[TVB2011] Forensic Heroes III 《法證先鋒III》 Review

Genre: Modern, police procedural
# of Episodes: 30
Producer: Mui Siu Ching
Casts:
- Wayne Lai as Po Kwok Tung (Pro Sir)
- Maggie Cheung as Chung Hok Sum (Mandy)
- Kate Tsui as Ling Sin Yee (Ada)
- Ron Ng as Lee Chin Fung (Wind)
- Edwin Siu as Ho Ching Man (Ken)
- Aimee Chan as Chiang Cheuk Kwan (Angel)
- Nancy Wu as Chow Yik Fei (Eva)
- Ruco Chan as Fong Sai Yau (Jim)

What's It About?
Crime scenes. Police. Forensic team. Criminals obediently telling stories. The end. Here's how it goes: police arrived at crime scene first, did nothing and called the forensic team, who would do some lab works and then solve everything. EVERYTHING! And what does the police do? Fighting scenes but after a while, they have to share those scenes with the forensic team as well. And of course, it includes some dramatic family scenes so that our Wayne Lai can show off his dramatic acting skills.

- Spoilers Alert -

The Cases: This series is case-driven so I would like to share some of my thoughts on the cases.

Case 1: Wedding Party
This case is a mess, what a bad start eh?! It feels like they were just throwing clues and information out of nowhere right into your face. It also gave me a headache, probably from all the flashings. The gay couple Chris Lai and Vin Choi were convincing though. This case is one of the worst IMO. And boring too!

Case 2: Sky-Eye Girl
To make up for the first one, the second case is one of the best cases in FH3. So suspenseful, especially the part where they found the baby. The doll behind the mirror is really scary. I really feel sorry for the girl, being used and raped by that 'guardian' dude. I still don't think that his punishment is enough for all the bad deeds he had done. Urgh! The beginning of this case is intriguing, a prediction by Sky Eye Girl followed by a kneeling corpse at the beach! The case got a bit boring in the middle when they were solving the murder of a rich dude which I don't care about. It then got interesting again when we finally learn more about the Sky Eye Girl and the 'guardian' dude. It was freaky when Ada snatched her earphones and she screamed her head out! Also the part where Mandy and her grandfather stalking her in the morning, it just made it seem so mysterious (although I knew that it would turn out to be something normal - like autism!) It got to the best part when they went to that girl's house and found out about the 'ghost' and the baby. I laughed really hard when Mandy went to the washroom and came out saying that she just gave birth to a baby! I know I shouldn't have, but I did. However, I find that the evidence for solving this case is a bit weak (a tree only?!). Good thing it got a happy ending for the poor autistic girl. Cilla Kung, who played the Sky Eye Girl, did well as a person with autism, I'm impressed! I really like her bond with Mandy (and the prediction of Mandy being Pro Sir's girlfriend!!)

Case 3: The Three Tenants
If I have to describe this case in one word, I would say: comical! It's just funny how the three tenants were framing each other, but none of them actually did it! (well, that's predictable too). I like how the corpse was burnt but the actual cause of death is drowning! And did I mention the cute granny in this case? She was so adorable!!! I saw her in a lot of series before but I don't know her name.

 

Case 4: Apple's Death
This case is also good although it deals a lot more with the court. The highlight here is of course Eva. The best parts are Eva questioning Pro Sir and his dad in court and how all the evidence is of no use anymore for breaking the Chain of Evidence. They had to work their butts off to find new evidence and saving Baby from the big bad Wilson Yu. This case also marks the end of Pro Sir and Eva's marriage (what a bad way eh!!). My favorite quotes are "Common law is the law for common man" by Pro Sir and "Take off your pants" by Mandy LOL. I laughed really hard when she said that. I also really like the way Mandy talks to Apple, who is lying dead on the autospy table. My complaint: Such bad names TVB gave to the characters - Apple and Baby! Seriously???

Case 5: Murder in University
We see a lot of newcomers in this case, well it's expected. I'm not complaining about seeing them, they did well in fact, especially the guy who played Wu Sai Hang, who got murdered. I must say that it's really stupid of the murderer to leave Wu's hand uncovered while his body was well hidden in the soil. Is he really that careless? Oh well, it's TVB. This case is just ok in my opinion. Oh yea, why was Sire Ma even there? She served no purpose at all. And why does Brian Chu always look so angry? I remember seeing him in The Other Truth, also that same angry face.

Case 6: Murder of Jim's Brother
Nothing special about this case either. The most surprising thing is probably Jim's change in behaviors. But in one way, it's kinda expected since there must be something wrong with this 'perfect' Mr. Jim so that he and Mandy can break up. We also see the same forensic pathologist as the one in FH2. This guy is the real deal. Nothing much to say about this case since it's just similar to FH2, also about someone who got buried for a long time then discovered. However, the sudden sinister smile of Natalie near the end really sent a chill down my spine.

