Grace Under Fire

I think Grace Under Fire is a good series, one of the best this year, but then I think the dramatic scenes needed to have more "umph" whilst there also needed to be more heart warming family scenes as well. There were a lot of lovely gems in this series but then I wouldn't say I was 100% invested into this series however the final few episodes definitely hit a very interesting climax whilst the final 30 minutes or so were slightly anti climatic.

Best Actor

Kenneth Ma

There are obvious comparisons between Grace Under Fire and last years a Fistful of Stances. Both series Kenneth did well but I think Kenneth was better in A Fistful of Stances because I think he acts better as the nice guy with the charm and wit however he was convincing as a simpleton turned evil - though very very annoying. He was particularly disturbing towards the last two or three episodes of the series especially when he killed Dominic Lam, his face sent chills down my spine. I liked his more pitiful scenes though and how he rested all his hopes on Fala's love. I would love to see Kenneth rewarded for his acting here but considering Grace Under Fire wasn't a huge ratings puller I think Kenneth will be disappointed once again. 

Best Actress

No Nominees

Best Supporting Actor

Raymond Wong

Though Raymond Wong only had a few episodes in this series I felt his performance was enough to gain him some recognition. It was a heartbreaking moment when he died especially just when he was reconciling with his dad, would have loved to see more heart warming scenes between John and Raymond and Power, Grace Under Fire does this a lot e.g. Dominic Lam becoming a good guy then dying.

Power Chan

Oh I loved Power Chan in this series. Sorry for posting these head shots that are not related btw because I can't find official headshots of Raymond and Power. I'm just amazed by the scope of Power's acting and he was so convincing as the mentally disabled son of John Chiang and it was quite amusing seeing him as quite a good fighter.

Oscar Leung

I liked Oscar in this series and how his character developed from his early scenes with Liu Xuan and then how he became part of the clan I just wonder if they had a scene telling about his past, or did I miss that?

John Chiang

John Chiang was very good as the calm and collected leader Wong Fei Hung and always seemed to know what to do however it was obvious he had to die because TVB is like that and without John dying there wouldn't be a struggle.

Elliot Ngok

Originally he wasn't in my list but then the scenes after his stroke he became so much more "3D", I almost pitied him but then I was also thinking - this is his just deserts. His demise was pitiful and when comparing him to Kenneth you almost think that Elliot is the hero of the two.

Best Supporting Actress

Fala Chen

Fala is becoming a great actress, she is becoming one of the most versatile TVB actresses at the moment and I love her most of the times I see her, it was no different in Grace Under Fire. She was the more "real" character of this series, she didn't know how to fight and wasn't a goody goody but was also a likeable character. It was interesting to see how Fala dealt with rejection and how Kenneth dealt with it. Fala didn't break down and eventually had her happy ending whilst Kenneth went down the slippery slope.

Most Improved Actor

Oscar Leung

Oscar Leung needs to be promoted, winning Most Improved will be one step in the right direction. I wouldn't say he has improved since last year but he is definitely one of the best young supporting actors with TVB.

Most Improved Actress

Leung Ka Ki

Leung Ka Ki deserves to be considered as one of the new line actresses that TVB should promote, she's still quite raw but she is improving slowly and she did very well with her emotional scenes. I loved her scene where she killed Kenneth, that was almost as disturbing as how Kenneth killed everyone else.

Breakthrough Performance

Liu Xuan

Liu Xuan did very well for a first series but I'm not going to name her Best Actress because it's her first series and until she can speak in Cantonese in a series it's difficult to consider her as a best actress.

Most Annoying Character

Dominic Lam

I hated his earlier foolishness and being bent on revenge, it was a shame to see him die so quickly after he "found the light" but he still annoyed me a lot.

Kenneth Ma

How many people did he kill? I lost count but all were as disturbing as the last.

Whilst I hated his character I just wonder why didn't Liu Xuan try to help him when he was at his lowest point and turning into the evil Kenneth. I just would have liked to see some of those "turning point" scenes. Seeing pictures of him as his old self is almost disturbing when you compare it to him in the final scenes.