“Ghetto Justice 2” Criticized for Unreasonable Ending
Since Ghetto Justice 2’s <怒火街頭 II> two-hour finale was broadcast on August 25th, netizens have been heavily discussing the ending. While some praised Myolie Wu’s (胡杏兒) acting, others criticized the plot and circumstances as unreasonable.
TV Queen, Myolie was complimented for her vast acting ability. During the two-hour finale, it was calculated that she had a total of nine crying scenes. In each scene, Myolie was able to reflect different emotions whether they involved pain, frustration, guilt , or hopelessness. Netizens applauded her for delivering her performance as “just right”!
Questionable Verdict for “Law Ba”
In the final episode of Ghetto Justice 2, Kevin Cheng’s (鄭嘉穎) character, “Law Ba,” killed the villain played by Evergreen Mak (麥長青). In court, Law Ba was acquitted of the murder charges and set free. As Law Ba had won the case claiming the murder was committed due to self-defense, netizens questioned the validity of the outcome. They debated on whether or not Law Ba would be acquitted of the charges in reality.
According to Hong Kong legal professionals, self-defense can be used as reasoning to murder or causing bodily harm to someone under common law. As long as it can be proven in court that the force used was for self-defense purposes, murdering or hurting someone is considered legal. The court has a clear definition of what murder by self-defense entails. The defendant must prove that he or she clearly believed that the act was necessary to protect themselves and that “reasonable force” was used.
Unreasonable Script
Although netizens can not challenge TVB scriptwriters for Law Ba’s acquittal based on legal grounds, they complained about other circumstances. It was deemed unreasonable for one of the victims of the collapsed building, “Ah Feng’s” parents to be 70 years old and have elementary school-aged children. With their ages, it would be more appropriate if they were grandparents!
Also, as Myolie initially claimed to have killed Evergreen’s character in order to protect Kevin’s character, she should have been charged with obstruction of justice. If found guilty of the charge, she may lose her lawyer’s license. However, this was not addressed in the drama. Netizens claimed that the inconsistency may be due to the recent scriptwriter turnover at TVB, resulting in the noncohesive ending.
Myolie Wu Denies Bosco Wong Had Proposed
Despite the criticism, Ghetto Justice 2 garnered good ratings. In its last week of broadcast, Ghetto Justice 2 averaged 31 points, peaking at 32 points. To celebrate the success of the drama, Myolie treated the cast and crew to a celebratory dinner. As Kevin Cheng was filming in mainland China, he was unable to attend. JJ Jia (賈曉晨) and Christine Kuo (苟芸慧) were also absent.
At the dinner, reporters asked Myolie regarding the recent news of Bosco Wong (黃宗澤) proposing marriage in order to salvage their relationship. Myolie responded, “Those are rumors reported by the media. I don’t understand where the news were derived from. We’ve been busy and have not been in contact.”
When asked if she would give Bosco a chance if he “kneeled on glass”, Myolie replied, “You can’t say it like that. There’s no such thing. Everyone says it like it happened, but it will not. I don’t want everyone to keep talking about it. What had been reported in the media never happened. I don’t want to answer hypothetical questions.”
When it was mentioned that Bosco lost significant weight due to depression over the breakup, Myolie said, “I’m also keeping fit. I will be filming in Hainan later. I really don’t know how to answer anymore. It just never happened.”
Source: Ming Pao via ihktv.com
This article is written by Connie for JayneStars.com.
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didn’t watch this drama, is it good? have to abandon after christine kuo 1st crying scene.
I enjoyed it, but I think people might have liked the original more?
I find it to be my best tvb series of the year so far. Bt i hate the ending. It’s like they are trying to rush things off. Wished it could have lasted for another 10 epi.
i do find it abit too short but then… if another 10 episodes, i don’t think they will have anymore to talk
I agree. The ending is abrupt. Disappointing.
Myolie did very well!
I don’t know about law but i do find it was kinda unreasonable. At least it’s a good ending lol
Self-defense does seem kinda weak. But since they charged him w/ murder, I guess there was no other defense? B/c if he had claimed he was not of sound mind since Sifu had slipped him an Ambien, then wouldn’t it be involuntary manslaughter?
Anyway just curious, did myolie get double eyelid surgery? I noticed her eyelid creases looked pretty deep and unnatural.
Like Funn said in her review, they can use ‘temporary insanity’.
Temporary insanity is in USA. IN English system it is diminished responsibility and if HK still follows English system then that is the correct defence unless law on self defence has been changed to defence of others. Duress is a possibility but not for murder.
manslaughter is a possibility. But the charge is murder and I assume that is the only charge the prosecutor relied on with no other option.
Problem with temporary insanity is that it is even harder to successfully argue and the verdict may not always be preferable for the accused if they are sent to a mental institution.
I liked this series and I was just glad that there was actually a happy ending!
Didn’t they imply that Myolie was going to lose her license? That’s why Kevin told her to make sure to not give up and try and get it back.
Myolie exaggerated again in this series and her acting is overly stressed. Kevin did normal and sometimes exaggerated too.
