A Splendid Match

truly a splendid match between the leads <3

My review is pretty much biased because I like the chemistry between the FL and the ML and so, it’s a total win for me. I like the pairing and I’m happy to give it 10/10.

I watched the FL and the ML in another drama called TRON and the intense relationship between the FL and the “2nd” ML in the drama was hot and sizzling. Thus, I was thrilled to know that they were leads in this drama. Additionally, another reviewer wrote that there were “satisfying slaps” in this drama and I was sold. I watched for these “satisfying slaps” and they were truly very satisfying slaps! Pls watch for them slaps!

What I Loved:
- The FL didn’t get her parents love but she was very loved, adored and pampered by her wealthy and doting maternal grandmother. It was such a sweet relationship. Often, girls are treated as less than second best in such dramas but she was viewed as the best thing which I liked very much.
- The FL had her supporters.
- The sizzling chemistry which built up between the FL and the ML. I love watching them get together gradually. It felt so sweet to watch them fall deeply in love.
- I liked how the ML was so able to protect the FL but the FL wasn’t a pushover in any way. I liked that she was feisty and he was fierce.
- I liked the “satisfying slaps”. Those who were slapped really deserved those slaps. They had to be taught good and proper lessons and be put back into their place.
- I liked the romantic scenes (and there were so many) of the ML and the FL. For instance, I liked how they consummated their love and marriage. It felt sweet and earned after their trials and tribulations.

What I Didn’t Like:
- The selfish and incompetent father of the FL.
- The many relatives who were fair-weather ones and who were selfish and avaricious. They had ulterior motives, black hearts and were so incompetent.
- The spurned lover except he wasn’t quite spurned but he wrote his “spurned lover” narrative. He was so awful to watch and pretty much “delulu”. The FL went out of her way to avoid him after her blissful marriage to the ML and yet, he thought it was all about him - the one who got away. It was so crazy and terrible to watch. I hated him.

In essence, I rate this drama 10/10 because it is a great watch with an interesting plot. It is a good drama. More importantly, I like the intense and yet, sweet relationship between the ML and the FL. They are lovely together. He’s very manly! I like a manly man! Watch for the leads. 💕

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Great Performances, But I Never Fully Connected with the Leads

A Splendid Match is a well-made drama with strong performances, beautiful production, and an enjoyable story overall. You can clearly see how talented both lead actors are, and I thought they did an excellent job bringing their characters to life.

That said, I never really warmed up to either of the main characters. It’s not because of the acting—in fact, I thought both actors were brilliant—but I just didn’t find myself emotionally connecting with their personalities. Because of that, I wasn’t as invested in their romance as I had hoped to be.

The supporting cast helped keep the drama enjoyable, and there were plenty of entertaining and heartwarming moments throughout. The story flowed well, and I appreciated the balance between lighter moments and the more emotional scenes.

Overall, this is still a solid drama that is worth watching, especially if you enjoy historical romances. It just didn’t completely click with me on an emotional level because I never formed that attachment to the main couple, and for me, that’s often what makes a good drama become a great one.

Sometimes a drama can do almost everything right, but if you don’t fall in love with the main characters, it’s hard to fall completely in love with the drama itself.

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A splendid watch

Not often a reviewer but wanted to drop a few words for this one as I thoroughly enjoyed this series from beginning to end. Everything was beautifully woven together with such attention to detail: the plot, romance, family politics etc that the progression just felt very natural. I found FL’s character very likable and fresh. She was independent and strong yet embodied the spirit of a woman who has just come of age. I particularly enjoyed watching different relationships she had with others. Through her relationships with various male characters, we witnessed her experience everything from a first crush and true love to a soulmate and a profound sibling bond. Her heart warming relationship with her maternal grandma was well juxtaposed with the coldness of her paternal side. The grandma was formidable and the emperor was refreshing, a very enjoyable cast to watch. The last couple of episodes were emotionally intense with many cast members giving an emotionally heavy hearted performance which got me tearing. I’m a sucker for romance, so like others I would love to have had a little more to the last few minutes of the ending. However, many dramas suffer from editing issues and abrupt endings which I’m guessing is to squeeze in the 40 episode limit. Overall this series was solid for me and ending was decent enough that I won’t let it take away the regard I have for this drama. I would highly recommend this drama.

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Love the cast and most of the plot but…

But it fell off for me on the last episode, mainly because I feel that wasn’t a great ending. I think they were still doing alright around episode 37/38, but leading up to 40 I was just like😲. Something’s you can expect after years and many dramas later, but I don’t know how to feel.

