My Week in Dramas 10 July 2025
Sigh. What a colossal waste of the talent that is Liu Xueyi once again to be saddled with a script riddled with badly used tropes and a poorly written female lead. The Princess’ Gambit has gone from a half decent historical romance with some palace intrigue to a higgledy piggledy mess of idiocies. The rumour is that there were 11 scriptwriters on this. Who knows. 11 sounds rather excessive even for a C drama. 11 scriptwriters and none of them can write a convincing well-developed romance without playing every trick in the book to drag out the push and pull. Perhaps. If that’s the case the show should be far schizophrenic but it isn’t that.
The Princess’ Gambit should in earnest be renamed The Princess’ Bad Habits because this is a character that doesn’t learn from past experiences. Those who leap to her defence will undoubtedly say that she’s in survival mode and she has no time to think of romance. Fair enough. But it was she who asked for this marriage to survive as a stranger in a hostile landscape as a spy under duress. When it suited her, she was willing to collaborate for a common cause. They worked well together and didn’t get in each other’s way. Now in this second half of the show, we are expected to believe that they stand on opposite sides. Over and over, like a broken record, she insists that they serve different masters and must stand apart. She has to somehow go at it alone with only her wits even after needing to be saved by the man she’s trying rigidly to disavow. All these excuses or justifications or rationalisations for separation serve only only to complicate things for reasons only known to the scriptwriter. A powerful, well-resourced husband who desperately wants to be used by her but no, it’s noble idiocy that leads to all other kinds of missteps. Clever? In the words of Inigo Montoya, “You keep using this word. I don’t think is means what you think it means.”
Shen Zaiye is right about at least one thing. She wants to dictate the terms of their relationship without any respect for his agency. She (or perhaps the scriptwriters) is desperate to be a strong independent heroine which apparently translates into “I don’t need to rely on a man.” Even when it flies against common sense, she refuses to ask for his help when he is the person best placed to do so. Jiang Taohua is not a character but a plot device to protract the push and pull.
For all its shortcomings The Prisoner of Beauty, knew what it was and there was a couple who learned to work together against all odds. It barely rated as political intrigue but as a show about marriage dynamics for modern sensibilities it was a decent way to while away the hours. Princess’ Gambit on the other hand is a reluctant romance dragging its feet which descends into a worse than mediocre political show after about 15 episodes.
The sensible thing would be to drop it but when Liu Xueyi comes onscreen I almost forgive the show for all its writing sins. It’s certainly not getting better after Episode 28. To add insult to injury the third prince’s arc just beggars belief.
On the recommendation of my daughter I started watching The Apothecary Diaries, an anime set in ancient China. The titular character Maomao apprentice to her adopted father Dr Luomen, is kidnapped by human traffickers and sold to the imperial harem, 后宫 translated literally as “rear palace” here. Maomao quickly stands out and becomes sought after for her knowledge of herbs, pharmacology and even courtesan culture. The show’s apothecary was raised in a brothel by courtesans although her mother’s identity remains a mystery for much of season 1. It’s part detective, part royal intrigue and a fascinating look into the lives of women who occupy the “rear palace”. She starts off as a laundry maid and then becomes the food taster of the Precious Consort after saving her baby’s life. Soon she becomes known as a solver of mysteries in the vein of Detective Conan or Case Closed. Romance is certainly in the air for Maomao and Jinshu, the eunuch overseeing the logistics of running a harem. He’s clearly smitten while she’s completely oblivious. Everyone knows except her. The cases are generally well thought out and the sardonic Maomao’s interactions with the characters are often hilarious and heart-warming. If you can get past the fact that the female lead is a walking encyclopaedia despite her age, it’s a really well-written show based on a web-based light novel series of the same name.
Last weekend I finished the John Wick inspired Mercy For None in one sitting. As someone who really enjoyed the first couple of John Wick movies, this was really right up my alley. So Ji-sub is Nam Gi-jun, a former gang enforcer who comes out of forced retirement when his brother Gi-seok (Lee Jun-hyuk) is purportedly murdered in a hit ordered by the son of a mob boss, Goo Jun-mo (Gong Myung). What ensues is a predictable bloodbath as a one-man killing machine mows down opposition by essentially breaking bones. It is set within the framework of a fairly straightforward gangland power struggle in South Korea and it certainly lives up to the title. The tortured look that So Ji-sub is famous for lends itself to the role as Gi-jun hobbles around trying to get to the man responsible for his brother’s death. Special mention should be made of the two young antagonists played by Gong Myung and Choo Young-woo who are really good here. Choo Young-woo seems to be everywhere these days and deservedly so. A talented lad that we’ll see a lot more in all kinds of roles to be sure.