“Ruse of Engagement” Finale Plagued by Inconsistencies

*Spoilers*

Despite its promising debut, crime thriller Ruse of Engagement <叛逃> ended its run on April 18 to viewer complaints and ridicule. Premiering at 30 points, the series’ ending episode achieved an average ratings of 28 last Friday, peaking at 32.

The drama has received a slew of criticism over the past five weeks. In addition to disapproval over violent scenes and the use of profanity, many viewers were put off by the show’s sometimes illogical plot and continuity mistakes. Some saw the love triangle between Ruco Chan (陳展鵬), Ron Ng (吳卓羲), and Aimee Chan (陳茵媺) as an overused plot device. Others noted that the headquarters of the government-backed Anti Terrorism Force can, rather unrealistically, be accessed with ease. TVB received six official complaints for Friday’s finale alone, and the backlash continues to spread in online forums.

One of the major complaints against the finale is the sudden, inconsistent change in the characters’ behaviors. As an example, a report pointed out that Aimee’s character, Jessica, had initially planned to stop her father from infecting innocents with a deadly virus, even accidentally killing him in the process. However, her desire to be together with Carson (played by Ruco Chan) seems to have easily overpowered her morals; Jessica was later seen taking the virus, hoping to sell it for money.

In another scene, Carson attempts to convince Jessica to turn herself in for her crimes and pulls out his gun when she prepares to escape. Alfred (played by Ron Ng) appears and gets into a fight with his brother. During the confusion, Alfred kicks a gun towards Jessica, and she used it to end her own life. Many viewers found the scene illogical, questioning why the brothers, both professionally trained, were unable to take an un-armed Jessica under their custody. Some were also perplexed that despite sharing the same goal of arresting Jessica and bringing her to safety, the two men spent the time brawling instead.

However, it was Ruse of Engagement’s open ending that left viewers angrily dissatisfied. Consumed with guilt over Jessica’s death, Carson resigned from ATF and asked Alfred to be a good cop. Revisiting the place where Jessica had died, Carson brought red roses and sipped Jessica’s favorite drink, Chocochino. Carson suddenly closed his eyes and slumped forward as the ending credits rolled. Although Carson’s suicide from the poisoned drink was widely speculated, it was introduced suddenly and left viewers without true closure over the drama.

“Ruse of Engagement” Episode 25 Clip

[vsw id=”4BHjon03PuE” source=”youtube” width=”500″ height=”375″ autoplay=”no”]

Sources: Ming Pao; Xinhuanews.net

This article is written by Katrine for JayneStars.com.

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Responses

  1. i lost interest and didn’t even realize Ruco drank poison at the end.

    I think the editors cut out a lot of scenes. there’s no way someone can write such a pitiful story.

    1. The series is great, i enjoyed it.

      Come on, it’s a drama, not a documentary. It is not 100% realistic but it is okay. Which shows or movies are all facts anyway, huh?

      Police Story (is there such a super cop?), Young and Dangerous(common for HK gangsters to run amok with long butcher knifes on crowded streets?), Unbeatable (he can re-adjust his dislocated arm all the time?) …,

      My only complaint is: Aimee character of wanting to sell the virus is absurd, and Ron Ng is forever that stubborn, brainless bulldozer.

  2. I have yet to finish the drama, but looks like the ending really was horrible since people didn’t even care to comment.

    1. We’ve all left numerous comments about the ending at the other article “ROE ending spoilers”. This article came out too late. All our frustrations have already been vented there. Go take a look.

  3. So, it’s confirmed he poisoned himself? That’s not the Carson I know!

    1. Ruco in his weibo sort of confirmed twice. If the actor says so how to argue?

  4. Dont think theres much to say, it was clear that he ‘died’ on the scene. Unless stated otherwise

  5. With funn and other raving about how good this series is, I thought I would have to break my principles to try and watch ruco, Aimee >_> if I don’t like the actors and actress in a drama, it’s very hard for me to start – that’s my principle lol (lazy one, why bother watching something boring with your not fav actors and actress >_>). Read the ending, I’m glad I don’t need to, hahaha.

    1. By all means, it’s your choice. If i don’t like the actors and/or actresses, i don’t bother to watch either.

      1. Yea, I’m generally like that. However, good drama is hard to comeby, and sometimes, your reason of dont like someone is bias, and can be overcome if you have a good drama where their acting is passable lol. So… Sometimes, if a drama get good review, I would give it a good try before dismissing it 🙂 and it seem this one is no need to even bother trying lol

      2. This drama is enjoyable, plot loopholes notwithstanding, except for the last 5 mins. The action scenes are well choreographed. Unless you try watching you’ll never know if you like it.

