Forensic Heroes III (法證先鋒III)

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I just finished watching this so I wanted to talk about it. This was probably one of 2011’s better series. Though some might disagree, I wasn’t disappointed at all–even if I had some doubts at first. I was probably in the minority group that didn’t care about the cast change (because it was associated with the last two parts). Look at it this way, this is another team out in the field working, not just always the same team. Or it’s okay. I wouldn’t want to force anyone into accepting. I must say that the result was pretty good because it made sense for the most part. The cases weren’t that complicated yet it wasn’t that terrible either. If you compared it to the first two, the complexity had gone WAY down regarding how it was planned, etc at times. However, it didn’t mean that there was a lack of planning in some cases. Most were relating to accidental deaths or impulse killing/those in the moment of the heat or anger type. Yet don’t those cases happen more often in real life than those super complicated ones? We like to watch more complicated ones because it makes us think. And these ones, some were so stupid after we found out the result or how it had happened in the first place, but don’t half of those reflect real-life situations? I swear it’s not going to get that interesting. Because of the too messed up world today (whether we want to admit it or not), sometimes killings happen for senseless reasons OR just some dumb argument. It’s scary that it’s just that simple and some people couldn’t control themselves. But wasn’t too dumb. To turn back to the cases though, the way they handled the forensic parts and investigation wasn’t too lame.

The Team:

• Wayne Lai as Pro Sir. OMG! A clever and witty character yet didn’t turn out disappointing at all. I was so scared that his character would go downhill by the time his wife returned. Yet he was so firm on his belief and it was so consistent with his character that I had to clap the writers on. Should I even compliment Wayne even more? Hey, I’ve been supporting him since forever so no need. LOL!
• Maggie Cheung as Mandy. Maggie was really on par with Wayne’s character in here and they didn’t lose a beat. That was so cool though. Her character was consistent enough and Maggie made it both cute and clever at the same time.
• Ron Ng as Wind. What can I say about Wind? It was really funny at first. Then it got even sadder for him since the whole incident with his family. But lucky all of that passed. Yet I still liked to see his humorous side more. His ‘NG47’ nickname was so funny as well. I meant, come on now. Was that a hint? Interestingly enough since I was watching Wax & Wane at the same time, I found his performances so different. I’m so serious here. It was like he was much more comfortable and more natural in here. Okay, so the cool character helped. But did anyone notice the ‘rocking motion of his body’ in the other one, especially when he was talking to Roger or the others in Wax & Wane? (Except with Kate since after several collaborations, he should be quite comfortable with her.) In here, he was like more laid-back and more composed. I don’t know what happened. Even if he did appear a lot in series this year (2011), I still noticed some differences. Just don’t want to take points off just because TVB scheduled series back-to-back just like that.
• Kate Tsui as Ada. At first, I had some doubts about Kate being a madam. So unfair to her but I still wanted to see how it would work. Though I already saw her as a cop in A Great Way to Care, she wasn’t a madam in there so it would be interesting to see how that went. I thought she was convincing enough as the leader since she did manage the pose at the appropriate times. Then she was also relaxed off-work. That made her character not too one-layered. SO I was glad the scriptwriters didn’t try to make her into another ‘Madame Leung’ or ‘Madame Ma’.
• Edwin Siu as Ken Ho. Interestingly, he got an important role in here. NOT that I oppose it since I actually wanted to see him in different types of roles too and this role really suited him. OR he made it convincing enough.
• Aimee Chan as Angel Chiang. A tomboyish role for her. Kind of repetitive but it was all right. I liked it that she didn’t stand out so much but still had some sort of story. I so didn’t know she would die later but honestly, that was SAD. Kind of somewhat unexpected and unnecessary BUT I guess I’m not so sore about it anymore.
• Ram Tseung as Paul Yau. After watching his portrayal in Twilight Investigation, it was interesting to see him back on this side of the scale. LOL! (Not that it wasn’t fun to see how he could portray the other one so convincingly.) I liked how he was a veteran and amazed how his character was experienced in so many areas. It was funny that he was telling his stories when the others asked, thinking they were worshiping him but when he looked, he realized they had gone back to work already! Awww…but still funny. And I had a good scare thinking that his son was actually involved but glad he didn’t have to suffer too much.

