207

Heirs: Episode 19

Finale week means we’re wrapping up loose ends, and one nice side effect is that angst steps aside and lets cuteness and humor a moment in the spotlight. I won’t say it didn’t take forever and a day (or that everything makes the most sense, plotwise), but neither am I about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Jokes and smiles, come on in. We’ve all earned it, haven’t we?

SONG OF THE DAY

Yoon Gun – “Free” [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 
EPISODE 19 RECAP

The Jeguk family arrives at Tan’s birthday party, and by family I mean the entire dysfunctional brood including Chairman Dad’s own siblings and nephews. There’s a lot of false concern for the chairman’s health and superficial smiling, which seems like par for the course for all these heirs.

Our high school cast is mostly present, and Bo-na lights up in surprise to see an unexpected face: “Oh my god, Oppa?” She goes off after a very spiffy-looking Lee Hyun-jin (cameo!) and Chan-young furrows his brow. It’s so cute how he gets pissy, particularly when Bo-na links arms with Oppa and brings him over for introductions.

Chan-young starts in on her right away and crossly tells her to drop the linked arms, only to find out that Oppa is her real oppa, as in brother. Heh. Immediately Chan-young adopts a contrite demeanor and speaks politely.

Won arrives to see that his parents are sitting with his would-be fiancée, which isn’t a welcome sight as he has no interest in marrying that heiress. He asks where her boyfriend went and she says that he’s too poor to bring to places like this, and when asked whether he has a girlfriend, Won freely admits it. Not-Quite-Fiancée smirks that their similarity is why they’ll get along well, which he flatly contradicts.

Now Tan makes his grand entrance with Eun-sang, and the paparazzi go nuts. With flashbulbs going off madly around them, Tan takes her hand and tells her it’s an honor to be here with her, and in they go with heads held high.

It’s a sight that immediately hardens the faces of Chairman Dad and Madam Jung, while even Won looks stunned at the ballsy move. I have to say this does make a really nice point, because Won and his heiress both have “commoner” honeys but it didn’t even occur to them to break convention—they’re dating in secret, even if they say there’s no shame involved—while Tan is all, Fuck ’em all. I do have to admire that message.

Tan and Eun-sang head straight for the parents, who have no choice but to shut up and look pleasant for the sake of the cameras. Tan thanks his father for the lovely party, and Eun-sang offers a polite greeting. Tan then greets his uncles and cousins, and introduces Eun-sang to them as well. The wall of reporters clamors for a statement, but Chairman Dad says they’ve gotten their photos and has them ushered out.

Dad wastes no time pulling the two kids aside so he can yell at them, but Tan stands firm. He states calmly that he isn’t afraid of his father, nor does he desire the things Dad wants him to have above Eun-sang, and therefore asks for Dad to give his approval. Perhaps the chairman finally sees that Tan isn’t going to budge, or perhaps he’s got other thoughts in mind, but he grudgingly tells Tan to go ahead and date the girl. He says it’s not an approval and believes that both kids will regret it later, saying, “Don’t ever think I lost to you. I’m just letting you off the hook.”

But he leaves it at that, and Tan breaks into a huge smile of relief, telling Eun-sang that all of Dad’s bluster was to preserve his pride, and that they’ve passed one great hurdle. I’m not so sure this is a victory, but that may be a fault of the writing because this scene is no different from all the other showdowns we’ve seen and doesn’t feel like it’s arrived at any sort of resolution.

Tan and Eun-sang accept it as good news, though, and he takes her up to Mom’s new apartment to visit her, since she wasn’t allowed to his birthday party. Tan presents her with a cake and a gift—a necklace with a key pendant—that brings tears to his mother’s eyes.

Adorably, Madam Han asks after Mom, and the next thing we know a fancy car pulls up to Mom’s neighborhood. Mom lights up to see her, and Madam Han gives her a great big hug. Madam Han chides Mom with leaving so abruptly and asks if she missed her. Aww, I love this relationship. They’re gonna be the best moms-in-law ever.

Tan drops by Young-do’s place to take care of some loose ends. Young-do sees what he’s driving at and suggests that they be neither sorry nor grateful to each other (particularly regarding each other’s mothers), in his characteristic if-we-don’t-talk-about-it-maybe-we-won’t-feel-it way (I never thought I’d say it, but avoidance does seem to be Young-do’s fatal flaw). But Tan says that while Young-do isn’t obligated to feel either way, he wants to tell him that he is both, and leaves it at that.

