The Princess's Gambit

Proof that even good acting can't revive a lackluster script

The first 15 episodes were so good. Really kept me engaged and every time I finished an episode, I was left wanting for more. But it somehow went downhill from there. Just cliche after cliche after cliche. Mind you, all those cliches weren't even executed properly. I haven't read the novel but from the spoilers I've seen, it seems like the scriptwriters didn't either. The plot's a mess, the characters are boring, their actions are predictable, ACTUAL interesting characters aren't utilised properly and the pacing is absolutely terrible. The acting's the only redeeming quality of this drama.

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The Princess’s Gumboot more like…

NB. Unlike the majority of my reviews this one contains mild spoilers.

To be honest, this drama suffered even more from the comparison to Nirvana in Fire which I’ve just finished watching. I described that as “sophisticated and intelligent” but unfortunately this one is lame, painful and naive. In reality it is a romance in the enemies to lovers trope wrapped up in an intrigue/mystery plot that has about as much twist and tension as a scrunchy. Because whatever happens, you know beforehand that it won’t cause much of a problem to our dashing, devilish hero who will emerge shining bright like a TRESemmé ad with his wig still immaculate.

How do I know that? Because a good plot is one where the odds have real bite and there is both winning and losing, so that the audience is left insecure. But when death is the only stake from the get go, two things become obvious: firstly there will be no gradual increasing of tension and anticipation, only more of the same; and secondly, the hero/heroine can never lose, whatever the circumstances; come hell fire, explosions, high water, incompetent assassins, miracle survivals, impossible escapes and of course, the compulsory memory loss.

Another consequence is a stupid, one dimensional villain, who has to mess it up every time. The character of Prince Wu You was bafflingly extreme and contradictory but not to worry, he was just the aperitif and was soon replaced by another one. Unfortunately, Prince Wu Yin was cut from the same cookie dough but had an added creepily erotic nanny fetish over the linchpin villain of the piece, whose most notable feature was her absence from the majority of the drama. The loss of the only credible villain, Meng Hui Jin about a third of the way through was a sad day for the plot. One wonders if having an opponent equal to the task was something the writer was not skilled enough to handle.

I wasn’t convinced by the love story either. In fact the writer’s level of emotional literacy throughout, especially in the characters of the villains, hovered around zero. If on first encountering someone they try to kill you, just believe me when I say, you really are never going to trust that person again. Then heap on top of that a huge number of dodgy scenarios and a great deal of warranted mistrust and you have an unredeemable situation. So to think that these psychological obstacles could in some way be cast aside (however much two people lust after each other) is totally naive and snuggled-up-safe-in-bed fantasy-land imagining. And there you have it, I suppose I’m just too old and grounded in reality to appreciate this style of storytelling. I assume that this is a known fact to people who choose to read my reviews (and I’m genuinely grateful to you for being one of them), so no surprises here, lol.

This wasn’t a low budget love story. There was a cast of thousands, a big costuming budget and all the trimmings which were on constant display (they’d got them, so they might as well use them type of attitude). Which might go some way to explaining why our intrepid heroine felt it necessary to still wear a barnet full of ornaments and a silk gown whilst rough travelling hundreds of miles on horseback to rescue her brother. But despite all that jingling finery, the drama still didn’t make the cut because the script and the plot was sooo bad.

It began with a perfectly acceptable high stakes drama (if I was generous, a 7.5) and then, almost purposefully, slid down the long slippery slope to end in the farce that was the coronation scene (now plummeted to a 5) before falling apart completely (which is how we arrived at 4). There were too many threads that were hanging loose and not bound together into a cohesive narrative. The last three episodes felt like having to clean up after a party—washing up the characters, vacuuming out the various plot rooms and polishing off the last dregs in the wine bottle just so you can keep going.

As for the dialogue, it was superficial, explainy and lacked any sort of subtlety or emotional intelligence. When characters start explaining their backstory to people who lived it with them, then you know the writer was chucking an all-nighter to get the scene finished before the dawn shoot and patch the holes made by the scenes that got cut earlier on. This happened throughout, but most cringeworthy was Empress Lv in Episode 34.