Others:

• Ruco Chan as Jim Fong. Was it just me or was it since he returned to TVB, he didn’t look so hot anymore? (OR so people like to use with ‘hot’ or whatever.) Not that I would like him any less. But I think he needs to sharpen it up a bit more, not get too comfortable. It was like they had given him certain parameters and how he returned to the ‘box of TVB’, not so impressive anymore. YET not disappointing either. Perhaps I would restore my faith in him when I muster up the courage to watch The Other Truth. But we’ll see. It wasn’t like his character wasn’t great. But it was like his acting style got crammed, like not allowing so much creativity anymore.
• Nancy Wu as Eva Chow. I honestly think Nancy’s better with those roles where she’s the semi-villain. I meant she wasn’t technically bad in general. YET she possessed those fatal personalities with being so driven by her ambition and would do anything to achieve it–regardless of techniques or consequences. She showed that side quite well. Yet what I was thinking the whole time (and thanks to my mom for pointing it out) if it was her acting or the script with the part where she was celebrating too early and sort of smiled and Pro Sir saw her. It was the scene in court where she heard that the witness couldn’t come and she smiled. (The girl was portrayed by Lily Ho.) If according to her character, she was a clever and cunning lawyer, so why would she let such a small detail make her celebrate so early and smile just like that in front of everyone? She had to repress herself upon hearing that right? Or did they, the scriptwriters, need something for Pro Sir to suspect hence making her character smile like that? Too contradictory so I could only think of it as script error. AND I so thought or guess that she was going to get killed by Felix Lok later YET I was wrong. I meant she messed with fire so she gotta pay? I thought the plot was steering in that direction. But okay, whatever works. Lesson for this one: Curiosity kills the cat. She should’ve walked away when Pro Sir warned her of danger, etc. Or was her pride getting in the way again? (Aka proving to him and others that she could crack the case. We all know she was capable, didn’t need to prove it too much. Or was it for fame? Still not worth her life.)
• Geoffrey Wong as CIP Jason Ko. Another silly role for him. It was so funny that the others had misunderstood him AND they kept thinking that Wind would beat him yet it wasn’t so. They finally get to witness his famous ‘shadowless foot’ technique. LOL!
• Yuen Wah as Pro Sir’s father. So funny. What made it funnier was him keep trying to matchmake Pro Sir with others YET ended bringing trouble upon himself. I got a good laugh out of that. Always liked Yuen Wah since the old days so enjoyed his performance.
• Angela Tong as Rebeca. Hilarious! I found it extremely amazing that she was able to make her character so funny. Though just a few scenes here and there but she made my day more than some characters in here.
• Mary Hon as Ada’s mother. Mixed feelings. I don’t doubt Mary’s acting since I’ve been seeing her act like forever. NOT that long but it has been too long. What bugged me was her character at times. I found her extremely funny for using Wind as her handyman at first and all. Yet it was quite disturbing when she took those packages of goodies from Wind’s mother. It sort of made her and her daughter look bad. Fine if she didn’t like the woman (and I didn’t like Wind’s mother either) BUT that move made her less graceful. She scolded the woman and then took her things? The least she could do was paid in full so the other party wouldn’t think of her as some flaky person. (OR so it seemed.) The other thing that was funny of her was how she was arguing with Mandy’s grandfather and mistaken Jim for Ada’s boyfriend that one time.
• Rosanne Lui as Wind’s mother. Annoying. Not sure if I was still biased against her since after watching Be Home For Dinner but her performance in here was similar even if the character was different. I don’t know. I used to be less bugged by her though saw her in other series already. BUT for some reason, she has been bugging me lately. OR was it because she got more important roles and couldn’t handle it? Too ironic that she was disappointing, considering her age. I guess this was one of those cases that veteran artists did not mean good acting? I don’t know. Her character didn’t help her case either.
• Law Lok Lam as the main villain. Well, sort of since he had to do with the last case. Creepy. I swear I thought they had to deal with Felix Lok’s character since he was mentioned as a character that wasn’t easily messed with. BUT it was Law Lok Lam’s character. Haven’t seen him in an important villain role for a while now. (At least I probably didn’t watch the right series, LOL…) He was convincing as being creepy all right. And I must say after watching Be Home For Dinner with his silly role, this was proof that he hadn’t lost it with being versatile since he looked so silly (or funny, lol) in the other one yet this one was like quite chilling to the bones.

