Perfect Match

To the Marriage of True Minds....and the Comedy of Wits

The tone of Perfect Match is a mix of comedy with heartwarming moments. Its use of exaggerated humor is typical of satire that aims to make a statement about social problems. From the first day of its release, the labels of "misogynistic" male leads and words such as "sociopath" as in one review were tagged on Perfect Match. The negative comments were to the extreme that either these viewers misunderstood the satirical tone of the drama or were too quick to judge without watching more than a few episodes. Be aware that there are negative reviews that were posted after only 4 episodes were released and deceptively marked as 36 episodes watched. Allow me to clear up some incorrect information in the reviews:

None of the ML cheated on their wives
None of the ML deliberately did anything to hurt his wife or any of the sisters.

Perfect Match tells the story of a widow, Madam Li, who desires perfect matches for her five daughters. The overall tone of the drama makes it interesting so even if one couple might not be as great for you, the drama will still hold your interest. Each couple has its time as the main couple in the drama. The drama has great pacing as it moves its focus from one daugther to the next.

The drama begins with the sisters and Madam Li moving into Bianjing. The second sister, Fuhui is already married at the start of the drama. Her match appears as an immature character, Fan Lianghan, who she describes as too soft-hearted to the point he gives away his money to women who cry to him about their woes. At first, he appears to be ridiculously immature, but his character gains some maturity in a manner he retains his role as comic relief while showing some maturity and wisdom...in rare times :) After the first few episodes, I came to find him adorable, to be honest. I like him!

The focus of the first 10 episodes is on the third sister Kang Ning and her perfect match Chai An. This match is my favorite! Both Chai An and Kang Ning are brilliant strategists and it was entertaining to see them outsmart each other. I was disappointed when I saw less of them after ep 10 when the other stories became the focus. However, I was happy to see them in each sister's story.

Others prefer the next couple. The eldest daughter, Shouhua, is matched with a top-ranking scholar, Du Yang Xi. I didn't enjoy the eldest sister's CP much because the chemistry was bland. However, some have stated it was their favorite, so it is a matter of preference. Du Yang Xi's backstory was interesting, and the introduction of Shen Huishao as magistrate in the court scenes made for a nice transition into the fourth sister's CP.

By the 20th episode, the drama switches its focus to the fourth sister, Haode, and her perfect match, Shen Huishao. Her character growth is interesting as she becomes educated in the laws to help her husband solve cases. But what makes it even more interesting, is the way Haode melts the barriers Shen Huishao set up against falling in love and taking a wife.


The drama's next focus is the youngest and 5th daughter, Leshan, around ep 28. Her "perfect match" is Yang Xian. I have mixed feelings about her story. With her personality, it was not surprising to see Leshan fight back against the bullies in the Yang family. I admire her spirit and courage but her aggressive behavior toward Yang Xian made me uncomfortable in the early part of their story. I knew it was temporary as this drama tends to exaggerate for humor. But it was too much and I didn't find it funny after a while. I found myself feeling bad for Yang Xian. I appreciated her intelligence in standing up to the Yang family for both herself and her husband. It was for this reason, Yang Xian fell in love with her more every day. But even more lovely, was watching Madam Li give Yang Xian the motherly love he lacked in his own home.

Perfect Match is entertaining. I enjoyed the lively family dynamics of Madam Li and her daughters. Their devotion and love for each other is heartwarming. Each of the sisters has unique strengths and characteristics. Madam Li as the mother is depicted as an ambitious mother exaggeratedly at times but at other times there is no doubt that her deepest desire is not for the wealth and status she wants for her daughters but rather for their happiness. The perfect match for her daughters would be a man who would cherish them.

But Perfect Match is not only about the marriages of Madam Li's five daughters. There is an underlying theme of gender and societal expectations. It portrays the treatment of women in the Song Dynasty. Madame Li as a widow lost property and status when her husband died. The court cases address some of the prejudices against women at the time. Each daughter's story depicts the challenges of defying predestined futures. The romance endures misunderstandings and conflicting circumstances. The use of humor and the battle of wits makes this drama a warm bundle of charm.

