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Glory: Spoiler-Free Mini Review

Jul 13
4 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Title:

Glory (Not to be confused with the K-Drama or C-Drama titled: THE Glory) 玉茗茶骨 (2025)

Platform:

Viki, Youtube, IQIYI, MGTV

MDL & Douban Rating:

8.3 & 7

Genre:

Period Idol Romance, the Bachelorette

Episode Count:

36

Parental Guidance Rating:

PG-13: Some violence and blood, a fade to black scene (nothing explicit shown), some kissing

Starring:

Hou Ming Hao (Love in the Clouds)

Gulnezer Bextiyar (The Journey of Legend)

Chen Ruo Xuan (Veil of Shadows)

Cheng Xiao (Light of Dawn)

RBTS Rating:

8/10 Stars: A Ming Dynasty Bachelorette where the winner not only gets a rose, but a big ol' tea farm in a romance starring a feirce FL and a loyal ML, whose love story took the backseat to an engrossing fight for the family throne.



Synopsis:

After rising star magistrate Lu Jiang Lai is brought down by a past wife-murder case, he’s left injured, amnesiac, and on the run, only to be rescued by Rong Shan Bao, the Tea King's cunning daughter. Once rivals, she hides his identity and demotes him to a stable boy to exact revenge. As Lu Jiang Lai plays along to survive, he becomes entangled in the Rong family’s high-stakes search for a son-in-law. Amid power plays and hidden agendas, he and Shan Bao engage in a battle of wits that slowly turns into something deeper. @MDL


Introducing the Bachelorettes:

From Left to Right: Rong Shan Bo, Rong Yun Shu, Rong Yun Xi, Rong Yun Yin, Shen Xiang Ling, Rong Yun E


Introducing Our Contestants:

From Left to Right: Lu Jiang Lai, Yang Ding Chen, He Xing Ming, Wen Can, Bai Ying Sheng, Yan Bai Luo


Stay Tuned: Full Review Still to Come!


Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

I wish to have words with whoever gave this drama the English name: Glory. It's become the new Blossom and I have complaints.


Glory is a Ming Dynasty-esque Bachelorette that focuses on a reverse harem of suitors competing for the wealthy tea merchant Female Lead, while the second half dives into fighting for the family "throne". Part rom com, part telenovela, part scheming household and officials, the tone of the show reminded me of The Double, with an excessive amount of melodramatic hair blowing in the (indoor?) wind, gothic vibes, and many a sneaky smirk.


Whenever someone gives a smirk, my mind automatically goes to Derry Girls
Whenever someone gives a smirk, my mind automatically goes to Derry Girls


This is a girl boss story where the girl is actually a boss the whole time and I appreciated that. But the actress portraying the Female Lead's cold persona didn't convince me that her lack of emotion wasn't due to botox. This is my first time viewing Bextiyar (FL actress) as a main lead and I'm definitely not writing her off. I think the dubbing caused my disconnect. And fun fact: she is of Uyghur descent.



The grandma was one crabby patty and she reminded me of the old lady from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, as she perpetuated generational trauma and beliefs about love. The drama really leaned into this by focusing on obsessive love, the dangers of favoritism, and ambition. Honestly, the themes were so good that the lead's romance was the least interesting part for me. The Male Lead was really just there to be the world's number one devoted boyfriend, but I wish they would have stayed true to his ambition and character shown in ep 1.


Why we got to do poor Grandma like that? I would be grouchy too if someone facetuned me like this.
Why we got to do poor Grandma like that? I would be grouchy too if someone facetuned me like this.

Rong Yun Shu's (the blind sister) role was written really well, but in regards to the sisters en masse there is fine line between clever scheming and plain old bickering, and we crossed it several times. That being said, I enjoyed the first half and then suddenly found myself hooked for the remainder, which almost never happens.


It should be noted, the Female Lead is VERY progressive in romance. This is not a story rooted in historical fact. lol


I loved all the Ming Dynasty oufits! Fun Fact: If you look closley, you can tell the rank of each sister by how long their sleeves are.


Story=4 (The Rong family was interesting and the plot twists were twisting)

Acting=3 (Meh, some of the sisters/cousins were flat out bad and I would have liked more from both FL and ML)

Production Quality=4.75 (The costumes and sets were a serious slay. But I felt like all the music, though beautiful, was borrowed; I swear I've heard it in other C-Drama's like Flourished Peony and there was a repetitive melody of Go to Sleep Little Baby)

Ending= 4 (The ML's sister was too old and too much-- That whole last arc of the show felt tagged on and unnecessary but I appreciate how it wrapped up)

Enjoyability= 4.25 (I didn't loose interest in the second half. Miracles!)

Rewatch= You best believe.



Trailer:


Director: #ZhangZhiWei (Fortune Writer, Dominion and Devotion)

Screenwriter: #ZhouMo (Where the Mask Ends, Story of Yanxi Palace, Perfect Match)


*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images used on this blog. All images belong to their respective copyright holders and are used for commentary and review purposes. All reviews, opinions, and statements expressed on this blog are my own and are intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal thoughts and interpretations and should not be considered as factual.



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