3 Reasons That Make Period Rom-Com C-Drama "The Unexpected Marriage" An Enjoyable Watch

Princess Liu Chang Sheng (Qi Yu Chen) has been designated as the “husband killer.” The strange thing is that the young woman has never married, but her reputation of being the slayer of prospective suitors precedes her. Her father decides to have her betrothed to Lu Jing (Wu Jun Ting), Prince Qin of the Da Tang Kingdom. Prince Qin is infamously called the “jade-faced demon” and is an astute character who does not suffer fools and has his eyes on the Fu Yu Kingdom. If Chang Sheng marries him, can the Fu Yu Kingdom protect itself since it’s inevitable she will bring him bad luck?

Though Chang Sheng pulls every trick in the book to avoid a union with Prince Qin, she starts falling for him, realizing it may just be a one-sided affair. What we get as a result is a hilarious comedy of errors. Here are three things that make the breezy, easy rom-com “The Unexpected Marriage” an enjoyable watch.

Spunky main leads

The first time when we meet Chang Sheng, she is dressed up as a man. Weighed down by the burden of being the most unsuitable match in all of Fu Yu, she is desperate to get a hold of a quartz crystal. The crystal is said to align her ill-fated marriage stars. Even though she pays the highest price to the bidder, her crystal is smashed, which is when she runs into Prince Qin. The prince is visiting Fu Yu in the disguise of an envoy to the prince and wants to gauge the atmosphere as well as get an insight into the personality of the woman he has been asked to take as a bride. Chang Sheng pulls every trick in the book to paint a lousy picture of herself to the envoy. She dresses dowdily and tries to woo another to play along with her, but in spite of all her ploys, Prince Qin remains unaffected. He is rather taken in with her and her vivacity.

As the two embark on a comical and ludicrous journey, they discover an unlikely friendship and partnership. Chang Sheng, who has been a victim of rumors and preconceived notions about herself in the kingdom, keeps her true self hidden. She comes across as a mischief maker and a difficult person to many, though at heart she is a caring and generous soul. Prince Qin, on the other hand, is called insufferable and blood-thirsty in his kingdom, but he is anything like that. He keeps his thoughts to himself and is sharp-witted. Even as Chang Sheng keeps pranking him, he sees that she is not what she makes herself out to be and becomes extremely fond of her. Chang Sheng realizes the dour-faced envoy is a caring and empathetic man at heart. The two find a connection as they overcome prejudices as well as biases and discover their true selves.

Qi Yu Chen and Wu Jun Ting are funny, spunky, and engaging. The two have cute and spontaneous chemistry, and you can’t help but laugh at their antics.

The use of humor to send out a strong message

Fake news often travels faster than the truth. At a time when there was no social media or easy means of communication, the rumor mills seemed faster than ever. Chang Sheng’s reputation as a “husband killer” has made her sort of a legend across kingdoms. It is said that any man who comes close to her would be met with calamity or their end. That’s the only reason why the subjects of Fu Yu feel she would be the perfect bride for the blood-thirsty conqueror Prince Qin.

But Chang Sheng is neither evil nor cursed. It could well be the law of probability at work, how a few random occurrences sealed her fate. But she is tainted as a husband killer, and it weighs upon her, since she is judged for her inability to find a husband. With nothing to lose, Chang Sheng is an independent person who has no qualms in living life on her own terms. As girls from a young age were taught that their ultimate aim in life was to be perfect wives and mothers, they often suffered a loss of identity and self worth. This perhaps holds true even in the modern world. “The Unexpected Marriage” uses humor and subtle messaging—that marriage does not have to be the ultimate destination for women. Chang Sheng, who is of age to marry, understands that it is best to know and understand your partner before committing herself into a loveless relationship.

And as for Prince Qin, what had started off as a business partnership to bring the Kingdoms of Fu Yu and Da Tang together has become a cherished commitment. He is the only man who is undeterred by Chang Sheng’s reputation and gets to know her personality beyond being the cursed one. Prince Qin understands that everything in life does not need to be weighed in terms of profit and loss.

The drama gives a right mix of light and heavy moments as these characters understand themselves and those around them.

Endearing father-daughter relationship

It was refreshing and endearing to see Chang Sheng’s relationship with her father. The king is a jolly man, and though he is aware of his daughter’s reputation as being an unsuitable match for the men in the kingdom, he is not woebegone about it. He is constantly chided on how she is unmarried at nearly 20, but he does not let that affect him. His daughter means the world to him, and he does not want to forsake her life just to have her get the tag of a married woman. He is aware that she wants to get married, but it is suggested that she is married off to the Prince of the Da Tang Kingdom since her bad luck would snuff out his life, and so he feels guilty. The father-daughter dynamic is fun, and though he looks exasperated when Chang Sheng stirs up trouble, he seems indulgent of her and her ways. Even when she agrees to marriage, he tells her to not be hasty, and he is not too happy about giving her away so soon.

The messaging is strong, that parenting should be gender neutral, and a daughter’s stature is nowhere inferior to the son. Even though her marriage to Prince Qin is seen as a business negotiation to protect the kingdom, no where does Chang Sheng’s father want to sacrifice her. He is a man who does not think marriage is the ultimate milestone for his daughter, and he shapes her into being a strong and resilient woman.

“The Unexpected Marriage” is a light and breezy watch, and it’s the perfect way to unwind.

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Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yang Yang and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.