Good drama
First of all, the outfits were AMAZING I say that every time I watch a historical C-drama, but this one really stood out. It’s my first drama set during the Ming dynasty, and as always, the hanfu style was absolutely beautiful.Now the father… what can you expect from someone who killed his own father? He’s a hypocrite to the core doesn’t love anyone, yet somehow managed to deceive everyone.
What I loved most about this drama is how it plays with perception. We’re blinded by the image of those hypocrites we thought the mother was the villain for not welcoming her daughter back, but she was actually protecting her. Same goes for the concubine we expected her to be a source of support, yet she turned out to be evil. That twist in perspective made the drama feel incredibly realistic to me.
Conclusion: Don’t trust people too quickly. Take your time to truly get to know them.
P.S.:My dream is to be this cunning 😝
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This review may contain spoilers
revelations upon revelations
As the rating for this drama was good, I decided to jump right in despite not knowing both ML and FL well. I liked it!What I Liked/ Worked:
- The acting from the cast was good.
- Layers of plot. There was plenty of suspense and tension. Whodunnit?! Together with the ML and FL, the viewers get privy into what happened years ago and into the gory, painful, brutal truth.
- The soundtrack suited the show.
- The storyline was riveting even though many parts were dealing with the malicious nature of the people around.
What I Didn’t Like:
- The father was beyond hateful. He was exceedingly selfish and more cold-blooded than a reptile. He killed his own father to further his own evil and selfish causes. He ruined the precious and innocent lives of others like his wife and daughter in order to further his own cause. Worse still, he had no remorse and wanted to live on at the expense of others. He had no qualms about hurting others so as to protect himself. He was self-centered and wicked to the core.
- I would have liked more lovey dovey scenes between ML and FL. More romance would be better IMO.
I recommend this drama as it is engaging and entertaining.
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Strong Performances and Psychological Depth: My Top-Shelf Watch of 2025
This received a mixed response from audiences. But for me, it’s a top-shelf watch and my favorite of 2025 so far—I can definitely see myself rewatching it. I loved everything about it from start to finish: the intro, the outro (which I watched every time for its graphics and music), and the entire soundtrack. The overall and individual performances were strong, and the use of different camera angles gave it the feel of a costume avant-garde production. Every detail—from the set design to the dramatic overtures—elevated the narrative and dialogue.Why I loved it:
Each episode was packed with riveting plots and subplots. Even when the people behind the conflicts were obvious, the delivery was so emotionally impactful that the predictability didn’t matter. I especially appreciated the psychological complexity, character dynamics, and growth. It was easy to sympathize with their struggles and become fully invested in their outcomes.
While I’ve heard differing opinions, I thought Chen Duling delivered an impactful performance as a strong lead. The supporting cast also brought such weight to their roles that the lines between main and supporting characters blurred—this series wouldn’t have been the same without every single one of them. I also appreciated the social commentary on women’s issues. Even when certain scenarios felt stilted or unrealistic, the intent and emotional resonance still came through.
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A good revenge story
The Glory certainly knows how to hook you in.The production design is damn good. Although the drama doesn't name in which dynasty it takes place but from everything you can see from the clothes to the set pieces and locations, it's clearly the late Ming Dynasty. A really important point of the story that confirms this, it's the subplot regarding a powerful eunuch. The Ming Dynasty was known for how Eunuchs gained unprecedented power over state affairs. The fact the main story of The Glory centres, in part, on the aftermath of capturing all the followers of a powerful Eunuch who angered the Emperor, confirms this is the late period of this particular dynasty.
The cinematography outstanding. I love it when a drama uses light and shadow narratively, to expand the inner turmoils of a character's emotions, this is particularly effective when you are trying to destroy your entire family from within the darken rooms and hallways of their mansion on a bloody, snowy winter. This also makes The Glory a really pretty drama to watch.
Narratively speaking, the drama relies on short and exciting highs and plot twits to capture the audience's attention. Especially as it builds up to capture the root of the family's inner problems. This means as a whole, The Glory might not be as cohesive but overall very entertaining.
