40 minSeason 1 • Episode 12
LatestNow that the murders have been resolved, war is looming and it seems like a happy ending is nigh. Yet Fung Lan is pained over the demise of her companion - and possibly, her future... Will there be a happy ending for Fung Lan? The future of the House of Phoenix in present times is also put in question as a transformed Chi Ling is now intent on saving her shophouse from demolition. Her effort appears a lost cause but only time will tell.
Shrouded with secrets and mysteries, a run-down shophouse in Singapore draws attention to banker Chi Ling who returns from Hong Kong to claim its inheritance. As she discovers the drudgeries and intrigues of her great-grandmother's world - in a brothel set in early 1940s Singapore - she is pushed to decide the fate of the building and to reconcile with her roots and history. The Last Madame is a story that intertwines two seemingly opposite generations through the fascinating story of Chi Ling and her great-grandmother, Fung Lan. A story of the past and present - The Last Madame tells the story of the last brothel owner, Fung Lan, in 1940s Singapore. Set in 2019, the successful but cold-hearted Chi Ling returns from Hong Kong to settle an inheritance from her great-grandmother, Fung Lan - only to discover that therein lies deeper and controversial histories behind house.
Acting
Joanne Peh's Fung Lan — steel and sorrow in every glance
Cinematography
The shophouse as character — claustrophobic, haunted, alive
Writing
Dual timelines that actually illuminate instead of frustrate
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The series resurrects forgotten 'jiu jia' (brothel) culture in pre-independence Singapore, where madams often provided rare economic protection for women under British colonialism and Japanese occupation.
Fiona Fussi was a controversial casting choice as Chi Ling — a Hong Kong-based model with no Singaporean roots — which ironically mirrors her character's displaced, rootless identity.
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