TVB’s “The Unholy Alliance” is a Disappointment
TVB’s The Unholy Alliance <同盟> is kind of disappointing. To be fair, the drama did have a lot of weight to hold on its shoulders—it’s not easy to live up to the hype of A Fist Within Four Walls <城寨英雄>, which was not only 2016’s Drama of the Year, but also the drama that got all four of its leads Ruco Chan (陳展鵬), Nancy Wu (胡定欣), Benjamin Yuen (袁偉豪), and Grace Wong (王君馨) to snag some of the biggest trophies at the TVB Anniversary Awards.
And that’s a lot of pressure to live up to.
The Unholy Alliance, which features much of the same cast and crew that created Four Walls, is seen as a modern “sister version” of the 2016 period drama. Like Four Walls, The Unholy Alliance is comedic and packed with action. While Four Walls was inspired by kung fu comic books, The Unholy Alliance drew inspiration from Hong Kong and Hollywood-style action films.
It was supposed to be a promising series. TV King and Queen Ruco Chan and Nancy Wu return as the star couple. Four Walls veterans KK Cheung (張國強), Jimmy Au (歐瑞偉), and Jazz Lam (林子善) are back to hold onto the show’s backbone. The Unholy Alliance is also Film Queen Nina Paw’s (鮑起靜) first television drama with TVB. A look into any episode in this drama and one can see that this drama wasn’t an easy project to do—there’s nonstop fighting and nonstop action. Nina Paw had to take shooting lessons for her role. Ruco Chan and Nancy Wu are now more fit than they ever were in Four Walls. Jimmy Au gets the nickname “Hong Kong 007.” Even TVB artists like Elaine Yiu (姚子羚) and Joel Chan (陳山聰) are being treated in a different light—who knew they could be our next action stars?
The Unholy Alliance had the formula to be the year’s biggest show, and though it’s faring well in ratings, it isn’t exactly getting very popular. Critics aren’t really liking it, and netizens are even more disappointed by it.
So what went wrong?
According to critics, one of the show’s major failures is the story and script. Whenever Ko Tsz-kit (Ruco Chan) and Yuen Tsing-yan (Nancy Wu) get in a physical brawl, it usually turns into something pretty sexual. The characters throw sexual innuendos at each other so much viewers no longer find their relationship interesting. Crude jokes can be very funny, but if the same kind of jokes are being told over and over again, the novelty and shock value gets lost.
The show’s dialogue isn’t very smart, and the story itself is mediocre at best.
This show has talent. Nina Paw is playing the strongest character she has ever attempted on television, and Jimmy Au is once again proving netizens that he deserves to win TVB’s Best Supporting Actor.
But you know it’s becoming a waste of talent and resources when the only thing viewers can remember from the show is how many times Elaine almost gets into a wardrobe malfunction whenever she’s fighting some bad guys.
It’s an honest disappointment.
Source: HK01.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
It really is a massive disappointment.
Both Ruco’s and Nancy’s acting have suddenly become very subpar (and I’m referring to the dramatic acting, not their action scenes). Their chemistry is now very cringe-worthy to a point that their interaction isn’t sexy like it was in Four Walls, it’s just… meh. With every episode the story seem to lose its direction. And while Joel’s and Elaine’s collaboration is somewhat fresh, it’s repetitive. Every episode Joel basically has to convince Elaine he loves her; yet she pretty much says the same things.
Only Nina Paw is holding up the drama. If she dies, the remaining episodes wouldn’t even be worth watching anymore.
@linvin8 yep. Kinda disappointed. Only Nina and Jimmy are shining. Definitely Nina saved the show lol. Honestly, i dont like Ruco and Nancy’s acting in this series, its just too ordinary. They can do better than that bcoz i never doubt about their acting. Anyway, hope Joel and Elaine will get more recognition for their performances.
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@killer02 are u another creditor??? lol
3 times…i saw ur same posts at 3 different articles about Ruco. Do ur homework..
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@killer02 Just because you copy and paste or repeat your comments about Ruco being a “money hungry fame seeker” doesn’t make it a fact, or justify your judgement on him as a person. If you’re looking to pick a fight or to defame someone, go somewhere else.
And just because some of us aren’t enjoying Ruco’s performance in this drama doesn’t mean he deserves such treatment; at least we have the decency to give constructive criticism.
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@killer02 Is anyone actually forcing you to like Ruco Chan? Is anyone actually saying that he’s perfect? What has my reality got anything to do with you? How about you accept the reality that nobody could care less about your ill constructed criticism and that you shoving your disbeliefs down people’s throats is actually really, really annoying.
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@killer02 K.
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The Unholy Alliance is so much less interesting than Four Walls, and the only reason that keeps me watching is Nina Paw. I hope her character is not dying so early at episode 20 as she is the backbone of this series.
Nothing much that i keen to watch about Ruco and Nancy’s relationship because it were basically sexual innuendos as was mentioned in the above article. I would rather put my attention to Joel and Elaine’s romance that I hope will be able to sustain for a happy ending till the final episode.
It’s been a predictable and repetitive storyline in every way. No character development. The scenes between Ruco and Nancy are cringeworthy. Every episode is of either of the same family members arguing and an enemy trying to beat the corporation but fails. I don’t know who many times the Wei family have betrayed the coorperation and have been let off.This series ranks alongside ‘Burning Hands’. An awful series.
I think it isnt as terrible as everyone saying it is. Yes i agree with some points but its not as bad. Im loving the series thus far. Though i must add, nina paw is holding the fort.
Watchable. More watchable than say the whole come on cousin franchise or meow meow planet.
xD
@yummiki24
Although i did say this series is much less interesting than Four Walls, but yes i agree that it is still watchable. Of all the 2017 crime dramas that have been aired todate, Bet Hur is the worst of them all.
& i forgot to mention that Jimmy Au is performing very well too in his role as the bodyguard of Nina. Hope he will get a recognition for his role in this series.
