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The Princess's Gambit chinese drama review
Completed
The Princess's Gambit
1 people found this review helpful
by JP SwoonSafeZone
Jul 18, 2025
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

The Princess Gambit: A Twisty Ride That Lost Its Heart Midway ???

Started with a spark, got tangled in its own twists, and limped to a neat but emotionally bland ending.
The premise had promise—political intrigue, a capable female lead, a seemingly ruthless male lead, and a sprinkling of palace games. But somewhere mid-plot, it veered off into the land of dragged-out tension and tangled character choices. The cast delivered solid performances—no complaints there—but their roles were so schemey, secretive, and twisted, it felt like no one trusted or talked to each other🤐. Communication? Nil. Emotional logic? Missing in action. 🚫❤️‍🩹
The male lead was supposed to be cold and calculating—but he took ruthless to a whole new level. A single flicker of warmth mid-way could have worked wonders, but instead we had to wait till the final stretch for some thawing. And by then, the emotional investment had cooled off. Where was the chemistry? The softness? The subtle romance that makes you root for the couple? Sadly, it never quite landed.
The female lead had all the bad luck in the kingdom piled onto her. Her burdens were too much for one person, and while the actress did a fine job, the script did her character no favours. She carried the weight of the entire story while being pulled in too many directions.🧳🌀
And let’s not forget the ML’s sister—a supposed seasoned warrior who acted like a comic relief sidekick. Her exaggerated behaviour broke the tone every time she showed up.
Yes, it ended well. Technically. But was it satisfying? Not quite. It felt like pulling hen’s teeth—long, frustrating, and dry. I had to skip parts of almost every episode (which I never like doing) just to get through it. By the end, I was chanting, “Just finish up already, get together, happy ending, move on!” 😩

A wasted potential, but watchable if you have patience, low expectations, and a remote ready for fast-forwarding.
⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (3/5)
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