Glory (2025)

La richesse du thé en Chine…

Glory met le thé à l'honneur dans un drame historique entraînant, aux conflits familiaux et sociaux et à l'esthétique soignée, malgré la faiblesse des derniers épisodes.

Puissante et menée par des femmes fortes, la famille Rong impose le respect. Belle et redoutable, Rong Shan Bao (Gulnezer Bextiyar) assume d'une main ferme chacune de ses responsabilités. Intelligente, stratège et insensible, elle incarne l'éducation stricte (et même cruelle) de grand-mère Rong (Liu Xua Hua). Toutefois, n'est-elle pas trop douée ? Rong Shan Bao n'a aucune faiblesse, détourne sans effort chaque complot et ne rencontre aucune difficulté particulière. Cependant, Gulnezer Bextiyar dépeint une femme forte, sérieuse avec une aura glaciale implacable ponctuée de quelques discrets sourires qui viennent réchauffer son personnage.

Grand magistrat, Lu Jiang Lai (Hou Ming Hao) a le sens de la justice. Lorsqu'il perd ses souvenirs, son personnage devient plus sensible, mais il garde ce goût pour la justice et la traque des corrompus ou des criminels. Pourtant, Lu Jiang Lai perd de son charme lorsque sa véritable identité est dévoilée. Une fois qu'il reprend ses quartiers, il devient un pion, tandis que Rong Shao Bao résolve les mystères dans l'ombre, le laissant presque idiot en plein tribunal. Les hommes sont au second plan dans ce drama, toutefois, ils le sont au point de servir d'antagonistes ou de simples distractions, c'est dommage. Néanmoins, Hou Ming Hao délivre un personnage droit et juste aux expressions amusantes et touchantes.

Le reste du casting est également convaincant. Malgré le nombre de personnages, je suis contente de voir Li Fei (He Xing Ming) dans un drame long et de revoir Zhao Zhao Yi (Shen Xiang Ling).

Le rythme de l'intrigue fait qu'il se passe toujours quelque chose, saupoudré de quelques touches d'humour efficaces. Les complots sont résolus en temps et en heure, bien que certains personnages devraient disparaître de honte. En revanche, quelques arcs sont traités trop rapidement, alors qu'ils méritaient plus d'attention.

Les derniers épisodes semblent trop précipités et n'apportent pas grand-chose à l'histoire, à part du drame et de l'incohérence sur le personnage de Lu Jiang Lai. La fin existe, mais ne me satisfait pas personnellement. Elle semble forcée et facile, comme pour pousser le spectateur à l'accepter parce qu'après tout, ça reste une fin heureuse. Certes, Rong Shan Bao aime Lu Jiang Lai, mais peu importe les circonstances, elle fera toujours passer les intérêts de la famille Rong en priorité.

Bien que je n'apprécie pas le thé, cet aspect de l'histoire m'a fasciné. J'ai beaucoup apprécié les suppléments en fin d'épisode ou même les longues scènes dans les champs de thé. C'était magnifique !

En bref, Glory plonge le spectateur dans l'univers du thé en Chine avec une photographie ravissante, un casting essentiellement féminin charismatique, malgré quelques faiblesses.

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A visually stunning drama with lots of "tea"! (pun intended)

I went into Glory with very high expectations and, as expected, I wasn’t disappointed. Recently, there seems to be a wave of strong dramas with “Glory” in the title, and I was kind of anticipating The Glory, Blossom or even Blossoms in Adversity - type of vibes. Surprisingly, this drama turned out to be very different.

First of all, this drama screams high budget!! The production value alone is impressive: every detail of the setting is beautifully crafted and clearly well thought out. The Ming-dynasty–inspired aesthetics, the costumes, and especially the tea plantations are absolutely stunning. I also really appreciated the historical tea facts shown at the end of the episodes. The OST is gorgeous too and adds a magical touch to many scenes ✨

Despite having noticeable flaws in both the story and the characters, the show somehow managed to put me in a chokehold. It’s addictive enough to keep me watching, constantly wanting to know what happens next. What a pain watching this while it's airing!

But that said, there are also some issues that could have been done better.
The first arc of the story, especially the husband-selection plot and the He Xingming / Yang Dingchen storyline, felt unnecessarily long, and I think it coul've been shortened. It took up a lot of time of the drama without contributing much to the overall progression. Story-wise it could've been a 10 for me, if this arc and the one in the last 4-6 episodes were excluded.
This is my first drama starring Gülnezer Bextiyar, so I can’t fully judge her acting yet. However, her facial expressions often felt a bit stiff. At times, it was difficult to tell whether her character was quietly scheming or genuinely surprised / upset. Nevertheless, her visuals suit the role 100% - she's got that sharp and cold “Ice Queen” aura.
Now on to the characters: Rong Shanbao is a mixed bag for me. I admire how she prioritizes family above all else and refuses to get dragged into internal power struggles. Considering her difficult upbringing, her composure and emotional restraint do make sense. However, I don't agree with how she treats Lu Jianglai. While it’s true that he betrayed her first, he later makes continuous efforts to redeem himself, especially by solving the case etc. Yet she keeps him at arm’s length, barely treating him differently from the earlier husband candidates. Her lack of communication and tendency to keep everything to herself becomes frustrating over time.
As for the sisters, it honestly surprised me that the Rong family managed to survive for so long given how disunited they were in the beginning. I’m glad Rong Yunyin and Rong Yunxi had character development though. Rong Yunyin’s growth felt more believable, while Rong Yunxi’s change felt abrupt, like a jump: Suddenly she trusts Rong Shanbao and even speaks up for her?
Also, I'm actually growing even more interested in Yunxi and An Cha's story than Shanbao and Fusheng's...
The grandmother is another frustrating, illogical character. Despite her experiencing many setbacks, she sticks to her old mentality - familial piety, strict rules - alwways disregarding her granddaughters’ wishes.

Despite these flaws, there are many more things I genuinely enjoyed.
The story, while sometimes stretched, was engaging because of the constant twists where I expect them the least; especially the second half kept me hooked. My jaw literally dropped every second. This is one of the best written stories, I've seen in a while!
And lastly, Rong Yunwan completely stole my heart. She’s adorable and easily one of the most lovable characters in the drama.

So imo, Glory is far from perfect, but it’s visually breathtaking and I loved how the story develops, so I rate it 9.5 despite the few flaws ❤️

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