@diana80 YES! bet hur is the worse of the lot.
tofu war is boring…switched off after 15 minutes watching the first episode.
jimmy au is great! to me, he is james bond. really hope he gets the best supporting actor award.
as for the actor who plays Ricky, he hasn’t reached that level for viewers to dislike…he just doesn’t have a likeable face.
@janet72
Yes…Jimmy deserves recognition, but he may face strong competition from veteran actor Law Lok Lam who acts as Vincent’s father in Legal Marvericks.
Talking about Law Lok Lam who just appeared in episode 23 in TUA, initially i thought either him or Elena Kong will be the final big boss, but after watching that episode…it’s not likely.
The guy who plays Ricky is Ngo Ka Nin. This guy has been acting in supporting roles for quite a long time.
It is very disappointing since we are up to half way through and despite a lot of gunfire, hand to hand combat and screaming and slapping, the plot is still very thin and characters are empty.
So far, Nina and Jimmy are the two that catch my attention the most and they really have good chemistry as the boss and bodyguard. JImmy is just so cool in here,
Another that I see potential in is Jazz who plays the mild brother with a ticking timebomb in his head, but in truth, he is the only one of the younger generation who has the intelligence, scheming and ruthlessness to head the family. I quite like Ngo Ka Nin’s acting but his role is so typecasted.
The problem that I find with Ruco’s character is that he is so naive and his niceness can be irritating when his family is embroiled in a power struggle.
Nancy character seems to be torn between a ditzy cartoonish loud character and the cold-blooded killer. It was not as it was in “Four Walls” where her ditziness was to shield herself from her past. It does not seem to be a well-written character,
As for Joel and Elaine, they are competant but I don’t see anything special. If Elaine or Joel was slightly more nasty or selfish, there could be some potential.
There are too many characters written in here that seem redundant. And some characters are so stupid. I cannot believe that the two daughters of Mary Han can be so naive and uncareful when they have been born into such a dangerous family. At least Elaine got trained well by her dad but the daughters of the Ling family are just waiting to be targetted and rescued.
The mum is annoying and the siblings are stupid. I don’t know if it is bad genes or not.
@elizabeth I like Joel. He can do a convincing fighting scene with style. I find Jazz a miscast. He should switch role with oscar. I just don’t buy Jazz as someone with potential to lead a mafia family.
I am bored that everyone, absolutely everyone after an episode or 2 can carry a gun and will carry a gun and do carry a gun.
@funnlim i agree. Its just too muchhh??? Everyone is holding a gun. I thought im watching tiger cubs lol
Kate is a superwoman to me coz she can do everything, a director of PR, she can hack people’s computers, she can fight very well and gives u headshot lmao
@alicesky but she can’t control her heart or become a total emotional wreck about her betrayal of her evil bad father. Wouldn’t it be super cool if she is actually some infernal affairs sort of mess? Betray kent? Has she? Havent seen latest episode. And what’s with Kate and kent? Poor actors trying to pronounce right. Suddenly I miss names like internet or something silly.
@funnlim jazz is like a coward in the drama…if the producer wants to get someone who is sickly, then jazz doesn’t fit the role.
People still expect TVB can churn out a good drama these days? Lol
If you’re watching TVB dramas, you should expect mediocrity.
@anon
I agree, This is no surprise base on TVB current record of drama. I grew up watching hong kong drama so its really sad to see how TVB degraded over the past couple of years. There used to be so much variation in genre and cast, but now, all I see is comedy drama. I love comedy drama but I don’t want it in every show. Moreover, most of the cast are the same individuals. I don’t mind that they use the same cast over and over again, but I’m amazed how they keep giving loosey actor/actress like Sisley Choi and Grace Chan main role when there are better actors/actresses who have been playing supporting role for many years that deserve and are better fitted for the role. The script nowaday is also very meh. Personally, I didn’t think A Fist Within Four Walls was all that great when you compared it to many dramas TVB produce in the past. it only considered good if you have nothing better to compare it to. One of the things that annoy me about that show is that they keep playing that same song over and over and over everytime Nacy and Ruco are together.
@anon
I agree. This is no surprise base on TVB current record of drama. I grew up watching Hong Kong drama so it’s really sad to see how TVB degraded over the past couple of years. There used to be so much variation in genre and cast, but now, all I see if comedy drama. I love comedy drama but I don’t want it in every show. Moreover, most of the cast are the same individuals. I don’t mind that they use the same cast over and over again, but I’m amazed how they keep giving loosey actor/actress like Sisley Choi and Grace Chan main role when there are better actors/actresses who have been playing supporting role for many years deserve and are better fitted for the role. The script nowaday is also very meh. Personally, I didn’t think A Fist Within Four Walls was all that great when you compared it to many dramas TVB produce in the past. it only considered good if you have nothing better to compare it to. In addition, the show can get really annoying at the romance scene. Adding the right music can enhance the scene and make it more emotional, but when they keep playing that same song over and over again everytime Nacy and Ruco are reunited, it becomes tedious and despiteful.
@anon I agree. This is no surprise base on TVB current record of drama. I grew up watching Hong kong drama so it’s really sad to see how TVB degraded over the past couple of years. There used to be so much variation in genre and cast, but now, all I see if comedy drama. I love comedy drama but I don’t want it in every show. Moreover, most of the cast are the same individuals. I don’t mind that they use the same cast over and over again, but I’m amazed how they keep giving loosey actor/actress like Sisley Choi and Grace Chan main role when there are better actors/actresses who have been playing supporting role for many years deserve and are better fitted for the role. The script nowaday is also very meh. Personally, I didn’t think A Fist Within Four Walls was all that great when you compared it to many dramas TVB produce in the past. it only considered good if you have nothing better to compare it to. Moreover, the show can be annoying at time. Adding the right music to a scene can enhance it emotionally aspect, but they keep playing that same song over again everytime Nacy and Ruco are reunited
@anon LOL…well said! The sad part though is that TVB not only can’t churn out good dramas anymore, they also can’t produce decent variety programs anymore either (this weekend’s Miss HK pageant was the latest example – the backlash they got from everyone and their mothers was well-deserved, lol). Anyone who expects anything better than MEDIOCRITY with programs that TVB produces nowadays is quite honestly living in a different world….