On to characters and cast, love love LOVED the cast. Not their fault it the plot went they way it did, they killedt it🥰. Ren Min, Ci Sha, and WinWin. Honorable mention , Zuo Ye (loved how he acted his character out in the beginning, but he made me so mad at the end sigh).

Loved Chen Yanyun as a character and Ci Sha did him justice! Loved that he had his own experiences being the older one in the relationship and how they meshed well together. The way he started becoming aware of Gu Jinzhao, it was already done for, I loved their plot line, and I seen some say they wish for more scenes, but to me, and while I do love scenes filled with romance and interaction, I do love the pacing of their relationship and that the directors had them do it slow and steady, cuz ya know, slow and steady wins the race(some times, don’t quote me). Loved that it was a she fell, but he fell harder and we love it!!!! Give. Me. More! Would love to see him in a mature modern drama hehe🤭 (same character type PUHLEASE!!! Saying for everyone with a sensible attitude🙇🏾‍♀️)

Gu Jingzhao, loveddd her character tooo. Loved that they made her take no bull from no one. She was strong headed, but she was still usual a girl in the end☺️. So wish the director, producer, whoever, would’ve did a time lapse. Lost potential I say. I have to say she isn’t the only MFL that I’ve been watching who isn’t afraid and I love to see it! That being said, when her and Jiuheung got close, I lost it 😆. I need this modernized HELLOO👋🏾!

Sigh…. Ye Xian, Ye Xi. An! I instantly loved him because as I’m watching and see that he looks familiar, I make a comment saying he looks like WinWin, and uh guess what? It is! Ayeee! I am unfortunately a kpop fan and as I soft launched my interest into NCT when they came out because the concept blew my mind but I’m here for the music. So my love for WinWin stems from a different place but it’s all the same because I suppose him in whatever he wants😀. Ok so moving on, his portrayal of Ye Xian is 10 out of 10. No bias included, because soon after, while I was cool on Ye Xian (liked him but the way he was so rough, I was side eyeing him). I do like Ye Xian as his character was doing better but the way they had to tiptoe around him with certain stuff and how he reacted in the beginning/middle, whew I can’t be around. At the end, I was sad with how they did him. While you first watch, you can see how, yeah I guess that would happen, you’re still like, why did the plot go there?


Ok to clean this up, love the character portrayal , love the family ties (gives us more family drama too!!). If you couldn’t tell or didn’t read that, I LOVED THE ROMANCE ASPECT, GIVE ME MORE OF THAT🙇🏾‍♀️🙇🏾‍♀️🙇🏾‍♀️. Cast muy bien. Watch it if you care , watch it if you don’t. Or don’t watch at all, who am I to tell you.

💋☮️✌🏾


Ok back after watching 41, and I tell you I will be forgetting the plot over the next 2/3 years, but I will be coming back to that episode just because I can.

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Watch this with the Understanding the Ending is Disappointing

First of all I love both leads and have waited a long time for this to premiere. I have liked the pair since Rise of Ning . This time though Ci Sha wins her heart and he is the hero, and for that this show delivers. He deserved a lead role and he has good chemistry with Ren Min, and he is easy on the eyes and wonderful actor. I have already rewatched every scene of them together several times. They portray a mature yet deeply passionate love and it is beautiful. There are several affectionate scenes and they all are very satisfying. My favorites are their wedding night, when they get back together after she sends him the divorce letter, and when he carries her in the Temple on his back. All the other men in her life really didn't move me, and didn’t distract me or make me root for them because for me she was always meant to be with Third Master Chen.

My issue though is the ending. It just ended with them walking out of a burning building and a voice over of a decree and then a blank screen. It is like the writers, directors and producers ran out of time, money and energy to bring this to closure with a well written and editted ending for the fans. This is very upsetting considering how long we waited for this show to finally drop. There were so many areas you could have trimmed down to get the ending right!

