*Contains Spoilers*
Episode 01: King of Thieves First Appearance Part 1 (Kenneth Ma, JJ Jia)
Episode 02-03: King of Thieves First Appearance Part 2 (Kenny Wong, Mandy Lam)
Episode 03-04: Lai’s Father Kidnap (Elena Kong, Law Lok Lam)
Episode 04: Stealing Gun Police Officer (Lee Sing Cheung)
Episode 05: Breaking into Drugs Burrow (Dia Yiu Ming)
Episode 06: Charge into the Fruit Market (Pierre Ngo, Al Wai)
Episode 07: Young Criminal (Sam Chan, Eric Li)
Episode 08: Wealthy Tour Group Kidnapping Case (Grace Wong, Alan Wan)
Episode 09: Military Addict (Natalie Tong)
Episode 10: SDU . Compassionate Father . Husband (Patrick Dunn)
Episode 11: I Want to be the Police (Derek Kwok, Jazz Lam)
Episode 12: Bomb Fanatic (Yoyo Chen, Geoffrey Wong)
Episode 13: King of Thieves Part 2 (Kenneth Ma, JJ Jia)
Loading ...- Tiger Cubs is one of my favourite series of 2012 and I’m super excited to hear they have received high ratings! I love this series for the cast, characters, action and cases. There is great chemistry between the characters and the cute romantic side plot adds a nice touch to it (while not being the main focus on the series). Most of the cases are quite exciting and suspenseful to watch with a good mix of action- in the cases, and in the training scenes.
- The series also started with a “bangâ€, with the King of Thieves Kenneth Ma and JJ Jia making their first appearance as Guest stars.
- Tiger Cubs as a package was appealing. While the running time of the series is equivalent to 20 episodes; the series is divided into 13 episodes of 70mins each. Each episode is largely focussed on one case so it makes each episode quite distinctive.
- I love the opening credits because it is different from the usual and has a movie feel to it.
- If my memory is correct, the opening themevideo has a section which changes from episode to episode
- Based on the nature of the episode, there are recaps at the start, which encompasses not the episode which was immediately before it, but scenes from any of the previous episodes which are relevant to the current episode.
- The themesong sung by Joe Ma is also pretty catchy and suits the series pretty well.
- I also like watching the characters bond together and grow. At first I thought the SDU team was quite divided, but I’m not sure whether this was because I wasn’t as familiar with the team members yet. Later on, conflicts and differences are resolved and the team members all stick for one another which is touching to see, especially in Episode 10 when ‘Ma Da’ was hospitalised or when the SDU wanted to seek revenge for Vincent in the finale.
- There are cases where I wished there were better guests stars but overall a good mix. Love Kenneth and JJ Jia appearing in the first and final case.
- I’m greatly anticipating Tiger Cubs 2! I hope it goes ahead and is of equal or greater quality so we can see more of Jessica and Joe (who have both left TVB)
- I really like Jessica’s Senior Inspector Chong Chuk-Wah character- she’s so cool XD I think her character was developed really well and her back story was well carried out and integrated throughout the series.
- Jessica starts off to be a very serious person who indulges in her work. Her work is her life and she chooses to cut herself from any social life or the people around her. Jessica’s fiancée died 2 years ago during a bombing incident which occurred at a jewellery shop. Because Jessica was occupied at that time, she did not turn up and avoided the mishap. We learn from Oscar (who plays her younger brother) that Jessica became traumatised and went into depression. Later she appeared to have recovered by focusing heavily on her work. However, in reality this was only her attempt to cover up the pain, hurt and the guilt inside of not being there with her fiancé. She blamed herself for his death. She constantly “saw” her fiancé , asking her to come down to keep him company, and that he is waiting for her. Must be torture! There were many instances where Jessica seemed to put her life out at risk to arrest the criminals. Joe witnessed many of these instances and started to worry about her. There was another time where Jessica seemed to go into a trance, where instead of convincing the woman from jumping off the building, Jessica joined the woman and was convincing her to jump down with her to end the misery. Joe later realises that she was only trying to finding excuses to end her own life to escape the torture she was suffering. Joe helps Jessica through this which brings the two closer.
- They used this part of the story and incorporated into Natalie’s shooting case where Natalie, who is a psychiatrist, manipulates Jessica and takes control of her of mind to take revenge.
- Jessica finally lets go from seeking death with the help of Joe, and for her brother 🙂 It seemed like she could finally open up and live happily again.
- In episode 12, when Jessica realises the death of her fiancé was not caused by an accident, but a deliberate bombing scheme, she realised she couldn’t put the past behind her until she arrested the people behind it. Amazing performance from Jessica- her acting was really convincing as she went crazy trying to find out the truth. It was an intense episode and I was totally absorbed into the series as I felt all her anxiety and desperation. She crossed the line of what a cop was able to do and it just comes to show how much her fiancé’s death has impacted her.