The only thing AFWFW had going for them was Grace Wong。
The number of sexual references is crazy in UA. Like there are kids watching it! Can tvb stop? x.x
@bubbles23 Yea, exactly. I guess since Jazz Boon couldn’t cast his token sex symbol Sharon Chan in this series, he had to up the sex factor in other ways as consolation, lol. I honestly think the “fame” associated with Line Walker’s so-called “success” has gotten to Jazz’s head. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns out to be the next Wong Jing (and no, I don’t consider that a compliment) — as it is, he is already following in WJ’s footsteps with the shameless rehashing and exploiting of old material and the focus on gratuitous sex and violence in his productions…
@llwy12 Sharon Chan is a sex symbol? In what world does that make sense? o_O?!?!?! Funny, this series did feel like a WJ production because of all the cheap innuendos.
@jjwong In Jazz Boon’s world, lol. I vaguely remember reading some stuff way back when – gossip stuff — about Jazz Boon viewing Sharon Chan as a sex symbol due to her long legs and perfect body and how he possibly had a crush on her or something? Also heard some stuff about him being a pervert or something along those lines but probably just gossip mill fodder…though kind of hard for me to completely dismiss those rumors when some of his most popular series seem to focus a bit too much (and unnecessarily) on sexual innuendos and such…
@llwy12 A pervert with bad taste if the gossip is true. Sharon is okay looking woman, a little better than average run of the mill. She’s far from sexy. Those legs are dime of dozen, no? Didn’t they try to pin the long crab likes on Koni? If anything she has more unique legs than Sharon xD
I guess sexual innuendos are TVB’s way of replacing rape-scene for “shock/surprise” values? Lol.
If A Fist Within Four Walls is the standard, I am afraid this series is already doomed.
This series would have worked better as a wuxia. I have said it many times. I don’t care about sexual innuendos but I am sick of seeing Ruco and Nancy wrapping each other every single scene as I am sick of the romeo and juliet story or the politics or the in fighting, etc. See the pattern? This series’ story is all over the place. It has no specific line of story and it is boring for me. Nina Paw and Joel Chan were the two bright spots. I was pretty amazed by Joel Chan and how physically good he is but unfortunately, this series is just one pretentious crap. If this was a wuxia, it could have all these elements and more.
This is no surprise base on TVB current record of drama. I grew up watching hong kong drama so its really sad to see how TVB degraded over the past couple of years. There used to be so much variation in genre and cast, but now, all I see if comedy drama. I love comedy drama but I don’t want ti in every show. Moreover, most of the cast are the same individuals. I don’t mind that they use the same cast over and over again, but I’m amaze how they keep giving loosey actor/actress like Sisley Choi and Grace Chan main role when there are better actors/actresses who has been playing supporting role for many years deserve and are better fitted for the role. The script nowaday is also very meh. Personally, I didn’t think A Fist Within Four Walls was all that great when you compared it to many dramas TVB produce in the past. it only considered good if you have nothing better to compare it to. In addition, the show can also become very annoying. If the right music are added to a scene, it can make it more emotion, but during a fist of four wall, they keep playing thesame song over and again Nacy and Ruco reunite or something like it.
I have to agree with everyone’s comments here. This series has been a disappointment. No plot or character development and we are down to final 8 episodes. Ruco is having a lousy year with 2 lousy roles and dramas. If this continues, he’s surely going to be on his way down and out. TUA was highly anticipated coming hot on the heels of AFWFW but it has turned out to be only a pale shadow of its predecessor. Too much focus on cutesy scenes with sexy innuendos and too many silly gunfights. Everything is repetitious that one gets bored watching it.
Guys, Walls wasn’t that great of a series. Plot holes. Predictable. 2D characters. Bad acting everywhere. Even fighting scenes started to be repetitive. They had 2 things going imo: first time Nancy went all assassin-mode (sadly her char turned flatline after that) and Grace brutal char (then sadly turned so OOC).
As for UA, I agree that Nina is the show. She cannot die. Not until in the old TVB fashion where they kill 80% of the cast in last 2 eps xD I think Jazz can pull off as main villain. He’s all brain and not brawn. Oscar would be a huge miscast as him. Unfortunate for Oscar, all his roles had been a bummer. What surprised me, but not really, is Elaine char. I thought she would be more headstrong and independence. Nope, she turned out to be yet another whiny, crybaby. This time she can hold a gun. She’s not convincing at her fight scenes by the way. Those guns look heavier than her. Now, Joel, sold! He would’ve make a better Nga Lou than Benjamin Yuen imo. At least he has the built. Lastly, Ruco and Nancy deserve better chars. Theirs are so boring, flat and static.
How is Jimmy be 007? O_o Does HK even know anything about 007? Because you hold a gun in a suit doesn’t mean you’re 007. Bond is smooth, skilled, and a playboy. Jimmy is just a wooden figure with guns. Honestly, he has better role too. He looks cool, that’s it. Though I’m interested in Jimmy and Nina young selves story. How did he become so loyal to her? Prequel? Oh second thought, no. Leave that to my own mind musing. TVB would butchered the crap out of that story. At least, it’s perfecr in my mind atm. Lol.
As for the article, what a piece of… wait, can’t even call this an article. This is practically an opinion, a poorly written with no supporting points at all. I don’t disagree UE has bad script but come one, put in a little effort and explain your thought. I’ve seen better, more thorough, and thoughtful reviews from @funnlim than this xD This is a perfect example of a kettle calling a pot black, lol.
