Koo Ming Wah as So Kei

Before this, noone knows his name. This is the role of a life time for him. We see him in numerous supporting roles before  but this is the one. The character So Kei is fun to play & the “look” is perfect. Love the wardrobe!!!!

Love the way he switch from playing a very fun So kei & sometimes he gets all serious. He did it well & it’s fun to watch. Mandy should learn from him. It’s like he gives it all,  so it makes it believable. Well done!

Eliza Sam as Hannah

She clearly has the “IT” factor. She’s - pretty, VERY CUTE & my whole family loves her  instantly ! That’s the power of charisma!!! Her look in the show suits her perfectly, pony tail- excellent, cute!

Acting – as this is only her second show I think, I thought she did it well. She dare to express herself without going overboard. She’s funny & cute at the same time. I see her gaining lots of fans & having a great career after this!

Chin Kar Lok as Long

It’s always fun to watch him, as we don’t see much of him in series. They always give him roles which almost seem tailor made for him &  in this case it’s the same.  His portrayal of Ka Long is pretty good- spot on. No complains there.

 I like the fact that most of the time he remain sort of silent when the MIL & his own mother lose their temper with him due to all kinds of circumstances- good acting there.   I feel the character of Long is very well written, like Vincent he’s trapped in various situations & he has to balance them gently. His Mother-in-law ,his child, his own mother & now his new growing feelings for a much younger girl.

Him Law as Vincent

He looks so bright in this show, very handsome. Just don’t like the clothes, a little tight. His character is actually quite well written, he is trapped in between everything:  A controlling mum who has lost her daughter, & now only has him, so he made up for it by  giving way to her.  On the whole I find his acting  to be ok.

 First saw him a few yrs back in an old show with Bobby Au yong (cant remember the title) he played a student, even then he stands out. He has that “IT” thing going for him, that’s most important isn’t it? The bad thing is  for his co-stars, not easy to pair up with him, as we can see, Mandy just cant measure up.

Love all his romantic “actions” it’s funny in a way, & super romantic, any girl will be pleased by what he does. He played it well, it's believable. The only problem is the casting of his love interest. Mandy is just not right. I just cant see why a guy like him would do so many things for someone like her.

Mandy Wong as Hei

OK I’ll admit I’m not a fan, probably because she’s not exciting as an actress.  It’s clear she’s a hard worker & probably even nice but some people are just not that versatile . I just cant connect with her. 

I find she cant play this romantic role. Especially when the love interest is Him Law, the bar is raised further as he’s so good looking & cute.  Her character Hei must have something extraordinary to be able to convince viewers to accept that this talented , rich, handsome guy will fall for her. But we don’t see that, her HEi is so ordinary & SUPER annoying . Maybe it’s not totally her fault as the writers try to create a couple that’s poles apart- BUT it’s not possible if the female lead has not enough charisma to play such a role.  It’ll take someone who will catch your attention instantly someone like Eliza sum. But Definitely not Mandy. Wrong casting.

I feel she holds back too much- there's no spontaneity in her acting. To me she looks old, even her voice sounds old. Sorry fans!

The couples: Eliza / Chin Kar lok

I prefer the  love story between  Hannah (Eliza ) and Ka Long Chin Kar Lok) . It’s a better story, very heart felt, a man burden with sadness & guilt over the loss of his wife.  He felt guilty for ‘causing’ his mother in law to lose her only daughter,  his son to lose his mother & his own mother for having to give up the custody of her grand son. He suffered in silence until he met a super cute younger girl Hannah. She’s sensitive & saw through his sufferings, his talents, pain & she fell desperately for him. She practically pursue him non-stop , & it’s really fun to watch because of the charisma of Eliza. From a person who has almost given up on a life of happiness, he saw glimpses of it as the story progresses we see him very slowly realise he can & could love again.
 

By the way Chin Kar Lok is getting married to Angela Tong & they are expection a baby..... all the best!!!!

The couples: HimLaw / Mandy

Though the story is hugely entertaining a large part of it don’t quite make sense.  Like the love between Yi Hei (Mandy)  & Vincent (Him Law) . Here we have a very sophisticated , handsome, talented guy educated from abroad working as a successful art director & he falls for someone like Hei- she cant even read or write,  no fashion sense & she could be rude too! It’s just not believable.

One could understand if she’s like super beautiful, but she’s not.  Of course we could argue that she’s a good person- yes- but hello look at the guy, he’s like a prince.  And she kept refusing his advances why would someone like him even try or kept on pursing? Truth is Vincent’s “chauvinistic attempts & advances” were really cute & made even my heart skip a few beats. ....lol......Rich , handsome nice  guy treat me this way – I’ll follow him to the ends of the world!!!!!  Any girl being pursue by a guy in this fashion will surely buckle! But not Hei, she kept refusing him which is the most annoying part of the show!!!!. 

The worst part is the actors themselves are not even compatible! Mandy is just not right for romantic roles at least not now….  The pairing is just not convincing enough. It’s a good role & she’s not right for it! What a waste!

Diva in Distress...overall comment

I  highly recommend this series, as I’m enjoying it so far. I’m slightly half way through now. It’s probably the best show from TVB,  in recent history. After 3 Kingdoms, this is a breath of fresh air. This is a drama with abit of everything:

1. rivalry between 2 divas (thus the title) through 30 odd years played by  vetern stars Liza Wang and Gigi Wong thus anchoring the series

2. family drama with the usual pain & heartache

3. love : a few couples

4. with just the right amount of  comedy thrown in

Certain things stands out for me, new comer Eliza Sam is exciting to watch, she’s a natural & super cute. In recent years with the  exception of Myolie, not many other female stars has wow me. Eliza certainly has that “it” factor. I’m sure we’ll see lots of her soon.

I enjoy Vincent’s character & the way he went after the one he loves it’s exciting & very fun to watch.

Then we have Characters like” So kei” played by  Koo Ming Wah – it’s a breakout role for him & he played it well. The clothes he wore stole the show sometimes …lol…. The only miscast is Mandy Wong will elaborate later…..