The acting wasn’t anything to write home about either. But then it’s difficult to excel with banal lines and wooden direction. It’s hard to pick a winner but I’ll back Lui Ling Zi’s performance as probably the best of a very average bunch.

And the soundtrack? Was there one? I’ve forgotten…

However, to end with, there are one or two things that attracted a favourable response from me. I really like the sets for this drama. Particularly the gambling den, with its rich colouring and ambitious costumes. Also the cinematography followed through on that theme, with some dramatic lighting that provided an interesting visual feast (which saved it from a 3.5).

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the cliff took the wrong victims, it should have been the writers of the second half

it's rare that a show appears to give such clear insight into behind-the-scenes drama but if you told me the same writers wrote the story before and after both character and show fell off a cliff halfway through, I wouldn't believe you.

first half was a moderately entertaining, somewhat formulaic historical drama with all the lost child, palace abuse, ridiculous CGI wolves, and contrived finding oneself in bed with the enemy tropes that your heart desires.

second half was like one of those meals made with leftovers from the fridge, only the chef has no sense of smell or taste and their glasses are steamed up so they don't see too well either. it's a mess, with things that might have been edible if they hadn't been cooked all together with stuff with a best-before date of 2016.

highlights were the flawless Liu Lingzi, whose tightly controlled Meng Zhenzhen deserves far more praise and a far better drama for her skills; Liu Xueyi's peerless cheekbones and always solid grasp of his characters; Gao Han's crying; many of the sidekicks; Meng Huaijin and the weird cousin relationship; and being amused by how many viewers thought the 3rd and 4th prince were the same person. the OST is delicious by itself and Reno Wang's outro track has found a permanent place in my Cdramas playlist.

the lowlights are too numerous to mention and ultimately all of these efforts were overshadowed by a storyline lacking any type of integrity.

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Strong Performances, Smart Plot, Soft Ending

Okay, this drama was actually pretty good—even if it’s not usually my style, it somehow kept me hooked. It’s got those enemy-to-lovers vibes, with a splash of revenge, family trauma (because of course), and a solid dose of character development and thrill—which I love.

Both main leads were smart (bless!), and I always appreciate it when their brains are as sharp as their swords. It’s the classic “my family was massacred and now I’m on a mission” storyline, but hey, it worked.

The only thing that left me unsatisfied was the ending. I really wanted more backstory on Empress Lv—like, what happened to her?? Why did she go full chaos mode? And honestly, the ending felt like someone pressed the “cut to credits” button too soon. If this were a transmigration drama, maybe I’d accept that kind of abrupt finale—but in a historical setting? It felt like I got robbed of emotional closure.

Where was the passing of the throne? Where was Qingtai and Zhanlu’s love story? Give me just one soft scene, please! And Taohua and Zaiye? I just wanted to see them sipping tea in peace, living their best post-war lives.

That said, the cast absolutely ate. Every single actor gave it their all, and I loved them for it. Would still recommend this to anyone who enjoys clever characters, beautiful chaos, and a little heartbreak on the side.

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A big disappointment

this drama started strong with great plot and character motives , in the middle it became flat and they dragged it out for a very long time and finally a very rushed ending .

they kept talking about how Hua or empress LV was vile and ruthless but we saw nothing like they gave her 10 minutes in the final episodes we wanted more but about her backstory we never got to know anything maybe some little details but it wasn't enough.

taohua needed to make her mind does she love zaiye or not the kept going back and forth and she leaving him for his own good so he doesn't get hurt It just dragged things out It wasn't good at all .

in the end when he wanted to save her so he took the poison was a stupid plot , I mean we get the FL to live but kill ML what is that .

they just wanted a sad ending for no reason , even at the end I don't get did he wake up or was she just dreaming "imagining" .

really disappointed , on the other hand acting , casting ,music and the plot at first were great.

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LIu Xue Yi deserved better!

This was not my favorite drama. It wasn't my favorite story or plot. Honestly, it felt like someone took the FL's "Blossom" and the ML "Kill Me Love Me", put them in a blender, and this is what came out. That having been said, I cannot dispute that the two main leads did an outstanding job.