@jjwong agreed, i didn’t think TFWFW was that great to begin with. honestly i think it’s somewhat on par with TUA (exception being Grace Wong’s role).
i like this rendition more than the original, strangely enough. maybe ’cause i’m not a fan of TFWFW’s time period. but this being Jazz Boon’s production, get the pitch forks ready for a great show up until the last few episodes when everyone dies and the story goes to crap.
@coralie Yea, I too prefer UA modern than Walls’ time period. Haha, so true. Everyone is going to die except for Ruco with Nancy in a coma or amensia xD JK, IDK. Maybe. Stranger none sense happened on TVB series so yea lol.
There might not be a Grace Wong but there’s a Joel Chan. He’s an awesome upgrade from Benjanim Yuen.
@jjwong If Walls is an example, then ending is everyone dies except our two heroes who almost died and then will end with them happily teasing one another and then ripping off clothes happily when just minutes ago everyone died. Quite a happy ending.
Joel Chan is a much better actor than Benjamin Yuen and a more convincing fighter and a much better person after he ditched his love life and concentrate on work.
@jjwong i prefer UA more than Walls because UA is modern. Nancy and Jimmy are assassins…they may not have happy endings.
i agree with you…Joel is way better than Benjamin Yuen.
@funnlim You bet ya that’ll happen. Before that, of course, either Nancy or Ruco will be playing with death. One of them will get a shot in the stomach or heart or somewhere that’s supposed to be vital. S/He on their dead bed, the other one vow to avenge them. The one-standing gets caught in a pinch. Then all of sudden *queue some cheesy-disguise-epic music* door swings open and the almost-dead one standing there with armor of guns. S/He takes down one bad guy per bullet, makes his way to the other way, they smile and then team up for the final boss. xD
@janet75 Eh, everyone in this series is assassins if you think about it. It’s stupid to dub them as assassins. They at best a glorious bodyguards. Assassins don’t go around with a microphone, HEY! I’M AN ASSASSIN. HERE’S MY GUN. HEAR ME ROAR! XD
Anyways, why did they even put cops in there. They add nothing and don’t do anything…
TUA to me is a disappointment. It is nowhere near AFWFW in terms of plot or character development. The two supposed stars. Ruco and Nancy are disappointing. Nancy is good in her action scenes but overacting at times. Ruco is so colourless in this show – he is so not subtle in pursuing Nancy – so amateurish and naive and all so sexual which he cannot carry! IDK maybe the show requires him to be so but something is just not quite right with his acting in this show for someone who is skilled. In fact, Joel acts better here. My admiration for him is going downnnn….
@myozzie well in Ruco’s defence i hv to say that his character is supposed to be naive so I guess he did act out that part well lol! Blame the scriptwriter for giving him such a colourless character. Nancy’s character on the other hand is written to be loud and even crass hence her acting comes across as exaggerated. The flirty scenes and half nude ruco scenes were obviously added as fan service to Ruco and Ruco- Nancy fans. Unfortunately Jazz overdosed us on it. Elaine oh i can’t stand her crybaby face and joel’s character is suave but predictable. I guess I’m with all of you who like nina. Still i dont find her really convincing as the mafia big sister.
I quite like this drama and I find it entertaining tho I still prefer AFWFW.
My wild imagination..how nice if Kate’s role was given to Grace Wong as her fighting skills is more convincing. Kent’s role given to Philip Ng although Joel Chan is also worth watching. Ling Hung’s role given to Yuen Qiu as she is more convincing as a mafia boss plus she has fighting skills too
@hayden grace and philip may not have that chemistry compared to elaine and joel. joel is suave…something that philip is not.
@hayden I’ve actually heard that they actually did want to cast more AFWFW actors for TUA including Grace, but she was busy filming A General, A Eunuch, and A Scholar. I bet if she was actually in TUA she would have been given the Kate role.
I don’t like nancy’s make up..
she is annoying.. put so much make up on..
lipsticks is so UGLY… I fall in love elanie acting this year..
all her crying scene was really well performance of Elanie than Nancy
Ruco looks finished to me. His acting has reached a certain level but cannot get any better. Nancy’s acting is still getting better. It’s just that her character is a bit exaggerated. It’s a shame that Samuel Kwok Fung has been given a crap role in this series after coming back to TVB. It’s literally a bad ripoff of the character he played in A Threshold of an Era. All he has to do in this series is repetitively say he wanted to destroy Ling Hung and become corporation leader. He doesn’t need a script really.
@jimmyszeto I’d think it’s largely because Ruco is playing essentially his character from Four Walls – naive, blindly righteous, overprotective etc. It’s not a bad character, certainly much better than all the villain roles TVB use to shove him with but you’re right, it’s getting boring now. I think my favourite character of Ruco’s so far is still the 11th Prince from Captain of Destiny (honestly if you glance past Grace Chan, the drama is pretty decent).
@linvin8 I actually think those villain roles were better for Ruco than most of the roles he had gotten the past couple series (Burning Hands, Fist, this series, etc.). At least with those roles, he had more opportunity to showcase his acting and hone his skills. Now, he’s pretty much typecast into the same boring roles over and over again and will continue to be in this situation unless he does something drastic like leave TVB and find success elsewhere (like movie world perhaps).
My favorite thing about jaynestars is that all the people who comment here are much more objective and justify their reasonings. In TVB’s forum, people blindly support Ruco and Nancy even when their series or particular bits of their acting are clearly not good; it is super frustrating. There are so many Ruco megafans saying that he is way way better than Vincent Wong’s blind character, and it baffles me because they are just supporting Ruco and completely neglecting the fact that this is not one of Ruco’s best characters or best series.
Anyway, I just want to echo that I agree that TUA has been largely disappointing and frankly cringeworthy and repetitive. I stopped watching already. Props to Jimmy, Nina and Joel for thier acting, as well as a lot of strong veterans. Actually, AFWFW was already cringeworthy for me… I never found Ruco and Nancy’s relationship in there cute, nor did I find the plot particularly amazing (I only liked Grace, Moon and Philip). Personally, I think Ruco doesn’t handle the “naive boy” thing well (or maybe it’s just naive boy characters are always paired with Nancy’s annoying characters). Ruco is a great actor, and I’m a fan (not a megafan, but a fan nevertheless), but I much prefer his characters that are thoughtful, smart, cunning, evil, etc. over these dumb boy characters. He’s had a lot of great characters, and I wish he still had them, but lately he’s just been given poor ones.