 

Case 7: Mandy is in Danger
I don't consider this as a case, ok maybe a mini case. It has only one purpose: to get Pro Sir and Mandy together. I really like Mandy's calm and cool attitude when she received those threatening messages. The 'Professor King' part is just a total ripoff from The Mysteries of Love. Don't even know why that guy is there.

Case 8: Family Feud
Out of all the cases, this one is the most boring. The premise sounds boring already. There is no suspense at all in this case because the killer is made known (or at least very obvious) already from the beginning. Yet it took the longest to solve (~ 5 episodes). Such a waste of time! The beggar part is just gross. Wind's mom is just annoying, actually his whole family is annoying. And the whole Bonnie thing is just so unoriginal. Kudos to the actor who played the servant Ah Chung though. Great performance.



Case 9: Death of a Vampire
No, not the Twilight or Vampire Diaries kind, it's the Halloween kind! This case is also a waste of time. I rather have them take off this case and expand a little bit more on the last case. There are some creepy scenes like when they went to the woman's house at night and when she suddenly opened her eyes, but TVB just has to ruin the moment after all.

Case 10: Murderer from 30 Years Ago
Last case means the drama is about to end. FH3, just like any other series, rushed through the last case so that it can end. This case returns to Mandy's haunting past of her parents being murdered. That crazy dude really killed his wife in front of his son! What was he even thinking?? Anyways, since Mandy lost both of her parents on the same night and witnessed the murder of her mother, she suffered from PTSD and had only her grandpa as her family from then on. Now we can understand Mandy's sympathy with orphans such as the Sky Eye Girl, Apple and Baby. Eva was purposedly involved in this case so that she can get killed as an easy way out for Mandy and Pro Sir's daughter. TVB, TVB... what can I say? *sigh* The two explosion scenes at the end were forced, you can tell. Why wouldn't they shoot the criminal's car tires instead of running after him till night? And why wouldn't Ada just kick his head instead of pointlessly struggling with her hands? KICK HIS HEAD!! Nevertheless, this case kept my interest and is one of the better cases of FH3.



*** What's your favorite case? Mine has to be the Sky-Eye Girl case ***

The Ending:
Ending is disappointing! Catwalking with sunglasses to the crime scene and................ THE END?! Is this some kind of joke?? And they don't even bother to show a scene where Pro Sir's daughter Man Man found out about her mother's death and quickly called Mandy 'mom'.



Relationships:
- Pro Sir and Eva (Wayne and Nancy) - Despite the age gap, I can feel the chemistry between these two. This is also not the first time Nancy is paired with Wayne. The scene where Wayne was telling Nancy that he didn't want to divorce was great. The argument scenes of these two are awesome too. They really give off a feeling of a married couple. But too bad TVB just wants to use the despicable way to end their marriage because that's the fastest way. Fine then, Eva, you don't deserve Pro Sir anymore! Let's move on!

- Mandy and Jim (Maggie and Ruco) - These two have chemistry as well, as lovers! Jim is just too sweet the whole time he's with Mandy. And for some unknown reason, I always give off a smile when I see them together, especially the scene when Jim takes Mandy to her favorite coffee shop. Maybe these two are more fit to be lovers, I don't know. But then comes the case with Jim's brother being murdered, which also marks the end of their relationship. Why does TVB always starts and ends stuff so abruptly?? I totally do not understand their breakup!!!

- Pro Sir and Mandy (Wayne and Maggie) - These two are definitely soul mates. I can totally feel it. But not lovers! They understand each other well, they know what each other thinks, feels, needs or wants. Wayne and Maggie sure can show that, but not enough chemistry to show that they are lovers, or probably not the right kind. Maybe because we usually see them together at crime scenes, working as partners for so long (2/3 of the drama), they have little time to develop their love relationship so it's kinda weird to see them together as lovers. Each time I see them, I only think about work, about solving cases, about 2 brainiacs talking in Martian language that leaves Ron and Kate wondering what they are talking about. Then I again blame TVB for this! Why rushing? But then I was so touched by the confession at the hospital. Mature yet sweet!

- Mandy and Ada (Maggie and Kate) - the Korean Ginsengs!!! :D These two have the most chemistry. Yes, I find this sisterly relationship wins all the couples in terms of chemistry. I like how they tease each other about Ko Sir, Jim and Pro Sir. They are so hilarious together, along with Mandy's grandfather (played by Chow Chung). This trio got to be my favorite. Their chemistry is so obvious and convincing. Best moments include: Mandy imitating Ko Sir's pose when he arrives to pick Ada up for the party, Mandy's grandfather and Ada teasing Mandy for letting 'brown sugar' Jim in the house, and the hospital scene where they imagine how Pro Sir and Mandy would fall off the building and die together. So funny :D

- Ada and Wind (Kate and Ron) - Kate and Ron of course have chemistry. They paired up so many times already. It's really funny how every time Ada has to use Wind as an excuse to get herself away from Ko Sir. How these two got together was funny as well (ie. Wind bashing into Ko Sir office and listing Ada's habits). And I love the 'Albert Yip' part too. I may forgive TVB for letting these two be together at the end.