    2. simply because popular commenters on this site like the drama does not mean it is suitable for everyone.

  6. He poisoned himself? I thought he just fell asleep. And true, I didn’t understand why jessica wanted to sell the virus for money after all she had done

    1. She killed her dad accidentally. In her desperation to flee, she lost her moral compass and wanted to sell the poison and antidote so that she and Carson can settle somewhere that she won’t be caught.

      1. Doesn’t make sense if seen scene per scene but seen together, Jessica has always been selfish and even in death it was Me Me Me. Poor Carson, he loved the wrong woman.

  7. It has a really good plot at first, well developed. However, the ending confused me and affected the whole drama, sign…. =_=”

  8. “Many viewers found the scene illogical, questioning why the brothers, both professionally trained, were unable to take an un-armed Jessica under their custody.”

    …haha, i rewatched that scene. She was hitting and kicking Carson like a woman possessed when she found out he had betrayed her. There was no way he could subdue her(joking). As for that Alfred character, he’s best described as a bungling cop who has a knack for messing things up. He was blinded by love and wanted to let Jessica escape. So the 2 brothers got into a fight – one wanted to arrest her and one wanted to let her escape.

    1. ….so that explains why they couldn’t take her into custody.

    2. I really hated ron’s character. So dumb, troublesome and frustrating to watch.

      1. I absolutely agree here…Not only his character, his acting is bad. Bear in mind, this was film 3 yrs ago. I still see some of the body language he does in TITS 2. OMG…where are the improvements?

      2. ITA!! Alfred is so selfish that when he learnt that his brother is still alive, his face expression is so unhappy because he knows Jessica will goes back to Carson. He is solely the 3rd party here. *POOR CREATURE*
        And in the final episode, our “hero” cop Alfred went and beat the brother and kicked the gun to Jessica. What an idiot, =.= totally speechless of his actions. Now i know why he will never be as popular as Ruco, Kenneth Ma and Raymond Lam backed by his silly roles and acting skills. HAHA

      3. I believe Ron was popular for a while some time ago but his popularity has slipped several notches.

  9. Despite the inconsistencies and inaccuracies and what this article did not point out that is Ron Ng’s and Aimee Chan’s sometimes inconsistent or abysmal bad acting, this is TVB’s best crime drama, ever. I understand the ending but the character or Jessica if had been 100% pure would have made the ending more impact rather than doubtful. It all stems from Jessica.

    And yes they could have punched her and arrested her but hey, no drama then!

    1. Kudos to Ruco. This is the series he is without a doubt the star.

      And article did not point out ATF is the most compromised anti terrorist organisation. 2 moles, 1 seduced by mole, one in love with the main mole, etc etc.

      1. This series reminds me of IRIS, except with a much more smaller budget on TVB’s part.

    2. “And yes they could have punched her and arrested her”
      ….no, Alfred wanted to let her go remember?

      1. Not that he wanted to let her go, he just didn’t want Carson shooting her. So one karate chop could have saved 2 lives and our sanity.

      2. well, my interpretation is that Alfred wanted to let her escape (of cos he had to stop Carson shooting her first). Remember how Jessica kept saying she didn’t want to go to jail not even for a day? In the end, she said that she realised Alfred loved her more than Carson, which implied that Alfred was willing to let her go free (as opposed to Carson who was bent on arresting her).

      3. I do miss this series. It dominated my every night for its entire run, and now that it is over, my nights are rather boring again. No urge to chase after STP or NDA.

    3. Haha! Ron’s Alfred got smarter towards the end. All of a sudden he’s not trapped in “Jessica’s world.” I thought it was interesting how he questioned her to find out about her father and Papa.

      As for Jessica, her true colors showed after the reveal. She’s not as righteous as what was portrayed in the beginning. Indeed, a selfish character.

      1. I think for Jessica, she is too scared of going to jail and is deeply in love with Carson. She just wants to leave the country together with Carson and thats it. But she never thought Carson plans to catch her. Deeply heartbroken, she killed herself.

  10. The series was good, but the ending just ruined it. They cut too many scenes. I don’t want to see Ruco and Aimee paring up again. It’s getting old.

    I like Swipe Tap Love series. The relationship with the two main characters is adorable.

