This review may contain spoilers
Glorifying wrong and polygamy in the 21st Century
The first episode of this drama immediately took my mind to The Prisoner of Beauty. Jiang Tao Hua, the Female Lead of the story, who is a princess/daughter in one country, is being married off to the prince of a neighbouring country. The purpose is for the two countries to make peace and possibly form an alliance. Upon arrival, she is kept outside the city gate and then attacked. Because of how the attack turned out, she could no longer marry the prince and ended up marrying someone else in the city, Chancellor Shen Zai Ye, the Male Lead and protagonist of the story. Shen Zai Ye hates her guts, does not trust her, and wants to kill her, right from their first meeting. Kinda like drawing from the first few episodes of TPOB, so I couldn’t help but compare a bit.Jiang Tao Hua is smart, quick-witted, manipulative, and adept at lying with ease. Sounds familiar? Her new husband, Shen Zai Ye, is not that different from her either. But regarding good character traits, he did not have the same values, which Wei Shao, the ML character in the TPOB, embodied impeccably. In any case, the story in this drama takes its own course when Jiang Tao Hua arrives at her husband’s harem.
Although the beginning of this drama is somewhat similar to that of TPOB, its main plot and overarching themes are the flip side of those of TPOB. Having the ML in a story seek revenge after growing up and harbouring hatred for 16 years because of a very painful betrayal by a family that was once an ally. And this betrayal costing the lives of three generations of the ML’s elders. This situation is understandable and relatable. But to make the ML of a story repeatedly hurt and plot to kill a helpless woman whose family did him no personal wrong is totally unacceptable. Even if the woman schemes and is not straightforward, which is forgivable given the deathly situation she is in. To have the ML of a story do such is appalling. This latter story is what happened in this drama.
And with TPOB, the ML was always quick to realize his wrong and to make amends. He was principled, had a conscience, and cared about the people. He actually had a soft heart and only needed time and love to get over his hatred. Something his wife initially failed to understand and give him. The times he was vicious were towards those he knew had done wrong.
This is so not the case with the ML character in this drama. The guy, Shen Zai Ye, has no scruples and is ruthless. He is not principled in any way. The essence of being principled is that those principles and values check you when you want to cross the line from good to evil. You cannot have a character who has no scruples and is ruthless (merciless, pitiless), and yet say he is principled at the same time. Those traits just don't go together. And to make things worse, the character with these qualities is the protagonist, who is meant to be the “good guy” in the story. No way I’m buying this.
When supposedly good characters or protagonists in a story lie, are deceptive and manipulative, and even attempt to murder, without the scriptwriters giving any good or sensible reason. Not for the characters’ actions in themselves, or the situations in which they carry out their actions. But for their current lapse in judgment and negative approach to dealing with their problems. And then the scriptwriters make the characters do all these evil deeds to achieve a “good end or cause”. It is just terrible messaging. Do you have to do evil to achieve good? Or better yet, do you have to fight evil with evil? I believe the best way, with wisdom, is to fight evil with good; to overcome evil with good. And this latter way is ALWAYS available.
In my opinion, Shen Zai Ye, the crown prince, and the other prince who was involved with the evil queen in this drama are all the same. But, going back to what Shen Zai Ye and the crown prince did to Jiang Tao Hua at the beginning of the drama, one can say that Shen Zai Ye was worse than the crown prince in terms of how he treated her. When Jiang Tao Hua arrived in their city, the crown prince didn't want to kill her but threw her in the brothel to set her up with Shen Zai Ye. However, Shen Zai Ye went to the brothel of his own free will, although he was later set up as well. When he saw her, she revealed her identity as the princess of Beiyuan and said she had been set up. Rather than help her, knowing she was a victim, he chose to kill her right away instead. His action was illogical and could only be deemed sheer wickedness.
Then, as if that was not bad enough, Shen Zai Ye did not think to use his so-called intelligence to thoroughly investigate Jiang Tao Hua at the beginning to find out what she was bottling up inside and why. But he decides to use his people to kill her, a second time. If not for her wits, he could easily have killed her before knowing the truth about her. So, imagine if she was not quick-witted. That is not a good guy but a cold-hearted killer without a conscience!
It does not matter whether Shen Zai Ye became a better person or not in later episodes. It does not matter whether he investigated Jiang Tao Hua much later. The writers had already made him go too far at the beginning, which portrayed him as a bad character. I can't buy the fact that he later started to care for her. You don’t go from being a cold-hearted killer towards someone to being passionately in love with the same person just like that, even in 10 years. The cold-heartedness of the ML was taken to the extreme, with nothing holding him back except for the wit of the FL. You have already passed judgment and executed the defendant, and then you decide to hear their case in court afterwards, only to discover they were innocent. It is a little too late to make amends with the defendant, isn’t it?