- Joe Ma’s Chin Hon-To (Head of SDU’s alpha team) was very cool too. SDU’s are the elites of the elites and he leads his teams well and invests a lot of time training them. While he appears strict to newcomers Him Law and Vincent Wong, he cares for them and means well.
- I think Joe is very convincing in his role- not sure whether it was impacted by his previous experience as a cop in real life. I think Joe is really good playing those leader type of roles.
- I felt so bad for Joe in episode 10 when he asked ‘Ma Da’ to stay an extra month, and the accident occurred and it is only human nature to blame himself for the misfortune. I was so relieved and happy that ‘Ma Da’ woke up in the end, and was able to continue to work with SDU in the support team.
- While Joe is a pro at his work, he is quite shy and clueless when it comes to his love relationship.
- His girlfriend (Christine Kuo) leaves him for Oscar (his best friend) just as he proposes to her when she realises he is no longer the one she loves. What can I say? I much like Joe and Jessica as a pairing anyway. These two are so much more compatible (and I guess also because Christine comes off as quite superficial) I love watching Joe and Jessica’s scenes, so cute to see them so stiff. The “chase†scenes were so cute with Joe constantly stumbling and both of them would appear so shy hehe xD They always seem get interrupted when Joe wants to ask her to be his girlfriend.
- At the end, Jessica finally confesses her feelings when she thought Joe had died after jumping off into the water with the time bomb. In the final scene of the series, Joe was on a plane with Jessica and was going to propose to her on the plane. The flight attendant wheeled a bouquet of flowers with the ring on it towards them but they were interrupted once again when the plane was hijacked loll It was a funny light-hearted way to end the series and the SDUs were alerted and on their way to save them. The two were more annoyed they got in their way rather than the whole terrorist thing happening lol Classic!
- Oscar players Jessica’s younger brother, the most experienced Sniper in the SDU team, and Joe’s best friend/companion. Oscar’s character is super sweet, and does everything for those he cares about. I think this is one of the best roles Oscar has played. Oscar and Joe both fell in love with Christine (Flight Attendant) at the start, but when he realised Joe was after her, he backed out. Eventually, Christine and Joe fall apart when she realises the one she liked was him. Oscar would always try help Joe cheer up Christine up when she was down, or she’d find him to chat to when there were issues in their relationship. I can’t blame Oscar though because he had no intentions of “stealing†Christine. He was hoping the best for Joe..I guess some things are destined.
- I thought Christine seemed so out-of-place in the series. I couldn’t take her character seriously. It may be her accent or poor acting, or both. She seemed unnatural. I never felt she was that serious with Joe Ma and her sudden realisation that she liked Oscar, makes wonder how much she even liked Joe from the start.
- Straight after the rejection, Christine started actively and shamelessly pursuing Oscar and confesses her love for him. She does it right in front of Joe as well and doesn’t have the slightly concern on how it would impact Joe and Oscar’s friendship. I didn’t really care much for character. Urgh.
- I liked the scene were Oscar looked concerned/sad/jealous when he saw her with another guy. The way he looked at her showed how much he really cared for her and her safety. He came out and took her away when the guy was able to kiss her. When Christine asked “Were you jealous seeing me with another man?” He didn’t deny it. It was almost like unspoken it was unspoken– So romantic! The next scene we see of the two of them was when he claimed she was his grilfriend, when another guy was harrassing her.
- Him’s character reminded me of his character in The Hippocratic Crush– over-confident, slightly cocky-attitude who comes from a well off family. He’s also a new member to the SDU team. While he is very skilled, his over-confident, impatient attitude attracts Joe’s attention. Him disliked Joe as his superior, thinking he is just making life difficult for him for personal reasons. Eventually Him learns of Joe’s good intentions and respects him like everyone else. I’m liking Him on-screen more and more. He is a super nice eye-candy for the series. and his acting is quite decent too.
- Mandy and Him were quite cute together in the series. These two rising stars seem to be in the same series everywhere these days (including upcoming Diva in Distress) I particularly loved the scene where he held her hand as they jumped off the building in attempt to help her overcome her fears of height. At the end, Mandy successfully becomes the first female SDU member.
- They never really showed more of Mandy and Him’s relationship and whether they just remained friends or if anything developed further. Either way, these two bickering couples eventually become good companions. It almost feels like she’s taking Vincent’s place (in the final episode) as Him’s best friend.
- I think Him and Mandy have quite solid acting and both deserve to be nominated (again) for this year for Most Improved Actor/Actress.
- Vincent plays Him’s best friend and the two enter SDU together. His character was always the more patient, reserved one, lacking confidence due to expectations set by his brother and father.
- The last episode was so sad to watch. Poor guy!! He worked so hard and after such an achievement, yet he had to suffer just a tortous death >< I couldn’t bare to watch! Makes me so angry at JJ Jia and Kenneth!
