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E.U. 學警狙擊 30 Episodes

Preceded by The Academy 學警雄心 (2005) and On The First Beat 學警出更 (2007)

OFFICIAL WEBSITE : TVB 2009 - E.U.

SOUNDTRACKS
1. The Academy (themesong) “勇者”
- by Ron Ng, Rico Kwok, Zac Kao and Sky

2. On The First Beat (themesong) “邁向夢想的天空”
- by Ron Ng, Deep Ng and Kenny

3. E.U. (themesong) “黑白變奏”
- by Ron Ng, Sammul Chan and Michael Tse

4. E.U. (ending themesong) “手掌印”
- by Elanne Kong

Starring :-
Ron Ng as Chung Lap Man
Sammul Chan as Lee Pak Kiu
Michael Miu as Kong Sai Hao
Michael Tse as Leung Siu Tong (Laughing Gor)
Kathy Chow as Ching Yeuk Sum
Elanne Kong as Kong Yao Yao
Leung Ka Ki as Fa Yeuk Bo
Dominic Lam as Wu Cheuk Yan
King Kong as Hon Chi Chung
Angelina Lo as Ma Ying Oi
Jason Pai as Szeto Chiu
Lam Lei as To Yik Tin

Clockwise from left : Sammul Chan, Ron Ng, Michael Miu, Michael Tse, Dominic Lam, Kathy Chow, Elanne Kong and Leung Ka Ki

INTRODUCTION
E.U. is the third instalment of the highly-acclaimed Academy Trilogy (the first was The Academy in 2005 and followed by On The First Beat two years later). Currently, E.U. is the second highest rating at TVB for the year 2009 (behind Rosy Business which also starred Ron Ng). The character of Laughing Gor is now a cult figure due to the excellent portrayal by Michael Tse. Michael Miu (appeared in “The Academy” as Lee Man Shing) was reintroduced by the producer again albeit in a different role; a triad leader by the name of Kong Sai Hao. E.U. is undoubtedly the best series in the trilogy as it no longer focused mainly on the main characters’ foray as police officers but also gives the viewers an insight look on the triad led by Hao.

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STORYLINE
Continuing from where “On The First Beat” left off, EU chronicles the ups and downs of its two main stars; Chung Lap Man and Lee Pak Kiu, as police officers. It has been one year since the last events in “On The First Beat”. Both of them are no longer in the PTU team. Kiu is in EU (Emergency Unit) team while Man is drafted to the Vice department. Man is living a carefree life after breaking up with Cheung Nim Yan. It is Man’s ambition to solve big cases and his target is the Chun Hing Society led by the notorious To Yik Tin. On the other hand, Kiu is on his way for promotion due to his outstanding performance.

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Tin’s long-time friend, Kong Sai Hao, has just completed a 10-years prison sentence in Taiwan for the offence of carrying drugs. It was actually Tin played out Hao. Tin promised that he will compensate for his wrongdoings when Hao is released. While in jail, Hao graduated with high academic qualifications especially in business. Tin appointed Hao into one of the powerful positions in Chun Hing. Tin is a very careful and suspicious man. He trusted no one but only his wife, Ching Yeuk Sum, who does not interfere in her husband’s society affairs but has a high status in Chun Hing. She is intelligent but never shown it to others as she does not want to overwhelm Tin.

For Tin, Hao must be fed with positions and money so that he will not have an additional enemy. The appointment did not go down very well with other prominent leaders in the society. Among them is Laughing Gor. He often harrassed Hao but Hao is a tough nut to crack. Hao, without anyone’s knowledge, is plotting a revenge on Tin. Hao wants to take over Chun Hing from Tin as retribution.

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At the same time, Hao wished to reconcile with his estranged daughter, Yao. They were separated when carrying drugs for Tin. Because of that, Yao hates Hao. Yao is rebellious but independent in earning pocket money. by selling pirated and pornographic DVDs besides doing other petty illegal trades. Yao’s hobby is writing blog depicting herself as a princess going travelling around the world. Her blog was a big hit and followed by people around the world for her believeable stories on travelling. She and Man always had cat-and-dog fights over small matters. Over the time, they became friends. Man even helped Yao to pretend as the real Prince and Princess in the blog when her identity was exposed by Man’s colleagues.

