against him during his 70-year long career) and displaying those severed hands in glass jars and cases at his casino. This guy is seriously scary.
I would like to buy the DVD boxed set that includes both THE SHELL GAME I and THE SHELL GAME II but Yesasia would not ship it to Canada where I live. Does anyone know where I can purchase this dvd online other than Yesasia?
That's the problem. Malmusic only carries the VCD sets released by TVBI which I have already. I guess I would have to wait for TVB to release the DVD version which could be a long wait.
I am re-watching SGI to see all the missing episodes and wonder if someone can enlighten me on how Lo4Hoi won the mah-jong game against Cheuk1fu. I don't play Mah-Jong so I don't understand what happened with his set of tiles. Why did he say he couldn't continue to play the game? Also, how did his set of tiles miraculously change? Is this what is meant by gambling king? I understand having a quick hand but c'mon! How did he make them change completely? Are we to believe he switched them all with the other tiles on the table?! Lastly, what was going on when he and Cheuk were "fighting" before the match? My Chinese isn't good enough to understand why they were arm-fighting. Thanks!
I don't know much about mahjong myself, but I believe Lo 4 Hoi drew mahjong's equivalent of a royal flush.
Yep.Quote:
Also, how did his set of tiles miraculously change? Is this what is meant by gambling king?
Chin-sheurt, Chinese gambling skills, often take on an almost magical aspect at the highest levels.Quote:
I understand having a quick hand but c'mon! How did he make them change completely? Are we to believe he switched them all with the other tiles on the table?!
That was how they verified that each other did not have any tiles or other tricks literally hidden up their sleeves.Quote:
Lastly, what was going on when he and Cheuk were "fighting" before the match? My Chinese isn't good enough to understand why they were arm-fighting.