Healing Hands 1 - why I liked it, HH1 versus HH2
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Yeah, I really liked Paul & Jackie together... and I loved Ada Choi in HH1. I loved the scene when she tries to grab Paul's hand and I loved it when she out talked Gilbert when he confronted her with telling his lady friend about his sexual preferences. I thought Ada Choi played Jackie to perfection. I liked the other actors & roles (my other fav was Flora Chan's Annie & I also loved Jackie & Anne together) too, Ada Choi's Jackie just happens to be my favourite.
I was upset too when Jackie's character died in HH2. And I know it's been brought up before but I really didn't like HH2 much. Jackie's gone for most of it, Annie's role is much reduced, Gilbert's gone, Joe's gone, Nick Cheung's cop is gone... the pub scenes are few and when they do have them it's not a group of friends anymore.
There were far too many NEW characters and far too many characters. The storyline was an almost complete rehashing of HH1. And by the time I got to know any of the characters I wasn't interested in HH2 anymore. I rented the first 20 episodes and tried in all honesty to watch it. I watched it till after Jackie died... for a couple more episodes... and finally gave up... and fast fowarded till episode 20 (and still got the gist of what's going on)... and never bothered to rent the last ten.
So I know some people prefered it that there were less pub scenes... but I missed them... because that's where all the "important" action really was in HH1. In terms of realism & complex plotting & interesting/controversial patient cases... HH1 & 2 can't compare with US series like ER or Chicago Hope etc.
But seriously, how many of us watch HK tv series for the realism? How many of us watched HH1 for the realism? I watched HH1 because the chemistry between all the leads was good. There were so many good quotes and nice character development. And while all the characters were flawed, they were very human and very likeable.
I see HH1 more as an affirmation of life, friendship and love. Which is probably the reason why I liked HH1 as much as I did. In many ways HH1 is similar to films like Cest La Vie Mon Cherie & Lost and Found. It isn't about dying it's about living life and living it well.
While HH2's storyline was jammed pack with all kind of business. You'll think they trying to be ER on a budget and too big a cast. And you no longer feel some of the charm that HH1 had.
I didn't like several characters in HH2 either. I didn't like Dorothy, I didn't like Tracy & I didn't like Tracy's docter boyfriend & I really didn't like the head of the hospital (?) I don't mean the actors that play them... I mean the characters themselves were not interesting or one dimensional or annoyingly condescending. It plays more like a soap opera... what made HH1 so charming, ie the affirmation of what makes life important, no longer exist in HH2 for me.
Even the presence of Maggie Siu couldn't save HH2 for me. I would watch any tv series with her in it. :) I also like Kit Chan usually. Although I have to say she's not experienced enough to play the role of Dorothy which is a difficult role to play (which I think is a variation of Annie.) The difference between Kit's Dorothy and Flora's Annie is that Dorothy seems to me to be a very hard character... while Annie is softer... and Flora plays her with a twinkle of a smile in her eyes & the corners of her mouth. You also get a sense of Annie's non-flirtatous side because we see her friendship with Jackie and Gilbert. As for Dorothy, our first few introductions to her is of her not paying attention to the hospital paging her to go to the ER.... not terribly professional.
I also found Dorothy falling so hard and fast for Henry to be less believeable and less charming then Annie's long long infatuation with Henry.
I also liked Yo Yo Myung in Running Out of Time, Expect the Unexpected and Sealed with a Kiss. However, I'm not convinced that Yoyo is an experienced enough actor to sustain interest in her very Yoyo Myung type character through 30 epsiodes as opposed to 1 1/2 hrs film time. I'm not saying she's bad, I'm just saying that her Tracy I've seen in at least 3 other films and I think she's getting typecast... hence, perhaps by not positive reaction to Tracy.
Maybe the last 10 episodes were good... but if in a 30 epsiode soap I have to wait till the 21st to get hooked... I think I'll call that a failure.
Anyways, it's all an opinion... and it just happens to be mine :) ... thanks for reading it all the way.
cheers
ps. no time to proof read... please forgive errors or unintended rudeness.