The Matchmakers ~ Viki Original Historical KDrama Series

The Matchmakers is a 2023 Viki Original Korean drama series, with 16 episodes. It is categorized as historical, romance, crime, and mystery, with light moments of comedy.

The main storyline is about a widow and a widower who fall in love but cannot marry because it’s against Joseon law. But it’s the sub-storylines that keep the viewer intrigued.

♦ Meet the Not So Merry Widower

Shim Jung-woo is a Confucian scholar who scored the highest on the civil service exams. The king would been pleased if he could put this young man’s intellect and skills to good use. But the leader of a corrupt political party, his father, arranged for him to be married to the princess. On the wedding day, the princess drops dead right after he bows. He became a widower before he could even consummate the marriage.

So now he’s a prince who can not participate in political affairs or serve in any way other than being a prince, a member of the royal family. He’s got nothing but time on his hands. He spends the next 8 years studying and learning everything! Art. Music. Medicine. Law. Especially, the laws governing marriage. He hopes to find a legal way to have his marriage annulled.

♦ The King Makes a Promise

The crown prince, the next in line to the throne, is being prevented from getting married. Marriage is a political union and political parties use the union to strengthen their influence and power. For years, politicians have come up with excuses for why the crown prince can not marry. They plan to replace the crown prince with a royal family member they can control. If the crown prince marries and has an heir, that would ruin their plans.

The king is frustrated but does not know how to work around the officials and get his son married. Knowing that Shim Jung-woo is smart and also desperate to become “unmarried”, the king makes him a promise. If Shim Jung-woo can come up with a way to thwart the politicians so that the crown prince can marry, the king promises to annul his marriage.

♦ What’s the Plan?

There are three (3) old maidens in the village. Their father has passed away but he was once the king’s close friend. The politicians are using these unmarried maidens as their “excuse” for why the crown prince can not marry.

Shim Jung-woo tells the king, the plan is simple. Get a matchmaker to arrange marriages for the daughters of his close friend. Once they are all married, the crown prince can get married. But the plan only sounds simple. Even if the politicians were not resorting to their treacherous tricks, the daughters themselves are all refusing to get married.

♦ The Widower Meets a Matchmaker Who is a Widow

Shim Jung-woo becomes a matchmaker by a royal decree. Jung Soon-deok is a widow who becomes a matchmaker by personal choice. She is a widow, the daughter-in-law of a powerful political party leader. As a widow and a noblewoman, Jung Soon-deok’s duties do not include the lowly work of matchmaking.

Jung Soon-deok keeps her true identity a secret by using the name “Yeo Joo Daek”. She sneaks out of the house, works as a matchmaker, and then climbs over the wall of her home to sneak back in before her mother-in-law catches her.

Shim Jung-woo needs to work with an experienced matchmaker since he knows nothing about the process. Although he’s a quick learner. Jung Soon-deok aka “Yeo Joo Daek” agrees to to become a team of matchmakers and assist him as long as he cooperates with her and follows her rules.  

They don’t have much time; about 2 months. The task seems impossible since the politicians will use stealth methods to work against them, and the daughters themselves are unwilling to marry. As if the matchmaking is not complicated enough, they uncover murders connected to political power schemes to overthrow the king and the crown prince.

On top of all this, the matchmakers ~ Shim Jung-woo and Jung Soon-deok ~ fall in love with each other. Theirs is a “match” that would break all of the rules.

One sub-storyline leads to another and then another and then …

Main Characters:

• Widower Shim Jung-woo (played by Ro Woon, )
• Widow Jung Soon-deok (played by Cho Yi-hyun, “My Country: The New Age”)

More Reviews on PopGeeks for Fans of Ro Woon: Tomorrow ~ Destined With You ~ The King’s Affection

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb Rating: 7.4 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.9 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rate this series 9.4 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as with the Viki viewers. The intricate weaving of the plot within another plot within another plot kept me eagerly looking forward to the next episode.

• Corrupt nobles and their wives plotting against the king and the crown prince;
• True crime stories published as erotica novels; and
• Old maidens (virgin women in their 20s) who need to get married ~ hence the need for matchmakers.

Plus I learned a new word: Ssangyeonsulsa. It refers to the “goddess of matchmaking”. To their credit, Rakuten Viki makes very enjoyable “original” historical period K-dramas.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• Korean Content Firms Rally Round Rakuten Viki’s Korean Drama Event | Variety
• ‘The Matchmakers’ rules as no 1 in ratings, ‘Twinkling Watermelon’ maintains a steady score | Times of India
• The Matchmakers: Why You Should Watch This New K-Drama | Movie Web

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

LoveBreak _Official. “The Matchmakers | Official Trailer | Rowoon | Cho Yi Hyun {ENG SUB}.” YouTube Video. YouTube, October 27, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjOfywOiDsk.‌