{tvb} King Maker Final Thoughts

I finally finished King Maker just now. Although it was interesting from episodes 5-20, to me, it sort of lost its magic after that. Spoilers are rampant in this post, so be careful reading. haha

Characters

I already wrote some of my thoughts on the characters in my previous post, but here are some more thoughts. Basically after Sam Leung (Kristal Tin) and Yu Tsing/Sheung Hei (Patrick Tang) died, I did not care if any of the other characters died afterwards. I don't know what happened, but I got really tired of all the characters. I think the only character that I liked for the whole time they were were Yeung Kuk (Sammy Shun) and Sam Leung. 

The characters that I were supposed to support and pity did not warrant any of those feelings. This is especially true with Prince Shing. After he became 'sane' again, it seemed as if his character changed a lot. And, really, wanting to kill an innocent child and Yu Ching (Wayne Lai)? I understand that he was afraid Yu Ching would go against him and have Prince Yin be made Emperor, but Yu Ching had done a lot for him. Without Yu Ching, I really doubt that he would still be alive. Also, I used to like Yu Ching, but his stubbornness annoyed me. He's written well, at least historically, because he is a good example of officials who were loyal to the country. Still, the only time I felt sorry for him was when Sheung Hei died. The only time that I liked his character was when he helped Consort Wai (Florence Kwok) and Prince Wo (Lai Lok Yi) not get killed by Prince Shing. Also, Prince Wo isn't such a bad character. It's just that he was led off the right path by his mom and Yeung Chi Shan. I feel sorry for him and his wife. 

I actually liked Yuk Kiu (Elaine Yiu) as well. I understood why she did all the things that she did. She thought she was being filial by sacrificing herself, but in fact she was just being used by her father. It's too bad that she died trying to save Yu Chiing, even though it was not necessary.

And can I just say that I really really dislike Yu Jing/Hung Ying/Consort Lai (Natalie Tong)? 

Ending

Honestly, if it were not for the fact that I was so close to finishing the series, I would have stopped watching and just read the spoilers. In my opinion, Episodes 19/20 would have been a good place to stop. The story just became stretched out with Tung Chiu (Kent Cheng) scheming against Yu Ching. The storyline with Consort Wai, Prince Wo, and Yeung Chi San (Joseph Lee) were more entertaining. 

I'm surprised that Yu Ching let Tung Chiu live, but I guess it just strengthens the message of King Maker and  the life of court officials. 

{tvb} King Maker Thoughts Ep 1-20

So I almost gave up on this when I was watching Episode 1 when the English subs first came out. The part where Yu Ching (Wayne Lai), his siblings, and his dad were being separated was too boring for me to continue, so I stopped watching. However, I was bored and decided to give it a try again, and I'm glad that I kept on watching.

Basically, Sam Leung (Kristal Tin) and her badassery plus episode 19 makes it worth watching. Her scenes, especially the ones when she's fighting are the ones that make KM less boring, especially with all the scheming political stuff that the series is supposed to be all about. Sure, all the things that Tung Chiu (Kent Cheng) plans up are interesting, but I prefer action a little more. But anyways, episode 19 was when basically, shit went down. [spoiler] The big bad three get their comeuppance. [/endspoiler]

Overall, I enjoy the cast's performances and characters, but Fan Hung Ying (Natalie Tong) really annoys me. Okay, so she's supposed to be 18 and the daughter of the chief and all, but did she really have to be that spoiled? When she was keeping Prince Shing (Pierre Ngo, who did a great job with the crazy scenes) in the wine cellar, I didn't really buy her character feeling sorry for him. I honestly don't like her character at all, and it seems weird that the prince would fall in love with her when his wife (Vivien Yeo) is so nice and caring.