Review: “The Hippocratic Crush” (By VCN)
The Hippocratic Crush<On Call 36小時>
Hong Kong TVB Drama 2012
Producer: Poon Ka Tak
Genre: Medical Drama
Number of episodes: 25
Rating: 
Cast
Kenneth Ma as “Cheung Yat Kin”
Tavia Yeung as “Fan Chi Yu”
Him Law as “Yeung Pui Chung” or “Onion”
Mandy Wong as “Hung Mei Suet”
Benjamin Yuen as “Benjamin Lau”
Candy Chang as “Kan Ching Ching”
Ben Wong as “John Chong”
Nathan Ngai as “Cheung Yat Hong”
Raymond Cho as “Chin Ho Tat”
Gigi Wong as “Wong Siu Un”
Derek Kwok as “Lui Siu Yat”
Paisley Hu as “To Ka Man”
Catherine Chau as “Wong Hoi Kei”
Wilson Tsui as “Fan Chi Ngok”
Mary Hon as “Sze Yuk Lan”
Synopsis
TVB’s The Hippocratic Crush is a Hong Kong television drama about medical interns and residents training to become specialized physicians and surgeons. It follows the story of Cheung Yat Kin (Kenneth Ma), the brilliant neurosurgical chief, as he learns to cope with love, loss and career obstacles during his final year of residency. Beside him is Fan Chi Yu (Tavia Yeung), Yat Kin’s biggest critic and his mentor’s daughter, who later falls in love with him.
Alongside Yat Kin and Chi Yu’s struggles are the coming of age stories of two medical interns, the playful Yeung Pui Chung (Him Law), who cannot balance work and fun, and the seemingly mature Hung Mei Suet (Mandy Wong), who is intelligent and arrogant in speech and action. Other medical interns face the typical challenges of hospital work as they decide whether or not medicine is the right profession for them.
The Title
The title, The Hippocratic Crush sounds great compared to the previous titles of other TVB dramas. However, what does it really mean? Hippocrates was a Greek physician, who was known as the father of medicine. Hippocrates is often mistakenly represented as the practice of medicine itself. A “crush” is slang for the state of being in love. So, I suppose the producers are trying to tell us that these characters are in love with the medical practice. Hence, the pursuit of medicine as a profession. Personally, I prefer the literal English translation of the Chinese title, On Call 36 Hours, because it highlights the physicians’ dedication to their patients. There are a plethora of better English titles, but I will not elaborate on naming schemes in this review.
The Content
Overall, the content is good and offers us a rare glimpse of the medical profession with a few exaggerations. Despite the accolades of many viewers and the higher than usual viewership ratings, the series is still riddled with miscellaneous inconsistencies. Even with the expert advice of a physician on the filming set, TVB manages to fall short of producing the perfect medical drama. I can point out each and every single inconsistency ad nauseam but will refrain from doing so. Instead, I will only mention a couple of the more critical discrepancies and inaccuracies.
Part of being a great physician centers around the ability to observe. Physicians are constantly assessing patients through subjective signs and symptoms in addition to objective measurements, such as BP, Temp, labs, etc. But the renowned and highly respected neurosurgeon, Fan Chi Ngok (Wilson Tsui), is not cognizant of the illnesses plaguing the people around him. He misses the depressive symptoms of his wife, the signs of dementia in his longtime housekeeper, the unusual disinhibitions of his good friend, and the nearly fatal ailment of his beloved daughter. Given these events, I am naturally compelled to question Dr. Fan’s abilities as a talented surgeon. Is Dr. Fan a truly brilliant physician or did TVB simply botch another character’s development?
Sze Yuk Lan’s (Mary Hon) excuse for abandoning Fan Chi Yu as a child was outright pathetic. In this series, all the other depressive patients recovered and quickly resumed normal life. However, Yuk Lan was the token character to not fully recover from depression. Worse yet, she intentionally estranged her unborn child from her biological father, her ex-husband. Is that really a symptom of depression? It seems more like malice or spite to me. (Or easy closure for TVB scriptwriters.) So what was Yuk Lan’s true motivation for divorcing her first husband, Chi Ngok, and abandoning their eldest daughter?