Perfect Match has a happy ending. However, the final episode would have been better if they had not added more problems to Leshan and Yang Xian's reunion that dragged into episode 36. I hoped they would have given us more of the couples' married life. I especially wanted to see more of Chai An and Kang Ning. I wanted much more than just flashbacks of each couple. But even with my disappointments, I will rewatch Perfect Match. It is still a 10 for me because I came to love the characters and found myself rewatching episodes while I waited for more to air. The plot was interesting and the family dynamic and tone of the drama is unique. The overall feel to Perfect Match will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. I will miss watching these characters daily.

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Not Going To Be For Everyone

Although I enjoyed the show overall, there were a lot of aspects where production fell short.

I believe that this show originally was going to be 40 or more episodes long, but once they were done with editing and going through the censorship board it was cut down to 36 episodes. This was extremely noticeable for those who didn't even know the context of depleted episode count. There were many times it felt disjointed or unfinished. There were whole plots left dangling or completely unfinished. And though the actors worked their asses off, writing & editing stick out like a sore thumb on this one. As they failed the show don't tell rules of film making.

I think my biggest issue came a little past the halfway point with the climax of the 1st daughter and her husband's story. I was really enjoying their screentime and dynamic only for them to pull the rug out from under them completely, and never really put it to rights before moving on to the next storyline block.

4 of the 5(6 really but will touch on that later) Li sisters get to take on a leading role in their story with their husbands/future husbands for roughly 7-9 episodes each focused on a couple's love story. I wont be fully spoiling the finer details of storylines but some spoilers will occur simply because context is needed.

The show first kicks off with a short intro into 2nd daughter's dynamic with her husband of about 2 years, and setting up the Li family business and the personalities of the 6 sisters & mother. It then immediately goes into the 3rd daughters love story with her future husband, the cousin of 2nd sister's husband. The 2nd couple act as supporting characters mainly through this storyline as they are both related to the 3rd couple. I called the 2nd couple "The Double Agent Couple" because he was constantly asking/telling his wife about what goes on with the men & the husband was able to listen in on the sisters' conversations because he was already a member of the family. The 3rd couple I referred to as "The Scheming Couple" - the couple that schemes together, stays together.

The 3rd couple(Li Kang Ning & Chai An) have an Elizabeth & Mister Darcy chemistry with a healthy dose of Tom and Jerry thrown in for laughs. They can scheme against each other, but the second someone else tries to play with them the kid gloves are off. It's harmless pranks, pushing each other in business, and testing each other's limits. The chemistry between Lu Yu Xiao and Wang Xing Yue is great and continues to hold strong even when they take a backseat in the other sibling's storylines.

After 3rd get their happily ever after, the story shifts it's focus to the 1st daughter and her new husband(Li Shou Hua & Du Yang Xi). I call them the Scholarly Couple, because he places 3rd in the Imperial Exam & had she been a man she would have been the top scholar of a generation. All is well and good kicking off with a snub from the husband due to a misunderstanding prior to marriage. As they start to let their walls down and communicate it gets even better....and then the other shoe drops and the previous mature communication completely breaks down and the "self sacrifice" "I'll make you hate me so you can live." tropes come into play. This isn't the first case of abusive tactics used within the show, but it is the first time that draws blood from one of the siblings. In episode 17 to push her away he starts to act like a complete asshole and goes to whip their servant who the girls treat more like family. Shou Hua steps in front of the girl to protect her from the blow that Du Yang Xi is throwing down. He ends on striking his wife with a whip so hard it breaks open her layers of clothing and leaves a open bloody gash on her shoulder of about 6 to seven inches long. We NEVER get a full apology for this behavior. Shou Hua just all of a sudden "knows" that he is treating her like shit to "protect her". They divorce and eventually reconcile, but that scene is maybe 5 minutes and then no second wedding no show of what he did to win her back...nope...he just sort of knelt for a second and then all was forgiven...ick. I could never see him the same way after that. Because we didn't get to see him repent for hurting his wife both physically and emotionally I just never got over my ick.

