ATE - why didn't Tim (Gallen Lo) die?

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Re: why didn't gallen die?
Posted By: just me <sharonapple@acmecity.com> 
Date: Sunday, 13 May 2001, at 11:59 a.m.

In Response To: Re: why didn't gallen die? (chere)

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Lik becomes very very bad.

He has a tendency towards violence throughout the early part of the series which fully manifest itself later in the series.

I was very upset with him when he chose to do nothing about Ah Ling's rape. I was even angrier with him when he tries to force himself on her twice after she loses her memory. And I was totally furious with him for manipulating Ah Ling in the most cruel of ways to make her return to him and then abusing and controlling her after she marries him.

While I don't think anyone deserves to die in real life. In the conventions of the soap opera world, Lik deserves to die.

Actually, in the conventions of the soap opera world, Tim is very lucky that he is given the chance to turn back. Tim's saving grace, if we look at the conventions of the HK soaps, is that his motivation is not money and power. And although his motivation is revenge (which isn't always a good motivation to have in the HK soap) his target, Jason, really does deserve to die. So that is probably why Tim does not die. Lik, however, goes through with his plans even after he knows that Tim isn't responsible for Michael's death.

What makes ATE a little different from the typical soap isn't really the events but the resolution of those events. While some of the story arcs are fairly generic, I think the idea that there is a second chance and there is redemption for everyone is somewhat unique. Most, if not all, the major characters who need a second chance get it. The only one I can think of who doesn't get that chance is Jason and he isn't really a major character.

Lik is offered the chance to chose life and therefore the possibility of making ammends by Michael (Sunny Chan.) But instead he choses to die. So actually, for a bad guy in a HK soap, that's a pretty good deal. His brother Michael only got the chance of redemption which he took but he still died.

I feel that it's really interesting that the makers of ATE chose Amazing Grace as one of the more prominent songs in ATE. Because the song Amazing Grace talks about redemption, second chances and forgiveness... all major themes of ATE.

enjoy