A Matter of Customs

Infobox Television
show_name = A Matter of Customs
(雷霆第一關)


caption =
genre = Modern Drama
format =
runtime = 45 minutes (approx.)
creator =
director =
producer =
writer =
starring = Liza Wang
Danny Lee
Wong He
Jessica Hsuan
opentheme = "天網" by
Eason Chan
endtheme =
country = HKG
language = Cantonese
network = TVB
first_aired = September 4,2000
last_aired =
num_episodes = 32
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website = http://tvcity.tvb.com/drama/customs

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, and Liza Wang. The story is about customs agents in Hong Kong.

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

The Story

Number of Episodes: 32Category: 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.

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 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 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

Because of the low ratings that A Matter of Customs received, there was no chance for a sequel. 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.

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.

Links

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