The First Time is the Last Time (1989) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Yuk-fung agrees to the mission because she is simple-minded and blindly devoted to her boyfriend Robert. Under his influence and driven by love and loyalty, she agrees to enter prison to kill Winnie Wong in order to avenge Robert's triad boss Man, who was killed. She acts out of devotion rather than personal justice.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Robert is shown manipulating Yuk-fung, establishing his control over her decisions.

• yuk-fung
• robert
• prison
• kill
• winnie
• manipulation
• loyalty

Winnie Wong and Crazy Bitch are the same person. The target Yuk-fung was sent to kill is actually her friend and cellmate Crazy Bitch. This revelation comes as a devastating twist that shatters Yuk-fung's mission and the bond she has formed with her fellow inmates.

Foreshadowing: The timeline hints at this connection when it notes the revelation occurs during imprisonment, catching Yuk-fung off guard.

• winnie wong
• crazy bitch
• identity
• prison
• target
• reveal

Crazy Bitch seeks vengeance against Man because he killed Yung, an undercover cop who saved her from a life of prostitution and addiction. Yung was killed by Man in the chaos following their plan to escape together and start anew in Canada. His death shatters their shared dreams and fuels her cold, righteous need for revenge.

Foreshadowing: Crazy Bitch's flashback scenes show her bond with Yung growing, foreshadowing the emotional weight of his death.

• crazy bitch
• man
• yung
• revenge
• kill
• undercover cop

Yung is revealed to be an undercover cop who helps Crazy Bitch escape her troubled past. He is killed by Man, the triad boss, in a confrontation that marks a turning point in her life. This betrayal and loss fuels Crazy Bitch's resolve to orchestrate a dramatic confrontation in a sauna where she kills Man and his underlings, though she is badly burned in the process.

Foreshadowing: The flashback sequence establishes Yung as a transformative figure in Crazy Bitch's life, making his death a pivotal emotional moment.

• yung
• undercover cop
• death
• man
• crazy bitch
• revenge
• sauna

Robert kills Yuk-fung because he is entirely devoid of empathy and has been using her for his own ends throughout the film. On the day of her release, instead of reuniting with her as she hoped, he drives his car into her, ending her life in a brutal instant. This act reveals his conscience-less nature and completes the film's bleak portrayal of those who manipulate others without remorse.

Foreshadowing: Robert's manipulation of Yuk-fung from the beginning establishes him as someone who uses people for his own purposes.

• robert
• yuk-fung
• kill
• death
• release
• car
• betrayal

5354 ensures her sentence is halved by assuring the authorities she is pregnant before her imprisonment. As a recidivist, she uses this strategy to reduce her time behind bars. Her complicated feelings about the pregnancy and the father of her child linger throughout her time in prison.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes this occurs during intake, establishing her unique circumstances early in the story.

• 5354
• pregnancy
• sentence
• halved
• prison
• recidivist

After discovering that Winnie Wong is actually Crazy Bitch, her friend and protector in prison, Yuk-fung's mission fundamentally changes. The bond she formed with Crazy Bitch and the other inmates transforms her loyalty. She abandons her original goal of killing her target and instead chooses to define her own path, rejecting Robert's manipulation.

Foreshadowing: The growing friendship among Yuk-fung, Crazy Bitch, and 5354 throughout the film builds toward this moral turning point.

• yuk-fung
• mission
• change
• crazy bitch
• loyalty
• betrayal
• robert

The kitten survives the tragedy. When Robert kills Yuk-fung with his car, the kitten escapes and runs back to the safety of the room. Winnie then picks up the kitten with a sorrowful gaze, providing a poignant final image of loss and unresolved sadness. The kitten serves as a symbol of innocence amidst the harsh prison world.

Foreshadowing: The kitten's arrival earlier in the film provides hope and companionship to Yuk-fung, establishing its symbolic importance.

• kitten
• ending
• survive
• winnie
• innocence
• symbol

5354 is killed by Jenny, a mentally disturbed inmate, in a tragic violent incident inside the prison. Her unborn baby also dies as a result of this attack. The tragedy devastates the surviving inmates and shatters any remaining sense of stability among the trio.

Foreshadowing: The earlier description of the prison's heavy atmosphere and threat of violence foreshadows this brutal event.

• 5354
• jenny
• death
• killed
• baby
• prison
• violence

Winnie (Crazy Bitch) survives but is left carrying the burden of truth and profound sadness. She picks up the kitten that belonged to Yuk-fung, and the film ends with her melancholic gaze. Having lost her friend and facing an uncertain future within the prison system, her fate remains unresolved and tinged with grief.

Foreshadowing: Crazy Bitch's history of loss, including her father's death and Yung's murder, establishes the pattern of tragedy that defines her ending.

• winnie
• crazy bitch
• ending
• survive
• fate
• sadness
• kitten