Similarly, why were the interns constantly requesting permission to practice all sorts of medical techniques on the patients? Worse yet, why were they asking the patients themselves for the permission? As I watched their all too earnest pleas for practice rights, I laughed irresistibly at their ridiculous demands. Incidentally, the humor also reminded me of a David Letterman quip and I couldn’t help but wonder when these interns would also ask permission to perform autopsies on their patients. In the real world, there is no asking. As Yoda says, there is only “do or not do. There is no try.” Can you imagine the distress of patients if they were told that they were being practiced on? This along with the constant reprimands of seniors and the didactic grilling of lower level trainees in front of patients dampen their sense of professionalism as physicians. Such criticism should be reserved for the office or the nurse’s station at the very least to help control inpatient stress and omeprazole abuse. No pun intended, folks.
I’m not an expert on tumor-related disorders, but the medical information in The Hippocratic Crush seems accurate. Unless things are different in Hong Kong, the BLS guidelines and the rank implications according to white coat style and length are not consistent with US standards. However, I will not delve into the details on this matter.
Despite my criticism, I genuinely enjoyed The Hippocratic Crush. In fact, I liked many of the more poignant moments in this series. In episode four of the drama, I really appreciated the matron nurse’s professionalism when she likened the role of a healthcare practitioner to that of a stage actor: “We are different people once we don our uniforms and the white coat. We tolerate the unpleasantries of our patients and their families because our mission is to help people. Our tolerance is a sign of our professionalism.” Equally nice touches were the realistic and ongoing customer service challenges existent in the healthcare profession today. Even the minor discussion on dry skin and hang-nails managed to hit home effectively.
For the most part, the plot driven storyline ran smoothly. Adopting the age-old TVB formula for high viewership ratings, the iconic larger-than-life hero nobly endures all his trials and tribulations and wins the female lead in the end. The drama is neither riveting nor intensely melodramatic but adequate. With a fairly well-written script, the TVB story arcs finally began to make sense and character development was occasionally rushed but for the most part reasonable.
For a change, the comic relief was actually funny and entertaining, especially the farcical scenes involving orthopedic surgeon Lau Ping Chan (Benjamin Yuen) and nurse Lui Siu Yat (Derek Kwok). Equally funny was Yeung Chung’s comical courtship of Chi Yu. Even Chi Yu’s proposal to Yat Kin was laughable despite being cliched. In this series, the character names were traditionally Chinese as opposed to rare English ones, thereby making the characters more realistic and much less pretentious.
The Acting
Every actor and actress in The Hippocratic Crush rightfully earned their pay for their exceptionally well done performances. To keep the review short, I will only focus on the leading roles. If I happened to skip your favorite character, please don’t assail me with complaints.
Other reviewers have criticized Kenneth Ma’s performance as Cheung Yat Kin. He has been described as being inadequate as the stern and unrelenting neurosurgeon, but the character, Cheung Yat Kin, is not innately mean or aggressive, so there is no need for him to be ferocious. Rather, he is a sullenly pleasant individual burdened with the guilt of a reckless past and the financial support of his family. His overbearing sense of responsibility and magnanimous tendencies are a result of his wish to follow in the footsteps of his mentor and the desire to save lives. Slightly gawkish and timidly reticent except when discussing medicine, Kenneth Ma’s Cheung Yat Kin displayed all the characteristics befitting his role. His facial expressions were essentially credible. Sparing spoilers, even the deadpan expression of nothingness immediately prior to his mental crisis was accurately appropriate. He was strong when he needed to be and emotional when he had the opportunity and privacy to be so. In my opinion, Kenneth Ma was far from being amiss in his portrayal of Cheung Yat Kin. In fact, he nearly perfected the character for us.
Tavia Yeung played very well opposite Kenneth Ma. As Fan Chi Yu, the daughter of the famous neurosurgeon, Fan Chi Ngok, Tavia’s character was harshly critical of others and quick to judge as well.
Contrary to the criticism of other reviewers, I thought Tavia’s acting in The Hippocratic Crush showed marked improvement. This change can be tracked through the reduced need to replace her voice in episodes near the end of the series. In The Other Truth and Yes Sir, Sorry Sir, many of her scenes relied on a dubbed voice that was not hers to deliver her dialogue. Tavia’s acting was most exceptional in her scenes with Yat Kin where she behaved in a “yes, yes, no, no” demeanor.
