Over the weekend, I was watching all 12 episodes of the Singaporean drama “Last Madame”. It has a lot of flashbacks, going between 2019 and 1930-40s. Investment banker, Chi Ling returns to Singapore from Hong Kong to claim her inheritance. a dilapidated shophouse which belonged to her great-grandmother. The shophouse is full of her great-grandmother’s possessions, a veritable treasure trove of the past. She only discovers who her great-grandmother really was with the assistance of history buff and heritage preserver, Guo Wen who practically charges into the shophouse when he discovers there’s someone in there.
There’s a bit of mystery and murder back in great-grandmother’s day as Inspector Mak is set on discovering the truth behind 2 murders. The first is triad leader Lou Seh’s son who was managing a brothel in Melaka or Malacca as it was then known and the second is Lou Seh’s thuggish nephew. Great-grandmother is the chief suspect in both murders. The story begins in 1930s with the auctioning of young women and great-grandmother (boss of the House of Phoenix) and Lou She competing for the sale of a virgin.
The costumes are exquisite especially the qi paos worn by great-grandmother Fung Lan and the modern day clothes on Chi Ling are very fashionable too. As Inspector Mak unravels the mystery behind Fung Lan’s past, he is drawn towards her. There is their racy bedroom scene in episode 9 but I think it’s tame by Hollywood standards. Chi Ling is also drawn towards Guo Wen who helps her in cataloguing/archiving the shophouse’s contents. It complicates matters between Chi Ling and her fiancé who has flown from Hong Kong to see her.
Not going to give up any spoilers but expect to see a Japanese spy hiding in the House of Phoenix. For someone who lived in the 1930s/40s, Fung Lan is a strong and empowered woman who would rather rely on herself than any man. She sacrifices her one true love to protect him and even though she is in a profession considered demeaning to women, she has a tough and much to be admired character.