Pairings:

• Wayne and Maggie. It had been a long time now since I’ve seen a favorite couple. I meant it more in terms of characters than as actor and actress yet it could just be both. If I hadn’t mentioned it before (though I’m sure I did), I always like it when couples would match wit-per-wit instead of having one extremely smart and the other brainless. OR at least have each with a strong area instead of those helpless weaklings (or make the main girl/guy dumb on purpose). SO it was really enjoyable to watch for me with these two. They were so in-sync with one another when they were still partners and/or friends. That was so amazing. Then when they were finally a couple, they showed both respect and love for one another that made it even more special. They didn’t just say those words yet proved true throughout. I was so scared they would make his character so wishy-washy when his ex-wife return and all. After all, they were married for years before. YET he had made his point clear and what was really priceless was seeing Pro Sir always bringing Mandy along on trips when Eva demanded his attention or some type of meeting. It was sad for Eva, BUT I was glad he didn’t cause any misunderstandings by leading Eva on accidentally–if he had appeared alone, etc. I was glad the scriptwriter didn’t reduce his character to nothing for once. I was so sick of the recent main guys always making the ‘oops’ because they thought it was unnecessary to inform the current gf about stuff if the ex-gf/wife had pulled some stunts–and the typical thinking he shouldn’t trouble her. I was soooo glad they steered away from that formula. Though I’m sure Mandy was the understanding type and wouldn’t be swayed or feel threatened by Eva’s subtle threats yet I found it necessary to see those scenes with how Pro Sir had always made it clear. It let us–as the audience–see that Pro Sir was determined to make his relationship work with Mandy–and how his character was consistent throughout with him being smart, etc. One of the scenes I loved the most was seeing how in-sync they were at that one restaurant/bar when he ordered her drink and food for her already and later when she finally came, he asked about the lectures, then they shared the food, etc. It was so cute YET showed their tacit interactions. SO wrong of me to enjoy it when Eva was there but it made me so convinced that Pro Sir and Mandy belonged together. Not to mention how the scene repeated itself later on too, not just that one time. Wayne and Maggie sure made the effort to build this chemistry. (Because I wasn’t so sure on this pairing at first though I wouldn’t mind seeing this fresh pairing. Now I’m convinced.)
• Ron and Kate. How many times have they collaborated already? Well, as a pairing. I guess TVB’s still compensating–or trying to compensate–us for that one time in The Brink of Law AND I think it’s WAY over now. Once in a while is good, but too many times a year? I love them together–and that’s saying something about current pairings. But please spread it out. LOL! I enjoyed their chemistry in here, of course, and found it different–or so they managed to make it work. It was so funny that she was so wacko when she got drunk. Scared the world out of him the first time around. She even dragged him into all those crazy things, LOL!
• Edwin and Aimee. Mmmm…would never imagined them together yet I got into the storyline. It depends on people’s taste, but I thought I was fine with it. Then the ending just brought forth more tears than ever. Mostly because of Edwin’s convincing act with the mourning and all. I didn’t know why they killed her off until the last scenes of him remembering back to what she said to him at various times.
• Wayne and Nancy. Seriously, that was odd. Maybe because it was the age lapse or they just looked weird together. They were the correct choices for their roles BUT extremely odd together. I sort of cringed when they were being intimate at various points at the beginning. I don’t know. It was so odd for me. NOT picking on one or the other. I guess it was just one of those couples that didn’t work. Their story was all right I guess. However, what I found was odd was why she loved him so much YET was willing to give such a promising marriage up for that one job? I meant okay, it seemed to be projecting that she was lured in by those luxuries (jewelry store scene with her taking that watch) and the mansion (Felix Lok took her to the mountainside and told her to look down at the row of houses at this one place). OR was her pride getting in the way? Like how she was trying to prove Pro Sir wrong with how he was saying it wasn’t good to mix the other dude? NOT too sure but I’ll just let it go since it’s not worth getting mad over. BUT it wasn’t too unrealistic with couples suddenly breaking up out of nowhere.

The two worlds – FH I & II vs. FH III.

YES, had to include this section since I know people love to compare. And I’m somewhat curious too.