Him Law’s Yeung Pui Chung is used mostly as a vehicle for plot development and rising conflict. By far, his role is the most dynamic and colorful in this drama series. Juvenile at the start of the series, Yeung Pui Chung matures into a caring responsible physician after several life-changing events. Him Law played this humorous character with fun-loving grace.
Of the leads, Mandy Wong’s role as the insolent Hung Mei Suet is the weakest. Absurd and manipulative, Mei Suet would be a difficult character for a young actress to portray, but Mandy Wong managed to pull it off quite satisfactorily. I felt that her performance could have been better, but her character garnered a substantial amount of disfavor from my fellow audience member, my mother. After all, the more despicable the character, the more successful, right?
Conclusion and Hopes for the Sequel
In general, The Hippocratic Crush was a good one and worth investing 18.75 hours of my life into watching it. The drama was a refreshing change from last year’s many TVB legal dramas. Albeit an enjoyable drama as a whole and an instant hit with viewers, I can only give The Hippocratic Crush four and a half out of five stars because there is always room for improvement.
Riding on The Hippocratic Crush’s ratings success, TVB has promised its viewers a sequel to the drama. Since sequels always tend to be weaker than its original, I hope TVB continues the storyline seamlessly where they left off in episode 25. Similarly, they should avoid eliminating old characters for newer ones to further plot devices; many of the existing characters still have growing capacity.
For example, the relatively minor role of the philandering Benjamin Yuen as Lau Ping Chan, the best friend of Yat Kin, is that of the stereotypical orthopod. Suave and charismatic, Benjamin’s character can be fleshed out beyond the hasty happily-ever-after relationship into which he is plunged. Even thoroughly developed characters such as Yat Kin can have new stories without turning to cheap overused plot devices like replacing his wife. To the producers of TVB, please don’t ruin a decent story with a bad sequel.
This review was written by VCN, a Contributing Writer at JayneStars.com.
Is this the so-called fair review TY’s fans want?
Thanks for sharing! I didn’t realize the doctors didn’t have English names in comparison to HH, lol
Only the TY fans can tell us that. 😉
THC doctors don’t have English names, but they have a bunch of nicknames apparently.
i can’t answer for TY’s fans, but i can say it’s a much better review than the one Bridget gave who could not go beyond:
‘fellow totontonian’,
‘a mr Hong Kong’,
TY’s nose,
him law a ‘tool in real life, ….. looks like a beetle to me, As long as he doesn’t take his shirt off in his next series, I will continue watching him.’
mandy ‘decent dancer’. comparison of Nancy and Mandy????
maybe i was expecting a review that was more focused on the show itself rather than reading Bridget’s rant….
Hahaha lol
HAHAHA so trueeeeee
@Bridget: You are becoming famous among them, lol.
Fox, I think “infamous” is a more accurate description. 😉 Honestly I find it rather amusing. I’ve written reviews for years and I don’t think any of them have gotten this level of reaction (and I’ve talked smack in many reviews). It’s also not the first time I’ve negatively commented on TY, so I do wonder where this huge backlash came from. Seemed to have happen overnight.
But hey, if my reviews can generate debate (whether or not it’s intelligent debate), I see that as a positive thing.
I agree I’m an old tvb fan but I enjoyed watching this series did not appreciate Bridget’s review and I’m an avid 1990,s tvber. It was far too personal and relies on appearance who cares how they look it’s about the story and the characters. With reviews about looks you wonder what happen to society. Looks are not everything. Leave that to the shallow minded.
@Bridget: Well, you know how TY’s fans are (ok, not all of them). No one can criticize her, especially her nose! LOL
@Bridget: Uhm I hope you will enjoy the sudden “fame” :P. Maybe it’s the first time you wrote a review on the nose and you know, it’s an untouchable sanctuary. I therefore blv that if you commented on the chin, for example, there is a chance for them to not jump on you :P.
@Dior: Your sentences are rather cracked so I don’t really understand your opinion. I guess you meant that Bridget shouldn’t comment on the look? If that, I can say that look isn’t everything but a factor in the review of Bridget. Lol.
I’ve been trusting Bridget’s reviews since 2007, and I don’t think she’s ever steered me wrong. Hehe. I think some people here just don’t have the sense of humor enough to appreciate a healthy dose of loving sarcasm =D
A very nice review, VCN. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, erdbeer!