Kiu and Man were shocked to see Hao resembled Kiu’s father, Lee Man Shing. But, they were well aware that there is no way Shing is still alive or has a twin brother. Kiu vowed to arrest Hao if the latter commits a crime. Man tried to be close with Hao as the easiest passage to infiltrate into Chun Hing. Hao used the impatient Man as part of his plan to get rid of Tin. Kiu consistently objected Man’s unconventional methods. Kiu maintains that Man should play by the book if he indeed wants to put the drug dealers away. Nonetheless, Man continued to be Hao’s unlikely partner in nabbing Tin.

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When Tin was caught by the police in a raid on his drug factory, Hao wasted no time to gain Sum’s trust. Along with Tin’s driver, Chung, both of them were actually sharing the same cell while in jail. It was Hao’s plan to plant Chung besides Tin. Laughing Gor sensed it was his greatest opportunity to climb up the ladder in the society but Sum paid no attention to him. He was disappointed when Sum entrusted Hao to oversee Chun Hing’s operation. During an attempt to free Tin from police custody, Hao directed Chung to kill Tin.

Chung’s job was made easier when a rookie police, Fa Yeuk Bo, came into Tin’s way. Tin tried to shoot Bo but instead was shot dead by Kiu. Sum was devastated upon hearing Tin’s death. Tin’s death did not really pave a smooth way for Hao to sit on the Chun Hing’s throne. The society’s elders had other candidates to fill in the vacuum. Laughing Gor found out that Tin’s death was of Hao’s doings. Hao neutralized Laughing Gor and they became one geng. Sum, at first, rightly suspected Hao as the man behind her husband’s death but her doubts was put to rest by Hao’s tactics of getting her trust. Sum recommended to the elders that Hao should be appointed as the new man helming Chun Hing. With that, Hao is the new chief of Chun Hing.

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Hao is laying a new plan to revolutionize Chun Hing into a more systematic and hassle-free triad organization. Armed with knowledge in business, he has a big dream to make Chun Hing as a force to be reckoned with in the underworld society. Hao secretly ordered Chung to open a much bigger drug factory. This underlined his highly ambitious plan. Business aside, Hao tried to seek forgiveness from Yao, whom at first, was not interested to have anything to do with Hao. But Sum was the mediator for both father and daughter to reconcile. Soon, Hao found that he loves Sum for her caring personality.

Man felt cheated by Hao over the death of Tin. He confronted Hao for explanation but only to be set up by Hao. The police force found out that Man’s car was used to carry drugs and he was hauled up to the disciplinary board. Wu Cheuk Yan (the snobbish chief inspector in the prequel), learnt of Man’s predicament. He offered a lifeline to Man by asking him to admit to the charges pressed upon him. Yan plans to make Man as an undercover in Chun Hing. Man agreed to Yan’s suggestion and his friendship with Kiu was temporarily halted. Kiu and Man’s other colleagues were disappointed to see Man mixing with the wrong parties. Man, with no choice, disowned his once best friends as he has a mission to accomplish.

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Kiu promised to himself not to give up on his best friend but will follow by the book if Man commits a crime. Kiu continues his daily routine and was promoted as probationery inspector during the time where Man is slowly climbing up the ranks in Chun Hing. Kiu befriended with Bo since the day Tin was shot dead. Bo is the younger half-sister of Sum but the secret was kept by their mother, Oi. Bo fell in love with Kiu, the same as Yao to Man too. Sum is still angry over Oi for disowning her when she was a teenager. Hao brought them back in good terms. This joy, however, was shortlived when Bo knew Oi was so close with Sum. For Bo, Sum is the wife of a triad leader and definitely not a good woman. As time passed by, the relationship between this two sisters improved although Bo is not fond of Sum’s links with Chun Hing and Hao. Sum began to have feelings for Hao too.