Right at the tail end of 1st daughters story we get introduced to the future 4th brother-in-law. 4th couple(Li Hao De & Shen Hui Zhao) have the best storyline of all the siblings imo. Somewhat tied with 3rd couple. I refer to them as the "Justice/Truth Above All Else Couple" a Judge and his clerk fall in love. When given the opportunity to lie and be believed Hao De still tells the whole truth. Shen Hui Zhao goes from very strict black and white logic to letting emotions help guide him more. Hao De worms her way into everyone's heart and breaks down any emotional wall that someone puts in front of her. They can't help but love her, and her husband is no expectation. They have amazing chemistry together. It comes from trust, understanding, and faith in one another. When he goes to push her away he is honest about why he feels like he needs to protect her from his line of work. He doesn't ever strike her or fully leave her in the dark about his plans. The one time he does sort of leave her out of his plans it feels more like she's upset that he went off to play with others and left her out of the fun. Would really love to see the two actors Ke Ying and Liang Yong Qi get to play leading roles together in another drama in the future. They were natural and playful. Seriously some give him a leading role already.

The 5th daughter and her husband are a true enemies to lovers trope. Li Le Shan and Yang Xian hate each other on sight...they are the "Fire & Gasoline Couple" they only add to each other's flames, and violence is always the answer for these two. Yang Xian, played by Winwin, has the most character development of any other character in the entire show. He goes from a spoiled rich kid who wants to piss off his father by bringing a merchant woman home as a wife in episode 3 to a self-made hardworking and determined man ready to win his wife's love again in episode 35/36. He has the most complicated family dynamic that showcases the stark difference between a conniving noble household constantly seeking power and the more modest and loving merchant household the Li girls were raised in. You will love Le Shan the second she shows up on screen ready to castrate a man for daring to look at her sisters. She is the most like their mother. She will thrown hands first before trying to talk it out. She matures over time and knows when to use her words and patience over her club/rod. Even though Huangyang Tian Tian is the youngest member of the main cast she acts circles around almost everyone. Winwin, who is 10 years her senior in age,(the couple never kiss in their story as she was actually a minor during the filming so put your pitch forks down), holds his own. This is only his 3rd production, but he already has a good grasp on conveying subtle internal emotions of his character with his facial expressions. I think I thought that his character would be a secret martial arts/scholar just because Winwin himself is skilled in fight choreography due to his classical dance training. They have to repeatedly state he isn't a good fighter or a good scholar.

Major spoilers for last little bit...6th daughter is the adoptive daughter of the Li family and former betrothed of 3rd daughter's twin brother Pan'er. We were ROBBED, I tell you, of a deeper dive into Pan'er(Zhe Cong) and Qiong Nu's story. Because surprise bitches baby bro is alive and just a perfect blend of his mama & daddy. Seriously knight in shining armor should be his character description. They were my "A Very Long Engagement Couple". I don't believe their story was majorly cut down in post production editing so I wish the writers would have given us more of them in the script. They had a more interesting story than 2nd couple.

We were also robbed of the final boss 6 brother-in-law alliance team meeting. I found that whenever all the sisters or BiLs were together they had some of the better comedic/storytelling elements. As most of the guys have all worked together before their banter was seriously under utilized.

Overall I give it an 8.5-9 out of 10. If it was going just off of pure production critique I would be closer to a 5 or 6. The cast and chemistry brought up the score A LOT. I can't say with 100% certainty, but it feels like a lot of the budget went into the cast and not other elements of the show. There is more I have to say, but I've been writing for over an hour and need to start my day, so if you finish reading all of this, thank you for your time. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below and I'll answer as best and as quickly as I can.

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