Dayo
Wong’s TVB drama have always been the promise of high TV rating in Hong Kong TV
market. His comedies always win the support of teenagers and housewife whose is
the main composition of Hong Kong TV drama audience. “War of the Gender” (男親女愛)in 2000, “To Catch the
uncatchable”(棟篤神探) in 2004, “ You’re
Hired”(絕代商驕) in 2009 and “Bounty
Lady” (My盛Lady) in 2013
averagely gain 39 point in the highest TV rate which is tremendously top rating
in the TV industry.
Behind
the mystery of his high popularity in TV drama, his successful drama did have
many similarities and common characteristic. In the followings, I would like to
use his newest drama “Bounty Lady” as a case study to see how gender stereotype
and social elements was being involved in his success formula.
The story sets in with the public affairs expert Heung Kwong-Nam (Dayo Wong), a renowned savior of the bachelorettes in town, often helps some
single female to seek for a relationship by using unexpected methods to
transform them.
When classifying Dayo Wong’s style
TV drama into a genre, we can define it as a “city comedy”. In the semiotic
category, there are always similar types of characters in his drama. A dominant
male leading character that is rascally smart, kindhearted but acrid will
played by himself, and his partner must be a shrewish and fierce female that
always stand against with him at first but fall in love with him at last. Moreover,
supporting character that is relatively foolish to bolster up the main character
and group of licorice actor surrounded in the play is the usual setting in his
drama.
This character composition formula
was being strengthened in “Bounty Lady”, Sing Fa-Lui (Kate Tsui) as the
shrewish heroine remain to be the typical quarrelsome lovers with Dayo Wong. Yuen
Huen (Sharon Chan), Yam Mo Lin (Grace Wong) and Judy (Siu Bo Chan) are the
women that have received help form Kuang-Nam, this drama multiply the number of
vulnerable and disadvantaged character in order to portray different case of
helping the unmarried women.
Through the salvage process of
those single women, several gender stereotypes were being illustrated in the
drama, especially some unwelcomed female characteristic, such as materialistic,
self-centered, tomboyish character, low self-esteem etc. The public version of these
negative female characteristic was depicted to create a discourse that “Once
you change yourself, you will find your love”. The function of the stereotype
is to maintain sharp boundary definition, to define clearly, where the pale
ends and thus who is clearly within or beyond it. (Dyer, 2000) Audience as a
decoder will probably rethink their own situation and compare with the
character in the drama. Thus, the gender stereotype successfully create a
social gossip about the TV series, adding on some Dayo Wong’s style proverb to
reinforce the comedic dialogue between characters. Moreover, several real life
cases was involved in the drama, for instance, $500 HK girl (Paula’s case) and pseudo-model
phenomenon (Mika.S.’s case) to make the drama more realistic.
In conclusion, we can see Bounty
Lady is another typical Dayo Wong’s TV drama that strictly follows his own
style. The motifs of his drama keep projecting the quarrelsome lover’s gender relationship,
which is deeply welcome and accept by HK audience and his successful formula
makes him to win the Best Leading Actor in TVB Anniversary Award 2013.
Word
count: 577
Wong Shu Hei 10487265
Reference:
Dyer, R. (2000). ‘The
Role of Stereotypes’ in Media
Studies: A Reader, eds P Marris & S Thornham, New York University Press,
Washington Square, pp. 249.
My盛Lady.(2013).Retrieved April 17, 2014, from TVB.COM LIMIT, http://programme.tvb.com/drama/bountylady/
Lunyeah. (2012). "尋找TVB的黃子華公式". Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://thehousenews.com/personal/%E5%B0%8B%E6%89%BEtvb%E7%9A%84%E9%BB%83%E5%AD%90%E8%8F%AF%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%8F/
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