@melia880 TVB forum is a joke. That place is not moderated whatsoever and most of the people who post there are kiddie fangirls and fanboys who can’t carry a rational conversation even if you paid them. No one with a sane mind would want to post there….
I agree about Ruco, especially with the earlier poster who said he is pretty much at the end of his reach with TVB. As has always been the case with TVB, once you reach first lead level, there is really no where to go but out (meaning leaving TVB). Ruco currently is just going through what all the other leads go through — he starts to get typecasted and given crappy roles that have little variety…there is no chance for further development or breakthrough, his acting becomes stagnant, audiences start to get disgruntled, and when Ruco can no longer stand it, he leaves. That’s the way TVB has always managed their artists and it’s never going to change. It’s pretty much just a matter of time….
@melia880 Maybe it is more optimistic than naive. He can’t be that naive since he’s 30 in this series?
I’ve watched Vincent’s Legal Mavericks. That series’ plot is rubbish as well so let’s compare performances. Vincent had a more difficult character not because of his disability physically but emotionally. He is supposed to be disliked but I liked his character. At least there’s layer, there’s change and there’s fewer people in that series so you can concentrate on him when everybody else is either annoying or irritating. Ruco had the misfortune of being in an overpopulated series with annoying irritating people. His luck is he gets to act with Nina but his bad luck is everybody else. Why is TVB trying to make him an action actor? Give him a bloody drama for god sakes. Let Ruco be an actor, instead of some action meat to be paraded.
@llwy12 You are completely right about TVB’s process and management of their artists. It’s ridiculous. I remember this happening to Tavia; towards the end of her time at TVB, she got the most boring and ridiculous characters and left on such a “plain” note. Almost insulting for an actress like her who has grown so much through TVB. It also doesn’t help that TVB has poor scriptwriters and producers, who aren’t able to produce compelling or creative dramas with good characters.
@funnlim Agreed about Ruco’s misfortune. I think it was the same in AFWFW to be honest. He was given a bland character, in a drama overpopulated with annoying people, and also with others who had a way more convincing backstory than him. I was very against AFWFW’s sweep at the awards last year; I enjoy Ruco’s acting, but don’t think he deserved BA for a role that didn’t actually showcase his acting talent. He deserved BA at some point in his career, but not for AFWFW. But, thanks to all of that hype around it, they went forward with TUA and have typecasted Ruco to be some kind of action actor instead of all those amazingly great roles and acting he’s had before.
@melia880 Yup. Those who work for TVB should know already that being promoted and pushed to the lead position is actually a curse rather than a blessing. TVB doesn’t know how to properly manage its artists so those who want to thrive are better off staying under the radar rather than being thrust into TVB’s “good graces” (aka being pegged for promotion by TVB). This is primarily why the supporting artists usually fare so much better (how many times have we lamented that so and so artist got better roles when he/she was in a supporting role or not yet being promoted?) – TVB doesn’t care much about them because their focus is on the leads, so the supporting ones have the freedom to do their own thing pretty much and since they don’t have the pressure and expectations placed upon them that the leads do, they can take the time to hone their skills along the way. This is also why TVB’s strategy of promoting MHKs into lead roles right off the bat (which has pretty much been Sandy Yu’s “style” since she took over) doesn’t work – unless the person already has natural acting talent (which very few do), it takes time to build acting skill and aside from formal training (i.e. acting classes), having many opportunities to “practice” (in the form of minor to supporting roles) is tremendously important. TVB has already failed in the acting classes department (the watered-down version of acting classes that they give nowadays is a joke) and now they are failing at the “honing acting skills” part too. The sad part is that TVB (management) doesn’t see (or perhaps is unwilling to see) their failures, so they continue to push their flawed process purely on the basis that they “can” because they monopolize the industry.
@llwy12
I agree, but since there little to no competition for them, I can start to see why they don’t give a $%#% about quality.
@chloe38 Exactly….and it’s only going to get worse because TVB pretty much has ZERO competition now. ATV has long been dead, HKTV is officially dead now (the big news last week was that Ricky Wong sold his stake in HKTV and they are now considering rescinding their 2nd application for a license), ViuTV hasn’t been able to make much progress in the year since they’ve launched (and by the looks of it they have a long ways to go to even reach “stable” point), and Fantastic Television is a complete joke (raise your hand if you even knew they had already launched, lol) — plus their future is uncertain since their parent company i-Cable has financial troubles and nearly shut down several months ago. The other 2 companies that had submitted license applications (which are STILL pending processing by the government) — Phoenix TV and Forever Top — have confirmed that they either rescinded their application already or placed it on hold pending further review and consideration.
So yea, we are basically back at square one in terms of the HK television industry, with TVB’s monopoly on the industry stronger than ever. They are going to continue not giving a crap about quality because there is no reason for them to, since HK audiences are going to continue lapping up the Kool Aid regardless of what they do….
@melia880 I agree with you that Ruco isn’t given a character to shine much in TUA. I don’t like him being typecast this way too.
I still think the most memorable roles of Ruco to me will be Keith Lau (The Other Truth) and Kiu Tin Sang (Brother’s Keeper). 11th Prince (COD) was decent, but being paired with Grace Chan was such a waste.
i am enjoying this show. Sorry to say but Ruco is boring. Nina and Jimmy def holding the show.
the show is still entertaining, so many gunfighting scene with the superintendent visiting Ling Hung once a while to wave his finger at her, so many carrying guns like its only the right thing to do. Makes me want to think twice before visiting HK and TW.
