"Oh My Grad" Becomes Hong Kong's New Popular Phrase

Discussion in 'Chinese Entertainment' started by b-lee, Oct 1, 2017.

  1. b-lee

    b-lee ǝʌıʇɔǝdsɹǝd ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ɐ

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    Inbound Troubles <老表> is back for a third round and though it won’t be featuring original stars Joey Meng (萬綺雯) and Ivana Wong (王菀之), it’s introducing new blood like Ada Choi (蔡少芬), Babyjohn Choi (蔡瀚億), and Joyce Cheng (鄭欣宜) to the franchise, which hasn’t been affecting the show’s popularity at all.

    Like its previous installments, the grand scheme of Oh My Grad <老表,畢業喇!> focuses on societal issues. While 2013’s Inbound Troubles <老表,你好嘢!> discussed China-HK relations, 2014’s Come On, Cousin <老表,你好hea!> tells the story of an environmentalist, a celebrity, and a wealthy family. Oh My Grad, on the other hand, centers on the theme of learning and education.

    The first episode starts with Roger Kwok’s (郭晉安) role To Ming-chi, the headmaster of a boarding school, who loses his job after the school gets shut down. His father To Fu (Bowie Wu 胡楓) hires him to be the headmaster of his new tertiary institution Hong Kong Brilliance Institute. The college has low entry-requirements and has taken in many troubled students. Despite this, To Ming-chi remains patient with his students and does not show any discriminating through his teachings.

    Many of To Ming-chi’s lines on the show are being quoted by netizens across discussion boards, with some saying that Oh My Grad is becoming the new When Heaven Burns <天與地>, the show that coined the golden term “This city is dying.”

    Some of To Ming-chi’s quotes include: “Those with blonde hair can still study Chinese, and those with tattoos can still do liberal studies” (染金毛都可以讀到中文,有紋身嘅都可以讀到通識) and “Teachers teach you how to become a person. Famous teachers help you get a promotion. (老師係教你點做人,名師係保你平步青雲) “

    To Ming-chi’s education philosophy clashes with Cheung Chun-keung (Ada Choi), the college’s public relations consultant, a “tiger mom” who is profit-oriented. Seeing how kids grow competitive when it comes to earning credits for graduation, To Ming-chi says, “Doing an activity together with a classmate is still learning. You don’t have to graduate to have learned something.”

    Babyjohn and Mag Lam Film First TVB Drama

    Babyjohn Choi, better known for his work in the film industry, was personally invited by Wong Cho-lam (王祖藍) to star on the show. Babyjohn plays a rich second generation who likes to use English in his daily speech. After erroneously using the phrase “RIP” on his father Si Bok-man (Chun Wong秦煌), his father sends him to Hong Kong Brilliance to further his education.

    Oh My Grad is also Mag Lam’s (林欣彤) first television drama since her debut in 2010. She plays Ching Shu, a student who dreams of being a tutor, and chose to study in Hong Kong Brilliance to earn a degree in education. Because of this, she and her father Darling Sir (Ram Chiang) end up becoming classmates. Ching Shu has her own views on education and learning. She said in the third episode, “If there is a problem to Hong Kong’s educational system, then that should be c hanged. Nothing will be solved if you just leave to find something better, so don’t just sulk about it and say the city is dying.” It seems like Ching Shu was paying homage to When Heaven Burns!



    Creds: HK01