Wonderful at the beginning and mediocre at the end
This drama for me was wonderful at the beginning and not so good at the end. But no matter how disappointing the final arc was, I really enjoyed watching "The Princess's Gambit".
The first arc about counterfeit money was remarkable. We had just met the characters, and they had just met each other too, so in the beginning everyone just watches each other and is very cautious.
Chancellor Shen Zai Ye, played by Liu Xue Yi, is charismatic, cold-blooded, calculating, cunning, using dirty methods, keeping dark secrets, and he is also a commoner who rose to the highest position. Oh, and he has a wife and two concubines. So chancellor is not at all like the young, virginal, noble ML that are so common in dramas - and that is amazing. By the way, Liu Xue Yi does a great job with characters of this type. Chancellor Sheng is distinguished from other similar characters by his restraint, ability to keep his composure, self-esteem and a little bit of "Marty Stu", which doesn't spoil the character at all.
Princess Jiang Tao Hua, played by Meng Zi Yi, is also cunning, calculating, intelligent, and a spy from a neighboring state where her brother remains a hostage, and is poisoned with a deadly toxin. As a princess, she was supposed to enter into a political marriage with the prince, but due to certain circumstances, she tied her fate to the chancellor (this is not a spoiler, it is clear even from the trailer).
And so began a battle of wits. They worked against each other, and the princess also worked against the chancellor's harem, while the chancellor worked against the local mafia bosses. Then, of course, ML and FL joined forces, but the tension between them didn't disappear. And it was amazing! I watched some scenes without blinking.
The relationship between the main characters developed very gradually and very excitingly. It was hard for them not only fall in love, but even trust each other. Both of them traditionally have very traumatic pasts and presents, which prevent them from seeing the world through the prism of kindness and love.
But when it finally came to love (no spoiler, it's a law of the genre), the clichés and stereotypes poured like rain. And the drama became not exactly boring, but not as interesting to watch as it was at the beginning. Also this was the moment where the plot holes became obvious, because there was nothing to overshadow them.
In the final arc about the search of antidote, there was nothing left of the cold-blooded, calculating, and mean characters. They turned into standard noble lovers who save each other, everyone around them, and the state. This is not bad in general, but in contrast to the first arc, it was disappointing. And the villain of the final arc didn't measure up to the antagonists of the first arc - neither in emotion, motivation, nor logic in general.
In addition to the wonderful main characters, "The Princess's Gambit" has excellent secondary characters. The emperor, the princes, the Meng family represented by the head, son and daughter — all are charismatic, interesting, memorable, and evoke a lot of emotions in viewers (at least in me).
I wouldn't mind if the runtime were increased to reveal more about the second prince, the chancellor's harem, and other mafia clans aka influential families. We were promised mean harem consisting of mafia daughters, spying on chancellor for the sake of their clans. But the confrontations with the FL were shown very little. I want more.
Several influential families were also announced, but only the Meng family was revealed. The rest flashed on the screen a couple of times and that was it. I didn't get enough of the mafia, their secret dealings and their war with the chancellor.
What I also really liked about this drama is the cinematography. A lot of it is based on glances, micro-emotions, and close-ups. In the first arc and in the scenes of romantic suffering, this was very appropriate — the actors shown a whole range of feelings and thoughts with a single glance or a fleeting movement of their lips. And this was beautifully shown to us in close-up, making it clear what a particular character had on their mind.
Another technique I liked was shifting the focus from one face to another. It allows you to focus on one character, understand their feelings, and only then switch to another.
When the romantic suffering began in the middle of the drama, these techniques remained, but they no longer made you stare at the screen without blinking. Just beautiful techniques with beautiful actors.
And all this was accompanied by beautiful music that emphasized the emotions and did not distract from the action.
So, what else... The fights here are quite decent, though not exciting. There is only one bed scene, and it is very short. There are few kisses. As usual in dramas with Liu Xue Yi, attention is focused on emotions and psychology, but not on passion and tactility.
