User Reviews

I can see, why some have problems with this drama.

The initial few episodes were quite funny and if you are aware, that the actor of the blacksmith/king is not the first male-lead, then it is pretty obvious, that he won't get the girl. So if you get on the wrong boat and you ship the king and the girl, than you wont be satisfied. The later episodes were more serious and we get to know the side characters a bit better. Still they remain a little bit grey and i would have wished to get more information about them or even more backstory for the whole plot of the drama. Some questions are not fully answered. Also I would have wished for some more clients to come in.

But I can see, why some viewers might get second-lead-syndrome with this drama. I also felt sorry for the lonely king who had hardly anyone to rely on. On the other hand, the girl never saw him as a lover, only as a family-member, brother or friend. Someone she could rely on and she cared for, but she was never in a romantic relationship with him. She agrees to marry him (while he is still a blacksmith), because he told her they will always support each other.

She was a hardworking girl from a low-class, who wanted to find her brother and live free. Therefor she is trying to become a noble lady. The Flower-Crew helps her through this process. But they are thinking she wants to become noble, so she could reunite with her former groom. That's why the male lead is a bit cold towards her, even though he has growing feelings.

All in all it's a mostly light watch. I felt entertained and it was not dragging too much. It is a good historic Kdrama for beginners.

The King (who was the second male lead) and the female lead kissed on a bridge. oMg it was so hot just thinking about it makes me pucker my crusty old lips!

usually in these dramas they literally just bump their faces together for kissing scenes. the female usually stands there as stiff as a board looking all shocked with her eyes wide open while the male lead ravishes her face.

i think it's suppose to denote how innocent the female is. in reality it looks like the man is forcing himself on the woman and it's the most awkward and uncomfortable thing to watch. it's not romantic in the slightest.

that bridge scene though was ... phoar. that boy knows how to kiss and she responded.

seriously - i'm not a perv and don't want to know what goes on under the covers after the initial kiss. and i'm not saying anything went on under the covers after this initial kiss.

this drama could have been writen and scripted better hence it's an 8 from me.

i think an 8 is good. it's an enjoyable watch; just not the best i've seen.

A collection of very handsome actors who did a good job in their roles. The actresses were also good but it took me awhile to warm up to female lead. Villains were very appropriate. The costumes were fabulous! Wow! The sets were great and scenery beautiful. Does Korea have a code that actresses must stand like statues during kissing scenes? Very sad. There were so many close up shots of hun ma I started fixating on how one eyelid was different from the other. What let the series down was the poor writing. Thought high school kids could do better. Absolutely no back story on why former king sent away one of his children and it's mother and left them and commandant in absolute poverty and hard labor. If was a secret how did officials know to find the son. The story line of stolen arrowheads was ridiculous as was the idea hun ma's older brother really wanted to be a matchmaker more than anything. Gaettang fell for hun because he helped her but su lee helped her for years. The idea that a man who really loved women would fall for an unrelenting beatch was unbelievable. The brother being brain damaged meant his story line could go no where. What happened to "little sis" finding his mother? What's up with calling guys "sis". Wished they would have included a new girl for the king in the last episode as I really liked the character and actor.

Finally...finally...finally!

A K-Rom/comedy/drama that had the writers give what the viewers want: A HAPPY ENDING!

The bad guys got their bad end and the good guys got a beautifu world.

Most of the time I was thinking: who is going to die? Which characters will fall apart romantically; I was simply going on what I've seen before that for whatever reasons, the writers in other series have screwed up endings that make a viewer crazy.

At least for all it's sugary-sweet-happy-assed ending, it was better than leaveing viewers scratching their heads and thinking "WTF happened here?" Kudos to the writers for their smart ending choices.

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Historical Romantic Comedy Drama with 16 approximately 60minute episodes.