Kiu is now under Yan’s unit which focused on serious crimes including Chun Hing. Man, on the other hand, is beginning to get the trust of Laughing Gor and Hao. From time to time, Kiu and Man crossed paths over criminal activities. But, Man triumphed due to Yan’s interference to ensure Man’s safety and mission.s Man knew that Kiu’s persistence towards Chun Hing will one day jeopardizes his spying mission thus complained to Yan. Kiu knew something was fishy when Yan asked him not to stick his nose into Chun Hing’s case anymore. Later he found out that Man was actually working as a spy for Yan. Kiu was happy that his best friend is not turning from white to black over the years. But Man neither admit nor deny it when was confronted by Kiu on that matter. He merely asked Kiu not to harrass him in the triad society.

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Bo and Kiu finally dated each other but the same cannot be said for Man and Yao. Man does not want his mission to be compromised by Yao although they have feelings for each other. Yao was dejected but still put up effort to get Man’s attention. The love between Bo and Kiu blossomed. Hao is still skeptical over Man as he believes Man could be the spy. There were times where Hao tested Man’s loyalty but Man passed all the tests. Hao slowly trusted Man but still suspicious. Seeing Man on the rise, Laughing Gor felt threatened and decided to get rid of Man. He was actually doing that to protect Man because he knew Hao can never trust anyone especially Man who was once a policeman. Through an incident, Laughing Gor knew Man’s true identity. Man was confused with Laughing Gor’s action which seemingly tried to boot him out of Chun Hing either for his (Man’s) safety or own (Laughing Gor’s) interest. He thinks Laughing Gor could be a spy and slowly warming up to him. Laughing Gor did not admit to Man’s allegations but only warned Man to becareful in Chun Hing.

After a series of harrassment and raids on his drug factory, Hao believes there are spies in Chun Hing. He suspected Laughing Gor and Man. Laughing Gor’s overzealousness in protecting Man and blurry background before joining Chun Hing made him the prime suspect. Sum discovered Laughing Gor’s actual identity. He was indeed a police undercover in Chun Hing for the past nine years. Sum found this out when she visited Laughing Gor’s deceased girlfriend’s tomb. The girl, Wendy, was a policewoman and Laughing Gor’s classmate in the police academy. She died after married to a man in Finland. Laughing Gor was very sad and blamed himself for all those that happened. He never forgives himself for causing the death of his loved one. He always visited Wendy’s tomb seeking for guidance on all of his actions in Chun Hing besides mourning his loss. Sum reported this discovery to Hao.

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On the wedding day of Bo and Kiu, Hao ordered Laughing Gor and Man to go for a drug transaction. Hao already asked Chung to kill Laughing Gor. Hao told Man that Laughing Gor is the spy for police and must be wiped off for the sake of Chun Hing. Man was shocked that his assumption of Laughing Gor as an undercover spy was indeed true. Laughing Gor  knew his identity was uncovered by Hao. He asked Man to stage a fake fist fight between them as Chung was looking at one corner waiting to shoot Laughing Gor. Kiu, who happened to be around the area for his wedding, saw Chung was tailing Man and Laughing Gor. Kiu knocked off Chung and shoot Laughing Gor after seeing him tried to open fire on Man. Man escaped with Laughing Gor from Kiu. Laughing Gor begged Man to complete his unfinished mission and was happy that he gets to know Man as friend.

Laughing Gor requested Man to finish him off with a gunshot so that Hao will trust Man, a request that was reluctantly granted by Man. Man sent Laughing Gor’s body for Hao to see as confirmation that he completed the task of killing Laughing Gor. The police force especially Laughing Gor’s superior conceded the fact that he has died while on duty. Yan did not to reveal Laughing Gor’s real identity as it brings no benefits and might make Kiu feeling guilty for killing his own colleague.

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All of Laughing Gor’s tasks since entering Chun Hing were compiled in a collection of diaries in his house for Man’s references. Man went to Laughing Gor’s house and discovered all the diaries chronicling the latter’s journey from a scoundrel to one of the bosses in Chun Hing. He vowed to complete what Laughing Gor could not achieve and put an end to Hao’s evil deed. Sum felt bad for causing the death of Laughing Gor but Hao justified it by saying betrayers can only have one ending which is death. Man was appointed by Hao to take over the former’s position. When Kiu learnt that he killed his own colleague, he felt miserable and almost quitted the police force. Yan advised him not to let the incident to haunt him as what happened was something that nobody expected. Kiu regained the confidence and determined to redeem his mistakes by bringing Hao to the book. He wanted to collaborate with Man but the latter refused to do so.

