Episode 1:

Crime & Punishment

THIS episode starts with a drunken evening last October, when he drove his Mercedes-Benz out to buy supper.

He hit a motorcyclist and his pillion rider in Little India, and fled.

The 35-year-old actor, who shot to fame in the drama serial Return Of The Condor Heroes, was arrested and charged.

He pleaded guilty to five drink-driving and hit-and-run charges.

He was fined, banned from driving for three years, and jailed for four weeks.

Episode 2:

The Big Slip

ON Monday morning, a thinner-looking Mr Lee emerged from Queenstown Remand Prison.

He hailed a cab, but switched to a friend's Toyota shortly after - as if to shake off the media hot on his heels.

He went home after praying at a temple.

Episode 3:

The Jailbird

YESTERDAY afternoon, Mr Lee spoke at length for the first time since the accident, at a 30-minute news conference at MediaCorp.

Life was hard in prison, he said, but it gave him the time and space to clear his mind, repent and turn over a new leaf.

The scariest part was 'losing freedom', but he kept his cool.

He said he could not reveal too many details - like whether he had his own cell or shared with others.

But he insisted he got no special treatment due to his celebrity status.

'I ate the same food as everyone else, I slept like them, I showered like them and I had one hour of free time like them. It's all the same.'

He even asked other inmates not to treat him any differently, because 'our jobs may be different but in here, we're all the same'.

He has lost 3-4kg - the result of vigorous exercise and not because he was not eating well.

During his free time every day, he would jog or do sit-ups for 40 minutes and then shower for 20 minutes.

Only two people visited him during his stay - his manager and his good friend, former actor Cansen Goh.

He had told the rest - his actress girlfriend Fann Wong, his parents, relatives, friends, and even Fann's parents - not to visit him.

'I brought this upon myself, so I didn't want to trouble anyone else. They've already given me enough moral support.'

When asked if the white hair showing in his short, black crop came from stress in the past month, Mr Lee chuckled.

He then explained he always had white hair, but it was not visible under his dyed locks.

'I have been under a lot of pressure, but I didn't become Yang Guo!' he added, referring to his character in Return Of The Condor Heroes, whose hair turned white overnight due to heartbreak.

Episode 4:

Second chances

HE said he regrets what he calls '100 per cent my mistake'.

'(What I committed) is a serious offence... I will definitely remember it for life, and I'll be reminding myself never to make the same mistake again.

'I spent four weeks in jail, telling myself that I must do this (serve his sentence) in order to face up to my mistakes and punishment. Only then can I start afresh and face up to my fans, friends and relatives.'

Contrary to previous reports that said he never once visited the victims of the accident - a Singaporean man in his mid-30s and an Indian national in his 20s - Mr Lee said he met them briefly at the police station and apologised to them.

He asked for a 'second chance', for him to prove to his fans and detractors alike that he has indeed reformed.

'I hope people will forgive me.'

You would want to believe him - he seemed genuinely earnest.

But you couldn't help noticing how well-rehearsed he sounded.

Afterall, he is a seasoned actor with 12 years of experience.

Some words he repeated with dramatic flair, like how he staunchly 'forbid myself to shed a single tear' throughout the ordeal. He said it twice.

When it came to tough questions, he would pause and frown slightly.

'I'm not in a position to comment,' he would add.

But Mr Lee made it a point to champion the 'drink, don't drive' campaign.

When asked if he had touched any alcohol since October, he said: 'I haven't, but drinking is not the problem here... What's important is the behaviour. If you drink, don't drive, and if you drive, don't drink.'

Episode 5:

The love interest

BY yesterday afternoon, he had already seen his girlfriend, Ms Wong, 36.

'She's very happy that I'm released,' he added.

But he declined to give details of their relationship at this stage, except that 'nothing has changed'.

He would not confirm if he has moved in with Ms Wong like some reports suggested.

Also, it was 'not a good time' to discuss his wedding plans with Ms Wong.

Instead, he asked for 'personal space' for his private life and thanked everyone who is concerned.

Episode 6:

The cliffhanger

AS for the review of his PR status in two week's time, he admitted he is worried, but he hopes to stay on.

'I've worked here 18 years, I'm half a Singaporean... I'd fight to stay on, but if my PR does get revoked, I would still have to face up to it positively.'

Hopefully, the drama stops here.

No sequels, please, thank you very much.