I will not rate this show lower than an 8 because that hurts Ren Min and Ci Sha the most. They deserved a 10. However the lazy writers, directors and producers who gave up on this show deserve a zero. You don’t do this to fans and their beloved actors-it just is not right. You had a master piece and you blew it

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A Well Written Drama With A Hasty Illogical Sloppy Ending

Positive Points
1. Hands down to the writer for the well-written characters of Chen Yanyun and Gu Jingzhao. It's been quite some time since I came across such well-written ML and FL. I would give a few extra thanks for the character of the FL, especially. The character of the FL is rational, and she has a damn care attitude that is something I liked about her character. She is not the type of sacrificial type of Female lead who always returns bad with good. She also does not give her family a free pass just because they are her blood. Nor does she let the opportunistic people take financial advantage of her just because they are family. She is smart and intelligent. This is something I really appreciate. Also, the thing I absolutely love about this FL is that she never wastes her efforts on someone who does not appreciate it. After her first crush rejected her, she never pursued him. Nor did she waste her time on him. Ye Xian never explicitly told her that he liked her, and it was because of his crush on her that he always helped her. FL never took it for granted and never exploited his feelings for her personal gain. She also tried to help in return, like a true friend. Her marriage view is actually beautiful and rational. I like the way FL's character was written. Her character was consistent. She knows horse riding and archery. The screenwriter actually let her flex her skills and did not reduce her to an accessory for the ML to act as the hero. The ML is also one of the well-written, dignified characters. ML is quite sharp, rational, calm, and diplomatic. He also treats the FL with respect and does not impose his wishes in the name of love. Respect is very important for love to persist for a long time in my opinion. The ML is someone who can indeed be respected. The FL has indeed chosen the right guy for marriage. ML is different from the other 2 love interests of the female lead not due to age but rather the way he handled FL's vow to never marry, showing his composure. He has enough sense to differentiate between state and personal matters. He highly respects the FL and honours her choice and wishes. He diplomatically, with his patience and tactics, changed the No from the FL into Yes, and that is without using any underhanded method.
2. The cinematography, music, direction, and action scenes were nice. The cast was really good in their respective roles.

Negative Points
1. Spent too much time on two other love interests of the FL (I consider Ye Xian as a friend and not a love interest). Why waste such nice chemistry between the leads for showing too much court politics and love rivalry? There was very little of the FL and the ML for my liking throughout the drama.
2. Ye Xian could have been a nice addition. There was no need to make him do impulsive, illogical things. I know he was important for the 2nd half, but still too much time was wasted on him doing impulsive things that I absolutely did not like at all. Ye Xian is impulsive, has anger management issues and is aggressive. Bro loves to turn to drinking every time he faces a challenge/ problem. It does not really matter how good a man is when he is calm and happy. His character is best understood in times of crisis or when he loses his temper. Ye Xian is not a good choice for marriage at all. He impulsively whipped the FL when he could not swallow a few lines of bitter truth. No matter how he helped the FL, he is not a good candidate for marriage, for sure. He also does not have any keen perception of the court politics.
3. What was the ending even, killing everyone and leaving the leads alive only? The writing in the last 3 episodes was absolutely weak. The start was great, but had such a mediocre ending.
Overall, this drama was a nice one-time watch.
Ps. Though a bit unrealistic, the cute little emperor is more sensible than all those treacherous, evil, arrogant, womaniser emperors shown in C dramas.

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Pretty Good Drama

I had forgotten that the leads had been in the drama The Rise Of Ning which I am currently rewatching. The FL and ML in this drama ended up having one of the best CP's I have watched this year. I really enjoyed their interactions and felt they were truly immersed in their characters. I enjoyed all the support cast as well. All of them played their parts to perfection. My low rating is due to the production team and how it was a let down in the end. Too many people died in the last confrontation that it made me upset. I had wished for a better ending and was disappointed by all the lives lost and felt it unnecessary. I'm not a script writer, but this could have had a much nicer and thoughtful ending. It almost made me wish I hadn't wasted all my time watching this drama. The overall ratings would have been higher if the production team had thought it through more. Losing ONE or TWO is enough to startle watchers, but the overall devastation was too over-the-top. I won't rewatch with an ending so horrendous.

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A Beautiful Story That Deserved a Better Goodbye

I really enjoyed A Splendid Match overall. The drama had a lot going for it, beautiful cinematography, gorgeous costumes, a solid cast, and leads with amazing chemistry. The romance was sweet without feeling overly cheesy, and I liked that the relationship was built on trust and mutual respect. The political and family conflicts kept things interesting, and for the most part, the pacing was good.

The cast also did a fantastic job. Even the supporting characters felt memorable, and many of them had storylines that made you care about what would happen to them. That's actually why the ending was so disappointing.