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Hao is adamant to be with Sum and wanted to marry her. He promised to Chung that whatever happened to him and Sum will not have the adverse-effect on their drug dealings. Sum and Yao accidentally found out that Man is a spy too. Yao coaxed Man to let off her father but Man refused to do so. Both Sum and Yao tried their level best to protect Man’s identity from Hao. Yao was disappointed to see Man’s commitment to nail Hao. At the same time, she hoped that her father will not indulge in criminal activities anymore. Sum’s decision to marry Hao met with resistance from Bo, Kiu and Oi. Kiu himself was warned by his superior that conflict of interest might arise if that happens. Kiu did not put pressure on Bo and Sum, believing that Sum knows what is the best solution. Hao rubbished all the objections as he thinks his marriage with Sum is of nobody’s business.

Sum was shocked to discover that her restaurant was used by Hao as the drug factory. She wanted to inform the police but eventually did not do so as she loves Hao. But, Hao misunderstood that Sum betrayed him thus killed her. When he knew Sum’s true intention, he was dejected and asked for forgiveness from the dying Sum. The woman died from the gunshot wound but did not blame Hao. Hao is now paranoid and going all out to develop his drug factory and at the same time believes another spy is lurking around him. The spy is Man. He successfully proved it but decided not to kill Man for the sake of Yao. Man broke contact with Yan to ensure no one is disturbing him to nail down Hao. By doing that, Man was labeled as a turncoat by the police force. Man was not perturbed by it and so was Hao. Man knew as a spy, he has crossed the boundary and sooner or later the police force will also come after him. Hao took the risk of keeping Man as he is concerned of Yao. He was willing to let Man to run his drug business.

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Man’s identity as an undercover was exposed to the gang members in Chun Hing and they are looking for him. With nothing more to lose, Man embarked on a last-ditch effort by pretending to be giving up on his police career and opted to be a gangster. He advised Hao to continue operate the drug factory at Sum’s restaurant after it was raided once by Kiu and Yan. The father and daughter relationship between Hao and Yao worsened. Yao cannot accept her father for becoming too cruel until killing his own lover and did not return Sum’s body to Oi. Man secretly provided intelligence to Kiu in their final attempt to put away Hao. Hao is suspicious that Yao betrayed him when actually it was Man. When everything turned awry for Hao in the drug factory, he knew Man was holding grudge on him over Laughing Gor’s death. Both men confronted each other with fist fights and gunshots. Man expressed to Hao that he never changed side and will never let Laughing Gor died in vain. Man was wounded by Hao’s gunshots and the latter escaped from the ensuing Kiu’s team. Yao asked Hao to come over with her. Hao was too paranoid of having closest confidante betraying him thus refusing Yao’s help. Hao was knocked down by a car driven by a teenagers high on drugs; the target market of his manufactured drugs.

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Once the dust is settled, Man and Kiu patched up their differences over what happened since the appearance of Hao. Kiu asked Man not to give up on his police career and continue to carry on the quest of upholding justice. Man confessed to Kiu that he can never be as a good policeman as Kiu due to his attitude. Kiu said it was Shing’s advice that made them as best friends and overcome all the obstacles since becoming police officers.

Hao tried to commit suicide in jail but failed. He knew his time is up and will spend the rest of his life behind the bars. It was Yao comforted him not to take his own life again. Hao confessed to Yao that his only regret was not to believe that his daughter is sincerely wanted to save him at the critical moment. Hao revealed to Yao where he buried Sum’s body for proper burial by Oi and Bo.

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Yao decided to go travelling around the world to forget the past. In her message to Man, she did not blame him for all the things happened but believed they can never be together again. She appreciated their time together. For her, she is always the Princess and Man is always the Prince in her blog. After reading the message, Man only hoped that Yao will one day forgive him.

