A Good Match from Heaven (1995)

What would the Chinese cupid (Yue Lao) be like in modern days? This series answers that question in a fun and creative way.

First of all, Yue Lao still lives up in the clouds, hooking people up with magical silk threads. He still has a list of couples who are predestined to be together. He now has a divine assistant, the Red Maiden, played by a fresh-faced Jessica Hsuan. She’s clumsy and chatty, has a weakness for chocolates, and tends to go rogue when it comes to matchmaking. Jessica can do comedy and is quite lovable here.

The rest of the cast are mere mortals in love, sometimes hilariously so. The leading man, Deric Wan, works as a parrot trainer at Ocean Park (and no, he never rises to become the park’s CEO). Joey Leung has a small but memorable part as his insecure best friend. Cutie Mui and Louis Yuen play a mismatched couple whose romantic hijinks will crack you up.

Amy Kwok always seems to be stuck in unlikeable roles. Her character is unreasonable to the point that she dumps a guy who genuinely loves her, all because of a stupid lie from her ex. Fact-checking is clearly not in her book. Neither is trust and good communication. She’s supposed to be the female lead, yet somehow ends up looking like “the other woman.”

Without giving away too much, I will say that the ending is so bad it almost ruins the whole series. In the end, are we to believe that destiny trumps free will? That you can’t be with the person you love and must accept whoever Heaven ordains for you? If the show wants us to believe in true love, then it has failed miserably.

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