K-DRAMA REVIEW: “The Matchmakers” Marks Entertaining Story of Matching Couples and Pursuing True Love

January 9, 2024
K-DRAMA REVIEWS

In an era where women were stifled by customs – titles and wealth determined one’s honor, our leads chose to pursue what truly made them happy, even if people pointed fingers at them.

It wasn’t an easy journey, though. And our leads went through so much to get their much-deserved happily ever after.

Bunny S watched The Matchmakers on Viu

The Matchmakers Series Quick Recap

With an extraordinary knack for bringing lovely-looking couples together, our widowed heroine, Jung Soon-deok, climbs over the wall and moonlights as Lady Yeoju, the matchmaking master.

Joining her on this journey is our male lead, rule-stickler Sim Jung-woo, the royal son-in-law who has been widowed for eight years after his wife’s sudden death.

The Matchmakers Series Highlights

Well-balanced Ensemble Cast

Balancing four secondary couples and an OTP is no easy feat. Yet not only did the drama manage to pull this task off, but it also presented every character with a fair share of the spotlight. Case in point: how the old bachelors got their matches and happily ever after. Also, the prelude at the beginning of each episode included almost everyone.

Well-written Female Characters

With a strong and quick-witted heroine leading the matchmaking operation, it is only right that we get a female antagonist. And did I mention how formidable and sharp she was? Lady Park was a complex character from the beginning. Her affection towards Soon-deok was genuine. But it all vanished once she learned of Soon-deok’s feelings towards Jung-woo.

Their last confrontation is one for the books. From once looking up to Lady Park and viewing her as a role model to looking her right in the eye, daring her to do anything funny. Those two have come a long way indeed.

The Maeng sisters were also a delight to watch. Each with a different personality, but shared a tight bond. Hye-jin was an interesting character too. And I loved how she mustered up the courage and took the path that made her happy, not the one chosen by her family.

The Matchmakers Series Musings

This drama kicked off on the right foot, got better over time, and was sealed it with a nice landing. However, we wished for more shenanigans instead of the king’s easy resolution to save Jung-woo.

Soon-deok and Lady Park were a foil for each other, having different stances on how to best protect their family. One won’t mind going as far as to kill her husband and brother to keep the family intact. Yet the other believes that one shouldn’t do anything stupid and put their family in danger in the first place.

When Lady Park told Soon-deok to take her own life for the family’s honor, Soon-deok remained resolute and opted to stay alive for the sake of her loved ones. Who said love can only be proven through death? Seeing Lady Park stuck alone might be daunting. But she wasn’t one to admit to her wrongdoings.

We can appreciate how the drama respected the leads’ relationship with their late spouses, yet also gifted them with a sweet second chance at love. Instead of Jung-woo being forced into marrying the princess and Soon-deok marrying a random man who died shortly after their marriage, it was refreshing that our leads were in love with their late spouses. And though they developed feelings for each other, they will never forget the memory of their late partners.

The major highlight for me was how the drama balanced the fun moments and the political scheming. Normally, towards the end, the dark tone takes over and the light-hearted moments barely exist. But this wasn’t the case here. The perfect example of this is the penultimate episode, where the stakes were high, and our characters used every antic they could think of to get their happily ever after.

Photos and Videos: KBS Drama

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Bunny Sonaki

I am Bunny. Just like you, I am smitten with Kdramas and look forward to watching every Kdrama out there, but is that dream ever possible since they keep showering us with new dramas every day? For me, Kdramas are my comfort zone and a warm hug that makes it possible to face up to whatever life throws my way.

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