One of the best Korean dramas of the year, The Matchmakers, is full of fluttery romance and political twists. The characters that have been presented in the drama have several sides to them, making the plot all the more intriguing. The plot revolves around the love affair between a member of the royal family and a matchmaker. Prince Gyeongwoonjae will be so influenced by Soon Deok, the matchmaker, that he will recognize his talents as a Ssangyeonsulsa (a matchmaker who has the natural gift to recognize life partners). There are multiple twists surrounding the revelation of secrets behind several murder mysteries in the series. Will Prince Gyeongwoonjae and Soon Deok be able to find matches for the old maidens? Will the murder mystery of the princess be resolved? Let’s find out!
Spoiler Alert
Why Did The Left State Minister Plan To Kill The Crown Prince?
The members of the opposition party had planned on murdering the crown prince so that they could come to power. The Left State Minister, along with the Lady Left State Minister, Jeinggyeong, and her brother, the defense minister, had made the plan to get rid of the crown prince. They wanted to ensure that he would wind up dead before his ruling age. They had attempted to murder the crown prince eight years ago by poisoning him with Geumjam poison on the day of his elder sister’s marriage. Their plan had not been successful, as it was the princess who ended up consuming the poisoned food and dying on the very day of her marriage. Prince Gyeongwoonjae, who was a high-ranking government official, was the groom, and he ended up getting widowed right after his marriage due to the princess’ death.
Why Did The King Want The Maeng Sisters To Get Married?
The King wanted the old maidens of the state to get married so that he could find a suitable match for the crown prince. He was concerned that the people of his state would criticize the state if the eligible people were not married off before the prince. He gave Prince Gyeongwoonjae the task of finding grooms for the old Maeng sisters. He had threatened the prince that if he was unable to find suitable grooms for the sisters within a stipulated time frame, he would severely punish him for writing letters of plea to annul his marriage with the princess. He set out on his mission to find suitable grooms for the Maeng sisters and forced them to get married at once, which the sisters refused. They were of the opinion that they would never get married and would rather take care of their blind mother. However, Prince Gyeongwoonjae found several loopholes in the law to scare them into getting married. Later, the sisters agree to his proposition when they understand that he is trying to help them. When the evil defense minister tried to kidnap the eldest daughter, Ha Na, to take her in as a mistress, Prince Gyeongwoonjae helped them out by asking her to ring the Shinmungo. When the matter escalated to the King, he punished the defense minister to ensure that justice was provided to Ha Na. It had become extremely risky for the Maeng sisters to live all by themselves, and therefore they decided to listen to Prince Gyeongwoonjae.
How Did Soon Deok And Shim Jung Woo Click?
Prince Gyeongwoonjae (Jung Woo) went to seek the help of Yeojudaek (Soon Deok), the best matchmaker in town, to help the sisters get married. None of them had initially revealed their real identities to each other. Yeojudaek had been hiding that she was the Left State Minister’s daughter-in-law, who had been secretly following her passion for matchmaking. In the matchmaking process, the two of them were seen to come close to each other on several occasions. However, Yeojudaek pulled back, as she knew that she was a widow who was still in love with her late husband. She is seen leading a dual role as an obedient housewife at her house and dealing with matchmaking efficiently outside the house without letting anyone know about it. Initially, a bittersweet bond is seen to develop between the duo, which turns into love later on. Yeojudaek’s influence was immense on Prince Gyeongwoonjae, which helped him recognize his capabilities as a Ssyeongsulsa. Whenever he saw a couple who were meant to be together for the rest of their lives, his heart immediately started beating fast. In the process of finding matches for the Maeng sisters and in their quest to hide the youngest sister’s identity as a writer, the two of them fell for each other.
Why Did The Left State Minister And Defense Minister Kill In Hyeon?
In Hyeon, the Left State Minister’s eldest son opposed his father and uncle’s treacherous plans against the royal family. He got in touch with Min Seo Joon, the son of the Excellency, Min Seung Gwan, of the Namjang party. Together, they tried to come up with plans to stop his father’s evil plans. In the process, In Hyeon had grown feelings for Min Seo Joon, and when the Left State Minister came to know that In Hyeon was homosexual, he murdered his own son with the help of the defense minister. He also murdered his elder daughter-in-law and made it look like a suicide. Later, Seo Joon went into hiding as a monk so as to ensure that the Left State Minister did not find out his whereabouts. When Soon Deok and Jung Woo came to know about the truth from him, he told them the entire truth, revealing the Left State Minister and the defense minister’s real faces. In order to cover up this crime, a soldier had been framed for the murder. He and his wife were in prison when the soldier had taken his own life out of humiliation and his pregnant wife had run away. While on the run, she collapsed, and Soon Deok saved her. The woman’s real name was Yeojudaek, whose name Soon Deok was using as a pseudonym for matchmaking as, belonging to a noble family, she could not use her own name for her career.
