Wasted Potential: 'She and Her Perfect Husband' Fails to Deliver on Its Promising Premise

"She and Her Perfect Husband" takes skillfully drawn characters and a unique plot premise, assembles them, and leaves the production team in limbo. The plot follows Qin Shi, a young lawyer with the ultimate career drive. She suddenly finds herself in a very difficult situation, a fabricated marriage, caused by her equally well-meaning brother, becomes the cause of the complicated web of lies and misunderstandings. The beginning of the story, although very promising, quickly transforms into a muddled, tangled and frustrating adventure for both, the authors and the readers.

The cast is unquestionably a major strength in this drama. The male lead (ML), who has a notably impressive background in the financial field, seems to have a real star quality about them. This is, however, unnecessary since the script (a frequent setting in the law firm and legal realms) is so densely packed that sometimes characters are left out and the main romance is treated very superficially. Consequently, the one-sidedness of ML and FL is reflected in the audience who sees less of the chemistry and emotional depth that should be given to a drama with such a title.

Forty episodes are way too long for the story of this type. Many of the scenes, particularly ones associated with the law firm, are too complicated and as such, for an ordinary viewer, it becomes a tough nut to crack. This protraction is a major obstacle to the drama's accessibility to a broader audience - it seems to be more tailored to a very exclusive merchant group that is knowledgeable about legal matters.

The drama's storyline linking Qin Shi and Yang Hua, who are supposed to be the centerpiece of the powerful drama, is instead made blurry by the trials and tribulations they face, and then by the subplots that add very little to the drama. The prospect of a "perfect husband" is rarely emphasized, nevertheless, the plot which ends with the divorce, and then sudden together, does not feel like the correct conclusion to the story.

Aside from that, the side plots like Qin Shi's brother's and his wife's subplot seem to be redundant and, in this case, they do not quite add to the main one. The transitions feel chunky rather than seamless, which ultimately results in the drama losing focus.

In the final analysis, "She and Her Perfect Husband" have fallen short of what it is supposed to be. The principal cast plays their best role within the framework of the script, which is rather incoherent and has many disjointed character developments, hence it is a painstaking watch. It might have been a fascinating elaboration on love, marriage, and professional ambition, but the story seems to go off-course in the end. Yet, I would still give it a 7-star rating largely because of the efforts of the main cast but it is in no way satisfying for anyone who would expect a more engaging and emotionally resonant story.

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