- As ironic as it sounds though, Kenneth and JJ Jia make a really loving couple. Other than their extreme evil doings/corrupted minds, their love for each other is unbreakable, even when JJ Jia’s face was all burnt; they would do anything for each other. I actually felt kind of sorry for her when her face was all burnt from the explosion even though they did so many bad things. I took that comment back after seeing what they did to Vincent..
- The last episode was quite suspenseful and consistent with the rest of the series- it didn’t disappoint. I was kept on the edge of my seat so anxious and worried for our SDU team. Watching Kenneth and JJ Jia torture Vincent was so argh!!
- One of the cases I quite enjoyed was the one with the group o frich young adults- That episode was so nerve wrecking!! It was a fun episode to watch, given the large cast. I liked how the half brother/sister eventually looked out for another, and became friends with Vincent and Him. The story went through a few insistances where I thought the kidnapping was going to happen but there were so much false alarms- quite intense lol I’d sit back thinking “.. is it going to happen? “
- For the case in Episode 12, I was a bit confused by the professor and Yoyo’s scenes where he would be scolding at her and she would plead for forgiveness- it made me feel there was something more to it than her going off on her own creating explosions. It started to look like he was some insane professor, leaving me think their actions were a bit..odd
- I felt the finale was quite unrealistic that Joe did not end up dying from he explosion- it makes me wonder if they’re going to make Kenneth alive (for the sequel). I can’t possibly see how Joe would have escaped… Anyways, I’m glad he didn’t, and finally got together with Jessica XD It would have been too tragic otherwise..
- All in all, I think it’s a great series!! I do recommend giving this series a go =) What are your thoughts?
OMG I’ve been waiting for you to write a review on this series!!! True enough, it is one of the best series of 2012 what with the cast, the huge set up and the story line.
Lol on the finale. It’s TVB. They never die. Not really from explosions. 😛
haha Elie..what about Linda Chung’s Ding Ding character in Forensic Heroes 2 (she died from an explosion!)
I’m glad JJ Jia’s character died though, she better after all those injuries!
your comments are detailed but yet concise. i pretty much agree with you on everything, it’s definitely one of my top favorite series of the year, i loved all the action scenes and it was one of the few series where i loved all the characters because they were all so unique and memorable…well except for christine, she just sort of stuck out like a sore thumb hahah but overall, a great drama!
and i love all of your screencaps! definitely captured the moments between the characters, my favorites are your him & mandy scren caps hehehe 🙂
Thanks Rachel =) I make screencaptures throughout the series as I watch them and then try pick the best ones to use. The only episode which I didn’t make any screencaptures was from the finale (the file was a bit corrupted)
Him Law’s six muscular physique just blow me away!! This is one of the better series in 2012, hope there will be a sequel!! 🙂
I hope if there is a sequel, it’ll be just as good or better! =)
Sounds like a solid series! 🙂 Except the ending…bleh.. :p Nice to know Oscar gets to play a better role, we need some new talent.
Oscar’s character was quite popular/likable- hopefully he’ll get a nomination for this years TVB awards!
Nice recap. I enjoy reading it.
About the last part on how Joe manages to stay alive, the only explanation I can come up with is…right before Joe and Kenneth fall into the ocean, Joe miraculously unlocks the handcuff and moves far enough from Kenneth that the explosion (being suppressed by the water) didn’t hurt him that much. (But maybe he has some bruises that was not shown haha.)
Overall, a VERY good series. I also look forward to the movie and/or Tiger Cubs 2.
Can he really move that far away from Kenneth while in the water though lol
If they’re gonna bring Kenneth back for the sequel, they better have a good explanation for his escape too XD
Tiger Cubs is the best series so far this year! I like the action, not spoiled by cheesy love plots. This series was full of masculine power, but the ladies shone too like Jessica and Mandy. I like the guest star concept, we get to see a lot of big name actors. Each episode is different so you can never be bored.
Full thoughts: http://casualtvb.blogspot.ca/2012/08/tiger-cubs-review.html
Would anyone throw a shoe at me if I said that….
I’d rather Him’s character die than Vincent’s, if they really had to have someone die? I really like his character, after Oscar’s. T.T
I heard that Linda’s going to be in the sequel, and Jessica kind of rejected the sequel. Heartbroken at not being able to watch Jessica reprise her role here, and even more heartbroken that Joe is going to forget Jessica and fall for Linda. grrrrh…
I really enjoyed Jessica’s performance in the show, although she’s taking her usual role of a strong woman. There are more layers to the character, and she actually reminds me a bit of Tsu Fei in DIF VI – burdened by a past love, unwilling to accept that she needs psychological treatment…
I’m a huge Jessica fan, and I sorely miss her presence on tv.
I don’t think anyone would throw a shoe at you lol
Vincent’s character (and Him) are quite likeable in Tiger Cubs and its sad he had to die but I guess it adds a more dramatic affect to the series. Pretty tragic!
ah..damn!! Would have ben nice to see more of Jessica *sigh*