Moving on to the polygamy. I can't stand it when women are made to fight over a man. I get that the story was crafted to be more realistic by adapting the reality of the ancient period it portrayed, when noblemen had harems. However, this was a negative practice or tradition during that period that wreaked a lot of havoc in the lives of people, families, societies, and dynasties. There were always bitter and deadly battles among the wives, concubines, and their families, all vying for position, power, and dominance. The same still happens today in places where polygamy is widespread.
If it is a must to reflect this reality to convey the sincerity of the story in keeping with the facts of the ancient period it portrayed. Then, for the sake of balancing this with positive messaging, it would have been better if characters in the supporting cast, or the villain, were the ones who had harems. While the protagonist eschews such negative practice even in the time he lived. As I am certain that there were some noblemen during that period who did not conform to the tradition and had only one wife. This was an opportunity for strong positive messaging, which this drama missed out on.
Rather, our dear ML, Shen Zai Ye, was someone who not only had a harem but treated it as a status symbol. He couldn’t care less that his wife and concubines fought among themselves to the extent of possibly killing one another. He knew how they were scheming against and harming one another but couldn’t be bothered about it. In doing this, the writers of this drama did not make the story reflect the reality of ancient times but rather gave a nod to and subliminally promoted polygamy in both ancient and modern times. It did not matter if Shen Zai Ye later drove all the women away, except for one. Again, this was a little too late given all that had been allowed to play out in the early episodes of the drama.
To conclude, the messaging of this drama is deeply flawed as it is one anchored on the misconception that 'the end justifies the means'. Regarding production, most period cdramas I have watched have had brilliant production and directing. This is the first that I have found the directing and editing to be sub-par. But the biggest letdown again was the writing. I still can’t comprehend the consistent problem with the technical aspects of cdrama scripts. It looks like it is a prevalent problem in the cdrama industry as it cuts across genres. I don’t want to go into the details of the technical issues again, because viewers and pundits in the field have been providing the same feedback in their reviews about these same issues with the scripts of these dramas. Yet, nothing has changed. Save for a few that dare to break out from the pack, occasionally.
I can’t comprehend how a lot of funds as well as effort are put into the production of cdramas, but obviously not much goes into the scriptwriting, which ironically provides the framework for the whole show. I’m more interested in the subliminal messaging and overarching themes of dramas, as you can see that these have been my primary focus in my review. However, when the script is bad, everything becomes a mess that almost overshadows even the best of productions. Now, imagine when the script and directing are bad. What hope do you have left?
Nevertheless, the actors were really good, and they did their best to deliver even in this drama. The industry undoubtedly has talented actors, both male and female. It is sad that these actors often have to work with poorly written scripts and find ways to stand out despite the numerous flaws in the scripts. I guess you can call it their occupational hazard.
As to recommending this drama? I really wanted to like it, but it just didn’t work for me. And even after watching the numerous teasers of other episodes, which were provided as the first few episodes were being aired, I still ended up dropping out at episode 6. Why? There was too much negative messaging right from the beginning as I have shared above.
So, if you love cdramas generally, perhaps you can go for it. But you may just end up wasting your time.
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It doesn't matter at all when the drama is harem
And yes it doesn't matter because every single chinese princess drama goes with FL join a harem of a ML and it's annoying because I don't expect every single chinese princess drama be FL join a ML harem household and all her actions are way to obvious...she is going to get tortured to the very core of her endurance and is so going to be as well poisoned like nothing is wrong with it...but they could have even made a empire princess plot to be a way more exciting plot to watch like something that has nothing to do with the princess "FL" joining the harem and experience all the possible gruesomeness but they could already do something else to happen because I'm just not a fan of dramas that sets a FL to live in a harem...but in this latest time it's so hard to find anything that's actually cool to watch...Was this review helpful to you?
Quando la sceneggiatura va alla deriva e penalizza tutto ciò che di buono c'era...