As for the performances, this is only the second time I have seen Chen Du Ling in a tv show or film and I am impressed with her. I think she has a talent to captivate trough her performance, no matter if she has to be calm and collected, or screaming bloody murder.
This was also my first time seeing a drama starring Xin Yun Lai and ,to be honest, it was rather disappointing. I am not sure if there was a particular description in this scripts or a director's decision but the he was simply emotionless 95% of the time, which made it very hard to connect with his character or even understand why should I even care for his revenge story. There's being poker faced, and then there's this. And this is not good.
In stark contrast, our main villain and the other family members are outstanding. Yu En Tai (FL's father) absolutely devoured this role by playing meek and slowly but surely showing his true colours; Wen Zheng Ron (FL's mother) is a goddamn shakespearean actress trained to perform in this kind of story as if she was born for the role; and Wan Yan (Concubine Zhou) was a wonder to watch as she moved swiftly among the many traps put in place by our lead.
Overall, I would recommend The Glory for most of the performances, the entertaining and production value.
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Marvelous revenge story with a true old school villain
Before I start let me say that I'm refraining from a 10 bc of the bad editing and the second-thought romance (as per the two lukewarm kisses in total).Now, firstly, what a villain! He is evil without a reason but the survival of his arse. Everyone is fodder as long as he stays alive. He is the epitome of a coward, hiding behind everything that serves his purpose. A weasel, scheming and slithering trying to avoid death and repercussions sacrificing even his own baby! The father is a case study on his own.
The FL: her father's true daughter, a killer but with a sense for justice (thank God). She longs for family and a home but her love language is violence and payback and the ML gets to experience it every single day.
The ML:stoic, unemotional but only bc alas! he's dying like every decent ML. Only,he forgets his hero status and grabs the FL by the neck at the first threat to his family. Truly a pair made in torture!
The FL's mother: A storm. A typhoon. An earthquake. She dominates the screen, she humbles mere mortal actors and performs for the Gods! A revelation!
Hateful side characters: serve their purpose beautifully, proving how Mother the mother is and how the FL is mothering too.
Her bi*ches: Giiiirl, if she were a gang leader 4 women would be her generals. Her angels of doom! The 4 horsemen, sorry horsewomen,of the Apocalypse: An assassin, a tinkerbelle, a princess and a milf(good for her!). And then she makes her enemies part of her power ranger team because she's the suffragette of her time! Girl power for the win!
The love story:slowburn but with a constant love/hate edge. They never let go of their passion, if only it was realised into sth more steamy at the end!
The revenge: chef's kiss. He dies-OBVIOUSLY- but in a Hitchcockian way (a pity there was no curtain scene...)
The ending:Happy! And a supernatural one, with long dead people reunion. Some say the ML will eventually die bc he's next to the deceased at the end. Well duh! it's a historical drama set 300 years in the past. All of them will die and probably he'll go first because he's older. There, solved it. Personally I think he was put on the left bc it made for a more artistic shot.
Should you watch it? Yes, it's a condensed drama, meaning you get all the flavour in a tightly packed 30 episode duration. No fillers,no wasted time.Enjoy!
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MUST WATCH 2025 !!! CAN'T STOP BINGE-WATCHING
The Glory, it's been ages since I've watched a Chinese historical drama that makes me eagerly anticipate new episodes every day like this. Having watched nearly a third of the episodes so far, the film's appeal lies in its captivating script, beautiful cinematography, and solid performances. Chen Du Ling is my favorite actress, a standout actress with a cool and aloof aura. I find her quite fitting for the female lead role in the film. And of course, what I love most about her is her smart script choices, especially considering the Chinese film market lately has felt quite saturated and script quality often feels neglected.My taste in movies leans towards those with plenty of twists and turns, ups and downs, rather than a flat, predictable narrative. So, I'm confident you'll be hooked from the very beginning when you watch this film – something many historical dramas with dull plots fail to captivate me with from the first episodes.
