Burning Flame (1998)

A must watch

I am just in love with this drama, I don't think I can find another one that is better than this. I love Lok Tin Yau's character, how he portrayed the firefighter with his mindset of always saving people, kindhearted and brave. I love the trio and how silly they are, making new friends anywhere, joking around, and lifting the atmosphere. I love how they showed that women can also do men's jobs, like being a firefighter. Sum Pik Yiu was such a strong spirit character. I aspired to be like her; she doesn't give up and pushes through despite people's disapproval of her being a Madam in the fire station. Sum Pik Yiu and Lok Tin Yau's love story is sad to me; they loved each other, but they missed the timing so many times. The ending didn't quite satisfy me, as there was no kissing scene between them or any scenes of them holding hands. It's a pity. The storyline of the drama overall was great, but there were just a lot of twists and turns. I hate how many people died and turned to do illegal path in this drama.
Overall, I would rewatch this drama but mostly from ep 1 to 20 as the later eps tired me out.

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If I could and if I was petulant enough, I would like to give this drama 10/10 just for Wong Hei and Chin Ka Lok.

What actually stopped me from doing so was the way the story quickly derailed into the kind of melodrama I absolutely abhor in the 90s and early 2000s TVB dramas. Messy love triangles? Checked. Jealous, prideful male characters who insist on emotionally blackmailing the women they so-called love? Checked. Mental illness being twisted into something scary? Checked. Unnecessary resorting to suicide? Checked.

Nitpicking aside, the performances by the artistes were top-notch, especially Wong Hei's. It's no wonder he was in all three installments of the Burning Flame series as he quickly grabbed the audience's attention as the passionate firefighter. Tin-Yau's rash and impulsive abandoning of his own safety can be a tad annoying at times but ultimately, we all root for him. Same goes to Chin Ka Lok's Dai-Heng and tragically, Joe Tay's Bat. Even Lee San San, whom I was never really impressed with, managed to win me over in her role of endearing and sweet girl-next-door Yuet.

Ultimately, this is a prime example of 90s TVB dramas and definitely, a lasting memory of many HK citizens. But it is not something I would like to re-watch.

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