“Sze Yuk Lan’s (Mary Hon) excuse for abandoning Fan Chi Yu as a child was outright pathetic.”
It wasn’t pathetic, it is real. It isn’t abandoning but to provide stability. It happens.
“:This change can be tracked through the reduced need to replace her voice in episodes near the end of the series. In The Other Truth and Yes Sir, Sorry Sir, many of her scenes relied on a dubbed voice that was not hers to deliver her dialogue. ”
Was her voice dubbed? No! She dubbed herself perhaps? I don’t get this assessment.
Dubbed or no dubbed, you can’t take away charisma. If it isn’t there, it isn’t there.
” In fact, he nearly perfected the character for us. ”
However much I love Kenneth Ma, I have to disagree.
Why? I thought Kenneth’s acting was pretty good
yeh i don’t really understand the dubbing bit? Why was it dubbed?
No one who has not had Depression can really appreciate the illness. It’s an illness which needs medication and can ruin families. They didn’t develop that part of the plot but it does happen depression can kill.. So leaving your husband is believable.
“This change can be tracked through the reduced need to replace her voice in episodes near the end of the series. In The Other Truth and Yes Sir, Sorry Sir, many of her scenes relied on a dubbed voice that was not hers to deliver her dialogue.”
The above about her lines being replaced by other’s voice is not true though. I recognize her voice and though there are lots of dubbing, they are all done by her. She had to dub her dialogues not because of her acting as u suggest, but due to her illness during the period of filming.
Just pointing out! So is there any other factors other than the dubbed voice that will support your opinion that her acting improved? Thanks!
I see! I was very confused, what was the dubbing about. TVB never dubs unless cantonese is terrible and even then no one dubs Vivian Yeo for that matter.
Honestly is there a need to say her acting improved? Since Vigilante Force no one doubts her acting skills. It is her ability to lead a series that most naysayers are doubting. I wouldn’t watch a series solely for her. Nor will I solely for Kenneth. Or Moses for that matter. None of these can really lead a series.
But of course fans will disagree.
@Funn Lim,
would u disagree if i say linda chung doesn’t have charisma, and that her acting skill still need tons of rooms for improvement, and that she can’t really lead a series?
anyway, thanks for the review VCN, i think it a nice review. though i still think ma ming is kinda overrated from this series cuz i didn’t feel that much for his character or his acting. and definitely don’t see that much chemistry b/w him and tavia. not a fan of tavia, but at least her acting for me is more tolerable compare to other new fadans. actually non of the new fadans can carry on a series by themselves lol, that maybe the reason why tvb always have to have at least one or two veterans in these series, cuz honestly i wouldn’t watch any of recent tvb series w/o those veterans.
honestly is there a need to say her acting improved? —> same applies to linda, raymond, myo, fala….
There are always heated debate whenever TY is mentioned.
Previously someone mentioned that there are many anti-TY fans here but I think there should be her fans too?
I still miss my first glimpse of TY in Moonlight Resonance, where Linda and her were both fresh actresses and glowing. I noticed then that TY has great facial bone structure, naturally pretty even in short hair and spunky.
@Funn,
Just curious, who’s that artist that got dubbed in the series??
No one got dubbed except for China actresses since they can’t speak Cantonese.
“would u disagree if i say linda chung doesn’t have charisma, and that her acting skill still need tons of rooms for improvement, and that she can’t really lead a series?”
Of course I would disagree if that is your real opinion and not one made for argument sake.
Sometimes they dub over themselves because of sound quality or excess noise during filming. It’s not necessarily to replace her voice with someone else’s so that she delivers her lines better.
I think they do this to reduce costs of filming again. I’m guessing it’s because they may not notice this problem until during teh after productions stage?
Yes, sometimes the lines may not have been uttered clearly or they want to change some of the dialogue for whatever reason. Dubbing in TVB is rare though.