The male lead is another reason I want to sing its praises. Despite his gentle appearance, his eyes and acting are powerful when needed, portraying an unpredictable and mysterious character. This is the kind of film that makes me immediately want to research the cast, director, and production team – it's just my habit when I watch a movie. It's similar to how I'm a fan of very realistic and down-to-earth family dramas like 'Romance in the Alley,' 'Go Ahead,' 'The Bond'... films that are filmed realistically, feel very true to life, and, most importantly, are full of interesting details, not overly fictional or fake, lacking depth, logic, or feeling too commercialized.
I've also noticed many people recommending this film alongside 'Blossom,' which was all the rage at the end of 2024. But with all due respect, I'm rating this film higher than 'Blossom' because, unlike 'Blossom,' I couldn't even binge-watch it from the start and ended up dropping it midway. I'm also a fan of British films, so I appreciate plots and fast pacing, whereas I find Chinese films often have quite lengthy introductions, and sometimes because they're based on adaptations, if you haven't read the source material, it can be hard to follow and you might give up early on.
But 'The Glory' (2025) ticks all my boxes. It’s incredibly engaging, full of intriguing plot points that aren’t confusing, captivating, perfectly cast, and beautifully filmed (although some dramas have really fake-looking CGI). In short, everyone, please watch this film right away! It’s truly excellent and well worth watching.
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Disappointed with this one
The Glory review:I watched it because I liked Duiling as a villain in Till The End Of The Moon.
But I am really disappointed with this series.
The couple doesn't has any chemistry (even as a villain her chemistry with her husband in Till The End Of The Moon is better than whatever this is) so if you're looking for romance this isn't for you because the couple is said to be in love but there's no evidence in their emotions that they're in love
The script doesn't has any logic like the female lead who is tortured all her life and doesn't has any high education suddenly has better medical knowledge than doctors themselves and is suddenly turned into a confident leader when she arrives in the capital. Like we're excepted to believe that? kinda looks like they tried to copy Blossom but in Blossom the female lead got educated in buisness and politics by her grandmother so that's way more believable than what they done in this series. She gets so many things without obstacles as a poor woman that even rich women doesn't gets.
The good things in this series is the styling which is very beautiful and the cinematography which is so graphic.
Acting isn't really that good the main actors did okay based on the script but nothing outstanding however I don't blame them for this, it's completely the team's fault.
The series does not has any kissing scenes.
Overall The Glory (2025) is a story based on rebirth however it lacks the character development and story telling so this series is somewhat of a miss for me.
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If we go back to the beginning, there are many interesting things.
First; Mr. Zhang says he loves his wife very much. However, with the words of a Shaman, he beats her and cripples her. Where is the love here?
Second; He keeps his wife, whom he loves very much, locked up in a separate courtyard. Supposedly, he is the ruler of the mansion, the one who has the authority, but he is in custody or in prison.
Third; Since this woman is the noble wife, she also runs the house and all the servants are under her command. They do whatever she says. In fact, her husband gives orders to the servants and they do not fulfill them. However, when his wife tells him, they all run and do that job. This is shown in the first scenes. However, later on, the woman suddenly becomes passive and everything the man says happens. The concubine, who gets strength from this, also defied the noble wife. She raided his mansion and searched his house. Suddenly, feet became heads and heads became feet. But the style is the same style, my wife is my favorite. She is the crown of my head. You will say, there is insidiousness. The man acts insidiously. He puts his weight behind it when necessary. Shouldn't he always show this insidiousness? It is necessary. Sometimes insidiously is overlooked.
Fourth and in my opinion the most important is this; The girl who is given up for adoption is abused, beaten and oppressed in the place where she is given up for adoption. As a result, just when she is about to be sold, she resists and kills her foster family. She runs away. A friend of hers also helps her and she returns home. After this character returns home, she becomes a lady and defies everyone. She makes plans. She disrupts the plans made for her. She comes up with ideas. She develops tactics. She even plots. She makes instructive statements and actions to the children of noble families who call themselves her own. I wonder if this girl of ours received her university education in a place where she was beaten, crushed, abused and marginalized every day. Did she learn to read and write? Did she go to school? How could she turn into such a character? These things happened in a way that I did. It didn't happen. It damaged the story.
I don't want to write more. It's getting too long. They ruined a good series with such nonsense. It was simply passed over. A series with 9 points dropped to 7 points in my eyes.
