The Matchmakers

Humour, romance and palace intrigue all come together beautifully in this well-crafted K-Drama that almost gives you the feel of a Shakespearean Comedy! I started watching this drama with no expectations. And my oh my this show turned out to be a gem! Had to keep rewatching many scenes many times, not just for their entertainment value but also sometimes to decipher some witty Korean dialogue and social banter.

The locations, sets and interiors are so aesthetically pleasing and the entire ensemble of cast members did a fabulous job. Special mention: the BGM!

The FL character has the right mix of spunkiness and sweetness and Choi Yi-Hyun nailed it. However, I have to hand it to Rowoon for being outstanding in this drama. He is brilliant as the Nerdy Scholar who cannot even run properly, let alone hold a sword. He and his butler played by actor Kim Hyun-mok display great comedic timing. Rowoon is a treat to watch as the conceited resentful grouch, especially in the scenes when his psychosomatic symptoms flare up. Just his body language, facial expressions and awkwardness are guaranteed to give you quite a few laughs.

Kudos to the writer for making Lady Park such an interesting character. With just last couple of episodes left to air, I sincerely hope that this drama gives us a happy ending, please!

I really liked the production in the beginning. All characters had an amazing developemnt and growing arches, but little things began to occur, like several sudden costume jumps in scenes/ situations which are happening temporarily just a while after the other, on the same day. Then appeared the breaks in the continuity of the story itself and it was difficult to know why something simply occurred. There were plenty of examples, but the most irritating was the one within the evolution of the love story of the protagonists. Also the little, but super fast after credit snipets were not included in the next episodes and things just came to be without further explanation. Maybe there was too much to tell and screen time was not enough.

The Matchmakers is one among the recent dramas released in the last quarter of 2023 that I have watched without skipping a single scene. Even if Iam fan of the actors, I don't continue if the plot or the script is not good. Here it started off as a light romcom and slowly began exploring the weight of the emotions of the characters. I loved it by all means. The performances by leads are commendable as they have managed very well to showcase both the goofiness in the older episodes and the restraint later on. I would like to appreciate Choi Yi Hyun for the growth she has showcased and Rowoon too for the improvement 🖤. No character is a filler character here and that is another highlight. Giving space to everyone no matter what their screentime is a great quality . It's indeed an absolute delight for me and the frames are mesmerizing, the natural colors around them are so beautiful and it's comforting to look at it. I would recommend it to anyone.

I have watched a fair number of Joseon era shows, and this ranks with the best of them. (Add to your watch list: The Crowned Clown, 100 Days My Prince, The Red Sleeve and the Rookie Historian). It also beats out the only other Matchmaking show I have seen: Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency. The basic plot is fairly straightforward: a brilliant but nerdy scholar marries the King's daughter who dies on their wedding night, leaving him a prince but with virtually nothing to do. Through happenstance, he gets mixed up with a widowed matchmaker who is also from a noble family. Neither one knows the secret identity of the other. He is charged with finding brides within 2 months for 3 spinsters or he will be forced to drink poison. While winding through the archaic courtship practices of the day, we find the expected (but well done) mix of court intrigue, murder, situational comedy, and a small bit of action. In terms of acting. The two leads have excellent chemistry and are in good humor. Particularly noteworthy, in my opinion, are the villainess (mother- in-law) who seems to be making a career of these kinds of appearances (as in the Red Sleeve), and the youngest of the three spinster sisters who positively glows when she gets going and is on screen. The King is a superb performer who I think particularly steps up this time in his acting game. Everything about this show is excellent. Highly recommended.

The way this kdrama's potential and momentum was wasted leaves me dumbfounded.

They got Rowoon perfectly cast and yet didn't properly use his comedic timing, nor the comedy of errors narrative. That's when The Matchmakers shined. Sadly, it took another route.

The stories between the couples the leads were interesting enough but so underwhelming, underdeveloped and unfinished, I can't help but feel we didn't spend enough time with them to engage or care.

The wildest part was when, somehow, the scriptwriter thought it a good idea to match a literal underage child with a grown woman. I don't care how historically accurate this is, ew. They marry and we don't see anything happen but she's literal a older sister/mother figure.

And the resolution for the leads... I can't. Just, wow.