Young-do stops Tan’s exit to say that he knows his mother’s departure wasn’t Tan’s fault, but that he needed to hate him for it. Tan understands this and accepts it in his calm, composed way. Acknowledgment, not reconciliation.

Young-do sees a stack of photos of Tan and Eun-sang from the party, and Myung-soo tries too late to cover them up. Playing the part of supportive buddy, he shows Young-do the poster he made, which states that there are no Tans, Eun-sangs, or dogs allowed here. Young-do scoffs, “What crime has the dog committed?” Heh.

Over drinks, Mom cutely nags Madam Han for leaving the house when she has no skills with which to strike out on her own. Madam Han is feeling rather glum, owning that she is where she is because she wanted the home and life that belonged to another woman, and as a result she never was able to be a proper wife or mother.

Overcome with emotion, Madam Han steps out to sob on the beach. Mom quietly joins her, doing nothing but offering her silent support.

Tan and Eun-sang are surprised to arrive in the same cafe coincidentally, only to find that they’ve both been called by Won. The brothers want Eun-sang to move into that apartment, but she’s already decided to return to her old neighborhood with her mother.

Half-teasing and half-serious, she tells Tan that they could always break up and that would be mighty messy if she were living in a place he supplied, which leads to a round of bickering wherein they both ignore Won. She’s all, Sure we’re mad for each other NOW… and Tan’s all, We’re gonna be together forever!

Next, it’s time to win Mom’s approval for the relationship, and Tan kneels before her and asks for her to accept them. Mom takes a curiously long time to respond, and at that Madam Han bursts into the room (having eavesdropped, lol) and gets indignant at Mom’s hesitation. This leads to both women bragging about their kids being too good for the other, and Mom snappishly Eun-sang on curfew.

In the heated arguing that ensues, Mom raises a fist to hit Eun-sang in the arm, and Tan darts in front to take the hit instead, which makes all four freeze in surprise. So Eun-sang hisses at Tan to go with it and he drops to the ground, yelling in exaggerated pain, adding feebly, “But if she were to approve, I think I’d feel better.” HA.

Mom ain’t no fool, though, and hits Tan a second time, glaring. But they understand that she’s grudgingly onboard, and the kids thank her.

Eun-sang moves again, and to her surprise Tan is already there when she arrives. He’s prepared a surprise for her and leads her in with eyes covered, revealing a slideshow of sorts—it’s a compilation of videos featuring Eun-sang, cobbled together from handheld camera clips and, omg, his stalker security footage. Way to overtly romanticize the creepy.

He complains at her reaction, which isn’t nearly gooey enough for his liking. She reminds him that she prefers horror to romance, though she does sneak in a peck on the cheek. Not content with that, Tan mock-threatens more romance on her and ends up chasing her around the apartment.

At school, the mean girls are back to picking on the one who’s down, and today it’s Rachel. Armed with the gossip of her mother’s broken engagement, the girls snipe about people only tolerated her due to her connection with Tan. Leading the charge is Yi-sol, because nobody ever learns.

Young-do’s interference is enough to get them to skitter off, though, and he slings an arm around her and tells her to make it look like they’re on good terms. She tells him that his fear quotient is on the wane, but he’s okay with that and declares that he’ll continue being her oppa. I actually like that this duo never developed much romantic chemistry, because to me it’s somehow sweeter that they’ve got to this point of (grudging) mutual caring. They’d both rather die than admit it, but Rachel asks about his father’s company and is relieved to hear that things are okay for now.

As he walks down the corridor, Young-do sees Eun-sang heading toward him and she prepares to say something… but he just passes on by.

Bo-na tells Eun-sang that the midterm rankings are out, warning her with vague dire threats should Chan-young have lost his place due to worrying about Eun-sang too much.
if she made Chan-young’s grades drop.

When Eun-sang gets to the bulletin board, a crowd has already amassed—they’re being blocked by Tan, who is blocking the sheet from view, HA. When he sees Eun-sang, he rips the page from the board and runs off, and she exclaims, “Are you last place again?”

Eun-sang snatches the sheet from him and he grabs her wallet in turn. He admits that he hasn’t looked yet—he isn’t ready to know how he scored. But as it turns out, Chan-young took a photo of the whole list and has uploaded it, HAHA.

Tan cringes to himself in dread, but Eun-sang sees that he’s made it to 50th place and he immediately puffs up in pride. Like you weren’t just about to dig a hole and crawl into it. He declares that his life has finally found a middle ground… and then gets pissy when Eun-sang marvels at Young-do’s placement, having shot up to 27th.

