I just watched the first episode of a show that came out this year called Perfect Match that has me hooked. If Jane Austen and Shakespeare had a Chinese baby, this would be the result. Men dressing as women to sneak into the women’s quarters, women on a mission to teach their husbands to be obedient, a mother with her 5 daughters trying to find husbands for them all, enemies to lovers (at least I assume they will become lovers), and some prideful men and women who need to learn humility. It is set in the Northern Song dynasty somewhere between 960 and 1120. The costumes and sets are unbelievably gorgeous, the music is beautiful, and the comic relief is well timed.

Why do I love themes of romance and marriage so much? Romantic comedies are the most wonderful of all storylines, in my opinion. I have read heavy stories, weighty novels, watched movies and shows that made me weep for the tragedies people must suffer, and cheered along with every adventure, sports, underdog story there is. However, if any tale does not have a theme of love woven through it, there is something missing for me. Whether it is fantasy, action, comedy, procedural, or even a documentary, I most enjoy a love story as part of the tale. It is the way I am wired.

I think they’ve even woven in a bit of a Taming of the Shrew concept in this one with an unmanageable wife who is too harsh with her husband. I am curious to see how they handle that plot line. And I watched a scene where they were just haggling over the cost of tea in China. The daughters have opened a restaurant and are trying to create a life for themselves, while taking care of their mother and repeatedly talking her down from catastrophic actions. She is quite reactionary. The daughters work together to manage their mother, the men who come calling, and their business as best they can.

This should be good.

@Home Studio