- Ken and Angel (Edwin and Aimee) - Ok, enough with the forgiving! Why kill off Angel?? WHY? Poor Ken. This couple is rather cute, although I was a bit annoyed how Ken always teased Angel about her Chinese (yes, I agree that her Chinese sucks too but this is just too much!!). Their arguments are lame most of the time, but their expressions are just too funny, especially Ken. I love the kiss at the bar when Ken got drunk the first time LOL!!! These two are fun together but then they had to kill off Angel at the end. Totally forced and unnecessary!!!

*** So which relationship do you like most? I gave my vote to Mandy and Ada ***



Performances:
- Wayne Lai - is boring. Not his fault, I blame the script. His character is uninteresting most of the time and he seems so bored too. I'm not gonna compare him with Bobby but Wayne does give off a professional look. Other than that, he did great or better at the family scenes with Man Man, his dad and Eva.

- Maggie Cheung - is so pro!! Amazing performance from Maggie as the cool and professional Dr. Chung. She made the character so much fun to watch. Her quirkiness, curiosity and utmost respect for life blend together so well. Some people find her character boring but I don't think so. Dr. Chung made me enjoy FH3 much more. This role was made for Charmaine Sheh but after seeing Maggie's portrayal of the character, I can't picture Charmaine in the role anymore.
P.S. I love her ringtone

- Kate Tsui - is not convincing as a senior inspector. Her character is cute and hilarious though (through her interactions with Ko Sir and Mandy). I do like her style in this series but this is definitely not a senior inspector's style. And sometimes I find her a bit childish that she can't lead her team at all. Nevertheless, this role is definitely better than the one in Lives of Omission.

- Ron Ng - is mediocre. His character is so undeveloped and unnecessary. They can just take his character out and not affect the story at all. Wind only serves as Ada's boyfriend with no other obvious purposes. His acting didn't help either, not that he's good or something. Ron is just wasting his time here, should have spent it filming something else instead.

- Edwin Siu - is funny. This guy can do comedy. His face looks so chubby for some reason, and that made him so cute. I really like Edwin here and I wish he had more screentime. He did well in the hospital scenes where Angel was dying.

- Aimee Chan - the ABC. They should have made her character a little bit more useful than just blurting out all the English scientific terms!! She's like the 'pronunciation' button in those electronic dictionaries while Wayne will serve as the definition part. Each time they come across something new, Aimee will find the right ENGLISH term for it and say that term out loud. Then we have Wayne who will give the definition of it as if he has an encyclopedia installed in his brain, and everyone else will just stand there and nod to his words.

- Nancy Wu - is so not pro! Sorry! I mean Eva is so not pro, not Nancy. Nancy did well as Eva, very well in fact! Her court scenes are really fun to watch and she did an amazing job. Kudos to Nancy. The script just had to make her character Eva so detestable, what a shame!! And what I meant by so not pro is that Eva had to use such nasty tricks to win a case, which eventually leads to her divorce -- so unrealistic!

- Ruco Chan - is just an extra. He, just like Ron, serves no obvious purpose in FH3. Introduced as a psychologist, I don't see him treating any patient at all, just dating!! Isn't that amazing?! Anyways, I enjoyed his appearance. He did well as an impatient, frustrated yet sweet Jim but still needs to improve on his crying.

*** Whose performance do you like most in FH3? I like Maggie Cheung's the most ***

Notable Mention:
- The little girl Moon Chan who played Po Ka Man (Pro Sir's daughter). This little girl will turn out to be a great actress when she grows up. Watching her crying in the divorce scene is so heart wrenching. I recognize her as little Charmaine from Beyond the Realm of Conscience and Can't Buy Me Love. So if Charmaine was to take part in FH3, they can be mother and daughter again (as in Can't Buy Me Love).

- Ko Sir played by Geoffrey Wong is just hilarious!! I got to give him credit. I enjoyed all of his scenes. The way he stands, poses, talks or just his look alone makes him so funny. Such classic comedy!! I especially love his "Mr. Wind" and his stomach ache pose.



Overall:
I know I complained a lot but I also know I love FH3. This series is nothing of a WOW but it's really addictive and entertaining. I do miss the old cast, but the new cast here also did a great job and they really made me want to go into forensics. I can easily overlook all the flaws and ditch the haters, just to sit back and enjoy the show.


My rating: 6.9/10

Worth Watching? Yes


**Credit: The pictures are taken from tvb.com and just for illustration purpose**