Les filles de Madame Li

I had high hopes for this drama, especially since the dashing star of the Double was the main male lead. Unfortunately, my hopes were not realized because of the poor screenwriting and direction of this drama. I gave it five stars for the actors who worked hard to make it what it could not be-an outstanding drama.

The problem centered on the obnoxious mother and her interfering mannerisms. She was why her girls were single, or if married, unhappy. Money and prestige were her main aims in finding suitable husbands for her daughters; compatibility and affection were of no consequence to her and their single state. To say I was disappointed is an understatement.

So I chance upon Perfect Match on Netflix and instantly fell in love with characters from the first episode. It kind of reminds me of Pride and Prejudice.

The characters are stunning and talented. I love how it goes from outwitting each other to court to royalty and so on. I love the aesthetics of the set and the costumes- the headdresses and usage of pastel shades. All five couples are stunning but the third sister and master Chai were just perfect. From this series, I learned about ancient Chinese rules and i love how the writers incorporate gender issues with a contemporary take without being too loud about it.

Set during the early period of Imperial China, about a mother and her five daughters who move to a respectable noble town and open a fancy tea shop, going up against Master Chai and his elegant restaurant. In between all the squabbles, the Mother Li attempts to find suitable suitors for her daughters, but competition is tough with expensive dowries out of their reach. It is a decent Chinese soap drama with lavish production values, amazing traditional hairdos, and gorgeous slow motion shots of loving stares and admiration between the sexes. A bit amateurish in the set-up, but be patient as it kicks in midway of episode 2, and vastly improves by end of three as the Master and third daughter have something brewing. The five sisters have the Jane Austen's about them (as does the story - Pride and Prejudice), and are enjoyable feisty ladies with modern sensibilities in this enjoyable and campy Chinese TV soap drama...

I'm really surprised at the low-ratings this Chinese drama has received. It deserves better. Yes, it's uneven in places, it drags at the end--and the acting chops of the numerous characters range from overly-dramatic to reasonably competent to blanked out, poker-faced bots. BUT...by and large the female leads are magnetic, energetic, and convincing as the five clever and spirited Li sisters-all of them in the market for a marital match made in heaven.

What the ladies get instead is a plethora of trouble, involving in-laws and outlaws and just plain craziness, as each daughter, in turn, finds what appears to be the "perfect match," but in fact--is not.

Mother Li (played by an outstanding actor) has her work cut out for her. For each of the five, she has to find an appropriate husband, with a modicum of wealth and a propitious astrology chart-someone belonging to a socially respectable, congenial family. And, of course, she has to provide each of her five girls with a sufficient dowry.

Is Mother Li looking for someone her daughters will like and get along with? Strike that last requirement. Personal compatibility was pretty low on the priority list in that day and age.

Not to worry, though, these incredible women are all resourceful, capable, and able to finesse the various situations--marital, familial, and legal--as well as the chauvinistic society they find themselves in. Not all of their shenanigans work as planned and the plot isn't always believable. In fact, the fifth daughter's marriage situation was so ridiculous that I fast forwarded through most of it. Shades of "I Love Lucy" reruns in some of the antics. Her attempts to whip her would-be spouse into shape (and I do mean "whip") went on waaay too long. Personally, I don't find marital abuse funny, no matter how richly deserved or who's doing it.

It would have been nice if the servants were depicted as real human beings instead of props for the nobles to use as they saw fit.

But the costumes and hairdos are to die for. And the absolutely delightful "lion contest" in episode 32 made up for a lot of the cheesier moments.

Who knew that 1000 years ago the Chinese city of Bianjing was such a nest of vipers?

I watched this drama without any expectations, but it turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. There weren't too many annoying scenes, and the plot was fun to follow-a nice blend of romance and comedy.

Each character had a fair share of screen time to shine, which I appreciated. With multiple couples in the mix, I understand how that could make the storytelling a bit tricky, but they handled it fairly well. That said, the enemies-to-lovers trope felt a bit overused, which made some parts predictable and less engaging.

Overall, even though I liked the romantic-comedy balance, I didn't rate it very high personally. Still, I'd recommend it to those new to C-dramas or fans who want to see their favorite actors in action-the cast did a great job in their roles.