How Did Gyeongwoonjae Save Soon Deok?
When Prince Gyeongwoonjae learned that Soon Deok was actually the Left State Minister’s daughter-in-law, he was concerned that the minister’s entire family would be charged with treason. He thought that Soon Deok would also have to face execution as a punishment, and hence, he advised the king that the Left State Minister should be arrested. Later, he was arrested on charges of murdering his daughter-in-law and making it look like a suicide. The defense minister was arrested on the charges of sexually extorting and murdering Lady Lee Cho Ok. Prince Gyeongwoonjae planned the entire thing with Soon Deok’s brother to make sure that she was kept safe. He did not want her to face charges for the crimes that her father-in-law had committed.
What Were Lady Jeinggyeong’s Intentions?
When Lady Jeinggyeong found out that her husband had murdered their son for his loyalty to Prince Jin Seong, the crown prince, she planned to get him killed. She went to visit the Left State Minister and her brother, the defense minister, in prison and killed them both. She poisoned her brother, strangled her husband, and made the murders look like suicide. She wrote a false suicide note on her husband’s behalf. It stated that he had killed his son, In Hyeon, as he had planned on commiting a capital crime by murdering the grand prince Woon Jae. He killed his own son to stop the capital crime. Lady Jeinggyeong had written a false suicide note to prove her husband’s loyalty to the state and framed her brother for all the crimes. She wanted to make sure that the Left State Minister’s family name was not tarnished as a result of her husband’s deeds, and hence plotted accordingly. She also ensured that her husband’s funeral was done promptly so that her daughter’s marriage was not hindered. She also asked Prince Gyeongwoonjae to maintain his distance from her daughter-in-law, Soon Deok.
What Happened At The Group Marriage Session?
There was a lot of confusion at the group wedding ceremony. Ye-jin eloped from her house as she was in love with another man, and to fill in her place, Soon Deok had to get married to Prince Gyeongwoonjae. The man who was to marry the second sister, Du Ri had also refused to marry her as he had already married the mayor’s daughter. To fill in his place, Ye-jin’s groom had intended to take the place of the groom. He was already in love with Du Ri and had not thought twice before getting married to her. Later, the mayor went around the rooms of the newlyweds to check if any false marriages had occurred and if Prince Gyeongwoonjae had married someone again. Just then, Ye-jin returned with her lover and swapped rooms with Prince Gyeongwoonjae and Soon Deok. Later, Lady Jeinggyeong blamed Soon Deok for her daughter having eloped with another man. Ye-jin told her mother that Soon Deok was not responsible for her decisions.
What Happens In The End?
When Lady Jeinggyeong learned about her daughter-in-law’s relationship with Prince Gyeongwoonjae, she devised a plan to ensure that her family’s reputation was not hampered. She had blamed Gyeongwoonjae for raping Soon Deok and got him arrested. He took all the blame on himself to make sure that Soon Deok was safe and that she did not have to face any consequences. He was sentenced to death, but the King later approached him and asked him if he had been framed falsely by Lady Jeinggyeong. Prince Gyeongwoonjae did not reveal that he had been falsely accused by Lady Jeinggyeong. He drank the poison that the King’s men gave him, and meanwhile, Lady Jeinggyeong asked Soon Deok to kill herself.
During The Matchmakers‘ ending, Prince Gyeongwoonjae fortunately survived the poison’s effect, as the King had ensured that the poison was given in a lesser amount. He had also appointed a physician to make sure that Prince Gyeongwoonjae survived the poisoning. When he regained his senses, he found out that Soon Deok had taken her own life. This scene is a reference to the story of Romeo and Juliet. Later, however, he gets to know that she is alive. On meeting Soon Deok, he was relieved, and she told him that when Lady Jeinggyeong was trying to convince her to take her own life so that people would not talk ill of her for having an affair, she declined and chose to lead her own life. The king had given Prince Gyeongwoonjae a new identity, Park Moon Soo, as the world believed Prince Gyeongwoonjae was dead. After their reunion, they decided to get married. Soon Deok’s son, Geun Suk, was living with his aunt Ye-jin, while Lady Jeinggyeong was staying all alone at her place. The ending of the series brought out the fact that Lady Jeinggyeong had dug her own grave and that her bad motives had driven away all her close ones, eventually forcing her to live a solitary life in the end.
Final Words
This series is full of turns and twists, adding multiple layers to the plot. Every character has been fully explored in The Matchmakers, adding more depth to the episodes. The twists have been kept from being monotonous, with hints of romance sprinkles throughout. The storyline was very unique, and every episode added new elements to the plot, adding more depth to the series. This has been one of the best series that I have watched in a while, with a happy ending despite so many conflicts. The lovers have managed to find their routes to their destined partners, despite many interventions. The concept of matchmaking has been highlighted in the series, bringing out the fact that matchmaking is an art that comes naturally to an individual. Overall, the series is very entertaining and is sure to keep audiences hooked till the end.
