A Splendid Match

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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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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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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Too many admirers in the kitchen

This drama was overall really good. I felt that both leads did a great job in their roles. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a FL so bombarded with admirers before. Most women in these historical dramas are demure and cut unwanted attention off quickly before it goes too far but this FL didn’t do that at all. I really don’t understand the relationship with the 2ML since he was so arrogant and rude to everyone including the FL. She also let things linger on with the nephew of the ML that she shouldn’t have. She was supposed to be this intelligent woman that could any situation but when it came to admirers she was really dense. The last straw for me was when her husband comes back from war badly injured she just ignored him and had a nervous breakdown over the death of the 2ML. I get it that you’re upset but my word the show of pain was just over the top. Your husband passes out in the same room and she seemed to care less. If I was the ML I would have found the divorce papers and used them so she could be free to find another “friend”.

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I am on episode 20 rn and Good Lord I have stuff to say!

First I didn't notice the leap at all!! It's like one moment she is crying over the dress and the gu family plotting and bamp!! We have the leap. I found it so weird that suddenly it is 3 yrs as everyone started mentioning the year. In fact I watched the episode twice to finally see where the leap scenes was

Another thing that confused me was ML confessed and "gave" her time to think (she rejected him lol). But that time to think streched to 3 yrs??? Isn't that a lot?? Like what?? Did they interact for these years?? Or did I mistake the leap moment? I am still confused.

Now comes Gu Lan. At first I thought she had a brain and could obviously see through nanny Zhou. But it was quickly revealed that though she is intelligent the restrictions and gap between di and shu is something she is still afraid of. In fact it was more of greed. Greed to take everything. And ofcourse for Ye Xian. She started antagonising everything FL did. It changed her character to a brainless half sister so quick. But still understandable since she is spoiled and wants everything for herself. And sharing for her is being wronged. She is just ungrateful.

But after the whole thing will her mom and FL's mother. Her sudden 180 gave me whiplash like what?? One moment I am seeing her still defending her mother and still not realising her mistake and next scene we see her kneeling and apologising infront of FL. At first I thought she was just acting this way to save herself. She wasn't really apologetic. But FL mentions how Gu Lan isn't lying about her apology . And after the leap Gu Lan turns into this bullied white lotus . Though well yes she is being bullied but I would have liked to see the progression of her realising her mistake. Because it was very abrupt. We don't see any remorse at all. She is just suddenly good. And FL starts being cordinal to her and all.

Infact in the whole concubine scheme it was her idea mostly. Her mother was just following her. Sure she didn't expect it would cause a death or that the maid was lying. It is true that her intentions were malicious. But instead her mother ends up getting punished while she left just like that??


Anyways I really likeML and FL's chemistry. Love them.

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One that sticks with you.

I had only watched 10 episodes before I decided I needed to rewatch it with my family because I was that enthralled by this.
A ML that I didn't expect to love but became besotted by. The definition of "I will support her, even if I have to bail her out of jail". A bratty but confident & capable FL who also grows throughout the series. Some of the supporting cast have very over-the-top almost cartoonish acting (I'm looking at you FL's father), but somehow it doesn't detract from the show and maybe gives a little more levity to it. The chemistry is amazing and I need to go back and watch all their other shows together.

I finished this months ago and was in a rut because I couldn't find anything else that felt was well balanced as this. Definitely give this a chance!

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Reminds me of Rely on me and I'll rely on you.

Gu jinzhao and Chen Yanyun as a perfect cast that no one can replace, I've seen the interaction that differs the FL to the other second and third lead. You'll know at the first glance that the ML is enough to make it the standard.

To be honest its the casting and the acting that made me finish this. The plot need more polishing, aside from that her sister Gulan shes one of the greatest character development Ive seen.

The opening episode, I really love that part, that shows that Jinzhao aren't afraid for someone to see her fury that she ain't a girl who can just be restrain of others even her father. I've seen her growth and the character where shes intimidated with Chen Yanyun but she knows that he's realiable man. Where Chen Yanyun a very charismatic main lead I've seen he ain't the man that only serves pretty face but you'll know that he'll have the gut to do things you won't imagine. From the moment he realizes his feelings for Gu Jinzhao, he ain't losing any minute to show it and profess it. He goes for it like time matters.

As for my favorite second lead Ye Xian, I'd cry for you, hate you and understand his character.

Overrall love for this drama. Its one of the best drama I've seen this year. Looking forward for more projects for my actresses and actors.

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