Not So Perfect Match
Perfect Match isn’t exactly a perfect match for everyone, but despite its flaws, the heart of the show shines through in its family dynamics and emotional moments.When I first started this series I really couldn't get into it for the first couple of episodes. I held off watching it, taking long breaks between each episode. There wasn't much happening in the very beginning of the series but there was that slight intrigue of wondering what's going to happen between the couples that kept me from dropping it. I'm glad I didn't!
Perfect Match is one of the few series I've seen with multiple couples and enjoyed but it is far from perfect. There are many cliches, annoying or recycled plot points, some very over-the-top events happening that took away the immersion, but overall it was worth the watch. I liked that each sister got their own screen time, but I disliked that the other sisters were basically abandoned/turned into side characters once they got their happy ending. Some storylines felt too long while others felt too short. The passage of time was quite unclear, there were mentions of children but we barely see any of them, etc. What I truly loved the most was Mama Li, even though I'm unmarried and don't have children of my own, I truly felt all she went through. Having to raise six daughters without your husband, money and terrible relatives, especially in those times is truly a difficult and scary task. And then after you have raised them like flowers, having to find truly good husbands for them... oof! She really is a trooper!
Out of all the storylines my favorites are in this order: 4th Lady<3rd Lady<5th Lady<1st Lady<2nd Lady
I would say the biggest character growth and the longest screentime had to be for the 4th sister. She really went through A LOT, her story was the most interesting of all. But she moved on from the "events" that happened to her way too fast. Like the rest of some plot points in other sisters storylines, some BIG plots weren't really addressed/were skimmed over too fast in 4th lady's storyline and because her story was the more "bigger stakes" one, it felt incomplete.
The Li sisters are better than me because 80% of what some of the MLs did would instantly make them a big FAT no for me lol.
Things I liked:
1. The husbands who were down bad for their wives
2. Smart sisters United!
3. Mama Li <3
4. The relationships between everyone in the Li family
Biggest problems:
1. No communication for creating plot twists/angst
2. Constant beatings... I'm looking at you 2nd and 5th sisters. Like I get MLs are supposed to be good men who don't touch women even if they are being beaten, but 5th sister beats everyone and all the other men just... take it? That ruined the immersion for me especially with how terrible some of the supporting characters were.
3. A somewhat recycled version of the same dynamic/story in every single couple. As an analogy: It felt like each sister’s story was basically the same sentence, just written in different scripts -- one in pinyin, one in traditional Chinese, and one in simplified. Different on the surface, but structurally almost identical.
4. Rushed. Rushed. Rushed!
Overall, this was an enjoyable watch. If you're like me and don't have much patience, I'd recommend you to give it a chance for at least 5 episodes. If you didn't find it interesting you should probably drop it, but if it was growing on you, definitely continue.
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