@ Arynn, it also really depends on what roles Tavia decides to take on. I think a lot of us are still stigmatized by her role from “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” in which she was a villainess. I don’t think Tavia is well-suited for villainess roles and strong independent woman roles. I feel that she is much more watchable in roles where she plays the woman, who wants to love but is afraid to or cannot commit to it for ulterior reasons. Hence, her role as Chi Yu was ideal for her. Recall her performance as Mavis in “The Other Truth” and tell me if you watched that series to watch Tavia. Or, did you watch it to see Ruco Chan strutting around as the illustrious attorney, Keith? Personally, I felt that Tavia’s acting has improved because she has transcended beyond the poor villainess role and began to embrace roles that befit her. When watching THC, she was capable of stirring our emotions when she learned of her illness and when she was manipulated into capitulating to Mei Suet’s unreasonable demand. I was not moved to the point of tears by Tavia’s acting, but I did feel for her when Yat Kin reprehended her for taking him away from his grief. When an actor/actress can do that, then he or she has a certain level of acting skills.
Have to make a mention as to why TY’s voice was dubbed in previous dramas, she was sick and her face was swollen. I heard that she couldn’t talk properly for months.
Just so you know, the two doctor that was on site giving advice with medical terms also help pulled sponserships for all the medical equipments. It was confirmed the lent medical equipment that was lent out was over a few million dollars.
Uhh…TY’s voice wasn’t dubbed! By dubbing, you’re saying her voice was dubbed by another actress, but it was still Tavia in those series. You might not recognize her voice because of her illness, which affected her enunciation. She needa lay off those injections, btw. Anyway, so what she did was go over her lines when she got better.
so how do you know it was injections?
Hahaha her nose…
i saw pictures of her on weibo from some of her fans. her nose looks smaller! im serious! it’s shrank!
ohhh I remember in The Other Truth, she had major problems with her speech. Unlike Fala, who said she has face paralysis (we never actually saw her experience paralysis nor did we ever see her sick so i’ve always doubted that news) but with Tavia – you can actually tell that her face looked swollen and her lips & tongue can’t move normally.
So weird though. Tavia you can tell there’s speech changes, but with Fala (who apparently has a similiar problem) we never saw her ‘suffering’.
Agree that it’s lacking as a medical drama. For once TVB, treat your audience like they have some intelligence!
AND where is all the blood and guts and gore that come w/ surgery? They could def. take some suggestions from nip/tuck.
I guess for TVB standard is not bad, and what’s with the cheesy special effects shown during each surgical procedure?. Overall, this drama was pretty entertaining, but I’m not sure about 4.5 out of 5.
guess the special effects are to just allow pple to visualize the procedure; what needs to be done; and how its done….
not everyone understand medical terms u kno..
You’re right that it doesn’t deserve 4.5 stars compared to other dramas outside of TVB, but I just thought I wouldn’t be fair if I tried to compare them to “ER” per say because that would be comparing apples to oranges in my book. I assessed the drama by only comparing it to other TVB dramas, which are a whole lot worse in some cases.
VCN,
Overall, I found your review of “The Hippocratic Crush” to be very positive, as you only pointed out a few minor flaws in certain scenes.
You made good recommendations regarding ideas for the sequel as well. If only more TVB producers went online to source their ideas and read the criticisms, the quality of their dramas might actually improve!
lol coz those housewives in hk might not understand the whole medical procedure. need to draw cartoons for them.
Thx for the review! I know the sequel might be worse (it usually is as u said) but I am definitely going to watch it! THC is the best drama so far this year for me besides BP
this was a wonderful review.
but i would like to point out that it is indeed common practice to tell the patient that you are a medical student rather than a doctor (at least in the US). the patients are not stupid. if they are in your care and they see that you don’t know how to do certain things or that you repeatedly consult with the attending or resident (which is mandatory), then they’ll know you’re a student anyway. and if you don’t tell them that ahead of time, you are breaking their trust. its no big deal really. students practice in public hospitals (the population is usually middle class or poor) and you don’t do anything that can harm the patient.
Agreed that it is standard practice to introduce yourself as the intern or resident in training, but it is neither professional nor appropriate to ask or tell a patient that you need practice and would like their permission to practice on them. Generally, patients don’t need to know that it’s your first time performing a test or technique.
I am a medical student in UK…and we are taught it is absolutely imperative to introduce yourself as a student. If you are indeed just “practicing” examination technique on a patient, you need to tell them. Agreed there is no need to tell them it’s your first time (should only happen once 😉 ). In terms of procedures though eg. venepuncture, there’s no need to use the term “practice” at all. You need to take their blood. Whether you get it first time is a completely different matter….=P
Thanks for the wonderful Review VCN!