I first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis: Marriage is a big deal in Joseon era Korea and, at the top of their game Ma Hoon, (Kim Min-jae) Young-soo (Choi Seung) and Do Joon (Byeon Woo-seok) are three handsome bachelor's who use their unusual charm, intelligence, and good looks to run the most successful marriage agency in the land. Things are going well for the trio until the groom is stolen and the bride jilted during the wedding of Lee Soo (Seo Ji-hoon), a blacksmith's son and Gae-ttong/Yoon Soo-yun (Gong Seung-yeon) whom Lee Soo has loved for many years. But things are not what they seem and Lee Soo was a hidden prince who was abducted to fulfill his destiny as the King of Joseon. The marriage agency feels like they have to make it right for heart broken Gae-ttong and vow to help her determine what happened to Lee Soo and get the marriage back on track. When Ma Hoon foils an assasination attempt on Gae-ttong it is clear things may not be as they seem. The matchmakers pull Gae-ttong into their circle to protect her until they can figure out what, exactly is going on. Lee Soo still has not given up on marrying the girl he loves and asks Ma Hoon to help him figure out how to marry the girl who is now below his social station. Love is a tricky business though and destiny may have other plans.

Review: Overall I really liked this. The concept of these match making men was a unique twist. The fact that each had a unique back story was very interesting. I loved Gae-ttong as she was very spirited and a-typical. It was a very heart warming story of love and friendship and good overcoming evil. Great all the way around on the surface.

Spoiler alerts**I did not like the romance between one of the matchmakers and the snobby noble daughter. I never found a single thing redeeming about her character and could not fathom a reason, other than her hard to get nature, why he would like her. She looked down on basically every one and the only consistency in her character was snobbery. Every time those two were focused on I just couldn't wait for the story to move on.

I felt very sorry for Lee Soo. He never asked to become king and his love for Gae-ttong was complete. My daughters, who watched it with me, found it nearly unforgivable that the only time he forced his powers as king was to try to force a situation where he would marry her. I think that is a bit generational. I thought his persistence just showed the depth of his love for her. They thought it was stalker level I just thought he was steadfast. I knew he would come around and he did. Said she could marry whomever. But it was sad to me. He mentions that he is married to the nation. I would have loved for him to have a happy ending. I know that is not realistic but I don't watch dramas to have them match sad reality.

There was no real sense for how her life with her brother went after they reunited. Was he living with her? It showed them hanging out a time or two but not if they had any sort of deep connection beyond that. It seemed he understood who she was but there was no emotional moment where it was clear that he did. When Gae-ttong was in trouble for impersonating a noble, he seemed to actually know her and suppress it to protect her, but that was it. And the maid that seemed to have something going with him. I liked that she was protective but to envision she had romantic feelings for him was a bit of a stretch. He was so child like in his thoughts that it would be weird. So that could have been cute if it was just a strong friendship but the implied romance was a little strange.

After all the effort and Gae-ttong to become a noble lady I really wanted to see her keep it. Like the noble who allowed her to use his name would fully adopt her. I mean he complimented her and said he thought his daughter would have been like her but I thought that was a missed opportunity at a really compelling relationship and another heartwarming story. He defended her at just the right time. But I wanted a real relationship to develop between them. It seemed he needed a daughter and she definitely needed a father figure.

I was disappointed in the last episode like so many others were. I really was asking in the second to last episode how the heck were they going to tie up all the political intrigue. Some prince, who we never saw, was supposedly coming back and two friends, turned enemy (the two high nobles) suddenly unite to back stab the king. So that could have been a big thing but it was so rushed it was like wait, how did they go from hating each other and seeming to have different goals for the throne to being in alliance again? It was just strange. A cool plot twist would have been that Do Joon was the prince. Then the snobby noble lady would have had to reconsider her actions. And I wanted him to fully tell her off. He minorly chastised her one time but I wanted him to call her on it and not like her anymore. So she was the one who wanted him but he was so over her. Instead he still wants her, even after she basically told him she wasn't interested because he wasn't a noble and not just any noble but a member of the royal family. So I think him being the hidden prince would have been a great twist.

After all Gae-ttong and Ma-Hoon did for Lee Soo I would have thought he would have given them high positions. I mean who could you trust more than them? It was unclear who filled his "cabinet" after expunging the traitors and how he turned public opinion. They started but never really finished that tangent. What happened with the Queen regent?