I don’t know why I like Christine despite her unskilled acting and bad Cantonese and netizens stepping on her face.
I like JJ. She’s comfortable here.
The first one was much better. This one is not recommended. Bad cases, unnecessary too much focus on romance and a lot of bad acting.
yup. the first one is better. that’s why i was looking forward for the 2nd
i thought i was the only one who reckoned kevin’s acting was exaggerated in here. did he use his hands so much in the original? in contrast, myolie, who i disliked more in the first part, pulled off her role better this time.
He overused his hand gestures in the sequel to the point where it became annoying.
^ Agree!
yes, i thought i was the only one being annoyed by his hand gestures!
so true,unreasonable ending,a waste of time…:(
Another bad ending? what is up with bad endings for TVB series in 2012??
The ending was rushed & felt flat…very disappointing.
I feel that Christine Kuo had spoiled the sequel for me, so I definitely enjoyed the original more.
The character of lynette was a waste of space and christine’s performance was beyond bad. They should have gotten a better actress to at least make the role worth the time.
Even crystal Li’s grace was better. And that was her first series! Christine should be limited to playing a cyborg.
I agree! I was so happy with Crystal Li’s performance, I thought she did quite well for her debut. She has some natural talent in here, while I feel that Christine is just trying way too hard.
I agree that Crystal Li’s acting was pretty good considering it was her first series. She has a great smile. Hope to see more of her in the future.
oh so that’s is her name Crystal, thanks. i like her too and find her acting was pretty good for a newbie.
crystal has screen presence, i like her i found her charming. i read in the other article how the reviewer described christine with the X factor. i personally don’t see it from christine, but i do see it from crystal (and eliza from the skits i’ve seen her do)
at least there is a reason for grace to be in the series, but for lynette, it is a bit to….its like the scriptwriter create lynette because just to show christine kou….
Christine has no talent, no acting skills, can’t even converse in canto properly, why the f*** didn’t Myolie or Kevin pulled her aside and gave her a “sh*t you’re bad talk”, is in bad shape even though she’s a MCI winner, has no technique, no charisma, sh*t i could go on forever…..
“According to Hong Kong legal professionals, self-defense can be used as reasoning to murder or causing bodily harm to someone under common law. As long as it can be proven in court that the force used was for self-defense purposes, murdering or hurting someone is considered legal. ”
Wow, I didn’t know this. I was confused when Law Ba was acquitted from the courts w/o any penalty.
” was deemed unreasonable for one of the victims of the collapsed building, “Ah Feng’s” parents to be 70 years old and have elementary school-aged children. With their ages, it would be more appropriate if they were grandparents!”
This is so true. TVB scripts (or casting) can be so lazy these days.
“As long as it can be proven in court that the force used was for self-defense purposes, murdering or hurting someone is considered legal”
But the threat is not against Law Ba, not even against Kris, it was against Kris’ mother. Strictly speaking THAT is not self defence. Self defence is to preserve oneself, not someone miles away. That defence would not have worked.
And I don’t see why those old people can’t be parents of young children. Since they are very poor, they must have toiled hard and so looks old. I am more concerned with how they can be ok with their daughter working as a prostitute in HK, unless they don’t know.
Actually, I think in some circumstances, when there is a serious threat, you can be excused for killing to prevent harm upon others. Though I’m not sure if that’s the case in HK jurisdiction
TBH, I’m sure TVB wouldn’t have been so stupid to write a script, with that defence playing such a crucial part, without any research or consultation. I mean, they are sloppy but not that sloppy.
I must say that Christine Kuo is very pretty. However, she is not ready yet to act such a heavy role as Lynette. She needs to work on her acting as well as her Cantonese.
She is not a brand newbie, like Crystal Li and Eliza Sam. She had already acted 11 drama series and 4 movies. She should have had better performance.
Lynette has no role. She has no defining role. Anyway I thought she was ok in her mandarin speaking scenes. Call whatever you want of her, now that I think back after the series has ended, I find myself thinking about some of Lynette’s moments. For that alone I can see she is memorable, whether in a good or bad way.
Hehe, I liked her in her mandarin scenes too, especially the last scene. I can definitely see her in a taiwan idol drama. She’s pretty and if rainie yang can win golden bell award, she can definitely act in taiwan. LOL
TVB could ship her to Taiwan. That will work.
“. During the two-hour finale, it was calculated that she had a total of nine crying scenes. ”
I thought she cried the same and in an ineffective way. Never felt anything when she cried, probably because by then I was fed up with the story.
But at least she cried more subtle this time. I couldn’t stand her doing the quivering mouth in GJ1 when jing jing died. In CotRH, she was also very gwing.
I cried at some scenes when she cried, so I think it’s good.
I agree with Funn Limm.
I think the ending was too rushed.. anthr 1 or 2 ep perhaps…
Can a person conduct his own case in the dock (is that what it’s called)? I really don’t know much about all this legal jargon and better stay out of it but was quite relieved when Law Ba was acquitted and found not guilty of murder.
I wouldn’t categorise GJ2 as a serious law drama, but maybe as a law comedy. GJ was never about how lawyers fought law cases but more about helping the poor fight for their rights. If viewers weren’t so bothered whether something is possible in reality, they would enjoy the show more.