I always thought Ruco do best as a cunning scheming person that this innocent goody two shoes
I don’t think “The Unholy Alliance” was a good drama series. It did not have good plots and developments in the storyline. However, I must agree that 95% of the artistes acted very well. They were all veteran artistes and not newbies.
Nina Paw acted very well though some people didn’t think she was a good fit for the Big Sister’s role in mafia societies. No one else in TVB could handle such a character nicely. If the character was younger in age, Sheren Tang would be the best actress for this role, then Alice Chan and Elena Kong. However, these young actresses are too young to have a 30+ year-old son, Ko Tse Kit.
As far as acting is concerned, I don’t think Ruco Chan handled his character well. He did better in “A Fist within Four Walls”, but I didn’t enjoy watching AFWFW either. Personally I didn’t think the storyline was very convincing. Nancy Wu also did better in AFWFW.
Among the whole cast, I think highly of Joel Chan’s acting. He did an excellent job as the adopted son of Ling Hung. He outshone Ruco Chan a lot in this drama series. Elaine Yiu was another good artiste.
In conclusion, I watch “The Unholy Alliance” for its good acting, not for its storyline. Every artiste performed really well, such as Nina Paw, Joel Chan, Elaine Yiu, Pierre Ngo, Jimmy Au, K. K. Cheung, Mary Hon, Kwok Fung, etc.
I wish TVB had a better well-written script for “The Unholy Alliance” so as not to waste the acting of these good veteran artistes.
@orchid123 Nina is the best because she looks the role of 大姐.
Joel is good as a sharp shooter, good fighter and an intelligent lawyer all rolled into 1.
My favourite is actually Jimmy Au…he is so good…but 私人助手 sounds rather mild when he is actually a bodyguard cum hit man.
I don’t like some of Nancy’s scenes…rather disgusting.
Joel’s pairing with Elaine is great…lots of chemistry. Actually he pairs well with Mandy Wong too.
Mary Hon is irritating…her 2 daughters, especially Kelly is worse!
@janet72 If an artiste makes you hate him/her in his/her role if it is a villainous or irritating one, it means that the artiste has succeeded in bringing out the characteristics of his/her character. Mary Hon did it well to make you hate her in her character.
Personally I don’t think Nancy acted well in “The Unholy Alliance”, and Ruco Chan did even worse.
I always think highly of Joel Chan’s acting, and he did amazing well in this series.
@orchid123 Can Ruco switch role with Joel? Why is it the other guy always have the more interesting role? Maybe because Ruco is now typecast. In hindsight, he had much better roles when he wasn’t promoted by TVB. Ruse of Engagement was a better series than this one even if not better cast.
@funnlim Ruco Chan acted well in some series, but he did not get a role to shine in TUA. He was surrounded by veteran artistes with good acting in TUA. If he did not shine, his character would turn out to be pretty bland.
Joel Chan’s acting is as good as Ruco’s. He can act both good and bad roles. However, Ruco’s eyes do not support him to act characters with good personalities while Joel’s do. I think Ruco acts best as a cunning scheming person.
@orchid123
TUA’s script is poorly written and Ruco’s character is too unrealistic and shallow for him to showcase his acting.
Joel Chan looks more like a villain in the eyes of majority viewers. Jazz the producer has to emphasize he’s a good guy in the drama to convince the audience that he’s definitely not the final boss. TBB’s obviously promoting him with this good guy role in best outfit while Ruco is typecast for action and unnecessary sexual-related scenes with Nancy.
Is TBB prudent to hold the top artistes in order to bring up the second line/newbies? If they go on trying to equalize the artistes than there’ll be no more superstars to support their shows in future.
@funnlim Personally I don’t think Ruco would showcase in acting Ling Chin Yau (Joel Chan’s character) as both Ling Chin Yau and Ko Tse Kit are good people.
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@killer02 again? Lol
I’m wondering if u r a human or a robot? Why keep saying the same stupid thing about other? Are u Ruco’s neighbor or something that knows well about him? Or just bcoz u have paranoia? Get a life!!!!!
This is my last post to u. Guys!! Dont bother replying this person’s comment. He will just copy and paste and start with money fame seeker….lmao
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@funnlim Ruco Chan acted well in some series, but he did not get a role to shine in TUA. He was surrounded by veterans with good acting in TUA, and if he didn’t shine, he would look pretty bland. Unfortunately, he couldn’t handle Ko Tse Kit’s character well.
Joel Chan’s acting is as good as Ruco’s. They both are tall and decent looking. However, Ruco’s wicked eyes don’t support him to act either Ko Tse Kit’s character or Ling Chin Yau’s as both characters are good people. Ruco does best as a cunning scheming person.
The chemistry btw Ruco and Namcy is missing here and I find Nancy’s character highly annoying. It cud have been so much better had she played the part of a woman tormented by her past and learning to grapple with it and eventually fall in love with Ruco. Nancy at her best ( in terms of acting) is only mediocre. The veterans in this drama is whats keeping the interest alive
Eps 21. This is per far the worst script ever. Lol. Elaine thinks she can waltz in and solve everything. Wtf. She literally put a bullseyes on her own father. Wait, her family isn’t head of the org but they surely have people to send along with the brothers. At least a handful down, a bunch more chars to go!
The only saving is Nina. Ruco too in the silver 5 secs after he took that shot. Agree with a previous poster, Ruco is much better as a drama than action. But it is stupid now he’s all blame himself but urm, he has been shooting, pew pew pew. What, all those were none lethal? Omg…what rubbish… Turn on the faucets! Not only you get a gun. You. Gun. You get one. You too. You get a gun. You. You. You. You, Mr. Fung, you get a mini one that defies all logic and reason gun. The one next to you get one too. But that is not all! Now you get to cry. Cry. You cry. You and you. All of you cry. Cry. Crrrry! XD
@jjwong LMAO! Who needs to watch the series when you already recap it so well for us? I was more entertained by your “play by play” than by the series itself, lol. Keep it coming please! Hahaha….