    1. Looks like a scene with Ruco, Aimee and his mom drinking coffee somewhere with a ocean view? I saw the photo but cant remember in the series..

      1. i saw the still from that scene too but it wasn’t shown in the drama. Also that scene where his head was on Aimee’s lap.

  11. The ending very illogical even the series was good.
    ILLOGICAL ENDING – waste my time

  12. They cut out the part where Fu Wang Leung(Lai Lok Yi) died in the hospital, we never saw him die

    1. Actually he didn’t. The doctors were still testing antitode for him.

      1. Considering they had the anecdote, we can say that Chris,was safe

      2. Didn’t they kidnap that girl to get her father to come up with the anecdote?

      3. Yeah… He kidnapped her and he made up the anecdote. Aimee took it and gave it to Ruco who gave it to Yoyo who gave it,to ngou sir

    2. Fu Wang-Leung was saved when Ngo Sir took him out of the garbage bag to give him that shot in the chest and Alfred switched places with him. Then, Carson got the “anecdote” from Jessica for ATF, which would immediately be used to treat him from the WMD.

      1. Yes-yes, that’s the “antidote” anecdote. haha 🙂

      2. Oops… I knew it seemed wrong…it was something dote!

  13. i detest the ending. why is alfred letting Aimee go can continue to be a cop with no diciplined action being taken ? if Carson is to shoot cant he shoot her on the leg so that she cant run or anything. Alfred character always ” JOR JU SAI”.. Dont like the ending at all…..

    1. ITA!! Ya, shoot on the leg AND NOT heart or head right? Alfred (RON) always act in such role and thats why he is not that famous. “Jor Ju Dei Kao Juin” and “kao kao jen mo pong chan”

  14. aimee killed this series with her terrible acting especially when shes crying (which she did a ton in this series), she couldnt speak any of her lines properly. Ita already bad that she speaks with an accent, but cmon, make it more convincing!

  15. I’m glad Jessica died but I thought Carson would move on with Yoyo.

    1. No sequel if Yoyo is with HKTV, Carson dies and Jessica dies.

    2. If they were gonna make a sequel, they would say that Yoyo went to America because she is no longer with TVB. They might though ask for Yoyo to help because the ratings for Tvb are quite low compared to before. If this drama was three years ago, the rating would be higher than thirty each time.

  16. I didn’t see any chemistry between Ruco and Aimee. So I wasn’t convinced he would kill himself for her. He has such a strong character.

    1. I don’t know exactly what you mean by chemistry but i thought they exhibited a fair amount of intimacy in several scenes which were very convincing, like how they touched each other, the adoring looks Aimee gave to Ruco and the way he flirted with her. I thought Ruco did exceedingly well in the last few scenes starting from when they met in the church right to the ending. His anguish at her suicide was clearly palpable, the way he cried with nostrils flaring and red eyes and tears rolling down his face, hard not to feel moved. I was fully convinced of his guilt and anguish but no matter what, i hated the suicide ending.

      1. Yes, Agree with Buzz. I don’t know what chemistry you ask for anymore.
        I prefer Jessica goes to jail for few years and both Carson and Jessica can start things altogether again after she is our from jail. I believe with such arrangement, all of us would be happier.

  17. sounds like the story was pieced together by several individuals…..

  18. the chocochino that carson sipped isn’t the same as the one that Jessica used to drink in the earlier chapters. so did carson commit suicide or did he just fall asleep?

    1. colour different maybe due to the poison? 🙂
      is definitely commit suicide. If not, why the screen would purposely emphasize the hands dropping off from the bench part? Why is there a bouquet of red roses… right?

      1. Yeah. He committed suicide…at least that’s what I’ve gathered. And apparently Ruco confirmed it on his weibo twice

  19. Ending was kinda blahblahblah n non suspense TVB!!!!!!!!

  20. All Carson need to do was hug Jessica, then Albert come in & karate chop her to make her faint. Then arrest her & put her in jail. The end.

    1. Yeah, cut the scene when Ron and Ruco did the humping together.

  21. Best TVB crime drama ever? Not by even by a a mile. Of course the ridiculousness here also brings to mind other previous crime genre series TVB has ended up bungling. But best TVB crime series? No, no ,no.

    Ruco Chan is without a doubt one of the better leading actors in TVB currently. I only wish TVB would utilize his talent more fully in better scripted series. The only series of his where he attains leading role that showcases slightly superior quality writing is The Other Truth. Still waiting for that definitive series for Ruco.