Liu Xue Yi is always amazing. I will give every one of his dramas a chance every time because he is a fantastic actor and a tremendous gift to the Chinese drama industry. Even in the stories I don't like, I will skip through to watch some of his scenes. I hope he never retires and continues to give us wonderful shows to watch. He is consistent in showing deep emotion and insight into complex and difficult characters. Simply put, this drama wasn't worthy of him. Liu Xue Yi deserves better. MUCH better.

Meng Zi Yi did a good job as well. I have only seen her in Blossom before this, but she has very expressive eyes and comes across well. I felt her character was treated unjustly for most of the story and when she finally fell for the ML, I believed her. She is a good actress and I hope to see her in more in the future.

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Promising start, lackluster ending.

Although it was flawed and predictable, the first half of The Princess's Gambit was entertaining and showed great potential. I was impressed with the gorgeous costumes, the actors' chemistry, and how cut-throat the schemes were. Our main characters, Jiang Taohua and Shen Zaiye, were both intelligent and calculating, and I loved their cat-and-mouse dynamic. It felt like the start of a real enemies-to-lovers romance, their interactions being the highlight of each episode for me. I also appreciated that despite their obvious attraction to each other, their priorities were focused on their missions: Jiang Taohua's fight for her survival and her brother's safety, and Shen Zaiye's desires to dismantle the corruption in the court and seek revenge for the wrongs that were committed in the past. With such a premise, I was so sure this would become one of my favorite dramas of the summer.

Unfortunately, the second half of the story came and it took an uninspiring and lazy turn. Suddenly, there was a noticeable shift in the tone for the characters and a drop in consistency for the storytelling. The plot lost its clear direction and stalled, hindered by an unnecessary trope. Miscommunication, lies, and a lack of trust between the main characters caused the story to lose its momentum, diminishing the drama's overall engagement. And the character development... what character development? Jiang Taohua — who started out as a powerless but resourceful heroine that could overcome any obstacle thrown her way with just her wits and bravery — regressed into a helpless damsel in distress in this latter arc. And Shen Zaiye — who spent years plotting and was hard set on vengeance even if he had to tarnish his own reputation and become a villain to accomplish this— suddenly became fixated on solely Taohua and uncharacteristically sidelined his own ambitions until the last remaining episodes. The change in their personalities, shift in their goals, and losses of their sense of self were painfully disappointing to watch unfold.

The plot took a nose dive, and that should have been my cue to drop the drama, but I loved the characters and I wanted to believe that the scriptwriters could salvage the narrative by the end, so I stayed. Regrettably, things didn't go as I hoped and when I finally reached the last episode, I was just happy that the drama was finally over. I learned that a few of the main reasons why the drama felt so disjointed was because there were too many people involved in the scriptwriting process and the drama had deviated significantly from the novel — which made so much sense based on what I've watched. I was left pondering what the drama could've been like if the scriptwriters had stayed faithful to the source material. Perhaps we wouldn't have such a polarizing reception of the drama?

My final thoughts: The Princess's Gambit suffered from a weak script and poor directing. The actors did the best that they could with what was given to them. Sadly, their efforts were in vain because this ended up being a very mediocre drama filled with cliches, choppy editing, and plot holes. While certain aspects of the drama were still enjoyable and commendable, it fell short of becoming great. I feel bad for the actors, because I liked them as individuals and initially I also thought that they were magnetic on screen together. There was so much wasted potential. They deserve better, and I hope they can reunite in a future project, one with a higher quality script.

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Entertaining while waiting for better drama

I am very conflicted about the rating for this drama. The story was just going downhill from when FL fell off the cliff. But I hung on and watched till the end. Is it watchable? Sure. But was it enjoyable? Was it the best? No. There were moments of shine but overall it was just too convoluted and trite. Everything shown has been shown on CDrama countless times. There's just no surprise.

I thought ok - I will give it an 8 if the ending makes sense. But no. It was just plain frustrating and draggy even down to the last minute. I can't believe these good actors put up with the scripts!

Anyways, I am going to go easy and give it a 7.5 as the ML acted well and FL towards the end was just annoying. You have to ask why she didn't even glance back at the ML as she rushed out of the cage to her master who couldn't be saved. OMG!!! Rolling eyes.


For those who don't like harem stories, this one is not for you. If you want a perfect hero who doesn't have any relationships with other females, this is not for you. The ML has a wife and concubines. This is the basis of the story. All the princes send woman to him to spy/protect their interests.