In general, "The Princess's Gambit" is worth watching at least for the exciting first arc and the excellent acting and cinematography. And for Liu Xue Yi, of course.
The first arc about counterfeit money was remarkable. We had just met the characters, and they had just met each other too, so in the beginning everyone just watches each other and is very cautious.
Chancellor Shen Zai Ye, played by Liu Xue Yi, is charismatic, cold-blooded, calculating, cunning, using dirty methods, keeping dark secrets, and he is also a commoner who rose to the highest position. Oh, and he has a wife and two concubines. So chancellor is not at all like the young, virginal, noble ML that are so common in dramas - and that is amazing. By the way, Liu Xue Yi does a great job with characters of this type. Chancellor Sheng is distinguished from other similar characters by his restraint, ability to keep his composure, self-esteem and a little bit of "Marty Stu", which doesn't spoil the character at all.
Princess Jiang Tao Hua, played by Meng Zi Yi, is also cunning, calculating, intelligent, and a spy from a neighboring state where her brother remains a hostage, and is poisoned with a deadly toxin. As a princess, she was supposed to enter into a political marriage with the prince, but due to certain circumstances, she tied her fate to the chancellor (this is not a spoiler, it is clear even from the trailer).
And so began a battle of wits. They worked against each other, and the princess also worked against the chancellor's harem, while the chancellor worked against the local mafia bosses. Then, of course, ML and FL joined forces, but the tension between them didn't disappear. And it was amazing! I watched some scenes without blinking.
The relationship between the main characters developed very gradually and very excitingly. It was hard for them not only fall in love, but even trust each other. Both of them traditionally have very traumatic pasts and presents, which prevent them from seeing the world through the prism of kindness and love.
But when it finally came to love (no spoiler, it's a law of the genre), the clichés and stereotypes poured like rain. And the drama became not exactly boring, but not as interesting to watch as it was at the beginning. Also this was the moment where the plot holes became obvious, because there was nothing to overshadow them.
In the final arc about the search of antidote, there was nothing left of the cold-blooded, calculating, and mean characters. They turned into standard noble lovers who save each other, everyone around them, and the state. This is not bad in general, but in contrast to the first arc, it was disappointing. And the villain of the final arc didn't measure up to the antagonists of the first arc - neither in emotion, motivation, nor logic in general.
In addition to the wonderful main characters, "The Princess's Gambit" has excellent secondary characters. The emperor, the princes, the Meng family represented by the head, son and daughter — all are charismatic, interesting, memorable, and evoke a lot of emotions in viewers (at least in me).
I wouldn't mind if the runtime were increased to reveal more about the second prince, the chancellor's harem, and other mafia clans aka influential families. We were promised mean harem consisting of mafia daughters, spying on chancellor for the sake of their clans. But the confrontations with the FL were shown very little. I want more.
Several influential families were also announced, but only the Meng family was revealed. The rest flashed on the screen a couple of times and that was it. I didn't get enough of the mafia, their secret dealings and their war with the chancellor.
What I also really liked about this drama is the cinematography. A lot of it is based on glances, micro-emotions, and close-ups. In the first arc and in the scenes of romantic suffering, this was very appropriate — the actors shown a whole range of feelings and thoughts with a single glance or a fleeting movement of their lips. And this was beautifully shown to us in close-up, making it clear what a particular character had on their mind.
Another technique I liked was shifting the focus from one face to another. It allows you to focus on one character, understand their feelings, and only then switch to another.
When the romantic suffering began in the middle of the drama, these techniques remained, but they no longer made you stare at the screen without blinking. Just beautiful techniques with beautiful actors.
And all this was accompanied by beautiful music that emphasized the emotions and did not distract from the action.
So, what else... The fights here are quite decent, though not exciting. There is only one bed scene, and it is very short. There are few kisses. As usual in dramas with Liu Xue Yi, attention is focused on emotions and psychology, but not on passion and tactility.
In general, "The Princess's Gambit" is worth watching at least for the exciting first arc and the excellent acting and cinematography. And for Liu Xue Yi, of course.
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