La trama, non originalissima ma comunque interessante, e l'avvio con un buon primo episodio sembrano promettere un drama che sa il fatto suo. Dopo i primi episodi, scorrevoli e ben fatti, ci si impiglia però in uno schema di fatto ripetitivo: lui che non si fida di lei, lei che non si fida di lui, tra mosse e contromosse e strategie varie che sembrano più lo studio di un assetto di guerra che lo sviluppo di un romance.E' un peccato perchè ci sono davvero tanti aspetti che ho apprezzato di questa serie. Il nostro Cancelliere si presenta per davvero come un uomo freddo e spietato. Dimentichiamoci i protagonisti dallo sguardo gelido ma che dopo le prime scene rivelano un cuoricino di panna: Shen Zai Ye è un acuto e machiavellico stratega, già sposato e con tanto di concubine, pronto a far fuori l'ultima arrivata senza il minimo rimorso. E tale rimarrà per buona parte del drama, senza vedere il suo personaggio snaturarsi completamente, sebbene l'evoluzione del romance determinerà in lui un profondo cambiamento, di fatto però coerente e credibile. Lei appare fin da subito in una posizione tutt'altro che facile, praticamente sotto scacco, ma determinata a non arrendersi e a sfruttare al meglio ogni possibilità di sopravvivere, grazie soprattutto al suo incredibile acume. Due figure ben delineate, insomma, e soprattutto ben interpretate, già che la prova dei due attori è tra i punti di forza del drama.
Anche a livello di espressività l'intesa tra i due è davvero innegabile: sguardi che dicono davvero molto, dove si smascherano a vicenda all'insaputa del resto dei presenti. Un drama dove la comunicazione non verbale della coppia principale supera anche quella verbale, e non è cosa comune.
Gli intrighi inizialmente affascinano, le strategie incuriosiscono e l'evoluzione lenta del rapporto tra i due consentirebbe un vero sviluppo "enemies-to-lovers" (tema spesso promesso ma altrettanto spesso non di qualità). Poi, però, il drama entra in un circolo vizioso, un pantano dal quale sembra non riuscire più a riemergere: ed ecco quindi che la mancata trasparenza a turno dei due diventa ripetitiva, l'impressione è che non venga mai fatto un passo avanti, e per creare nuove situazioni gli intrighi sono costretti a infittirsi, troppo, in modo contorto, pesante e alla lunga anche confusionario.
La principessa ha più vite di un gatto, già che ne perde una un episodio sì e l'altro pure: mai vista una protagonista così massacrata, tra frecce, fruste, strangolamenti, lame, impiccagioni, avvelenamenti, cadute da precipizi e quant'altro. Ma eccola che puntualmente ricompare viva e vegeta, a volte un po' ammaccata, ma poi guarita in men che non si dica. Un po' "too much", insomma.
La trama si fa via via meno accattivante, vittima di dinamiche ormai avviate ma che nell'insieme si fanno pesanti e noiose, mentre il desiderio di ritagliare una fetta di episodi per il decollo del romance è continuamente posticipato. Uno sbilanciamento che si acuisce e che penalizza una premessa iniziale che appare sempre più lontana dal punto in cui si è ormai sopraggiunti. Nell'ultima parte a risentirne sono anche i protagonisti, meno brillanti e a tratti anche un po' OOC.
Il finale, inoltre, cala il sipario in modo un po' superficiale e poco soddisfacente.
Se la regia si è rivelata così così e la sceneggiatura decisamente debole, di contro musiche e costumi vanno sicuramente premiati. Attori validi e caratterizzazione di molti personaggi, non solo i protagonisti ma anche buona parte di quelli secondari, sicuramente ben riuscita.
Mi verrebbe da consigliarlo per via di alcuni elementi che ho davvero apprezzato, ma se penso al giudizio complessivo alla fine dei quasi quaranta episodi... Forse è un investimento che non merita.
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tinha tudo pra ser um drama excelente
iniciei esse drama com grande expectativa, ótimo elenco, com uma atuação impecável, a OST maravilhosa.porém isso durou até a metade do drama, quando finalmente o casal principal indicou o início do romance tudo desanda. ficou +- uns 6 ou 7 episódios numa enrolação sem fim.
deixaram o ápice do drama para os últimos episódios, o que claramente ao meu ver não deu certo!
poderiam ter finalizado o drama com 30 ou 32 episódios.
eles deixaram tudo para o final e acabou que ficou várias pontas soltas, os personagens secundários sem enredo de finalização, exatamente os personagens que fizeram parte da história toda!
qual foi o fim dele?
o que aconteceu com a irmã do chanceler?
com o 4 °príncipe, ele se tornou o príncipe herdeiro ou imperador?
ou com os acompanhantes dos protagonista?
o que aconteceu com o imperador, estava doente, morreu ou continuou no poder?
confesso que pra mim o pior foi o protagonista não ter uma explicação do que aconteceu com ele!
ele morreu? tá vivo?
uma história que tinha tudo pra ser um 10, mas infelizmente não souberam desenvolver.
pra mim de 09/10 se tornou 06/10
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Una joya de historia, facinante y llena de adrenalina...