Agree with J, they get some ideas n suggestion from niptuck.
Thank you, Hannahh!
Tavia is past the improvement stage. it’s time she needs to impress audience and show breakthroughs. she improved ten years ago.
I’m with Michelle on this one. Her acting is now standard and formulaic, same style across characters. It doesn’t help that she’s now overexposed.
Just learned a new word “Hippocratic”. The last time i learned word that is so mind blogging was from Steven Speilberg “Arachnophobia”. Kudos to the producer !!! And btw.. why is everyone applauding Kenneth Ma’s acting. Observed he was very “stale” throughout the series till his brother died. only then he became emotional. Reckoned the other younger doctors did very well especially Him Law. He was such a delight in every scene.
I got the ‘hippocratic’ part of the title, but why ‘crush’ though? Would make more sense if they used ‘oath’ or ‘passion’.
@ Gabriel: “stale” is an excellent description of the character, Cheung Yat Kin. One must realize that Yat Kin is not an interesting person. He is not flamboyant like Benjamin, playful like Yeung Chung, etc. Yat Kin is a guy that has his life and interests revolving around medicine and his family and nothing else. His house is full of medical bric-a-brac and anatomic specimens. He is reluctant to enter a romantic relationship for fear of hurting the woman, not because he isn’t interested in her. An individual like that can be nothing but considerably boring. Responsibility over self-satisfaction is Yat Kin’s motto. People are raving about Kenneth Ma’s performance because he effectively conveyed this aspect of Yat Kin to the audience.
“He is reluctant to enter a romantic relationship for fear of hurting the woman, not because he isn’t interested in her.”
He is reluctant because he knows he doesn’t have the time to devote himself to further develop any relationship since his main motive is to earn enough for his family and brother.
I don’t find him boring at all.Like the real Kenneth, I thought Yat Kin is fascinating. Doesn’t mean I agree with the performance but is being a good guy = boring and bad guy = exciting, I wonder?
@ Funn Lim: You’re right that good doesn’t always equal boring and bad doesn’t equal exciting either, but I don’t want to get into a philosophical debate as to what constitutes good or bad, especially since this is about THC. To each his own on this matter. Please don’t be offended because I am not implying that Kenneth Ma is a boring individual; however, I do think that Yat Kin is somewhat bland. His life is an endless cycle of working, bill paying, taking care of his family, occasionally sleeping and enjoying sporadic basketball games. When does the altruistic Yat Kin ever do anything for himself?
Regarding his decision to not date, you are correct to mention that he is most concerned about completing his residency and earning more money to support his family, but these goals consume all of his spare time, leaving little to no time for the prospective significant other, thereby emotionally tormenting that person.
Great Review vcn, good job! 🙂
I agree with most your criticisms lol..I think u must have forgot some illogical scenes where those doc trainee can goof around playing like small kids in the hospital vicinity which absolutely tarnish the image of doctor! I can’t believe they still acted this way..imagine there are patient’s parents around and how would they feel when their love ones being treated by these immature kids? hehe.
And also, the illogical of TY sending love letters to KM everyday! Love can be blind sometimes but hey! she’s a profesional and should know this kinda attitude only apply to those school girls who’s deeply inlove with their seniors/bf/teachers or whatsoever lol..
Thank you, Veejay! I also agree that it is not professional for the trainees to behave as they did on the hospital floors. There are a number of incongruous issues and events like the way Yeung Chung dressed for rotations. It makes one wonder why the chairman of the hospital did not invite some of these “trained” professionals into his office for a discussion on fashion and hospital etiquette. But, I was willing to suspend a little disbelief to enjoy the series, which was pretty good overall.
Ah well, I suppose this is a “movie” and entertainment as oppose to documentary. So all actors had to look good whether they are in pain, emotionally disturbed or facing any other kinds of challenges. So much for proper doctor fashion…
Veejay, I don’t find the love letters thing illogical. In fact, I think it shows Yu Chai’s character and thought towards Yat Kin, even though both are busy with their career.
The letters are ok, it is the MR Cheung Yat Kin that I am more concerned with
I also thought it was pretty odd how the interns dressed to work. Graphic t-shirts… especially Candy in the beginning? And Tavia walking around in like 4 inch silettos… when you work 20 hour shifts, seems pretty unlikely.