My biggest issue is that the ending felt way too rushed. After spending dozens of episodes developing these characters and their relationships, the finale wrapped everything up so quickly that it barely gave the audience time to process anything. It honestly felt like the story was cut short.

Several important character arcs never received the resolution they deserved. There were relationships that needed proper closure, lingering conflicts that were brushed aside, and supporting characters whose endings were either implied or completely skipped. Instead of giving us satisfying conclusions, the drama seemed to jump straight to the finish line.

It's frustrating because the journey was genuinely enjoyable. The writers spent so much time building the world and making us emotionally invested in these characters, only to rush through the part where all that investment should have paid off. Even just one or two more episodes could have made a huge difference by giving everyone the closure they had earned.

That said, I don't think the rushed ending ruins the entire drama. The performances, chemistry, visuals, and emotional moments throughout the series are still worth watching. I just wish the finale had slowed down enough to let the story breathe and properly conclude the characters' journeys.

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An Interesting Romance and Political Story All Wrapped Into One

A Splendid Match does exactly what it promises. It splendidly matches up the main couple, who have quite different temperaments and yet are similar in enough in certain aspects aspects that it simply clicks. Certain characters truly grow and develop until the end of the drama like Ye Xian and Gu Lan, though Ye Xian is offered more screentime and is one of the best - if not THE best - SML's out there.

The deaths of certain characters were incredibly heart wrenching. I had a good cry two times in this drama and I love when a story actually makes me care!

Overall, the Gu family feud at the beginning of the drama was just a little better structured. The last arc is both rushed and yet too few things happen at the right time. I would have enjoyed a bit more focus on Jinzhao's female relationships and her business ventures around those episodes. Some political things just happen instead of being reacted to by the joint force of the main couple.

One big caveat are also the excessive fade to blacks that are awkward. They are used for censorship but also lack of time and probably lack of budget.

Despite that, I actually enjoy the ending (as in the last episode). It does not wrap everything up perfectly but there doesn't need to be a lengthy epilogue. The goal is reached. The deed is done.

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A Splendid Mess - an uneven but nonetheless surprisingly worthy watch

As I don't wish to spoil the story, my aim is not to add anything substantially new to the already existing reviews; rather, I seek to reinforce what has already been said by some other members of the community, most notably by @SceneStealer (no spoilers) and by @MrsGong (spoilers).

Let me put it this way: if you have enjoyed some of the more ambitious recent historical dramas, such as the Dream of Splendor, the Flourished Peony, the Prisoner of Beauty or even the Story of Kunning Palace, then you are very likely to enjoy this drama as well. That being said, I don't expect the Splendid Match to be quite as successful as any of the dramas mentioned above. Not because it's any worse - I feel that it's actually more substantial than most - but because it's too unfocused and goes in too many different directions.

A Splendid Match is a coming-of-age story, and a reflection on feminine condition, and an analyses of family and state power dynamics, and an account of ups and downs in palace scheming with some unexpectedly good fighting scenes thrown in; and, the last but not the least, it is a truly splendid slow-burn romance with some reasonably convincing love triangles. And if that is not enough, there are probably even more aspects of the story that I'm simply forgetting to mention.

None of these aspects are handled poorly; on the contrary, taken individually, they hold up unexpectedly well, But what we end up with is a bit messy because keeping so many threads from vibrating loose is an ambition simply to high to live up to. It is as if this drama has an identity issue: It can't quite make up its mind on whether it wants to be a crowd-pleaser or a more serious take on the human condition from a historical perspective. So, in the end, if falls somewhere in the middle and just a little short of both.

Nonetheless, and in spite of this inherent flaw, A Splendid Match engages and enchants thanks to its multi-layered character portrayal and its rare depiction of what it means to be in a healthy loving relationship.

Many characters in this drama - not just the leads, but down to the smallest supporting ones - are fully fleshed out, consistent and convincing. Many feel like real people whom we progressively get to know and follow in their decisions, good and bad, which might sometimes appear too exaggerated for my taste, but never feel random and unmotivated. However, the same high standard is not equally applied to all, so the results turn out a little uneven.

