Law Enforcers - a short review

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Not many people will tell you that LE is a good series but I am with "TV Fan." LE is a good series. It's not your typical TVB detective series.
 
It actually feels like a well-researched series and is more realistic than most TVB cop series. The cops are very competent and professional. They may not always agree with each other or with their superiors and they may have personal conflicts but when it comes to the job they put aside their own feelings because they are professionals. They identify themselves properly when they arrest or question people. The various departments in the police station are well defined and cooperate well. E.g. at the end when Nick Cheung's character wishes to take over a chase, he identifies himself and then asks for permission to take over the chase.
 
I actually liked it that they showed us the different departments, unlike "TV Fan." I liked it that they show how the different departments cooperate with each other. Also, aside from the "Anti-Crime Squad" (Fan-hei) and the "Investigation Squad" (Zhong An,) there is also the "Uniformed Patrol Cops" lead by a very competent woman (Law Koon Lan.)
 
There aren't many big cases in LE and it isn't about big cases. LE deals a lot with cops and their personal and professional lives. It's more like a series about the daily lives of cops who are dedicated to their jobs. It's more about how dedicated and good cops deal with the various pressures both at home and at work. In some ways it reminds me of some UK cop series. It's less about angst, epic storytelling, huge cases etc, it's just about good, professional cops and their lives. LE is very much a police procedual type series which is something we don't get very much from TVB.
 
The AR series, Anti-Crime Squad etc and even DIF have some of the most unprofessional cops. They throw tantrums, are rude to their superiors, are rash & impulsive, don't follow the rules, are involved in cases they shouldn't be involved in etc etc and many are the main protaganist of the series and are often the heroes of the series as well. These series are more interested in big cases, emotional male-female relaionships, comedy, angst and memorable characters. People remember key characters from the AR and DIF series but it's unlikely that the key characters in LE will be well remembered. LE is not that kind of series but that doesn't make it a bad series, it's just different. (I'm not saying that AR, DIF, A-CS are bad series, I enjoyed DIF. I'm just saying that they are different.)
 
The characterisation is interesting too. The main characters played by Roger Kwok, Nick Cheung and Fennie Yuen are stoic cops who act with restrained both in their professional and personal lives. Yet underneath the professional surface, the three have an emotional core which surfaces occasionally. In Fennie's case, sometimes it threatens the way she deals with her superiors but she always knows when to rein it in. As for Nick, he too has to struggle with his emotions when he feels that members of his team are being threatened. Roger is the most restrained when it comes to work but this restrain carries over so much into his private life, he has difficulty at times dealing with personal relationships outside of his job.
 
The music is also quite nice. There is a nice piano piece with like a falling melody which is used very effectively many times throughout the series.
 
Also, there are many plot points in the series where the script does something unconventional. You'll be thinking, huh, usually in a TVB series, the character will do this... but he/she doesn't.
 
The dialogue is also quite nice. The cops/friends often use a line one person says to make a point contrary to what the first person meant or to make a joke. The humour is not the ha-ha laugh out loud variety, it's subtle and light and makes you smile more than laugh which is nice and different from most series.
 
The only really conventional and unrealistic storyline is the older cop's and his relationship with a woman who gambles too much.
 
The relationship between the 3 main characters is nicely essayed. How they come together and breakup is a slow progression. I also love the relationship Roger has with his son. It is one of the best father-young son relationships I've seen in TVB series.
 
SPOILER INFORMATION...
 
I like how Nick and Fennie's characters come together. When they start dating it's more like "ah well, let's give it a try" rather then "I love you." I like how they try to maintain the relationship. And I like how the script shows you that they are incompatible but it's not that anyone of the characters is wrong. It's really a matter of personality and perception. No one is wrong in the breakup. I also like how Roger slowly falls for and discovers his growing love for Fennie.
 
I love it that when Roger's ex-wife and husband dies in a car crash, Roger finally breaksdown and he as he sobs he says the most unexpected line. Instead of saying "I miss my son" (who is living with his ex-wife,) he says "I miss my wife." It is one of the most poignant moments I've seen in TVB series.  
 
Also, I like how pro-active Fennie's character is in dealing with relationships. After she realises that Roger won't make his move and Nick just doesn't want to accept the fact that when she said it's over that she meant it, she decides that she has to be the frank one. She tells Nick in no uncertain terms that she meant it when she said that is was over. Then she goes to Roger and says some of the most memorable lines in LE, she says, "Why did something that could have begun just stop suddenly? It's bad enough that you two treat me like a present and push me to and fro, but what's worse is that I treat myself like present and try and give myself to you."
 
Well that's it for now, got to go work now.