A Matter of Customs

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A Matter of Customs (Chinese: 雷霆第一關; Cantonese: Lui Ting Dai Yat Kwan) is a TVB program in Hong Kong starring Wong Hei, Jessica Hsuan, Liza Wang The story is about customs agents in Hong Kong.

Contents 1 Cast 2 The Story 3 Kong and Moon 4 The Ending, the Code, and the MV 5 Links

[edit] Cast

• Liza Wang as Lui Fok Ming
• Danny Lee as Tao Ling Shan
• Wong Hei as Lam Chi Kong
• Jessica Hester Hsuan as Moon/ Ah Fun
• Jade Leung as Bao Gei Heurng "Heurng Gu"
• Mak Cheung Ching [Evergreen] as Lee Zhi Sek
• Fiona Leung as Queenie/Siu Yuk Gwai
• Raymond Cho as Lam Chi Kit
• Joyce Tang as Elsa/Wan Pui Ling
• Melissa Ng as Bao Gei Kwun
• Shirley Cheung as Gung Siu Yau

[edit] The Story

Number of Episodes: 32 Category: Action/Romance

The story revolves around a customs team consisting originally of Sek (Evergreen Mak), Queenie (Fiona Leung), Heurng (Jade Leung) and two others. Moon (Jessica Hsuan) is transferred to Ming's (Liza Wang) division. Kong (Wong Hei) also joins the team as captain.

Ming suddenly finds herself falling for Shan (Danny Lee), a distinguished man in the publishing industry. At work, she is a role model to her most trusted subordinates Kong and Moon.

Kong and Moon eventually fall in love with each other. But their fiery personalities soon clash and they end up breaking up.

They both move on with different people but both end up in failure.

Ming eventually gets together with Shan, but things get complicated when Shan's ex-girlfriend Kwun returns trying to get back together with him. Ming later finds that Shan involved in illegal drug practices.

[edit] Kong and Moon

[Wong Hei and Jessica Hsuan]

Jessica gets transferred to her Aunt in Law's [Liza Wang] division, because she demonstrated her ability to work with suspects. Wong Hei just so happens to be transferred to the same team as captain of the team, previously CID. He is a loner, cold to everyone. Jessica tries to help him be more open, She asks him to drive her to work everyday on her motorcycle. He eventually agrees when she buys herself her own helmet. On one her first real operation she chases a criminal down but gets stab with an injection needle of the criminal who has AIDS. Jessica is horrified at the thought of possibility that she too may have contracted it. In front of her family and others she tries to be strong, but when they all leave she breaks down and runs out. Wong Hei chases after her, and he comforts her telling that she is not responsible for her family that she cannot take care of her family for the rest of her life. Wong Hei gave Jessica a lot of help and encouragement during this time and they drew closer. Wong Hei taught her that swimming could help her like it helped him. He drove her to get the report. Jessica gets the results and it turns out that she did not contract HIV, overwhelmed with joy she hugs and kisses Wong Hei, they soon get together right after. [I would summarize this part, but it so much better than any words I can use to describe it]

During one of the operations Wong Hei realizes that he is unable to pull the trigger. He writes his resignation letter, and Jessica tries to stop him. He shuts himself out including Jessica, throwing her helmet making a scratch on it. A paintball game is organized so that they can help him overcome this. Moon purposely loses. He was able to overcome this and he put a boo boo sticker on the scratch, saying, “I'm sorry”.

Siu Yau is the daughter of the convict that Wong Hei shot and killed. She is mentally unstable. Wong Hei helps her; with his help and concern Siu Yau gets back on the right path. Jessica also tries to help but later gets jealous when he spends too much time with her and even lying about where he was. They break off, and its not because of Siu Yau its because they were the same type of person, arguing too much.

Siu Yau and Wong Hei gets very close, with both sides having feelings for each other. But she does not want to go into a relationship because of her mother. But when her father's ex-lover kills her mother, she is devastated and hides from Wong Hei.

