Always Ready (30 Episodes)
* Reviewed by teddygirl

Main Characters
Ekin Cheng, Charmaine Sheh, Bowie Lam, Linda Chung, Shirley Yeung and Lai Lok Yi

Who, What, When and Where
Ekin, a second class air force man for the Government Flying Service (GFS) along with his best friend, Bowie, a professional pilot. Ekin has a girlfriend, Charmaine, who has been in coma for three years. Ekin persisted to clean her apartment every weekend, knowing that she will wake up. With a very rare chance, Charmaine woke up but she lost her memory. Ekin tried to help Charmaine regain her memory especially her memories of him. When Charmaine regains her memory, she remembered that she was about to break up with Ekin before she got into a car accident. Charmaine decided to give Ekin one more chance despite knowing, that what happen three years ago could happen again.

Meanwhile in GFS, they are taking new applicants and one of them was Linda. Linda at first disliked Ekin because of a misunderstanding but soon it was clear, and they build a good friendship as sifu and apprentice. Slowly, Linda starts to fall for Ekin although Ekin was still with Charmaine. Charmaine notices that Ekin has turn back to his old self, caring about his work more than her. Charmaine decided to break it off with him, and Ekin was miserable. Linda comforted Ekin which took their relationship to the next stage. Linda confessed her love to Ekin after learning that Ekin knew that her father came back and wanted them to reconcile. Charmaine and Bowie turned good friends and soon feelings developed between the two, but Bowie decided to back out thinking that Ekin still love Charmaine. After an incident while on duty with GFS, it brought Charmaine and Bowie together. Linda decided to leave Hong Kong, after confessing her love to Ekin one more time with no response by Ekin. During this period, Ekin learned how important Linda is to him and constantly emailed her but she didn’t reply back. Ekin hurt his back one time, and this started to affect his work and possibly he can’t pass the physical exam. But with Linda’s help, Ekin was able to recover quickly and passed the exam. Afterwards, Linda and Ekin got together after a kiss.

Dislike Factors
The Typical TVB Moments
a. Someone is in coma and lost their memory of their loved one.
b. A young girl falls for a guy ten years older.
c. There is a relationship between the sifu and the apprentice.
d. The best friend likes his friend’s ex-girlfriend.
e. There is a misunderstanding between the guy and the girl, but soon they become good friends and then they become lovers.

Ekin Cheng
I am happy that he is acting in a TVB series again but his acting still hasn’t improved. He can act goofy and funny but when it comes down to being serious, he has this expression which tells you he’s not serious. It’s refreshing to see him again, but when I see him again next time in another series or movie, I hope his acting improved more.

Love Factors
Linda Chung
Linda impressed me in Virtues of Harmony 2 but it even shocked me more when I saw her in Always Ready. Her acting is exceptionally great for her first series. She looks compatible with Ekin despite the age gap and I saw some chemistry between them as well. Her crying scenes were done extremely well especially when she confessed her love to Ekin the first time. Her character was interesting with her sad background and how she changed from her first appearance until the end.

Jacky Wong
This young actor is one of the best child actors I ever seen. What impress me most about him is that every time I see him on screen, he portrayed his character greatly. In this series, he plays Bowie’s son and the two build a strong father and son chemistry in this series. It didn’t seem like they were acting since it see more like they are real father and son.  

GFS
It is a refreshing storyline although people referred this to a copy of Triumph in the Skies. This series is totally different from TITS, and it surprised me when I found out GFS actually existed in Hong Kong. My favorite scene was when Bowie’s helicopter got hit by the gas explosion. It was cool and intense and it seemed as if it was real.  

Chemistry Factors
Bowie and Jacky
They were there to support each other when the other was depressed or hurt. Jacky encouraged his father to date and didn’t mind while Bowie was willing to sacrifice anything for his son. Jacky overcome his fear for helicopters and persuaded Bowie to work as a pilot again. They are a great pair onscreen together and I can totally see the chemistry there.  

Bowie and Ekin
These two best friends had a special bond onscreen and no wonder they became great friends in real life as well. They knew what the other was thinking and trusted each other on GFS rescue missions. Ekin clear the misunderstanding of between Bowie and Charmaine and didn’t mind that his ex-girlfriend likes his best friend. Ekin didn’t give up to find Bowie when he was lost at sea and eventually, Ekin found his good friend.  

The Comments
Is it worth watching? If you want to know more about GFS and are interested in helicopters, you will like to watch this. And if you want to see good bonding between the co-stars, you will love this series especially Bowie and Jacky. And if you are a fan, of Linda Chung, this is a must-watch.

 

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