Of course, when Tan asks what place she is, she just runs away. Lol.

Young-do dedicates himself to improving his judo as well, practicing up a storm and then going up against his father again. And finally, he manages to take him down for the first time, and his father concedes the defeat. He asks what Young-do wants as reward, and Young-do answers, “Mom.” Aw. Unfortunately this is something his father can’t give him, because he doesn’t know where she is either. A bit bitterly, Young-do says, “That’s fortunate.”

So it’s back to that snack shop he goes, staring at that familiar wall. Today, however, the ajumma notices his name tag and realizes that he’s the Young-do she was asked to pass along a message to. (Seriously, Heirs? HOW CONVENIENT.) She passes him a business card that a pretty woman left for her a while ago, which belongs to the owner of a cafe named Secret Garden. Geddit?

The broadcasting club is working with a couple other students from another school, and Bo-na enjoys the idea of getting to hang out with cute boys. She and Eun-sang head off to meet with them, while Hyo-shin chuckles as he texts their boyfriends, stirring the pot with glee.

So it is that the girls are mid-introductions when the boyfriends arrive glaring, asserting their places and sending the other boys away. The foursome get into a four-way bickering match over this, because of course Tan can’t scold Bo-na without Chan-young butting in, and then Eun-sang has to defend Tan, and then everybody’s just snapping at everybody else. Oh, jealousy.

Still, this is the kind of fighting Tan is happy to engage in, as he tells Eun-sang later, because this conflict is solely between them—it’s not driven by others. I can get behind that statement, that’s for sure. Then he gives Eun-sang a new wallet to replace her old one, in which he has placed a photo of himself, of course.

Chan-young’s father drops by an old haunt in a rundown-looking building, the kind of musty coffee shop that plays old records. To his surprise he finds Rachel’s mother there, and they sit down for a coffee together, exchanging a few pleasantries before she admits that she doesn’t really know how to be in love. She explains that Rachel cried over her broken engagement, having liked Tan but not knowing how to handle it, and it’s something Mom was never able to teach because she herself never knew how to do.

Wistfully, she says that it made her reflect on the way she’s lived, thinking she only wanted to chase riches, that she could live without Chan-young’s father.

Tan wants his mother to move out of the hotel room and into a nice apartment, but she declares that she’s through with fancy houses and the like. She wants to wander the world with her own two feet, and tells Tan to return home to Dad. Tan just says that she’s his father now.

It’s a sad affair in the empty Kim mansion, with Chairman Dad having chased off everybody close to him. He envisions a younger Won and Tan coming home from school, and stops himself from hugging childhood Tan, stopped by Won’s harsh stare. But it’s only a vision, and Dad realizes he’s all alone in this room—just as a wave of pain hits and he collapses.

The brothers and Madam Han rush to the hospital, where they are told that the chairman is in a coma from his brain hemorrhage, and unless he wakes, they can’t operate. Madam Jung, on the other hand, realizes that this is the moment she’s been waiting for, and moves into action. While Won is distracted, she calls a meeting with the chairman’s brothers and nephews to state her case—she has little faith in Won or Tan to run Jeguk, and she can’t entrust her husband’s hard work into their hands.

The uncles are of the same mind, and the carrot she dangles in their faces is a tempting one: If they will throw their weight behind her (and not Won or Tan), she can help regain the chance they had thought lost to them. After all, Chairman Dad did not create Jeguk, and whoever takes over can rewrite the story their way.

Thankfully Chan-young’s father is shrewd enough to realize this as well and warns Won and Tan of this likely development. They anticipate that Madam Jung will call a stockholders meeting to take over the chairman’s voting rights, which would essentially give all the power to her.

Young-do broods over his mother’s business card a while, but it’s his father who ends up presenting the more immediate concern. In response to the prosecutor’s investigation, a team of authorities barge in on the president’s office and raid his files, confiscating evidence. Young-do bursts into the room angrily and tries to stop them, but his father orders him to stand down and do nothing. In frustration, Young-do is taken out of the room while his father stands by.

Tan is keeping vigil at his father’s bedside that night when Madam Jung finally drops by, and the air is icy between them. She says cavalierly that there’s no hope of Dad’s recovery, while Tan insists that he will recover. He warns her not to think of taking control of his stocks, because he will have his legal guardianship transferred from her to Won.

Madam Jung just tells him to go ahead, smirking that he can learn life lessons the hard way. Welcome to the cold hard world, she says, which is full of ambition and stealing and being stolen from.

