The Princess's Gambit

The Princess Gambit: A Twisty Ride That Lost Its Heart Midway ???

Started with a spark, got tangled in its own twists, and limped to a neat but emotionally bland ending.
The premise had promise—political intrigue, a capable female lead, a seemingly ruthless male lead, and a sprinkling of palace games. But somewhere mid-plot, it veered off into the land of dragged-out tension and tangled character choices. The cast delivered solid performances—no complaints there—but their roles were so schemey, secretive, and twisted, it felt like no one trusted or talked to each other🤐. Communication? Nil. Emotional logic? Missing in action. 🚫❤️‍🩹
The male lead was supposed to be cold and calculating—but he took ruthless to a whole new level. A single flicker of warmth mid-way could have worked wonders, but instead we had to wait till the final stretch for some thawing. And by then, the emotional investment had cooled off. Where was the chemistry? The softness? The subtle romance that makes you root for the couple? Sadly, it never quite landed.
The female lead had all the bad luck in the kingdom piled onto her. Her burdens were too much for one person, and while the actress did a fine job, the script did her character no favours. She carried the weight of the entire story while being pulled in too many directions.🧳🌀
And let’s not forget the ML’s sister—a supposed seasoned warrior who acted like a comic relief sidekick. Her exaggerated behaviour broke the tone every time she showed up.
Yes, it ended well. Technically. But was it satisfying? Not quite. It felt like pulling hen’s teeth—long, frustrating, and dry. I had to skip parts of almost every episode (which I never like doing) just to get through it. By the end, I was chanting, “Just finish up already, get together, happy ending, move on!” 😩

A wasted potential, but watchable if you have patience, low expectations, and a remote ready for fast-forwarding.
⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (3/5)

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From Checkmate to Bounced Check

If Kill Me, Love Me was an awkward misstep that made you laugh for the wrong reasons, this one at least finds its groove. The writing’s tighter, more consistent, and it actually flows from start to finish. Sure, it still has those classic filler episodes—because, let’s be real, no C-drama escapes that curse—but it doesn’t tank the experience. When things slowed down, I’d just watch one episode a day; when it kicked into high gear and the plot hit like a domino effect, I easily binged three or more in one sitting. Totally normal.

The villains? Hands down the most compelling part. Their grudges and ambitions didn’t just pop out of thin air—they’re rooted in their past, their upbringing, the messed-up lives they’ve led. But here’s the thing: with a title like this, you expect the princess to be a sharp, ruthless player all the way through. Instead, by the final stretch, she’s making clueless, naïve, downright dumb choices. And that’s when the frustration really sets in, like she forgot the rules of her own game.

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Not the conventional romance but historical

Story:
May not be the best drama out there but definitely not disappointing. The story was kept realistic and historical. The trust that was built through so many episodes seen to be more real than the usual fall in love at first sight. This is a very political story. It revolves around a high official in court and his cucubine.
Yes, she is not the wife. He already had a harem of women before she married him. This may seem unacceptable to many viewers but it is real based on the historical setting. He is a high official who is 30 years old so definitely realistic. The betrayals and schemes between the leads were very interesting to watch. This story was not about romance. The kissing scenes were non conventional too. Not the best story in historical but definitely not bad. I think it felt similar to The sword and the brocade. The understanding between the ml and fl was so good and satisfying

Acting:
Both the leads did so well in this show. The acting was spot on for me. They showed every single emotion and the change of distrust to trust perfectly. The portrayal of the supporting actors were good too. The show can get full score in acting.

Ending:
Personally for me it was not bad. It may not satisfy every viewer. The villians kinda didn't get a satisfactory punishment. The final scene was not explained well .

Final verdict:
Do give it a try...
I jumped in without any expectations while waiting for another drama to air so. It's not the best nor the worst . Definitely something that is worth the time if you are alright with multiple wives.

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Overall it is still a good show although it could be better

The first half of the show was strong and lived up to the title 'The Princess's Gambit', the princess (FL) was witty and resourceful, and also showed the flirtatious side, and I was entertained to watch the FL and ML bantering and outsmarting each other.

However, the remaining half of the show the FL became flat and annoying (not entirely the actress' fault). In line with it, the show also became a bit messy. It seemed the script was deteriorating, and poor directions may contribute to it?

It has a Happy Ending, although it was rushed in a short vague scene, there wasn't other tender scenes or dialogues between ML and FL. Overall it is still a good show although it could be better.

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Great opening, a bit disappointed by the second half

PLOT: The FL, an abused princess (Cold Palace), is sent to a neighboring country for a marriage of alliance with the 4th Prince. In this country, the four princes vie for power (Evil CP). The FL eventually becomes the Great Counselor's concubine (who's investigating counterfeit money). Mistrust, espionage, various plots, and jealousy from the other women in the harem.