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Fast Forward…..
Man was back into the police force. He is in Kiu’s unit. They are now back together as a team……

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SPECIAL ENDING
A 30 seconds extra footage showing Laughing Gor donning his police uniform and insert his favourite 5 dollar coin into his pocket. In a voiceover, Laughing Gor said whether he is already dead or still alive, once a policeman, always a policeman. He continued that by putting on this (police) uniform and supported by so many colleagues, there is nothing for him to be afraid. His last words to the audiences are to remember his name = Laughing SIR (no longer Laughing GOR)

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THE BEST SCENES

1. When Laughing Gor died in Episode 22
- It happened suddenly and nobody expected it. Audiences never thought that Laughing Gor is the undercover until one episode before his death. He was one of the big shots in Chun Hing and was the right-hand man of Hao. When Laughing Gor was shot by Kiu, audiences were surprised that the former met his ending that way. He was an icon.

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2. When Man read Laughing Gor’s diaries
- It tells of Laughing Gor’s rise from a small-time crook into Hao’s most trusted ally. The diaries also showed events that were not seen in the drama until his death.
Among the notable events :-
a. He gained the trust of Tin when he was just a scoundrel
b. He “helped” Tin to embarass Hao in the big gathering of Chun Hing members
c. He exposed Tin’s whereabouts to his superior when the former was on the run from the police
d. He prepared to regain his identity and appear in the court as prosecution witness but was asked by his superior to continue become an undercover to take down Hao
e. He tried to gain Hao’s trust to safeguard his position
f. He knew his identity was uncovered by Sum and Hao
g. His methods of protecting Man

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3. Laughing Gor at the Police Training School (PTS)
- He joined the PTS and was followed by his girlfriend, Wendy. Laughing Gor was an outstanding cadet in his batch, be it in IQ and EQ. His performance was monitored by a senior police officer, who later became his superior while on undercover. Laughing Gor is the most suitable candidate to be a spy due to his simple family background. By using a 5 dollar coin to determine his choice, Laughing Gor decided to go undercover. He got himself deliberately kicked out from PTS. While as a crook, he bumped into Wendy and they have arguments on the street. Laughing Gor sarcastically asked Wendy to find another guy. Wendy, in an angry tone, said she will do it and both of them will never get to see each other again.
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4. The patching up moments between Man and Kiu in the last episode
-This scene took place in the PTS. Man acknowledged his own shortcomings and knew his attitude will land him in trouble. Kiu asked him not to give up on police career. Man told Kiu that his biggest achievement since entering the PTS was to have Kiu as best friend. The vow he made upon entering PTS was to become a good police officer along with Kiu but he felt he was nowhere near the standard. Kiu handed over Man’s Silver Whistle and said this whistle is the testimony of Man’s ability as a great policeman.

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5. Laughing Gor’s additional 30 seconds appearance
- His death sparked massive outcry and criticisms. His death generated the buzz all over the TVB audiences. His death was too popular until fans created a fanpage in Facebook dedicated to him also to mourn his death. So, TVB decided to add an extra scene which is by any means not related to the main plot. It showed Laughing Gor in the last 30 seconds of the drama donning the police uniform and reminded the audiences that he is Laughing SIR.

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CASTINGS AND CHARACTERS

Ron Ng as Chung Lap Man
Sammul Chan as Lee Pak Kiu
-    This year, besides EU, Ron also appeared in another drama; Rosy Business . Both dramas are ranked Top 10 in terms of ratings this year. On the other hand, Sammul also had two dramas (EU and A Bride For A Ride) plus one mini-series (ICAC Investigators 2009).
-    In EU, the chemistry between the two main stars is simply fabulous. All thanks to their collaboration in The Academy and On The First Beat where they seems to have immersed themselves into the characters of Man and Kiu respectively . They also starred together in Triumph In The Skies (2003) and The Four (2008). The two young lads definitely improved their performances by leaps and bounds. They did quite well as best friends and temporarily as enemies in the drama.
-    Ron’s performance as the undercover, however, seems to be a little bit awkward and not convincing enough. Whereas for Sammul, he gave his usual best as the police officer who goes by the book.
-    Do check out for Ron’s relationship with Elanne Kong because they are so cute together and I must say they really looked compatible with each other. Sammul’s chemistry with Leung Ka Ki was quite terrible mostly due to the weak acting by Ka Ki who seems to be memorizing some of her lines throughout the drama.