Seriously though, this series is typical TVB rubbish script. In the past, I would be able to tolerate a crappy series and just focus on the stellar acting from the veterans, but in recent years, it has been harder and harder to do. As much as I love the veteran cast in this series, I couldn’t bring myself to sit through even just their scenes. After so many years, I think I’ve finally reached breaking point with TVB where I can barely tolerate anything they churn out now (be it drama series, variety program, news show, magazine, etc). Sad….
@llwy12 LOL. I’m tempted to do a final eps review. I remembered someone did one for Tiger Cubs 2. It was hillarious! He sounded like he enjoyed at being dismay how stupid and horrible the script was. Oh and I’m nothing and much less than TVB by miles. They used a 1-hr plot/script and turned into 28 eps. Now THAT is dedication and talent there lol *rolls eyes*
I sit through them because of my parents. Most of the time I’ll be surfing on my phone anyways lol. I’m more receptive of this series because of Nina.
@jjwong LOL. Yes, please do! Haha..
Yea, I sit through some of this stuff too because of my mom, who still watches everything and anything TVB…some of it is more “hearing” the series than actually “watching” it but still..sometimes even “hearing” the series is annoying, lol. Kudos to anyone who has been able to watch any of TVB’s recent series in its entirety and still manage to keep your sanity intact — they should give you an award for your patience, lol!
rather sad to see Kate’s brothers killed off…they are not bad in the first place, but just had to follow father’s orders.
Their father only keeps repeating he hates Ling Hung.
Ruco has killed several people since joining his mother…but why did he become jelly after killing his cousin?
@janet72 agree… the way ruco react is like he kill ppl for th first time.
people find nancy annoying in TUA, but I found her vastly more annoying in TFWFW lol.
in TUA, she’s animated and a bit over the top, but I see her bubbly appeal very friendly and inviting. she’s one of those crazy friends you would want to hang out with. she’s warm and has sesh appeal. if I was a guy, I’d totally fall for it. yes, her cutesy nature is hard to digest (for some), but not the case for me. she was going for bubbly, energetic and cutesy and she became that. I found the contrast between her personality versus her inner exterior as a cold assassin/hitman/bodyguard, fascinating.
whereas in TFWFW, she was petty, uncouth, bossy/demanding and intolerable. I have no idea how/why anyone would actually like this type of personality. needless to say, i found her and kuen lo’s love development incredibly farfetched.
y’all that actually like her in TFWFW are beyond my comprehension
ruco’s character in TUA is inconsistent and I think that’s his greatest flaw.
he went from being a country bumpkin to a hitman who, with barely any experience, was able to hit his targets with 100% efficacy. to the point that he could protect his mom from assassins when she’s hired bodyguards with scores more experience under their belts. the drama never explained why he was so proficient at this job — did aunt mei train him with target practice? or are we supposed to suspend disbelief that a man with no previous exposure to such weaponry is capable of exhibiting professional hitman skills?
another issue is, he keeps claiming he wants to protect his mom. I don’t think he understand the fine print of what that job entails. his naivety and subsequent shock makes someone wants to wring his neck. as they say, if you can’t take the heat, get outta the kitchen!
honestly, ruco’s role in here is rather redundant. nina already has a competent and expert son who can help her with anything and everything. ruco is at most a support character to this son. without ruco, the plot can still move forward. he’s not important to the story at all.
he’s supposed to be a central character, but plays a supporting role. he’s supposed to be a country bumpkin, but he’s now an expert bodyguard. he can be innocent, but he’s also naïve. these inconsistencies are destructive flaws that can kill any character. ruco definitely got the short end of the straws for this one.
@coralie Hmmm….I read an interview that Nina Paw did recently where she said that she agreed to film this series primarily because of Ruco, as he was the one who contacted her about it due to their close relationship when they worked together at ATV. She also said that this might be her last TV series, as she is at an age where her body can’t handle the stress of filming TV series anymore. I don’t follow TVB as meticulously as before so I have no idea for this series whether they adjusted the script or tailored it accommodate certain artists (I can only assume they did, since they do it for most of their other series, which is why majority of the time the scripts are crappy and don’t flow properly), but in that context, such inconsistencies as with Ruco’s character wouldn’t be surprising – could be that Ruco’s character was rendered redundant at some point but they kept him on due to the Four Walls connection with Nancy and also the relationship to Nina…with TVB, anything is possible pretty much.
@coralie I totally agree with you. It only took Ruco a month or less to become such a top hitman from a country guy. It is impossible. I guess Ruco could not handle the Ko Tse Kit’s character well due to the sudden change of character.
There were too many questions (or “holes”) in the storyline. The script was very poorly written. Even Kent was very good in everything, he shouldn’t be the one to deal with the gangsters whenever there was danger. After all he was Ling Hung’s adopted son. Ling Hung, being the head of the Alliance, should have more top-notch bodyguards to protect her. But she only had Mr. Yik and Kent as her bodyguards.
Also, why did Elaine’s brothers go to Taiwan by themselves? Were they supposed to kill Ling Hung or just to bring Kate back to Hong Kong?. His father was a big chief and should have sent a whole gang to go with his two beloved sons. The whole story was a mess if you want to do analysis.
I gave up on the script, the sexy scenes, and the gun fire scenes. I watched it just to enjoy the good acting of so many good veteran artistes. I haven’t watched a TVB drama series for a long time with so many good artistes who could act well.
@coralie I totally agree with you. It only took Ruco a month or less to become such a good hitman from a country guy. It is impossible. I guess Ruco could not handle the Ko Tse Kit’s character well due to the sudden change of character.
There were too many questions (or “holes”) in the storyline. The script was very poorly written. Even Kent was very good in everything, he shouldn’t be the one to deal with the gangsters whenever there was danger. After all he was Ling Hung’s adopted son. Ling Hung, being the head of the Alliance, should have more top-notch bodyguards to protect her. But she only had Mr. Yik and Kent as her bodyguards.