One thing I like about GJ2, compared to other dramas which also feature a new case every few eps, is how the main characters in each case are linked to the main leads and do not disappear after the case is over.
The girl who got a disease after eating some bad medicine appeared when Raymond’s role wanted to learn english from Crystal’s role. The building collapsed when they were celebrating the pregnant lady’s baby’s birthday. Not to mention most of the minor characters in this show are from the first series and they also mentioned Sharon and Joyce in the sequel.
I don’t mind if there is another sequel where Kevin and Myolie get married and have kids, just make sure they write Christine and King Kong out of it.
The endin
The ending was unreasonable and Myolie’s acting was below par. Her crying made me laugh for it’s corny and unconvincing. JJ becomes the unexpected improved star of the series and Christine with her raw acting has great presence.
Self-defence? that’s so lame at least pretend to be insane e.g attempt to kill the prosecutor when provoked, sentenced for treatment in mental institution and release when fully recovered 🙂
He acts like a brainless moron if he wanted to kill someone without the intention of going to jail he should try to create an alibi, mystery of death +++
Just turn him into “Dexter” if TVB wants to milk him more, LOL
The ending did seem rushed and the acting from most of the cast was fine. Will there be a part 3?
I’ll bet my money on it. In a few years they will definitely come out with the third installment though I’m not sure if Kevin will take part in it. Maybe he’ll be too expensive to hire by then with the fame and fortune he’s earned himself these days.
TVB is already milking the “Law Ba” character in other series. Plus theres a plann movie…
As someone who doesn’t understand Cantonese and rely on subtitles all the time, I don’t find Christine’s acting that bad for a new actress. I guess I don’t find her that bad because I wouldn’t know if her accent or pronounciation is wrong, just like how I’m watching a Korean or Japanese drama.
I think Christine and the girl who played the China woman are prettier than the main lead actress. The lead actress annoyed me.
I also like the young pregnant woman.
GH2 is good! Love it!
To be honest, even though I’m not surprised people find the self defence defence “unreasonable” but I do think it’s quite realistic. I think there are a lot of people who don’t pay any attention to the law and the actual verdicts in real life news cases, and then get all worked up over a drama ending.
In the real world, especially with some juries, the verdicts will be WTF because juries are your everyday people. Some may be more concerned about justice etc, whilst others may not care and just want to do whats easiest for themselves. To be very frank, there are MANY scenarios which are much worse than the one in the drama, and with very disproportionate verdicts.
Yeah, I agree with what everything you said.
So this is a miss? I haven’t seen this yet.
The ending was rushed but it is a good series. I am for Ghetto Justice 3. Just dont cast Christine Kuo for heaven sakes!
haha totally NO CHRISTINE PLEASE
Just say no to Christine in any TVB series for now on!
Lol! Agreed!
Agree
I don’t have a problem with the ending. It’s not that great but I think it’s justifiable. It’s not as unreasonable as these netizens are trying to say. However, I don’t understand how they made the casting decisions with several of the third/fourth line roles. The mother of the guy who was bitten by the dog looked like his wife than his mother and his wife looked like his daughter than wife. I also agree that it’s preposterous for the parents of the woman who died in the building collapse to also have children in grade school.
All in all I think the series is average. The show wasn’t that compelling and there wasn’t a lot of cases. I think it lost many aspects from the first one.
Did anyone not find the villain’s son suddenly turning on his dad after praising him previously odd..
there were just so many things wrong with this series:
– the law is misleading to those who are not familiar with it (law ba getting out scot-free? no way.)
– lynette’s journey to find law ba.. (okay c’mon how is that the slightest bit realistic!?)
– evergreen’s character & plot (yes, there is evil out there but for me it got to the point where it got to be unreasonable)
– lynnette’s character was put in there for conflict, but the conflict was so unreasonable and annoying.
– king kong’s character served little no purpose.
– raymond cho’s character was so annoying.
– so predictable.. as always especially when ah sum spoke to his mother for the last time.
– crappy law cases
– christine’s acting against myolie in the last few episodes was just so bad. she made myolie look like an oscar winning actress.
GJ1 was far superior to this sequel.
This series was boring to me. 1st was soo much better than this sequel. Christine kuos character and actress ruined it for me. There was too much unnecessary love relationship garbage that seemed like it was used to kill time. Very disappointed in this series.
agreed with the relationship stuff.. especially the one with MJ, officer and grace.
I can’t agree m
I can’t agree mOre with the post. However, Kevin and myolie is a good looking couple in this series. Despite the inconclusive ending. This series is still very well set. I love thẻ humor between the two characters and they have great chemistry. The intrude of Christine might loss many viewers from the start. Good series! But could be better if improve on endings
i cant believe i managed to get through the whole series.
to me its one of the worse tvb dramas this air.
after watching afew episodes i wanted to give up but i wanted to watch jazz lam in here as his performace and character is amazing.
i certainly didn;t like myolie’s acting. i dont know why people praise her for her good acting as i find it weak.