On the other hand, watching the relationship between the leads grow, develop and transform is truly delightful. For once, we have an older male lead who is explicitly not a virgin and does not abruptly turn into a shy boy the moment he falls in love; rather - and much more logically - he uses his vast intelligence and the advantage of sexual and emotional experience to both intellectually convince and sensually seduce. For once, we have a male lead who truly respects his partner and does not try to control her; not because he is not occasionally tempted to - of course he is, considering his upbringing and status - but because they manage to air, discuss and work out any issues together as a couple. Thus, we are mercifully spared the patronizing trope of I-love-you-so-much-that-it-entitles-me-to-make-decisions-about-your-life-without-asking-your-opinion. For once, the romance doesn't peter out and lose all interest once that the leads get together. If anything, the sexual tension between them becomes even stronger after they consume their relationship, which is only natural for any couple with a fulfilling intimate life. In all this, A Splendid Match sets a new standard for a credible romantic relationship, hopefully to be emulated more often in future.

Most other relationship in the drama, romantic or otherwise, are equally plausible, if less compelling. I will not go into the details in order to avoid spoilers.

The drama is well served by an excellent cast, with brilliant leads and many outstanding supporting actors. I initially found the young female lead, Ren Min, somewhat irritating, only to be impressed later on by the way in which she grew with, and into, her character. The male lead, Ci Sha, is consistently convincing in his quiet intensity. Everybody does a great job, really; I was perhaps particularly delighted by supporting actors incarnating grey-scale female characters, such as the unscrupulous but staunch matriarch (Yang Kun) or the tragically silly, superficial and suggestible concubine (Li Fei Er).

Cinematography, scenography, costumes and make-up are refined and subtle. The choreography for fighting scenes is sharp and visceral. The soundtrack is generally unremarkable, with a couple of standard love songs. My only complaint is about a certain instrumental cue for the main couple which I found distractingly incongruous as, to my ears, it sounded like it landed straight from a 1980s comedy and had no place in a historical C-drama.

Overall, while this drama could have been better - more streamlined and more even in depth and tone - I genuinely enjoyed it much more than I expected.. Therefore, I will swipe its imperfections under the carpet and give it a generous score of 8.5.

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WOW! What A Surprise!! I LOVED this!!!

I'm a die-hard POJ and Zhange Linghe fan, but after watching the dark and sad Overdo drama, I needed some joy in my entertainment choices.
A Splendid Match gets a 10! The plot and atory line is wonderful! I have three areas of comment but all three areas are equal in my esteem and praise: The illustrations, the actors, and the story.
First of all:
The opening & closing graphics! They are truly the most beautifully artistic and expressive I've seen! I usually skip the opening/closing graphics because, unfortunately, I don't read more than a handful of chinese characters (but "wo zhengzai xuexi zhongwen!") So, at first, the opening/closing credits & graphics didn't make much sense to me, and I skipped them. But after watching several episodes, the graphics caught my attention -- because I understood them, having become attached to the characters and the story line. Bravo to the art team!! Now I watch the opening and closing!
Next:
Ren Min, Chi Sha -- master of the art of saying so much without speaking a word! Not over-expressing or over-acting! But not under-expressing or under-delivering the dynamics. True artists! They embodied their characters with sincerity, flawless commitment, and it was beautiful to feel that sense being there in the scene, watching it unfold, never having a moment where one of the main actors showed a glitch in their craft that reminded us they were acting, not truly the character we believed was real.
And finally:
The music - no one masters drama series lyrics like the Chinese music professionals. I'm older than 60 years of age, lived in USA my whole life, and our government leads peoole to believe that China is bad. And I've been listening to my own music & TV favorites for decades! But since last year, when I discovered IQIYI, Tencent, etc, I've cancelled Spotify, Apple Music, Starz, HBO, and paused Netflix! Compared to Chinese and Korean film and music, American TV and music just dies on the vine and I feel like our country is a declining civilization. Chinese musical lyrics are intelligent, fully literate, non-cliche, well-thought-out, emotional, memorable, relatable, respectful, and beautiful. The music composure and arrangements are fabulous. It's pretty much all I listen to now.
After a year or more watching Chinese historic dramas, documentaries, and educational programs, I now speak up to others when, in ignorance, they speak ill of China. I appreciate what China is doing for the world in technology, science, education, sustainability, engineering, morals, arts and culture.
Lately, when I hear a fellow American say we should all be afraid that China may take over the world, I say that likely would be a better world.
I never would have known about so many of the advancements in China, had I never discovered their entertainment productions!
In my country, most (not all) film and entertainment professionals and productions degrade make us look like a degenerate civilization running toward a garbage pile to feast on our own waste. How lamentable. :(
In China. most film and entertainment professionals and productions bring honor to your country's reputation and challenge us to do the same. :)

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