He's 30 years old and this is ancient China so it's hard to find a guy without wives and concubines.

The story is trite. She is being blackmailed to spy for the queen. She was poisoned so every month she needs a fix. This is a story that's been told many many times! I don't like it, but it works to create a conflict.

The palace intrigues: princes are fighting against each other for the throne is also old.

What's really new is the pairing of the ML and FL. I think they have chemistry.

Another thing is the writer insert an annoying ML's sister. The way she acts and talks, it's tough to convince me that a guy like the 4th prince would like her. He's so gentle and educated. She's just plain childish and annoying.

This drama has been using a tool to create suspense that I don't like. It creates a situation where audiences think that bad things will happen to the leads when in actually, they have a plan/conspiracy in place that we don't know about until they "surprise" us with a successful feat. Then they show the behind the scenes that they didn't show to us previously.

It's the easy way out of making an interesting plot. If you notice, this tool has been used a few times already.
I suspect ML and FL are working together to spy on the 3rd prince.

PS> There are many ways to create suspense. You can google "how to create suspense". The way they are doing it is the easiest: "hiding information from the audience". And then, oh we did this behind the scene. You didn't know about it.

I would rather have the all the clues and decide for myself.

Ep 22 and beyond
Plot is getting worse. Suddenly 3rd Prince in love with evil Empress. Nevermind she looks like his mom. No explanation of their history.
And then the predictable and easy way out of poisoning the King.

I am here because there's no other good dramas to watch. The other drama: A Dream Within a Dream is unwatchable for me.

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Please stop hiring unpaid interns for script writing

Genuinely think the script writers are insulting the audience's intelligence. The story never lines up, the logic falls apart time after times.

This drama is what we call 脑残恋爱剧. that's exactly what it is, you need to leave your brain at home in order for this drama to make sense. You need to watch this for the purpose of "watching two attractive people fall in love" because that's the only thing it (questionably) delivers.

At ep 34 I finally realize they tried to copy the plot of nirvana in fire and my goodness, it'd be an insult to even call this a dollar store NiF.

Pros:
Good casting, if not for these phenomenal actors I absolutely could not have finished this

Cons:
I don't know why nobody mentions this, but the ML's sister is what we call "a cast with funding". Because if she did not sponsor the production there's no way she would've been in this drama.

All throughout I've never seen any character more annoying. Purpose? None. Character development? Please don't piss me off. Is involved or is critical to any part of the story line whatsoever? Absolutely not. This character genuinely could've been replaced by a passerby and the story would've moved on just fine.

With regards to the script writing, long story short, they introduce conflict for the sake of conflict, ignoring if it makes sense of not. I started noting some down after some episodes because just wanted to see how ridiculous this gets:

- EP 10, fight in the forest about to break out, let's bring the FL who cannot fight at all, we will see this later.
- EP 10, grandma of course needs to go back and fetch things while enemies approaching.
- EP 11, FL as expected cannot help with anything, the reason why she was here the first place is just so she can be "saved" by ML.
- EP 11, village got raided, people died, what the kids do? Play football.
- EP 11, ML FL cannot go back home because being chased by the crowned Prince, after seeing some mountains, they magically could now.
- EP 11, ML remembers to check FL's background after married for ages now.
- EP 15, poisoning a foreign princess is apparently 罪不致死 (no biggie bc attempting murder on a royal is just a prank I guess) , make that makes sense.
- EP 18, 4th Prince just got saved and woke up from poison, very sought after and is in great danger, so of course he immediately leaves protection in literally undergarments with ZERO guards with him.
- EP 19, bad guy holding FL hostage, ML prepares bow and arrow to shoot, bad guy of course stands still waiting to be shot because using the FL as a body shield would make too much sense.
- EP 19, falls off a cliff, survives, wakes up in full face makeup looking pretty
- EP 20 FL's brother was like 9 or 10 years old in EP 1. It's not been that long as every pill is one month. It's not been years, but somehow this boy is a grown man now.
- EP 21, Prince of the country is in love with the Empress of the enemy country because mommy issues. I'm trying not to roll my eyes.
- EP 23, FL got captured, they knocked her out, but of course they wait for her to wake up first, before attempting her life because otherwise it'd make too much sense.
- EP 23, drowning cured her amnesia and I'm supposed to accept that.
- EP 26, at 22 min you see the most random jumps. So they also didn't pay for post production and edition I guess.
- EP 27, a massively important witness. Which means Meng is allowed to just walk into the prison and murders him because in this world, we don't have prison guards.
- EP 29, FL finally meets up with her brother, bad guys approaches, what do we do? Run in opposite direction of course. We use the table as a shield for arrows, fair enough, but don't forget to use an umbrella as well as that is somehow a stronger shield than a table.
- EP 30, the ML FL and her brother are now together, as a villain you see 3 of your worst enemies what do you do? Send assassins after them? Send your thousands of soldiers after them? Get some archers and snipe them? No, you explode the city, because the script writers said so.
- EP 30, as the evil empress is now leaving the city, wide in the open with 20 guards around her. You, as the good guys, hiding in background and somewhat of a high ground, what do you do? Shoot her down with swift arrows? No, you go melee attack into her 20 guards because the script writers said so.
- EP 32, as a crown prince, the best way to get yourself lined up to be next in throne is to of course hook your dad up to crack because then he's depended on you dealing him drugs.
- EP 33, 3rd prince is now revealed in court as the bad guy, stabbing officials one by one. You, as an official in court what do you do? Run? No. Jump the guy because there are 30 of y'all and there's only 1 of him? No. You stand still and wait for your turn to be stabbed because again, the script writers said so.
- EP 34, the most useless father in the world finally appears. I think there's supposed to be sympathy for him but help, I must've lost it somewhere.
- EP 35, using a homeless person as hostage for some morality test is dumb. Morality testing not the guy that's gonna be on the throne, but his sister instead, is another level of dumb.
- EP 35, instead of having the FL who is already poisoned to test the cure, we of course feed the poison to the ML so he can test instead, because again, the script writers said so. I guess it is to set up conflict for the sake of conflict for...
- EP 36, yep, the conflict is here, he is weak to fight because poison, he only saved enough flower to cure one person. This is making sense, because otherwise, how else are we gonna play gardening simulator to save him after? We need conflicts for... I don't know, for the sake of conflicts

Overall, I'm just upset that I wasted my life on this.

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Unfortunately a failed gambit

Having not read the original novel that the drama is based on, I can judge based only on what I saw in watching this - and boy, was it a frustrating watch. There are elements of the story that could have been developed to become a truly trilling story, but the script decides to jump from plot to plot without respecting the characters, especially in the second half of the story. The best story line was between male lead Shen Zaiye, with a secret backstory and identity, and Mu Wuxia, the noble and upright 4th prince. If Mu Wuyin and Empress Lv's story were fleshed out more and the structure moved around a little, it probably would made for a more thrilling and compelling climax. But as it is presented, I feel nothing for Empress Lv, and Mu Wuyin is reduced to a strange, psychotic small-minded man.

The cast is certainly capable of better, and Liu Xueyi certainly does his best to make Shen Zaiye a living, breathing character. Unfortunately, there is not much to work with, and Meng Ziyi probably suffers more because the characterization of Jiang Taohua is very poorly done. The direction is also somewhat uninspired - lackluster action pieces and discordant music make this an overall unpalatable watch for those wanting a truly exciting political and romantic period piece. Still, the first half makes for a fun light watch, so if you are a fan of the any of the cast, it may still have something worth checking out.

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A bad series, riddled with writer and director errors.