Later she is found taking drugs, Wong Hei and Jessica tries to help her. When Wong Hei found out that she has AIDS, he lets her go. Jessica tries to help Wong Hei with this devastating blow. He celebrates her Birthday with her, and makes her last days happy. She soon passes away.

Ah Kit [Raymond Cho], Wong Heir's brother have set eyes on Jessica since their first encounter, but since she was dating his brother has kept quite all this time. When Jessica and Wong Hei break, she takes this chance. The chase ends up a success and Jessica becomes his girlfriend. Overtime Jessica sees that they are completely different people and they cannot be together. She breaks from him; also finding out that her heart has always been with Wong Hei.

Wong Hei during an operation he accidentally shoots Queenie. He is unable to cope with the fact that he had shot and killed another person, his own team member. Yet again Jessica tries to comfort him, but he says that he just needs space and time.

Soon after he hangs out with the gangs, and on the wrong path. Jessica tries to steer him on the right path again but he does not weaver. He even breaks Jessica's leg with a pole one time when she tried to stop him. When Jessica goes for a walk and purposely goes pass Wong Heir's apartment, Wong Hei seeing her their kisses the gang leader's daughter, Jacky. Jessica is hurt by this but it is seen that Wong Hei still cares for her as he squeezes part of his motorcycle so hard that his hand bleeds. When Ah Sek confronts him about how he has change he gave him Ah Moon's helmet. He tells one of the gang members to throw it away. Later he is in the alley fiercely opening the trash bags trying to find the helmet. When he finds it he breaks down and cries hugging the helmet tightly. Jacky sees all this and becomes jealous and does not trust him.

It turns out that Wong Hei is actually undercover trying to catch the gang leader. Jacky comes out loose, seeking revenge on Wong Hei, killing his father and trying to kill his whole family and also Jessica and her family. Jessica tries to get back together with Wong Hei but it fails as he says he does not love her. To lure her out Wong Hei figures out the only ways is to marry Jessica. He plans a fake marriage. On the day of the wedding Jessica is kidnapped and tried to a post in the harbor. Wong Hei and Jacky have a shootout on boats. Wong Hei sees Jessica drowning and shoots a bullet at the rope allowing her to go free. But Jacky takes this opportunity to shoot Wong Hei. He falls in the water. Just about when she is ready to shoot at Jessica, Wong Hei appears out of the waters and shoots Jacky in the head, instantly killing her. Wong Hei is grabbing to the side of the boat. They both smile at each other, and Wong Hei lets go and vanishes into the murky waters of the harbor. Jessica frantically searches for him in vain even when they try to bring her up on the boat, but Jessica keeps searching.

[edit] The Ending, the Code, and the MV

Because of the low ratings that A Matter of Customs received, there was no chance for a squeal. But the series ended with many unanswered questions including if Kong die and what the numbers he gave Shan. So TVB aired the MV of the series subtheme song "To Love Like the Sea" sung by Wong Hei. The MV stars Jessica Hsuan.

The hidden meaning to the numbers 14237348 was revealed in the MV. The numbers are the coordinates to the place that he buried a letter to Jessica.

The letter states:

Moon,

I heard that when you die, each person gets a second to review their whole life, but I got an extra second and that second totally belongs to you. Don't be sad for me, please let me die.

Kong.

This tells Moon that he was lying before when he said that he didn't love her. But that she was the one in his heart the whole time. It also reveals that it is most likely that he let go of the boat on purpose. Earlier it was said by Wong Hei that he didn't deserve happiness. So he let go, but this is one interpretation of the MV, and many argue otherwise.

At the end of the MV Jessica runs out of the sea screaming NO, and Wong Hei is there in the sea and they hold hands. There are two versions of it, one is a far view of Wong Hei and Jessica side-by-side holding hands in the sea. The other is the close up of the hands; this is significant to the series.

[edit] Links

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/polanski/795/summaries/customs.htm - Episodes Summaries