In conclusion I think this is well worth the watch. Despite some of the minor plot failings the characters were compelling, the romance was cute, and there were lots of interesting social constructs explored. Don't expect a perfect story. There are, in my mind, some unfinished tangents, and some questions left unanswered. It does end happy which is important to me and most of the major plot elements are tied up.

I love watching Period kdrama and most of the time I root for the leading man, but in this case, I was really rooting for the King. Like WTF, the king entrusted the lady to the matchmaker and he has the audacity to snatch her from the king. Yes, the lady initiated that she has feelings for the matchmaker, but as the gentleman, he should have been careful how to handle it. The first few episodes were fun but really got boring toward the end. I swear I never got bored in a Korean drama but this one is an exception. If you just want a light story, this is for you. Just silly most of the time.

I know there will be lots of hate on this, but this pure opinion from my perspective. This is also also a big essay to my opinion of this drama.

I was so excited to watch this drama when I heard it was coming out, but it just killed me.

In the beginning of this drama, it was a poor boy, Lee Soo (Seo Ji-Hoon), who wanted to get married with his long time best friends, Gae-Ddong (Gong Seuong-Yeon), since they were kids. He even gave his mother's possession to her because he so in love with her. He shows all his dedication to her, gave his all to her, but then he was kidnap to become the king.

This was getting interesting for me. I wanted to see how the girl would become an equal with her only "family", (Lee Soo).

This drama just dragged on and on, and there was no back story to why the poor boy became the King. There was for a little bit, but then there was no explanation or deeper meaning why he was taken away from the Royal family. No back story as to why the Prime Minister, Ma Bong Deok (Park Ho-San), was trying to go against the king until the end. There was no development for the "co-stars", or how they became what they are. The Queen Dowager, was also so like, weird. She was trying to get Lee Soo out of the King's seat, but ended up going against her Uncle. The Prime Minister's daughter, Kang Ji-Hwa (Jung Jae-Sung), was so weird as well. There was no back story for her, only to know that she was going against Gae-Ddong because she was with a guy she liked. Literally, no development for her, it seems like the director only tried to make her the "bad girl" so the main lead girl could have more drama in her story.

As for the main girl lead, she was nothing but the generic girl who had a different personality from the rest of the girls the boys have ever met. She was a basic girl who was poor and tried to get with the rich people. I was expecting her to go from a different personality to try and become a noble to be equal with the King. But she falls in love with the coldest personal person and "changes" him through out the story. Also, how did the Ministers not find her when she was literally in the Flower Agency and they all knew that, but they all searched for her in different areas.

For me, there was Second Male Lead Syndrome. If she tried to become the queen, from the poor girl, the plot would become more interesting. She would have to struggle even more to try and get with the King. The plot would be more interesting that way. But she just falls in love with another guy.

This is your generic "bad boy" love. It was slow and it did not speed up until the last few episodes. It seems like they were dragging it on so that we would get hyped for the last few episodes, just to only be sad and disappointed. This is the second drama that made me skip episodes just because I knew what was going to happen with Gae-Ddong and Ma Hoon. The drama only had like, a few of the marriages that they had to do. They were matchmakers, how could there only be a few matching love stories they would do? They used the time that they were supposed to be matchmaking to make Ma Hoon and Gae-Ddong fall in love more.

Don't waste your time watching this if you think the girl would get with the King, Lee Soo. If you are into a love story, go ahead. In the end the King, respected her wishes in the end like a kind gentlemen would.

This storyline of this series has been done so many times with different actors playing out the same old tropes.

Su and Gaettong are poor villagers who intend to get married. Su is kidnapped on his wedding day and wakes up to being the King of Joseon. Gaettong meets a Matchmaker Ma and falls in love with him.

Love triangle develops.

The usual traitorous ministers and scheming women appear.

One of the major drawbacks of this series were the dreadful "kissing" scenes - a mere pressing of lip on lip and sometimes masked by misty camera lens and bad angles where you couldn't make out much at all.

Kdramas are famous for their multi angle kissing scenes - what happened here? Did the leads not like each other? There was no chemistry between them anyway.

I didn't like the fact that an innocent guy ended up suffering the most and a hateful woman ended up happy.

Too many scheming scenes and pointless conversations had my finger on the ff button for big sections of this series.

Not my cup of tea.