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Elanne Kong as Kong Yao Yao
Leung Ka Ki as Fa Yeuk Bo
-    EU was the girls’ debut drama for TVB. Despite both of them have appeared in television dramas, movies and talk shows before, it was Elanne stole the thunder with great performance as the on-screen daughter and girlfriend to Ron and Michael Miu respectively. She portrayed the brash but at the same time romantic roles of Kong Yao Yao to perfection. She is only 22 years old therefore it is quite understandable that TVB gave her the role where she has to be naughty and rebellious as well. Her on-screen relationship is almost perfect and they do look cute together as couple in the drama although Ron is 8 years older than her. By the way, the ending themesong by Elanne is quite nice and definitely a must have for TVB viewers. If there is Part 4 for this Academy series, I hope TVB will include her again.
-    Nothing much can be elaborated about Leung Ka Ki’s performance. Somehow, her acting and facial expression resembled Michelle Yip. Nevetherless, Ka Ki looked so nervous in delivering her lines and occasionally she seems to be frozen when sparring with Sammul Chan as partner. It was even worse when scenes involving her with veteran Jason Pai. I was shocked to see Jason’s dismal performance in his comeback at TVB because he seems to have lost his acting skills. When two of them appeared together, it did not help Ka Ki much and she gave an even terrible performance. Her chemistry with Sammul is almost zero but if there is Part 4 of the series, the chances for her to return among the main casts are quite bright as her character has married Sammul’s Kiu.

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Michael Miu as Kong Sai Hao
Kathy Chow as Ching Yeuk Sum
Michael Tse as Leung Siu Tong (Laughing Gor)
-    This three are veterans in the television showbiz dramas and they indeed did not disappoint the viewers. Instead, all three of them gave sterling performances albeit in their very own unique ways.
-    Michael Miu returned to the series but in a different role. In The Academy (2005), he was the father of Sammul’s Kiu. In On The First Beat (2007), he only has cameo appearance in flashback scenes as Sammul’s Kiu again because he was shot dead in the first part. The Academy registered respectable ratings during its original run but its sequel suffered drop in ratings. TVB producers to bring back Michael for EU as a way to boost up again the ratings. So, Michael was assigned to a new role; as a notorious underworld society leader that really tested the friendship of Kiu and Man. Overall, Michael gave an outstanding performance as the cool, intelligent but later turned paranoid role of Kong Sai Hao. While, his chemistry with Kathy Chow in the drama is good, it was his father and daughter relationship with Elanne Kong that really on par with Elanne’s chemistry with Ron.
-    EU marked the return of Kathy back at TVB after an eleven years of absence. She played her character Ching Yeuk Sum convincingly. She has many strong and loud dialogues with the triad leaders and members where all of them are guys. Be it with Lam Lei or Michael Miu, Kathy did well as the love interests for both men in the drama.
-    It was TVB’s intention to bring back Michael Miu to boost up the ratings but the opposite happened. The newcomer in this drama, Michael Tse was the one propelled EU as currently the No.2 highest rating drama of the year with flawless performance as Laughing Gor. The unexpected death of Laughing Gor brought more popularity for the drama and also Michael Tse. Laughing Gor is the first ever TV drama character whose death was mourned in a social networking site; Facebook and boasted of more than 100 000 supporters there. Michael Tse easily filled in the shoes of Laughing Gor and none of the viewers thought he was an undercover for the police force until Episode 21. With past experiences in the highly-acclaimed  Young and Dangerous series where he also played the role of a triad leader, Michael Tse effortlessly gave out brilliant performance. As the viewers were not satisfied and disappointed the way Laughing Gor met his death, TVB added a 30 seconds extra footage at the very last scene of the final episode specially for Michael Tse to once again appear but this time as Laughing Sir. The Laughing Gor phenomenon was cashed in by TVB to make a movie chronicling his life.