As for the actors. There was no harmony between the leading actors. The male actor was younger and acted with one face. He is inexperienced. I think the director told him to do it like this. He was very stiff in some parts. The female actor was more experienced and better. But they did not have scene harmony. They did not make a good couple. They may be compatible outside, but they were not in the series. The star of the series I saw was Wen Zheng Rong. She gave a lesson in acting with the role of the crippled mother. She was great. I hope she gets an award for this performance. I liked the veteran actors. He Hong Shan, Yu En Tai (Although her facial expression did not change at all), Wang Yan, Huang Hai Bing, Jinna Fu were the actors who caught my eye. I think the series would have been dull without them.
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This review may contain spoilers
The storyline is predictable with no standout moments, relying on clichéd tropes and illogical twists. Key plot points, such as confidential conversations overheard by a child, crucial evidence opened publicly on the street, and hasty marriage arrangements, treat the audience’s intelligence lightly . The female-centric narrative is inconsistent, framing the heroine as "empowered" yet heavily dependent on male support, reinforcing patriarchal undertones instead of genuine female empowerment . Emotional interactions lack rationality, with the heroine easily forgiving a female villain who repeatedly harmed her while remaining overly guarded against the male lead who protected her. Was this review helpful to you?
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The Glory - chen Du Ling At Her Finest!
When Chen Du Ling usually acts in a drama, she is kind of hidden away behind other actors. In The Glory, she takes the lead and runs with it. Zhuang Han Yan (Chen Du Ling) is dressed in the finest outfits. She has a large chip on her shoulder, that seem to make her seem that she is crazy; she might be after the terrible life with her foster parents. Her feet and hands look like they are weathered, red and frostbitten. At times Chen Du Ling seems like she wants to kill the world. She has been hardened over her seventeen (17) years of life. Her stepmother (her father's second wife) almost had her life ended byZhuang Han Yan (Chen Du Ling). Her mother acted like she hate her only daughter / child, but eventually came around. Zhuang Han Yan made some great friends, who helped her out in times of need. She considered her only real friend as her only family for many of her previous years and beyond. Zhuang Han Yan, her stepmother and her half sister reconciled at the end. They trapped the poisonous father outside the house and the stepmother killed him in the tunnel system under the house. Zhuang Han Yan got married and became one of the wealthiest women in the capital.This drama was exciting and mysterious at times. I watched it twice.
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Beyond Expectations: This Unassuming Drama Truly Delivers!
I went into this drama blind, purely based on some intriguing clips I stumbled upon on Twitter. Seeing a decent number of episodes available, I thought, "Why not?" Little did I know I was about to be completely blown away! My initial curiosity quickly morphed into obsession, all thanks to the magnetic Xin Yunlai as the quiet, strong, clever, seemingly indifferent yet deeply loving Fu Yunxi.From the very first episode, I was hooked by Yunlai's intense gaze and powerful presence – seriously captivating! 😍 I adored the contrast between his fierce, aloof exterior and his tender affection for his daughter and Hanyan. The way their quest for revenge unexpectedly blossomed into something beautiful and worth fighting for was just chef's kiss. I ended up devouring this drama, even caving and buying the express package because I simply couldn't wait to see what will happen to these characters I'd grown to love.
Honestly, Xin Yunlai's portrayal left such a profound impact on me that the post-series blues were real! I even found myself diving into his past work – the man is just so beautiful and endearing. 🥰
So, if you're craving a drama with a compelling revenge plot and an epic enemies-to-allies-to-lovers journey, look no further. This is a MUST-WATCH (and definitely rewatch 😉)!
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Showing women's empowerment
It's incredibly engaging to watch. Each episode keeps you hooked and curious about the problem, why that person did such a terrible thing, who the mastermind is, and other secrets.The two main characters have great chemistry and the acting is exceptionally good. I initially only tried watching it because the two main characters were visually appealing, but the storyline and production really captivated me.
I personally really enjoyed it. This drama showcases the strength of women, and I was deeply touched by the hardships women faced, especially in an era when women were severely oppressed and found it difficult to speak up. Love it, overall, this drama is a 10/10.
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