+++ Excellent CL : Liu Xue Yi & Meng Zi Yi
+++ A talented cast
+++ High-budget production (sets, costumes, etc.)
+++ Excellent OSTs

### The quality of the story is inconsistent. It seems like the screenwriter had exhausted all her good ideas in the early stages of the series.
### Always the same actor playing the "sneaky crook," a role he plays wonderfully, but it spoils the suspense a bit :)
### The FL's reasoning (and behavior) are completely illogical, even though she's supposed to be intelligent... If she had played straight with the ML and collaborated with him, everything would have been resolved much faster/earlier! But I suppose the series would have been 24 episodes long and not 36 ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

The beginnings are very intense. However, the persistence of ambiguities, unsaid things, misunderstandings... is a bit irritating in the middle of the drama. Likewise, the final arc is a bit weak. (Why did the ML try all sorts of poisons to save the FL? Why chat with the Great Villain in the cave? To wait for her to corner everyone? A peach tree in bloom in the desert?) and the ending too rushed.

=> The first half had given me expectations, which were subsequently disappointed, despite excellent performances from the actors.
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PLOT: La FL, princesse maltraitée (cold palace), est envoyée ds le pays voisin/ennemi pr un mariage d'alliance avec le 4e Prince. Ds ce pays, les 4 princes se disputent le pouvoir (Evil CP). La FL devient finalement la concubine du Great Counsellor (enquête s/ fausse monnaie). Méfiance, espionnage, complots divers et jalousie des autres femmes du harem.

+++ Excellent CL : Liu Xue Yi & Meng Zi Yi
+++ Un cast talentueux
+++ High budget production (décors, costumes, etc.)
+++ Excellents OSTs

### La qualité de la story n'est pas constante. On dirait que la screenwriter avait épuisé ttes ses bonnes idées dans les débuts de la série.
### Tjs le même acteur qui joue les "tordus sournois", rôle qu'il interprète à merveille, mais ça gâche un peu le suspense :)
### Raisonnement (et comportement) parfaitement illogique de la FL, alors qu'elle est supposée intelligente ... Si elle avait joué franc jeu avec le ML et collaboré avec lui, tout aurait été résolu bcp plus vite / tôt ! Mais je suppose que la série aurait fait 24 ép. et pas 36 ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Les débuts sont très accrocheurs. Cpdt, la persistance des ambiguïtés, des non-dits, malentendus ... agacent un peu au milieu du drama. De même, l'arc final est un peu faible (Pourquoi le ML a tenté ttes sortes de poisons pr sauver la FL ? pourquoi bavarder avec la Great Villain dans la grotte ? Pour attendre qu'elle coince tout le monde ? Un pêcher en fleurs dans le désert ?) et la ending trop rushed.

=> La 1e moitié m'avait donné des attentes, déçues par la suite, malgré une excellente performance des acteurs.

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I don't want to leave the cast behind..

Personally, the cast saved the whole story. I was hooked on the drama until around episode 18, then the plot got kind of boring, but the characters were what ended up making me watch until the end. I absolutely loved SZY, and the ML's acting was so good. For me this is one of my favorite LXY dramas. Also an underrated opinion, but I loved Qingtai and Zhanlu they were so cute and also some of my favorite characters. As for the plot, I loved the dynamic between the ML and FL especially at the beginning, and their chemistry is top notch. Overall, this was one of my favorite 2025 watches especially before the plot dipped..

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This drama began on top and was still on top until she fell from the cliff. Before the fall it was interesting, exciting, romantic and good. I was surprised to love it even though there was no wuxia.
But after the fall the drama lost a little of it's charm but it was still acceptable to watch.
When about 10 eps left the drama woked up again and got interesting and exciting again.
The actors were VERY good and I loved both the ML and FL and the others.
The music - I only cared for one song - don't remember the name but you can hear it after The end in last ep - when the after texts shows.
All in all this drama entertained me, got me caring for the characters, got me binge watch sometimes - and all this without being a wuxia cdrama - (I love wuxia cdramas) There fore it got 8

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Not very memorable

I finished this a few weeks ago and cant really remember much about it because i watch a lot of dramas but if it was really good i would remember so it was just average i would say. Its storyline was too similiar to another show i was watching with the same male lead called "kill me love me" while i do like this male actor there wasnt enough to keep me interested in the show. It started off pretty good then got boring and repetitive of other dramas, I guess i give it a 6.5 outta 10 . Theres always the trope about being poisoned and having to be a shady spy gor the cure. Like come up with something else writers.lol

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