Side dish: The world is made up of two kinds of people: those who like durian and those who don’t. There is no in between. If you love durian, try making a Durian Purée Cheesecake, and you might be able to sway people over to your side.
Episode Recap
Estate neighbours, Dan Dan (Mandy Wong), Fung Nei (Kaki Leung), and Lin Heung (Rachel Kan) have all received an anonymous phone call telling them to cough up the money they owe to Wan the loan shark, within three days. Dan Dan can fall back on her husband, and Fung Nei can sell her beauty products en masse, but single mother, Lin Heung has no backup plan.
Undercover cop, Apple (Priscilla Wong) runs into the father of her partner, Tai Shu (Edwin Siu) at the supermarket, and he can’t stop calling her his daughter-in-law. He helps carry her groceries back to her apartment, and notices that Apple is trying to germinate apple seeds, which gets him fantasizing of a shared future between Apple and his son.
When dad finds out that the lunch he is eating was cooked by Tai Shu, he gleefully reveals that Tai Shu normally never cooks. He then grills Apple on her domestic skills, of which she has none, being a rich kid. Undeterred, Dad is still thrilled at the prospect of having Apple as his real daughter-in-law. They bond over stinky, delicious durian.
Meanwhile, Wan’s sister, Ching rushes to Fung Nei’s beauty shop after her con man fake mustache causes her skin to break out. Ching spots Fung Nei’s flyers, and gets an idea.
While trying to mask the smell of durian, Apple notices how dirty the apartment is. She ends up cleaning the entire apartment, then taking a bath. Tai Shu returns and identifies the smell of durian right away, then proceeds to act like a boor.
Fung Nei’s husband is back in town, and the couple take his mother and her hometown neighbour, Ga Lun out for dim sum. When hubby thanks Ga Lun for lending his wife money, Ga Lun must continue Fung Nei’s lie about the real source of funding for her beauty shop. Fung Nei is unusually quiet then runs to the washroom to answer a phone call from the loan shark. He grants her a few extra days in exchange for a favour.
Fung Nei tells Lin Heung and Dan Dan that she has been tasked by the loan shark with collecting all the money owed to Wan. Other borrowers will bring what they owe to Fung Nei’s beauty salon, and she is to issue receipts for a sham spa service.
Dan Dan tells her husband about the arrangement the loan shark has made with Fung Nei, and he ends up discussing it with Tai Shu. Tai Shu offers to lend him money, and Dan Dan’s husband gratefully agrees. When Dan Dan’s husband proposes getting the police involved, Tai Shu tells him to wait. It turns out that Dan Dan’s husband knows that Tai Shu and Apple are undercover cops after overhearing their bickering at the police station. He hopes that he has set them on the path to save his wife and her friends.
Tai Shu reports Fung Nei’s pivotal role to his boss, Wu Sir. Apple and Ga Lun think that Fung Nei is also a victim of the loan sharks rather than an associate. Ga Lun is then tasked, once again, with making sure that Tai Shu’s nosy father does not interfere in their investigation.
Fung Nei has started collecting the money owed to Wan from sulky women requesting the sham spa treatment. Apple enters and asks for the same one, and Fung Nei initially thinks that she is also making a payment to the loan shark. When it becomes clear that Apple has no idea, Fung Nei tries to sell her on another treatment at another time.
Tai Shu’s father finds out that the owner of the apartment that he has been eyeing has finally kicked the can. Unfortunately, it has already been sold by her son. Tai Shu’s father eagerly approaches the apartment’s new owner to strike a bargain. He leaves his business card with a woman whose face is covered, and speaks only Japanese. Once she is safely in the apartment, it appears that the new owner knows Tai Shu’s father; because this is a small world, she is probably his estranged wife.
The loan shark who has been organizing the sudden collection of money owed to Wan is actually Ching with her voice disguised. She directs Fung Nei to drop the money that she has collected in a park trash can. Ching is all pleased with herself when she runs into Ga Lun, who is lamenting his bad luck at being left out of the action. Ga Lun’s bad luck brings the action to him as Ching collides into Ga Lun, flips out, and becomes incapacitated.
Apple and the police watch Fung Nei drop a chocolate box into a park trash can then leave. They are about to descend on a trash collector before she can get to the evidence when they spot Fung Nei running back. She ends up fighting with the trash collector and retrieves the chocolate box.
Back in her beauty shop, Fung Nei is told by the loan shark (Ching) to keep the money until further notice (whenever Ching has recovered). The loan shark then threatens her business, mother-in-law and husband to ensure obedience.
The police are baffled by the turn of events. Wu Sir decides that they should just keep watch over Fung Nei. He is creeped out by how sympatico Apple and Tai Shu now are. He even noticed that they pretended to kiss when Fung Nei suddenly reappeared. Both Apple and Tai Shu scoff at Wu Sir’s observations while looking uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Apple’s mother is ready to apologize to Fung Nei’s mother-in-law in a bid to enlist a new duet partner. Driving by the very park where all the action took place, she spotted someone looking like Apple kissing in public. She attempts to call Apple, but her daughter’s phone is off.
Apple’s parents arrive at Fung Nei’s doorstep, and Apple’s mother presents a giant fruit basket, the cassette tape they fought over, and sincere apologies. Fung Nei’s mother-in-law appears to melt a little, but when asked if she would like to do a duet, she refuses flat out. Apple’s father politely exits with his protesting wife.
While waiting for the elevator, Apple’s parents are attacked by a cockroach flying out of the trashcan that Lin Heung just opened. When the elevator doors open, the insect flies inside and Apple jumps on Tai Shu out of fear. It is quite the display for Apple’s parents to see as Lin Heung calls Apple and Tai Shu a married couple.
Comments
I find Ching annoying, because she is so one dimensional, but at least her con strategy is getting the loan shark story line moving. Plus, it was relief to have Dan Dan’s husband know that Tai Shu is a cop, and point him in the right direction. Otherwise, I don’t know how much more of the estate ladies’ moaning about Wan waking up I could take.
I did not care much for how boorish Tai Shu was towards Apple when he came home to the durian smell. I suppose that it could be a case of Tai Shu masking his feelings for Apple the same way a boy will torment the object of his affections. At least, we got to see some random skinship with Tai Shu pulling Apple in for a near kiss, and Apple climbing up on Tai Shu in the elevator. I will comfort myself with that, and the cute moments between Apple and Tai Shu’s father. It helped that the majority of their time spent together was in the presence of food. Here they are starting a durian revolution.
Madam Cutie on Duty (師奶MADAM)
Noonas Over Forks 