Es de las mejores historias que he visto, en cada episodio hay demasiada adrenalina, una muy buena historia, excelentes actuaciones, gran elenco, hermoso vestuario y los protagonistas tienen un gran química, ver como los protagonistas se van conectando en cada episodio es maravilloso, al final de cada episodio me quedo con el corazón en la mano y con ganas de más, me tiene súper enganchada. Él completamente bello en su papel de aparente villano y ella hermosa, inteligente y capaz ganadose el respeto y el amor de ese aparente hombre de corazón frío! 🥰Was this review helpful to you?
Juste sympathique...
J’en sors mitigée. Ce drama me laisse perplexe face aux liens des personnages, notamment ceux du couple principal et de la confiance qui n’a jamais été claire. Solide dans ses premiers épisodes (une bonne moitié), il a chuté d'une falaise et n'a pas réussi à se relever.Jiang Tao Hua (Zoey Meng) est une princesse sacrifiée contrainte d'épouser Shen Zai Ye (Liu Xue Yi), un ministre qui se montre froid et distant. Se méfiant mutuellement, chacun tente de déjouer les manigances de l'autre. Si je me demande à quel moment ils sont tombés amoureux, j'ai aimé la façon dont les événements ont évolué calmement. La romance n'a jamais été au premier plan, mais elle est restée plaisante à regarder, bien qu'elle n'ait jamais vraiment dégagé quelque chose (pour moi). Encore plus lorsque Shen Zai Ye s'est retrouvé au pied du mur, contraint de se plier en quatre pour elle. Ce n'était pas le fait de le voir agir de la sorte qui m'a séduite, mais l'idée de voir un homme faire des efforts dans un tel contexte.
Zoey Meng est une actrice que j'aime beaucoup. Je prends toujours plaisir à la voir, mais je lui ai trouvé une certaine redondance avec Blossom, en moins bien. Son jeu était correct, mais il manquait d'inspiration pour le personnage. Liu Xue Yi était à la fois détestable et affectueux, sans être transcendant non plus. Le reste du casting était bon, pas remarquable, mais convaincant. Néanmoins, il est dommage de voir que la plupart des personnages disparaissent dans les derniers épisodes (Meng Zhen Zhen, Mu Wu Xia, Xiang Qing Ying, en particulier).
L'histoire est simple, peut-être un peu trop. J'ai l'impression que les derniers épisodes (une bonne dizaine) n'étaient qu'un moyen de fermer les intrigues restantes et d'ajouter un peu plus de drames. L'avant dernier épisode était bon, mais il aurait dû arriver plus tôt, selon moi. Cela aurait évité de rallonger inutilement l'intrigue. De plus, j'imagine que certaines révélations avaient pour but de créer un effet de surprise, cependant elles étaient déjà une évidence depuis le début. Bref, les derniers épisodes étaient faibles et peu inspirés donnant un final insatisfaisant, car très commun.
En bref, The Princess's Gambit est un énième c-drama historique qui ne propose rien de nouveau, et c'est peut-être son plus grand défaut. L'histoire est un condensé de plusieurs dramas déjà diffusés, sans ce souffle de nouveau au doux parfum sucré de pêche.
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a power struggle + poisoning
finished 8/10 🌟A drama that had me very excited because I consider myself a fan of Meng Ziyi's acting ✨
I think it had an excellent start, the plot of intrigues + the arranged marriage is something that will always be a big YES for me.
Then, halfway through the plot, I feel like the story has fallen off track.
What was the princes' plot + the dispute over the exams? All of that put me to sleep, causing me to have to watch some episodes in double.
Then they played the parts that interested me most... how the mystery of the cure for Tao Hua's poisoning but even that felt super silly how it was solved... Which brings us to the ending, which for me was super weak. I expected something more and it didn't exceed my expectations much.
However, I didn't lose many points because I really liked the couple's chemistry and although the drama didn't do them justice, I enjoyed each and every one of their scenes for the most part ❤️
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Final foi ruim? NÃO!, mas poderia ser BEM melhor finalizada.
Gente como que pode?, não é possível que o pessoal da China goste deste tipo de final, porque só isto explica as dezenas de séries boas com final decepcionante, foi ruim? NÃO!, mas poderia ser BEM melhor finalizada.Tinha tudo para ser uma das melhores até agora em 2025.
Dou 9 pelo conjunto todo da série, mas ....... decepcionada (novamente, para reforçar a minha decepção 😂).
Acho que agora aprendo de vez a assistir uma série apenas quando finalizada, para decidir se vou gastar meu tempo com ela ou ver algo que realmente vai de encontro com o meu gosto pessoal e me deixar feliz 😁, sem passar raiva a toa.