It was one of the worst series I've watched recently. It was completely fake. Nothing was complete; it was wrong, incomplete, flawed, completely unrealistic, and completely fake. I was hopeful at first because it featured Liue Xie Yi. I thought it couldn't possibly be a bad series. I wish I hadn't. It's a shame for this actress. Meng Zi Yi and her chemistry are zero. Meng Zi Yi is simply unsuitable for this series, this character. Her wide-eyed performance, her wide-eyed, angry, murderous gaze in every scene, whether positive or negative, her inability to adjust her gaze, and her coldness are the hallmarks of the series. There's supposedly love between the two; they're in love, to death. But I never saw it. Such a fake. I never felt it throughout the series. Aside from a couple of hugs, we never saw any closeness. They crammed some of that into the final episodes. Those were miles away from reality. It just didn't happen.
Princes aren't princes, Princesses aren't princesses, the queen isn't queen. She's the worst. While she's the prince's maid, I think she seduces the king of another country. She becomes his concubine and then kills the queen. Because these details aren't fully presented. They're fragmented. She's ruined a country like this. Not a single intelligent person is saying anything. How can a queen be so casually wandering around, having a secret affair with a prince, and worrying about petty things?
This queen and one of the princes are burning in a fire. Yet, the door is open. If she had left, she would have gone somewhere else. That's what we're shown. She escapes with only a slight burn on her cheek. The prince burns to death. Yet, there are people waiting outside. No one sees this woman leave. They watch. She returns to her country in this state. She continues her evil ways. It's completely lame.
The fight scenes are also lame. There are very obvious flaws. They're visible. They're filmed without seriousness. The series is full of fakery, soullessness, triviality, and carelessness. Everything but the actors is bad. The script, direction, costumes, and makeup are terrible. I gave it a 6,5, but I gave it to the actors. I gave it to the effort. It's a 5.5.
How do we understand mistakes? Let's say the princess is 10 years old and her teacher is 25. She trains them as children. The princess arrives at 25, the teacher arrives at 40, but she looks younger than the princess. Not a shred of makeup, no aging, not even a mustache. It shows a time 10 years later. Negligence, indifference.
The prince and princess relationship. They haven't seen each other since childhood. Let's say at least 10 years. There's no trace of longing. There's no warmth of reunion. It's distant, cold, and completely unprepared.
The state teacher receives a decree from the king. He's going to give it to the princess. He puts her to the test. If he accepts the decree during the test, the arrow moves, and a doctor shoots the woman. If he doesn't accept the decree, the woman is saved. The decree burns. The princess doesn't accept the decree. She saves the woman. You wonder who the woman is. The doctor who knows the princess's poison turns out to be. In that state, he starts making an antidote. Why does the teacher choose a doctor and a poison doctor instead of someone unqualified? Does anyone understand? I don't. Then this doctor cleans up their poison. In other words, he saves the princess and the chancellor. Especially in the final scene, they capture the empress. They would hold her, tie her up, make her talk, and punish her in some way. They could learn the antidote. But they don't. The empress is telling them a story. They listen. Then the plant from which the antidote is produced appears. The empress strikes the candlestick, and the plants instantly burn. It turns to ash. They can't save her. That's the kind of scene. The aftermath is even worse. The empress imprisons them. She leaves them in the middle of the fire. Good God, you know. You wonder who's saving them. The teacher does. So, the wounded, unsure, shabby, barely standing queen was about to kill the princess and the chancellor. They were saved by the half-dead teacher. A complete disgrace. An impossible scene. How can you make a series this bad? If someone sabotages it, this is all it will get. So, I congratulate these guys. I didn't like them. I congratulate the actors, except for Meng Zi. I didn't like her either. Meng Zi was the second or third lead. He's transitioned to lead acting, but he can't quite show the success he has in second and third roles here. My opinion: He needs to adjust his gaze. He shouldn't brag about his big eyes. He should learn to use them. He's used to the evil gaze. He constantly looks like that. He's wrong. He should play the villain opposite the lead actor. He'll go from success to success. It suits him. I'm sorry I criticized him so much. He should watch the series. He'll see for himself that it's not. Liu Xue Yi is quite good. I like her. Her face is an actor's. She plays it. She was very good. Liu Ling Zi played the villain, but in my opinion, she was better than Ming Zi. At least she looks good. Her posture and approach are much better. She's a more suitable candidate for the lead actor. Fang Jin Fan is an actress with potential. She has a pretty face. She's childish. Once she gets over that, she'll be a good actress too. Xu Jing Ya surprised me. It was her first drama, but I thought it was good. It'll happen. He needs a little more experience. I found Gao Han very successful. He was especially excellent in his scenes with Maggie Huang. He showed off his extreme obsession with her very well. Well done. By the way, I also found Maggie Huang successful. Bian Chang, Wang Jia Xuan, and Zhang Zeng Yang were standout actors.

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