Wow, I was wondering when will anyone comment on those stilettos! Even after Tavia was in pain before, during and after her sickness, she could still walk on those high heels, amazing indeed!
yep! Bring out the crocs!
an interesting, graceful and deep review VCN!
Hope to see more of your review!
THC is more and more enjoyable to watch towards the end. I think it is the character developement and the solid acting. Him and Ben and Mandy – all shining. They are portraited beautifully.
The make-me-cry scenes of Tavia and her maid, Yat Hong’s death, are remarkable. The medical scenes are more in-depth towards the climax. Joey’s song is perfect.
Thank you, Norika! I will definitely write more reviews when I find time to watch more dramas.
Interesting review, vcn.
Given these events, I am naturally compelled to question Dr. Fan’s abilities as a talented surgeon. Is Dr. Fan a truly brilliant physician or did TVB simply botch another character’s development?
I think TVB missed the mark on developing the character of Dr. Fan, who I thought would have a really interesting back story. He was working on opening his own clinic targeting wealthy clients, which would have been an intriguing theme to explore (esp. since earlier in the series Yat Kin made the choice to work in that clinic instead of the public hospital, but then later changed his mind). That whole subplot (the brilliant Dr. Fan who chose to ‘serve’ wealthy clients vs. the capable Yat Kin choosing to work with everyday patients in a public hospital) had lots of potential and was underdeveloped IMO.
Thanks for your review, VCN! I enjoyed it.
Are you a medical professional? I liked your “omeprazole abuse”. LOL…
On a different note, did anyone find it weird that Chi Yu was given IV pain medications on an outpatient basis? I don’t think that’s ever done in the US even with cancer patients. It doesn’t matter even if she is a doctor.
pethidine injections perhaps?
you can as long as you know how to do it. most patients usually take it to their doctor after they get it dispensed from the pharmacy because they don’t know how to inject but since Chi Yu is a doctor, then she can just carry it around and use it on a prn (when necessary) basis.
its not necessary IV. Can be IM which can easily administered yourself. it would be extremely inconvenient for a patient to go back to the hospital everytime they have an acute attack. they need immediate pain relief so that’s when the injections which they carry around comes in. i assume she should also be on slow-release tabs as well to control the pain, the injections only used for immediate pain relief.
slow-release tabs such as oxycodone + immediate release inj such as morphine are commonly used in outpatient situations.
the only concern i would have would be tavia shouldn’t be driving as these pain meds would all make her extremely drowsy (which the series failed to highlight). Not a good idea to be holding scalpels/machinery doing surgery either. I’m sure her work would be affected.
@ fez: IM meperidine is not commonly used in the US on an outpatient basis because of its side effect profile. Is it popular where you live or work?
@vcn: yes it is commonly done here in Australia.
Ok, so I just re-watched the beginning of Episode 24 where Yat Kin gives Chi Yu a dose of analgesic in her car. From the scene, I was able to rule out that she is using an IM pain med. You could see Yat Kin put a tourniquet on the car’s dash after administering her the med. Only IV administration would require the use of a tourniquet. Thought that was pretty cool!
@ NP: Yes, to both of your questions and thank you for reading my review. To my knowledge, most terminally ill patients are prescribed oral morphine or oxycodone in liquid form on an outpatient basis. I believe IV push morphine is usually reserved for inpatient use in the US. Yeah, it was a little strange for Chi Yu to get an IV narcotic for pain relief. Laws must be different in HK.
I haven’t watched a tvb show in a long time and one that I actually really loved but do u think I should give this a chance? everyone’s been saying good things about it, like here on jayne stars as well.
It’s definitely not inappropriate to ask patients for permission. As a learning process, my teammates and I share unusual physical findings on our patients with one another. We would then request for patients’ permission prior to touching their bodies. During rounds, if the attending wants to show students something then he/she must first get permission.
Overall, I enjoyed this series a lot…much better than most recent TVB dramas.
lol really?!- wrt practising on patients?
cos im a final year medical student in the uk, london actually, and we do have to ask patients for consent before examining. lol
I really liked on call 36 hours, it was awesome I keep watching it over and over again! I really like the last episode most!
no please, in the sequel tavia must alive….if kenneth change wife, I will kill he immediately