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Esse drama é, exclusivamente, aceitável pelo árduo trabalho dos atores, pois não é fácil para artistas tão bons atuarem num roteiro tão ruim e, com uma direção sofrível. O drama tem um andamento preguiçoso e uma finalização apressada e descuidada, falta mostrar o desfecho de vários personagens e sobra cenas de recordação desnecessárias. Talvez, as muitas cenas gravadas que o diretor escolheu jogar fora, dessem um melhor acabamento no drama. Não sei se o roteiro tem tantos buracos que deixam a história um tanto sem nexo, ou, se o diretor fez uma edição cortando partes que dariam sentindo a coisas mal explicadas no enredo, mas o seguimento da história não conquista, a história de vários personagens importantes são mal contadas, deixando muitas dúvidas e criando situações ambíguas (como a história do príncipe Wu Yin e a imperatriz Lü ou, como uma empregada do palácio de Qi se tornou a imperatriz de Beiyuan, ou ainda, como um imperador permitiu uma concubina matar sua imperatriz e perseguir seus filhos legítimos, entre outras situações).As atuações são excelentes, Liu Xue Yi consegue falar com seu olhar e transmitir todas as emoções que o personagem sente. O ator Bian Cheng (jovem na idade, mas atuando há mais de uma década), encorporou o personagem Wu Xia de forma convincente (pena o diretor ter esquecido deste lindo personagem na finalização). Meng Zi Yi deu vida com brilhantismo a sua personagem.
A música é agradável e o figurino é bonito.
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Neden senaristler dizi sonlarını yazmasını bilemiyorlar?
Beklentisiz başlamıştım ve dizi ilk bölümden beni kendine çekti. FL ve ML uyumları çok güzeldi. Hikayenin konusu ve kurgunun işleyişi de 20.-21. bölüme kadar çok güzeldi. Entika, casus, romantizim, zeka yarışları. Bir dizide beni en çok tatmin edecek tüm öğeler vardı. Nitekim dizi tempo olarak ne kadar iyi başladıysa ikinci yarıdan sonra bir o kadar düşüşe geçti. Finalin son 6 bölümünü izlemeyi bile geciktirdim bir kaç gün. O derece sıkılmıştım. Sonunda madem izledim hadi finali yapayım diyerek devam ettim. Final sahnesi tatmin etmiş olsaydı belki o tempo düşüklüğünü göz ardı edebilirdim ama final sahnesi anlamsız ve ucu açık kaldı. Bu diziyi tekrar tekrar izlerim diyordum ilk bölümlerde ama şuan tekrar izlesem sanırım 20.bölümde felan yarım bırakırım :)Was this review helpful to you?
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Pensando sobre o que esse drama poderia ter sido...
Até o momento da queda de Jiang Tao Hua do penhasco, a história estava próxima da perfeição para mim. As motivações, as desconfianças, a união dos protagonistas em defesa de seus próprios interesses, a tensão e o romance sendo construído entre eles foram elementos que me mantiveram empolgada para assistir a cada novo episódio que saía.No momento da queda, a trama desandou. Tao Hua já não parecia mais aquela personagem tão inteligente do início, e Shen Zai Ye perdeu toda a esperteza que sempre demonstrou ao longo dos episódios. Sim, isso serviu para mostrar ao público o quanto ele gostava de Tao Hua, mas ao custo de vários episódios que não contribuíram em nada para o avanço da história central. Na minha opinião, isso acabou comprimindo os momentos mais importantes nos seis episódios finais, o que ajudou a melhorar o saldo geral do drama, mas também deixou ainda mais evidente o quanto ele poderia ter sido melhor.
Esse é o segundo trabalho que acompanho tanto da Meng Zi Yi quanto do Liu Xue Yi, e não tenho nada além de elogios a fazer sobre os dois. Muito do mérito de The Princess’s Gambit vem justamente da atuação deles.
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CDRAMA RAZOÁVEL
Falha em fechar ciclos, personagens que sumiram do nada, o final que deixa a gente meio perplexo sem entender se deu certo ou não, mas no geral não odiei. Ele tem tudo que um cdrama histórico tem, veneno pra todo lado, maioria vai dessa pra melhor, pessoas que pegamos ranço, outras q a gente desconfia mas que são boas, tem romance (pouco mas tem), tem informaçõesque acontecem que são irrelevantes que a gente até apaga da memória, e por fim, o ódio pela vilã que faz você ficar estressado mas q morre de uma forma patética e a história finge q nada rolou. Então por isso dou essa nota.Was this review helpful to you?