Also, why did Elaine’s brothers go to Taiwan by themselves? Were they supposed to kill Ling Hung or just to bring Kate back to Hong Kong?. His father was a big chief and should have sent a whole gang to go with his two beloved sons. The whole story was a mess if you want to do analysis.
I gave up on the script, the sexy scenes, and the gun fire scenes. I watched it just to enjoy the good acting of so many good veteran artistes. I haven’t watched a TVB drama series for a long time with so many good artistes who could act well.
@orchid123 Kate’s brothers were in Taiwan to meet with underworld leader to kill off Ling Hung. Yup…their father is a big chief, why would the 2 sons not have backup and killed just like that?
Kent has several guys working under him…they could jolly well be Ling Hung’s bodyguards instead of just Kent and Mr Yik…her enemies know that once they kill off Kent and Mr Yik, she will be defenceless.
@coralie Ruco’s role is supposed to be a country bumpkin. he was brought up in taiwan to escape danger.
which is why Kent is there to support Ling Hung…lawyer, figher and filial son. i miss Mr Yik…he has been missing for 2 episodes after being shot.
the best part is the police are so lousy…they don’t have to do anything…enemies are killed or else left for the police to tie up loose ends.
I do get the part where Kit was filled with remorse since the guy he killed was his own cousin so that’s the difference betw Ricky and those other bad guys he killed before. Imagine the consequences of facing his uncle and his grandma and the entire clan. That part i do buy. As for how he suddenly became an expert hit man.. . er….maybe he had practice playing computer war games since Yan kept mentioning it a few times earlier in the drama. As for Nancy’s character in Fist i think Kuen Lo fell for her cos she was basically just loud and quarrelsome but had a heart of gold as can be seen from how much she cared for Yan Yan and how she also risked her life saving him when he got poisoned by the drugs he had swallowed. I like Diu Lan much better than her character in TUA but her fighting is more awesome in TUA.
Can see that the producer is purposely making alot of “sexual” related scenes as ruco and nancy were the so called couple during the shooting of this drama. So, he wanna attract more of their fansto go havoc on the rumours.Unfortunately, this has gone too far. Most of the scene e.g the drink beer scene… is it suitable for kids? For sure kids will
Ask why ruco act such way and why nancy has that kindda of reaction? I thought tvb drama is safe for everyone to watch.
And the he so called nanco Couple has move on （ ruco has a gf) and they act like stranger during promotion which is not helping this drama at all. More and more intimate scenes will just make audiences feel bored.
Ep 22:
The big boss is even controlling ICAC????? Seriously??? Lol im watching cartoon or something? Well, i expected too much from TUA and now im at the bottom. Tvb produces crap series lately since they dont have good writers anymore, i feel sorry for the veterans. Their actings are all saving the show but turn out to be something bad due to lousy characters….smh
Anyway, tvb’s trailers are all good until series on air and all we see is nonsense plots.
Watch episode23 NG scenes… ruco fed up with the director asking him to kiss nancy again and again. He looks so in pain. He really doesn’t enjoy shooting kissing scenes with nancy. Proven their intimate scenes are not helping the drama rating as well. Not attractive at all. I rather watch nina paw scenes. Waiting for big boss to appear!
@fayenic saw the last few NGs. Ruco told the director he had enough.
Ruco and Nancy are supposed to be the main stars along with Nina…but somehow i feel that Joel has taken over his main character role instead. Ruco is still playing second fiddle. Joel as filial son, street smart and intelligent is definitely outstanding.
Everyone here is just following the herd. This drama is one of the best in 2017.
Can’t wait for the flaming replies. Peace out
Every night just have kissing scenes. This producer is super pervert.
Oscar needs to be given new roles to develop. He has acted as an useless sidekick or weak brother in almost all of his series. Jazz also needs to stick to comedy because he is a funny guy and not suitable to drama. Carlo Ng, Stephen Wong and Roxanne Tong might as well be left out. Pointless roles with no screentime. Apart from Nina, almost everyone has been given a role they have played before in previous series. Where have we see this before? Stephen Wong as a serious inspector, Lau Kong as a corrupt Superintendent, Pierre as a useless son etr
The script is so poor and scenes have just been repetitively slotted in to kill time. Ruco and Nancy flirting then kissing, Mary Hon and KK Cheung arguing, the weak Alliance bosses moaning in meetings, Elaine crying. The actors and actresses must have had a horrible time filming this series. Every scene is ‘oh, here we go again’. And Ruco’s best performance is still ‘Every Move You Make’ and that was years ago.
Nancy Wu’s behaved more like a prostitute than a no.1 assassin. bloody cheap and disappointing!
flashes of brilliance here and there overall but mostly let down (save for the veterans) by whimsical acting, flat and ridiculous storyline at times, uninteresting characters ( especially most of the Ling family members and the Alliance old hags) and less than impressive lead actor/actress (ruco/nancy)
Too many articles regarding the Rico and the Unholy Alliance series on this site. Let’s focus an a brilliant TVB series Legal Mavericks instead. Great cases and great performances all round. Vincent Wong- His most impressive performance yet and proves he can hold a series on his own Sisley Choi- I think we can forget about all the past negative comments about her not being able to act. Improved in every series in last couple of years. This is her best so far. Ali Li- Sexy with a lot of subtle charisma on screen. Owen Cheung- This guy is a natural and acts effortlessly. It’s not his voice that is similar to Chilam. His ease with acting and for me, he’s the actor that hold the series together makes it watchable. His comic relief is essential to balance out the complicated, dark cases. The brotherhood compatibility with Vincent is admirable.Best Support actor could go to him. Law Lok Lam- He is brilliant all the way through. His acting as an old man struggling with terminal illness is the best I’ve seen from any series. If this was a movie, this veteran would win best support no doubt but with TVB they might look to promote a younger up and comer. If we look back at all the best support winners performances in the last decade and compare them, this would trump the lot!