• The LEADERS: Bobby vs. Wayne – Tim Sir vs. Pro Sir. NOT bad on both counts. I swear they did look cool as the boss. And were equally intelligent–with their own methods. Though I must say I prefer Wayne over Bobby. NOT the characters, but the actor. Maybe it was because I never abandoned Wayne before–even if he was in the shadow in the past all these years versus Bobby (whom I lost track for a while). It’s my own personal lapse AND not because Bobby was not cool.
• The DOCTORS: Frankie vs. Maggie – Dr. Koo vs. Dr. Chung. Yes, I chose Maggie to represent the doctor side though technically both she and Wayne were. YET Wayne had to represent the leader spot. Character-wise, I actually felt Frankie’s character was crafted more complex and had a better foundation. Perhaps his life wasn’t so dramatic. But that wasn’t Maggie’s fault for getting the role of a victim in some case as well. But what made it interesting was how he was also an author. Dr. Chung was very creative and intelligent in her own way, but Dr. Koo’s character was really well written and more unique. However, I thought the love story with Dr. Chung was crafted better. Why? I guess being paired up with the main guy made it a better advantage since she was the first female lead. Dr. Koo’s love story was all right I guess but I didn’t care for it much because of his other half. So it was half and half for both instances. But I like Frankie and Maggie equally so no choosing there.
• The MADAMES: Yoyo vs. Charmaine vs. Kate – Madame Nicole Leung vs. Madame Bell Ma vs. Madame Ada Ling. Madame Leung was strong and independent, and not to mention aggressive. That made her name ‘yau’ (柔) even more ironic because it meant ‘gentle’. She was also a ‘no-nonsense’ type of person. Madame Ma looked aggressive and was intimidating at one point yet she had a soft heart at others (and had developed her strong exterior because she had to protect her mother). Madame Ling, on the other hand, was more tolerant of her subordinates when they got random and were messing around during meetings. Though there was no doubt she could use her power to make the others work. But I thought Yoyo was the more powerful one with the vibe that she exuded. Not that Charmaine and Kate didn’t look aggressive enough since both were shown as capable leaders as well. I just felt like Yoyo pulled it off better as a ‘madame’. Not bringing Charmaine or Kate down because I actually liked both (by now if I hadn’t in the past), but that was what I felt. However, I must say I like all three equally in their own way so no points lost actually.
• The SIDE-KICKS: Raymond Cho vs. Ron Ng – Shum Hung vs. Wind. Shum Hung, they didn’t say much about him in all the two parts that he appeared? I forgot already since that was years ago since I watched both installments. YET he really stood out as Madame Leung’s side-kick every time he appeared. And his rash personality made him all the more lovable. Not to mention how he had such a sense of humor as well. I couldn’t remember quite well with his capabilities either. But I swear he got robbed–even if he was still up there in the cast list. I think with the character development, Wind had it made out better with him being the side-kick and how his background story with him being a rich boy, NOT just a typical cop. Not to mention how he also knew taekwondo and competed in this one competition with Ko Sir. All in all though, I liked both characters just fine. They were different in their own way. Acting? Raymond Cho’s actually the better one here. I’m not saying that because Ray’s like one of my favorites. But Ray started out better than Ron and is still so–even if he kept getting pushed aside at times. The other thing was how little information Ray had with his character but was able to make his character shine out, making it memorable. Perhaps his loyalty to Madame Leung and his colleagues made it the most memorable.
• The ROOKIES: Linda Chung vs. Aimee Chan – Lam Ding Ding vs. Angel Chiang. Honestly, I didn’t want to put them in since it would get too personal. But since I already put the others on the table, why not? I thought both developments of their characters were about enough, not too much and not too little either. So people shouldn’t even complain about it. Both characters were meant to be cute and charming with their curiosity, etc. Both died as well. Though I must say even if they dressed Linda in cute outfits and letting her wear those braids, I didn’t like her that much either. I meant the character, SO don’t say I’m picking on Linda. In fact, I never forgive her for sneezing into that one evidence while Fred (Madame Leung’s brother) was doing the test for it hence causing it to become invalid, and not to mention causing trouble for Fred. (YUP, he got scold at–though he was nice enough to not blame her.) Angel, though she was too silly with her different views at times and even clash in cultures, but was more professional. Her death, I swear made sense even more–though it was frustrating. Who do I prefer then? Aimee actually. Because I never liked Linda since she started. People are throwing stuff at me for making that decision since everyone’s putting dirt on Aimee right now. Yet I felt Aimee exuded the cute look better though she was the tomboy type of character in here.
• The OTHER FORENSIC TECHNICIANS: Fred Cheng vs. Edwin Siu – Fred Leung vs. Ken Ho. Yes, interestingly Fred was also named Fred in here though his Chinese name was different. (PHEW!) Anyway, Fred was sort of a pushover because of having a madame sister–and to complete the irony of it all, his name was actually ‘kong’ (剛)–meaning strong. Though he was really hardworking. Ken Ho, on the other hand, was a funny type of guy who wouldn’t mind striking up an argument. I thought that his character somewhat reminded me of Ray’s Shum Hung. OR was that it but they just tossed him toward the forensic side so it was less obvious? Yet both managed to deliver even if there was lack of screen time for Fred.
• The OTHER GIRL COPS: Vivien Yeo vs. Jessie Shum –  Josie vs. Calorie. Lack of memory, but I remember Vivien’s character, Josie, being in the background most of the time, except it was until she had to help the others retrieve statements from different witnesses, etc. Yet I liked her being around with the rest of the team. Calorie was the loud one in here but still had her own moments.