Won enters the room just as she leaves it, and advises little bro not let whatever she may have said upset him. It’s not for him to worry about, Won says.

He sends Tan home for the night, but instead of to the room, Tan heads up to the hotel roof to brood.

And what do you know, Young-do is there too, dealing with his own pain.

They lock eyes for a moment, then stand there looking off into the distance. Both close but far, side by side but lost.

 
COMMENTS

Why do we finally get a hint of some interesting character development, only to have it happen literally with ONE hour to go? Happy and Wise Adviser Won should’ve put on his big bro pants earlier instead of pouting about some damn stocks, Young-do should have been allowed to confront his mother woes sooner, the Tan/Young-do grudging truce would have been amazing if we’d gotten to spend any time with it, and Madam Jung should have made her move eons ago.

Best of all, that means Chairman Dad would’ve had to get hit with a coma much earlier, and that could’ve spared us a lot of needless (and boring) pain. All drama long I was thinking that Dad was a lazy narrative device because he was just a blanket villain, when really it’s his absence that would have made for the interesting conflict. Having to sit through less of his sneering god complex would’ve just been the bonus to having a power scramble that would actually have been fun to watch, or at least compelling.

Instead, we got so much of that mopey teenage romance, and there just wasn’t enough there to actually sustain So Much Dramz. The “resolution” of both Mom and Chairman Dad’s approvals just highlighted how empty that whole storyline was, because basically they opposed the match, and then they changed their minds. Happiness button activated, and we move on just like that. What was the point of all that pain if this was the way to end it?

I suppose later is always better than never, so at least the wrap-up is giving us a few nice character moments to end on. I found the ending scene surprisingly affecting, especially with no Eun-sang between the boys to represent a prize to be won, and it gave the former friends a moment of connection over something real—shared pain, loss, fear at being eighteen and powerless despite feeling like they’re on the cusp of adulthood—instead of just, you know, liking the same girl. Oh, Heirs. I was all set to write you off as a drama that was never going to be anything but meaningless pretty fluff, but now I’ll have to actually sigh over what you could have been but chose not to be.

RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , , ,

207

Required fields are marked *

I liked the fluff in this episode; it made me wish that KT had always been this goofy and cute. My hopes for Heirs went progressively up midway through the show but overall, I am back to square one. Aside from the ridiculous conflict resolutions, my main disappointments:

1. The OTP. Uninteresting more often than not. There were sweet moments but not many. The creeptastic and stalkerish Kim Tan we were given for the majority of the pursue didn’t help. It has nothing to do with LMH, I think I would have disliked want-to be-boyfriend KT regardless of who was playing him.
2. The bromance, if it can even be called that. I was so excited for a LMH/KWB bromance but show did not shown me that these boys loved and missed each other so much that their lives were worse because of their ruined friendship. We have is a reconciliation but all I get is that they were full of guilt for the way the friendship ended but no more. Even if YD and KT French kiss in the last episode I don’t buy it.
3. YD-Rachel. I was looking forward to Chuck and Blair 2.0 and their machinations against the OTP, especially with YD’s genius IQ. Their relationship could have been so much better.

I think I’ve found the message of the drama: your life and that of those around you will suck until you fall in love. This family went through 18 years of angst and rivalries, and Tan falling in love with ES solved every failed relationship in his life in a couple of months. YD fell for ES and went from complete psychopath to a very decent person. Won isn’t allowed to love the one he wants and is a ball of sulk. And then we have CY and Bo-Na, who were always happy with not a care in the world because they have each other.

I think in the end we will have evil stepmom vs. Won and Tan (who win) and Daddy will get convinced that the boys can work together and let go of the drama. He’ll finally divorce wife #2 and reconcile with KA and Tan and KA go back home and everyone lives happily ever after.

0
13
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree with you on some points, but others not so much.

The main couple was a dud, I agree. I'm not a huge Park Shin Hye fan to begin with and I think that Lee Min Ho (while a good actor) chooses bad roles. Which is kind of a testament to his acting as well. I like the person he has been playing in these episodes a lot. It reminds me of the earlier Kim Tan only happier; fun playful carefree.

I think there is still hope for Tan and Young Do. No, they will never be best friends, but they are growing up. They are seeing eye to eye finally. This show was never set up for a bromance.

I really hope Rachel ends up with Hyo Shin. They are kind of perfect for each other in my opinion. He is rebellious enough to excite her and she is conformist enough to tame him a little.

I think you are missing a key point in the theme. It's not so much about just love as it is about Love VS Power. Which is more important to you. Are you going to live a life in pursuit of love or power? Which will bring you true happiness? That's the theme here.

