On The First Beat- review

Cast: Ron Ng, Sammul Chan, Michael Tao, Sonija Kwok, Joey Yung, Kate Tsui, Kenny Kwan
Episodes: 30
Producer: Wong Wai Sing

Story:
After 27 weeks of training, the cadets have finally graduated and are out to be a real policeman and to serve the public. They are all matured and ready to deal with greater challenges, and dangers ahead…

In this sequel, Ron and Sammul continue to be best of friends, along with their respective girlfriends, Tavia and Fiona. In the first episode, Tavia leaves for Japan to study, embarking on a long-distance relationship with Ron. Meanwhile, Fiona got killed by a ruthless criminal in the second episode. Sammul and Ron were devastated, but their lives continued…

2 years later, Ron and Sammul met Michael, who always seems to be picking on them. Eventually they learned that Michael only wants to help them. Michael had a broken marriage with Sonija, who is also a policewoman. The two go through many ups and downs, breaking up and getting back together again… Joey is Michael’s little sister who is a very nice girl. Ron slowly realizes that his love for Tavia has faded and Joey is the one he loves…

Meanwhile, Ron, Sammul and many other cadets got chosen to join the PTU. They go through even more intense training, their jobs get more challenging, and the crimes they fight get exciting….

Who is a good policeman, who is not? How will Ron solve his relationship problems? Will Michael and Sonija have a happy ending? And will Sammul finally let go of Fiona? Watch this series to find out.


Love Factors:

Ron Ng
Since Men In Pain, this is the second time I’m putting Ron as a love factor. I just enjoy watching the changes of Ron’s character as the series progresses. From a stubborn, inconsiderate and impulsive little boy in The Academy, Ron becomes braver, calmer, nicer and smarter in On The First Beat. The changes are subtle, so you need to watch the series to slowly feel the changes, and fall in love with Ron’s character. I also think Ron’s acting improved, or maybe he simply suits this kind of characters better.

Sonija Kwok
In this series, Sonija is a very cool and professional policewoman. I like her portrayal of the character, and surprised by her very much improved performance.

The story
I like the story, in fact, I like it quite a lot more than the story of The Academy. The different kinds of duties of the police are portrayed in a very realistic fashion, from settling petty domestic disputes to fighting street protesters to arresting the major criminals. Not only do we understand their duties more, we also learn more about the politics in the police force, understand the characters more, and also see many different sides of the society. All in all I think the scriptwriters did a great job writing the story.

Sequel or original?
Like I said, despite no Tavia, no Fiona, no Michelle Yim and no Michael Miu in this sequel, I prefer the story of the sequel to the original. It is more exciting, and less cheesy. I prefer the themesong of the sequel as well. Oh can you feel, our sweat and tears, we’ll over come hard ship and fear… oo~ so upbeat!

Dislike Factor
Kate Tsui
Kate’s character is already annoying, but Kate, as an actress, makes her even more annoying by being sooooo noisy! I hate the way she yells. But Man Jing is still acceptable. Kate did show SLIGHT improvements from The Brink Of Law to On The First Beat, though there is still a long way to go…

Pity Factor

Michael and Sonija
After going through SO much, the two still didn’t get to be together in the end. I pity Sonija the most, the way she died was really sad…

Tavia Yeung
I really don’t understand why Ron can stop liking such a sweet girl like Tavia. Tavia is the kind of girlfriend every one dreams for, but Ron left her with nothing but a broken heart…

Sammul Chan
First, his dad left him in the last episode of The Academy. Then, his girlfriend left him in the 2nd episode of On The First Beat. And from what I see, Sammul’s character will probably stay single for the rest of his life. Poor guy, why must he live such a hard life?

How Come Factor
At the beginning, Michael's character sucked. If he wants to help Ron and Sammul, why must he make himself so hateful and refuse to admit that he wants to help them?

Chemistry Factor

Michael and Sonija
Michael and Sonija make a refreshing but great pairing. Their characters may be very different, but they complement each other and match well. However, their story is built mainly on misunderstandings, it may get a bit tiring. Nevertheless it is still quite a memorable chemistry.

Ron and Joey
If you didn’t watch The Academy, you will think that Ron and Joey make a cute couple. Very true, they do have some chemistry. But if you watched The Academy, and witnessed how Ron and Tavia built up their relationship, it is very hard to accept that Ron stopped loving Tavia. If Ron’s feelings for Tavia can change so quickly, his feelings for Joey probably won’t last either…

Sammul and Sonija
Sammul and Sonija were more like friends than lovers. It’s a very refreshing and unique kind of chemistry, and it’s nice to see how they confided in each other and helped each other through their problems.

The Performance
For the male leads, Michael’s performance was the most solid. Sammul and Ron were also very good. Sammul is the same Sammul you saw in The Academy. Ron is also about the same, but more mature and likeable. For the female, Sonija was the best to watch. Joey was only okay, many other actresses can play her character. Kate was annoying, but she did do her character some justice.

Overall: worth watching?
Yes