Goofs/Complaints/whatever else:

• The tip of scale between both teams. Though I soon got used to the teams. But I must admit the tip of scale at times for both teams–cops and forensics. Why the tip? The reason was putting both Wayne and Maggie on the forensic side (though under different specialized areas). They should have separated the two to maintain equilibrium. However, was the creators’ intention to make it different from the other two installments? NOT sure. Probably so though since putting both Wayne and Maggie on the same side paved the story for their characters better as a couple, how in-sync they were, etc. But I didn’t think that Ron and Kate were useless even if Wayne and Maggie had put most of the pieces of the puzzles together. Because this was after all ‘forensic heroes’ so they had to put more stresses toward the ‘forensic’ side. Ron and Kate had action scenes when it was needed or necessary for the cases. So both teams actually collaborated quite well with one another. Not too bad actually if analyze a bit more.
• CSIs DO NOT carry guns. During the 7th case when Angel was in one of the rooms (the study?) collecting evidence, Hilbert (Wind’s uncle) walked in and was chatting with her on how she helped him one time in New York running after a culprit with a gun. He had assumed that she was a cop, but she explained to him that she wasn’t because the difference between CSI of both New York (or the States?) and Hong Kong was that NY CSIs could carry guns while Hong Kong CSIs do not. YET that was basing it on the TV Series, NOT real life. Because technically in real life, CSIs DO NOT carry guns regardless in the States. SO, therefore, that little detail was a glitch. Were the scriptwriters basing it on those TV Series instead of doing actual research on the real CSIs in the States? CSIs could only carry pepper sprays–if they wanted something to protect themselves. I wanted to let it go. YET I couldn’t because they repeated it again in a later episode so I didn’t want to let it go.
• A Hana Kimi took over? I’m so serious here! I know it was a coincidence and could happen to anyone (or probably from other series too). But I couldn’t help thinking of it when they mentioned Ken Ho’s character not being able to drink wine or he would go crazy. Later it was revealed that he would go on a kissing rampage. Same as what happened with Quan in Hana Kimi when he got drunk (and had kissed the main girl too).
• Eva’s death and the aftermaths. Was it just me or it seemed like they moved forward in two shakes? YES, Pro Sir did blame himself for not answering to her suggestion/request YET Wind had told him to not feel guilty but focused on solving the case to seek justice for Eva. SO that part made sense. Yet I honestly hoped the ending was like several months later OR until Pro Sir and Eva’s kid recovered. ‘Cause she cried like mad when her parents divorced and all. SO it would be too strange to see her all happy and looking forward to Pro Sir and Mandy’s wedding. According to some exchanges between them and Ken Ho that Ken had asked for a leave to go take care of Angel’s situation and returning the ashes to her parents in the States. SO I hope some time had passed for everyone to recover regarding Eva as well.
• Were the cases too easy? This was NOT a complaint on my part but more like I heard some people talking about it. I think it was in a sense. YET the deduction made it fascinating. Even if the cases seemed too brainless or weren’t as complex as the cases in the first installment but it wasn’t too unreasonable either. Why not? If comparing to CSIs/Criminal Minds or those other ones, not every one of those cases had to be so mind-blowing to make it a case, right? Let’s just file these under the everyday type of crime. It wasn’t too unreasonable because people nowadays might just kill for no reason. NOT good or reassuring to know what type of messed up environment we might live in. Yet it wasn’t too off either. The only complaint I had was Wind’s case was toooo long. Okay, maybe I was just impatient that the family just pissed me off so much with their inconsiderate nature, except for Wind. SO yeah… (I put this up there at the beginning of the review already, BUT thought I would ‘bullet point’ it too! LOL!)

What made up for it all? The technology actually. And the way the deduction was made. They really managed to take advantage of the technology all right. It reminded me of one of the most recent seasons of Criminal Minds where everyone was carrying a tablet with them. Pretty cool to think about. (Though not sure if everyone was as equipped in the real environment, lol.)

Recommended? NOT recommended if you’re going to compare it to parts 1 and 2. I did it too, I know. YET I didn’t have a problem with it. Why? It was a cop series. But I must say that it was the only series from 2011 that I managed to finish. What about the others? Dropped halfway through or somewhere along the way. OR I didn’t bother. So that said something. But maybe because I’m too easily rattled. Your choice really.

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