Monday, May 12, 2008

La Femme Desperado

Cast:
Melissa Ng ~ Ko Chi Ling / Ko Ling ~ Ko Chi Ling (高志玲, nickname "Ko Ling", portrayed by Melissa Ng)- A 32 year old assistant manager of Pluto, a consumer product distributor. Ling comes from a very traditional family, who expected women to marry and give birth to children as soon as possible, and avoid a professional career. After finding out thather husband and co-worker Man King Leung had an affair, she divorced him, and began to learn from Hilda as she makes her way up in the corporate world.
Sheren Tang ~ Hilda Hoi ~ Hilda Hoi (海翹, portrayed by Sheren Tang)- A 37 year old Product Manager of Pluto. She is considered to be the definition of a strong businesswoman. Hilda would use all her charm to get business, often alienating many coworkers in the process.
Kate Tsui ~ Ida Hoi ~ Ida Hoi (海璇, portrayed by Kate Tsui)- Sister of HIlda. She fell in love with her sushi mentor
Michael Tse ~ Man King Leung ~ Man King Leung (文景良, portrayed by Michael Tse)- A 38 year old worker at Pluto. He is known to climb up the corporate greasy pole at all costs, earning him the title "Scum Man". after his divorce with Ko Ling, he had a relationship with Hilda. Man left Pluto to become an executive at Please, a department store chain, out of spite.
Raymond Lam ~ Chai Foon ~ Chai Foon (齊寬, portrayed by Raymond Lam)- He married Ko Ling, despite a 7-year age difference between them. He acts on an impulse, and this led to strains in their marriage.
Savio Tsang ~ Pluto Ma ~ Pluto Ma (馬世軒, portrayed by Savio Tsang)- Owner and CEO of Pluto, his infidelity almost led to Pluto's demise. It also created much conflict between is wife, Ko Ling, and Hilda.
Jacqueline Lo ~ Venus Huen ~ Venus Huen (禤寶婷, portrayed by Jacqueline Lo)- Wife of Pluto. Her fears that Pluto was cheating on her led to her recruitment of Jackie Ho, her cousin, to monitor Pluto, which backfired on Venus.
Kwong Hon ~ Please Kong ~ Please Kong (江永年, portayed by Kwong Hon)- Owner of Please, a chain of health and beauty retailers (similar to Watson's in real life). His relationship with Pluto Company strained after his decision to enter the product distribution chain.
Cindy Au ~ Crystal Kong ~ Crystal Kong (江晶晶, portrayed by Cindy Au)- Granddaughter of Please, she works at Please Company, and had a crush on Chai Foon.
Leung Ka Yan ~ Ko Wing Tim / Ko Ling's father ~ Ko Wing Tim (高榮添, portrayed by Leung Ka Yan)- The father of Ling, he also works at Pluto, and as the oldest worker in his department, people respectfully call him Uncle Tim. His incredibly chauvinistic and traditional attitudes have rubbed off on his sons.
Ching Ho Wai ~ Lau Wei Sim / Ko Ling's mother ~ Lau Wei Sim (劉慧嬋, portrayed by Ching Ho Wai)- Ko Wing Tim's subservient wife. She began to disobey her husband towards the end of the series, forcing Tim to ponder whether his old ways can continue to pass unreformed.
Li Ka Sing ~ Ko Chi Leng / Ko Ling's brother ~ Ko Chi Leng (高志能, portrayed by Li Ka Sing)- Brother of Ling. He is a taxi driver by profession
Kenneth Ma ~ Ko Chi Lik / Ko Ling's younger brother ~ Ko Chi Lik (高志力, portrayed by Kenneth Ma)- Younger brother of Ling. He is a sushi chef by profession, and fell in love with his student, Ida Hoi. His father's chauvinistic attitudes rubbed off on him, and this caused much strain in their relationship.
Natalie Wong ~ Kun Ga Yung / Ko Chi Leng's wife
Lai Suun ~ Cheung Pak Chih / Chai Foon's grandmother ~ Jeung Pak Chih (章柏枝, portrayed by Lai Suun)- Grandmother of Chai Foon, and the owner of a dried goods store on Cheung Chau Island.
Mary Hon ~ Tong Lei Chu / Chai Foon's mother
June Chan ~ Jackie Ho / Cousin of Venus Huen ~ Jackie Ho (何雅琪, portrayed by June Chan)- Younger cousin of Venus Huen, she was recruited by Venus to keep an eye on Pluto, whom she suspects was cheating on her. There were no extramarital affairs, but Jackie did attempt, with brief success, to steal Pluto away from Venus.
Derek Kwok ~ Cho Ga Po ~ A former lover of Hilda

There are three pairs of couples in the series, and their roles highlight the roles of women in modern society.
The first pair is Siu Chai and Ling. Siu Chai has been in love with his tutor, Ling, since he was 11 and she was 18. They depict the problems of overcoming a 7 year age gap in traditional Chinese society.
The second pair is Ah Man and Hilda and shows their quest to power and fame, their readiness to sacrifice anything - even their loved ones - for the sake of climbing the corporate ladder. However, throughout the show, their characters began to make the realization that love and family are actually much more significant in life than success in the business world.
Finally, the third pair is Ah Lik and Ida. Their story focuses on the status of the woman in modern society. Raised in a patriachal environment, Ah Lik, who has very old-fashioned thinking, believes that women cannot become sushi masters. He believes that a woman should be staying at home, cooking, serving their husbands and caring for the children. Ida on the other hand, is a very strong-willed modern Chinese woman. Through her determination, confidence and persistence, she proves her skills to him. Their frequent conflict and arguments over the rights and roles of women and Lik's eventual realization that women can indeed accomplish greater accomplishments than men show the gradual progression of value changes

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