[TV Recaps] “The Election” Episode 2

The Election <選戰>
HKTV Series 2014

Cast: Angelica Lee, Liu Kai Chi, Poon Chan Leung, Savio Tsang, Gregory Wong, Felix Lok

Episode 2 Recap

The episode begins with a caption saying that the spending limit for the 2022 Chief Executive election has increased to $20 million. Elections are no longer just about policies and people, but also about financial might.

Members of the DNRA discuss Yip Ching’s (Angelica Lee) chances of winning. The majority of them dismiss her chances, but Song Man San (Liu Kai Chi) points out that Wai Man Hin had managed to double his polling numbers within half a year in the last election. It is revealed that Wai used to be a member of the DNRA.

Yip Ching introduces her campaign team to the media. Reporters ask Cheung Kwai Lung (Gregory Wong) why he suddenly switched camps. He says that he felt he was going against his conscious helping the good-for-nothing Luk Wai To (Savio Tsang). He truly believes that Yip Ching would be the one that can change society for the better.

Luk is preparing for an interview when he receives a message containing a photo of him in bed with his assistant, whom he had previously claimed to have no relationship with. He is distracted throughout the interview and puts up a terrible performance.

Yip Ching’s team conducts a vetting of her past to discover any potentially scandalous material and ask her many sensitive questions. Cheung says that the most powerful weapon in an election is a candidate’s scandalous material. Yip Ching remarks that being a politician is worst than being a prostitute, as a prostitute only need to reveal themselves in front of clients, but a politician must expose themselves to everyone.

The next big issue for Yip Ching’s campaign is fundraising. The team figures they need a minimum of $13 million, but they do not have the backing of any political party or wealthy donors. Yip Ching says they can try to find previous supporters of her husband. However, at a meeting with one of them, she is told that the DNRA have made a deal with most businessmen to not give her any funding.

Yip Ching receives a call from Ho Chun Pak (Samuel Kwok), the chairman of the Democratic and Liberal Party (DALP). He urges her to drop out of the race and back his bid to be the DALP’s candidate for Chief Executive instead. He promises that if she supported him this time, he would help her win the next election in five years.

The DALP refers to the Democratic Party of Hong Kong, a prominent party on the pro-democracy side. Ho Chun Pak is based on Albert Ho, former chairman of the Democratic Party and the pro-democracy candidate in the 2012 elections.

Luk is fretting over the bed photos and begs Song to help him. Song says he will deal with the matter and goes to meet the person who had sent the photos. However, he is actually meeting with a prostitute, whom he uses to trick Luk into believing that he had obtained the photos from her. Luk promptly shreds the photos. Back at his office, Song shreds a second set of the photos.

The part where Luk offers Song political positions in return for his help is reminiscent of businessman Lew Mong Hung, who was a big supporter of CY Leung during the 2012 elections. However, he later exposed that he had been offered certain political positions by CY Leung.

Meanwhile, Cheung tries to blackmail some businessmen into donating money to Yip Ching’s campaign, but they refuse. However, later on, one of the businessmen, Cheuk Tin Fan (Felix Lok), brings $8 million in cash to Cheung, saying that it is to return a favor that Wai Man Hin had done for him before. The only condition is that his name is not to be associated with their campaign in any way whatsoever.

Cheung meets with Song secretly. Song gives him an envelope and tells him he wants the contents of the envelope exposed to the media by tomorrow morning. In exchange, Cheung obtains a list of 500 names to use as fake donors for the $8 million. That night, Cheung is seen putting back together the shredded bed photos of Luk Wai To while listening to a wiretap of Yip Ching’s phone conversations.

The next morning, Song is eating breakfast with his wife and subtly shows her a magazine with Luk’s bed photos on the cover. Cheung shows Yip Ching their accounts which has $9 million in it. Just then, a reporter comes to their office to ask about allegations that her husband Wai Man Hin once revealed government secrets in exchange for benefits….

Election countdown: 112 days

“The Election” Episode 2 Preview

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This episode recap is written by Miriamfanz, a Contributing Writer at JayneStars.com. Visit Miriamfanz’s blog!

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Responses

  1. That tidbit when Yip Ching broke down emotionally talking to her deceased husbands number after realizing what she had gotten herself into and the road he had to walk was very memorable.

    That part at the beginning where they talk about a Democrat in the 90s who once said “Money is the mother’s milk of politics” referring to a Democratic election as a battle of money set the tone of the episode was pretty important as well. This was during the part about the $20 million.

  2. Ned that license so everyone can enjoy the shows. And HK’s television and entertainment industry can prosper! What the hell is wrong with this government?

  3. tvb ratings are already avg like 25 even for finales…with hktv it will drop under 20 lol…no wonder no license for hktv

    1. I don’t believe these Nielson numbers. I don’t think they are real.

    2. TVB is free to air TV while HKTV is an OTA internet company with a significant smaller viewer base. It’s like comparing CBS to Netflix. CBS is available in every single home in North America, while Netflix is available to 37 million.

      HKTV simply doesn’t have a license because of Ricky Wong’s political views and the sustainability studies from HK government did not think the marketplace could support 4 FTA channels.

      1. Ricky Wong’s political views are pretty neutral. The problem is crony capitalism in HK. Someone is trying desperately to protect TVB’s monopoly, to the detriment of the whole HK television and entertainment industry. A lesser business man would have left the HK industry for greener pastures. He’s taking a huge business risk because he wants HK to prosper.

  4. i love how hktv films at real HK locations, like their homes are actually homes and u see the view, offices are real offices, and restaurants are real restaurants etc…it adds so much to the viewing experience, tvb please take note

  5. Ricky Wong is HK’s Steve Jobs. In creates industry and jobs with vision and innovation. And he does know how to give up. HK is lucky to have him Doing his thing in HK rather than in Canada.

  6. The HKTV home shopping business is looking really great! I think it will be a huge success for all involved. It’s more than I imagined that it could be. He’s definitely got smarts and a great team!

  7. Where are all the HKTV critics lately on this site. Looks like the have been silenced by the great quality of the shows.

  8. im caught up the episode 11…this might be the best hk television show i have ever seen in my life…its that good

  9. Where I can find this drama to watch online please & thank you?

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