    1. “Still waiting for that definitive series for Ruco”

      Reality Check.

      “that showcases slightly superior quality writing is The Other Truth”

      Good writing but not superior and his role was for a lead quite minimal.

      “But best TVB crime series? No, no ,no.”
      Which one then? Detective Investigations Files? ROE is the best crime drama series by TVB.

      1. I like Split Second better than ROE, maybe because I am Alex Fong’s fan, LOL!

      2. Yeah I like Split Second a lot as well. It didn’t have any “cutesy” family/romantic filler or useless plot twists. Everything fit together and it made sense why it was included.
        It felt like they spent a lot more time writing it and figuring out what to add to make it flow well.

  22. Yay!! Btw, where do you get the news from? To be honest, I don’t understand WHY Chilam can shot to fame and not Francis Ng (Sam Gor). Well, really like Ruco both in person and his acting skills. Kudos Ruco =D

    1. Ahhh so this was what Ruco was posting about!Something about 3 years in a row? No?

  23. This series is good, but Tiger Cubs 2012 is better

  24. I haven’t watched this show, and don’t plan to due to not liking the cast….

    Having said that, I can’t believe people are nitpicking this to death while shows like 24 get awards thrown at them with even worse plot holes and acting.
    CTU is the most dysfunctional, easily entered, mole infested law enforcement division in existence. The acting is atrocious and Jack Bauer only looks like such a badass due to all his incompetent, traitorous, inept co-workers. Not even going to get into his selfish, “do as I say not as I do, cause I’m Jack Bauer and you’re not” attitude.
    How on earth is can this series be any worse? It actually sounds like they put some thought into the story even though it may have a few holes.
    I think some people have too much time on their hands and/or expect a level of writing that TVB writers just can’t live up to. TVB will never write a Tom Clancy storyline, just enjoy what they put out and expect a few holes.
    Don’t most people watch for the actors now and not the story hooks? I know I do, cause every hook they use, I have seen it before.

    1. That because typical TVB police dramas are always PREDICTABLE.

  25. woohoo, congrats Ruco! 3 years running! And he beat out more established names like Charmaine (tough fight with her, she overtook him on a few weeks), Tavia and yeah!!…….Raymond, Bosco, Chilam and Moses!! Good job Ruco! More and more people are beginning to appreciate your talent, topped off with good looks and a humble personality. Will always support you <3

    1. Yummysukiyaki, wat do you mean? Of cos i know, dont be daft! Pl read carefully.

  26. I like the drama and the ending…jessica truly loves Carson and wants to protect him likewise Carson. At the end when jessica said ” she loved the wrong man and she didn’t think Caraon truly loves her, and that he betrayed her” she was hurt, therefore she shot her self. Carson comitted suicided because he loves jessica and cant forgive himself. Also I agreed that jessica cant go to jail, what if she did then what will happen to them? Eventhough carson can wait for her, but she can’t face it or forgive him or herself. I like the ending either die together or be together forever.

  27. Like what this article mentioned, with the highly anticipation and promising debut, I really thought it’s going to be a great show.

    Though I will not say it’s not good but like one has said before, when watching a show, you cannot be too rational or logical but too irrational or not logical is also a problem.

    Point 1: Rucco Chan’s character should have just leave HK for good but not killing himself. This is encouraging people to commit suicide when they cannot get the ending they wants.

    Point 2: No problem that Aimee Chan’s character, Jessica, wanted to kill herself BUT the problem is how can they just simply killed off her char with such that a person with high moral from killing her own father accidentally to stop him from selling the viruses to a low-moral person who wanted to sell away the viruses to escape HK with Carson. Though love is blind BUT it’s really too blinded in this sense.

    I will still support TVB progs but hopefuly, they will not just simply edit off too much of the storylines just to fit in the schedule of next programme which is UNACCEPTABLE!!!

  28. I think the best ending would have been that jessica killed carson first for his betrayal and then herself.

  29. -aimee”s english and crying scenes made me cringe
    -the whole series was good but rly died at the end
    -i wish ron was more incorporporated in the story line, love circle wise and action

    – id giv it a 8/10, middle was kinda slow, how youi and his fake dad were basically chasing eachother around for 6 episodes

    1. She’s Canadian.

      Any Canadians here? Do you talk in such a pronounced way, emphasising on the Rs? Like Carrrrrson, Sirrrr, oh my gawddddddd sort of way like how Linda and Aimee doing?

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