Recently, TVB has been producing alternative endings by popular demand. Viewers elected not to kill off Roger Kwok’s character in D.I.E., the highly-rated detective drama that peaked at 44 points. As a result, a silly and senseless ending featuring Bobby Auyeung was released. Again last week, an online clip of another Catch Me Now ending was made available; Jack Ko (Damian Lau) did not take a bullet but was arrested by Kwong Yeung (Joe Ma).

“Happy” endings are often favored by many viewers, but they don’t always make for realistic representations of life. Tragedies, suffering, and pain are unavoidable and occur in every part of the world; the recent devastating earthquake in China and cyclone in Myanmar are two unfortunate examples. At the same time, television shows not only provide an outlet to convey lessons and information, but the power to infuse us with fantasies that may never materialize. We are given the chance to momentarily escape our own realities and live through those of fictional characters. In a way, these are reasons some people are disappointed when a certain character dies or a couple don’t end up together: they invest a lot of time, energy, and emotions into a series that a “good” result is expected.

While I’m glad to know that TVB knowledges the importance of its audience, somehow I feel that it purposely produces these “sad” endings as an excuse to show us “happy” ones. It’s killing two birds with one stone. Those who like perfect endings opt to see the alternative ones and those who don’t can ignore them. But unless an original ending is very sloppy or poorly written, the addition of an alternative ending is unnecessary and likely ruins the impression of the series as a whole due to a lack of definite closure to the storyline.

Prior to watching Catch Me Now, I was skeptical about Idy Chan’s first TVB series released in 16 years, which interestingly, is the same length of time Yeung Gor has to wait for Siu Long Lui in the classic Return of the Condor Heroes. The short trailer from last year’s Sales Presentation didn’t really capture my attention and I knew very little about the storyline or Idy’s character. Of course, I still wanted to see one of my favorites actresses of the 1980’s on-screen again, but I didn’t want a mediocre series to mark her comeback. Fortunately, my concerns were unnecessary.

One of the things I like about Catch Me Now is that it gives off a sense of coolness, an effect illustrated by its poster. Although the elements are simply positioned, the dark color scheme coupled with the curvy Chinese characters emanating from a glowing purple gradient make it attractive and edgy. Additionally, the opening scenes enhance this effect by featuring a saxophone-driven theme song and zoomed film-strip sequences.

After watching the first episode, I can already say that Damian Lau’s character is the coolest one of them all. As the leader of a pack of thieves, master mind Ko Chi is the modern-day Robin Hood who steals money from other criminals and donates his share to multiple charities. His team is comprised of a mad racer, demolition man, shooter, and hacker. Since I always value teamwork, I enjoy watching members with different capabilities working together to accomplish a task.

Yung-Yung is introduced about one-third way when she encounters Ko Chi. She is a kind-hearted yet naive housewife who becomes a victim of a third-party involvement. As I knew Damian would be paired up with Idy in this series, I’m glad they rid Yung-Yung of her marital status quickly, allowing more screen time for their relationship to develop.

After collaborating with Damian in last year’s The Drive of Life, Joe Ma plays keen senior inspector Kwong Yeung this time and initiates a game of mouse and cat with Ko Chi. Although I’ve never been a big fan of Joe’s performances, I have a feeling Catch will prove otherwise.

Overall, I’m quite satisfied with how Catch starts off. The storyline seems very interesting and I like the idea of Damian and Idy playing a couple; they do look compatible. Although she was worried about having too many outtakes, I think she will do well for a veteran who has been inactive in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for such a long period of time. Her crying scene at the end is convincing enough. I really look forward to seeing the rest of this series.