Episode Summary
SNK News and All-Media team up for a joint broadcast to expose a corrupt developer, giving Man Wai-sam a moral victory but not a ratings one. In the aftermath, George and Cathy execute a secret plan. They fire Ivan and then have Cathy rehire him, which successfully dismantles Man Wai-sam's remaining influence at SNK. To save her platform, Man Wai-sam begins a new quest to solve a famous puzzle to attract a million-dollar sponsor.
Spoiler Alert
The Joint Broadcast Showdown
Cathy vs. Man Wai-sam: Round One
The episode kicks off with SNK News in hot water. They used some poor wording in a report. This made Sister Fun absolutely furious. Cathy (Cheung Ka-yin) immediately lays into an intern for the mistake. The intern doesn't just take it, though. He points the finger straight at George (Koo Chiu-wah), saying George approved the phrasing. George instantly denies it, leaving the intern with no options. He's forced to resign.
Later, Cathy is getting ready for a field report. But George switches things up. He assigns Ivan (Poon Ji-ngo) to anchor the live broadcast instead. Ivan complains about the script Cathy wrote. He says it's too technical for a general audience. This clearly annoys Cathy. She flips the script on him. She decides to stay and anchor the broadcast herself. She sends Ivan out into the field. You can tell she's bottling up some serious anger at his insubordination.
Then, Hazel (Hui Sze-ching) shows up. She represents the main news department. She proposes a big idea. SNK News and Man Wai-sam's public platform, All-Media, should do a joint live broadcast in primetime.
During the prep, Cathy and Man Wai-sam (Man Wai-sam) waste no time trading jabs. Cathy accuses Man Wai-sam of using SNK's bigger audience to get views for her own platform. Man Wai-sam fires right back. She questions if SNK even has the skills to dig up a real story anymore. She suggests they're just trying to ride her coattails. Hazel has to step in and play peacemaker. She reminds them that a good story will benefit both sides.
The Truth Comes Out Live
The broadcast begins. Man Wai-sam is on the scene with Sister Fun. Cathy and Lau Yim (Lau Yim) are anchoring from their respective studios.
Man Wai-sam does a great job calming Sister Fun down. She then plays a video live on air. The joint broadcast slowly lays out the results of their investigation. We learn the developer deliberately damaged the building's structure. They did this after they decided on the demolition area. A resident named Mr. Chong, who only moved in a year ago, was working for them. He was secretly persuading other residents to sell their apartments for cheap. He also took a cut of the money.
They also clear Sister Fun's name. Her massage parlor is completely legitimate. She uses traditional methods passed down from her father, a respected doctor. There was never any improper service. Sister Fun is finally vindicated. She sincerely thanks Man Wai-sam for clearing her name.
But Man Wai-sam has one last move. As the broadcast ends, she completely takes over the remaining airtime. She talks right up to the last second. The director, who used to be part of Man Wai-sam's crew, "forgets" to cut the camera back to Cathy's studio. It's a total power play.
The Fallout and the Power Plays
George Makes a Move
Back at SNK, an intern named Siu Tin gets a shout-out from Cathy. He did some great work digging up clues for the story. The ratings for All-Media are still way below SNK's, but Man Wai-sam doesn't care. She feels a huge sense of accomplishment from helping people. She decides this is her new path. She's going to focus on stories about disadvantaged groups.
SNK is also happy with the results. Cathy is leading the morning meeting when George cuts her off. He demands they deal with Ivan immediately for his earlier behavior. Cathy hasn't even figured out a plan yet. George doesn't wait. He fires Ivan on the spot. He says it's a warning to anyone thinking about forming factions.
Hazel Gets Robbed
The big bosses are thrilled with the joint broadcast. The head of the news department gives all the credit to the PR director, Chan Kai-fung. Hazel is crushed. She did all the coordinating and planning herself. Her boss just stole her victory. She tries to call Wong Wai, but he doesn't pick up. She ends up crying alone in her office.
Man Wai-sam's New Mission Hits a Snag
The story isn't over. The developer, Qiao Tai Company, is under investigation. But the Yiu Shan Building is still unsafe. A crowd of angry residents shows up at All-Media's office. Man Wai-sam tries to keep them calm. Lau Yim makes a terrible mistake. She blurts out a comment about potential dangers, which only makes the crowd more agitated. Luckily, Ma Ka-ming steps in. He tells the residents he can connect them with a legal team to sue for compensation. This calms everyone down and saves Lau Yim from the angry mob.
Siu Chun-lok starts providing legal aid to the residents on behalf of All-Media. But then, word gets out that SNK is offering the same service. All the residents immediately abandon All-Media and run to SNK. Man Wai-sam gets another hard lesson from reality. She realizes she needs a major sponsor if she wants her platform to have a real impact.
The Million-Dollar Puzzle
Man Wai-sam's Hunt for a Sponsor
Man Wai-sam remembers a popular game from a few years back called "Winner-Takes-All." The creator, known only as "Cicada," offered a million-dollar prize to anyone who could solve the puzzle. A student solved it the first year. Anonymous citizens solved it the next two times.
Man Wai-sam gives Lau Yim a new assignment. She doesn't have to solve the puzzle. She just needs to find Cicada or one of the anonymous winners. Landing an interview could attract a million-dollar sponsorship. Of course, George gets wind of this. He immediately tells his own team at SNK to start working on cracking the game.
Ivan's Rough Night Out
Ivan, now jobless, shows up at All-Media. Man Wai-sam tells him she heard he was fired. She scolds him for not taking his career seriously. She also tells him they can't keep up their ambiguous relationship forever. He needs to get serious about his future. Just then, Lau Yim returns with a stack of books on code-breaking. A disappointed Ivan leaves.
He ends up getting drunk at a bar. Hazel shows up to drag him home. She's connected to him through her relationship with Wong Wai. She calls Ivan childish for his behavior. Then Cathy arrives. She tells Kelly Tang go home, saying she will handle Ivan.
Cathy makes him an offer. She wants him to come back to SNK. She says she will smooth things over with George. She gives two reasons. First, SNK is genuinely short on good anchors. Second, and more importantly, she isn't interested in power games. She just wants to report the news. Ivan is incredibly grateful.
The Real Game Is Revealed
As soon as Ivan returns to SNK, something interesting happens. All the remaining members of Man Wai-sam's old crew start to align with Cathy.
Then we get the big twist. Cathy and George planned this whole thing. Her firing Ivan and then "saving" him was an act. The two of them worked together to finally break Man Wai-sam's lingering influence inside SNK.
The episode ends with Lau Yim hard at work on the puzzle. She actually cracks the first level. She used a book about the Caesar cipher. Man Wai-sam notices the book was published in 1986. She figures the puzzle creator must be a nostalgic person. She tells Lau Yim to keep working on the puzzle. Man Wai-sam, meanwhile, will try to track down the book's publisher.