0
9
reply

Required fields are marked *

That's a valid argument, yet I bet that none of these people will end up powerless (they are already la créme de la créme) and will still have happy endings. The struggle
doesn't seem that significant when there are not huge sacrifices made in the process. I concede that Tan was willing to leave his life of privilege to be with ES and Won had to sacrifice his love in the name of power, so I see what you mean but greed may be a better way to describe it. Won, Dad, Daddy Choi, Rachel's mom and even Tan's mom coveted more than what was rightly theirs. It is still unrealistic to me that 95% of the conflict got solved because of love for ES.

0
8
reply

Required fields are marked *

Tan gave up power.

Daddy was ready and willing to give the company that Won had worked so hard to maintain if Tan was just willing to give up Eun Sang. But Tan never wanted that. He never wanted power and prestige.

So, in that sense, Tan's conflict with his father and brother were solved because of Eun Sang. Won can finally realize that Tan is not out for the Empire Group. He is only out to get Eun Sang. We see this in episode 18 when Tan breaks down in front of Won crying.

In turn, seeing Tan give up everything for a girl, Young Do realizes just what his life has been about. He wanted power over Tan so he missed his last opportunity to meet his mother. He then wanted to hold on to that power by trying to take the only thing that Tan loved away, Eun Sang. But he failed. What he didn't realize was that he would actually fall for Eun Sang. When he did, he found out what was more important in life.

Next, Tan's actual mother. She wanted the power money brought. She didn't realize that having that sort of power came with consequences and she was fed up with dealing with them. She saw the way it left her son. So she left.

Lastly, Esther Lee. She saw the way that fighting for power left her daughter. She also saw what it did to Young Do's father. When she sat down with Yoon Jae Ho she said her life was following:
“A life of making lots of Money. A wealthy life. A life without Yoon Jae Ho.”

Power, it corrupts. What was strong enough to take down power? The innocent love of two teenagers.

0
7
reply

Required fields are marked *

I don't see where Tan gave up anything. You cannot give up something you never had and never wanted. He has been living off of his daddy's money since forever, and basically being a Universal Sloth and doing nothing for it. I would have been much more impressed if he had given up the money.

0

That was spot on. Tan and Eun Sang's love for each other is beautiful, and so is this incredible drama.

0

Beautifully stated, @Alicia. I agree that love vs. power was an important theme. I would go one step further and say the show also expressed what the nature of true "power" is. The 1% in Heirs like the Chairman, Esther Lee, Young Do and his father, and Won believe they have power because of their money and status. But ultimately, the Chairman's power isn't strong enough to stop Tan from pursuing the girl he loves and, more importantly, from revealing his true identity. Esther Lee's power as a businesswoman, while not to be taken lightly, doesn't buy her daughter's or her happiness, and actually causes her to make an unhappy romantic alliance. The Chois -both pere and fil- still lose their wife and mother even though they own the Zeus Hotel. Kim Won has (ostensible) power within the company as its president, but that same status prevents him from being able to do something as basic as being able to openly acknowledge his girlfriend.

I'm not a romanticist who believes that "love conquers all" and that money and status don't matter. This is, after all, the real world. However, in line with what Alicia said, I do think "Heirs" credibly argued that true power comes from agency over oneself and being true to one's core values, not from money or status.

0

Tan did not give up power, he gave up responsibility. Even with his rift with his dad he kept being and behaving like a rich kid. Did we see him try to find a part time job when he left home or even preoccupied about how he was going to make it ? He got mom to bring him clothes and phone, he asked friends to let him stay over and asked ES to buy him food. Eventually he moved to a fancy hotel courtesy of dad, so where is the sacrifice?

Esther Lee did not sacrifice a thing. In fact, she saw that her power and name were about to be dragged in the mud with the Chois and ran for the hills. After 20 years she now gets mellow with her one true love but not until her better option for increased prestige was ruined. A love vs. power message would have been more effective if she did marry Mr. Choi and suffered terribly for Mr. Yoon while he moves on happily to a relationship full of love.

Tan's mom left because the chairman said some nasty things to her. Why did she not leave when her dear son got exiled to America? That was clearly because of Won's power struggle. I'd argue that she may have cared more about love than power or money. She told chairman that she had loved him when she left, and JS asked if she left because she expected the hot and steamy relationship to last forever, to which dad replies he wishes that she'd stay for the money.

I'm not picking on those of you who see the power vs love message. We all interpret things differently and there is nothing wrong with that. I agree that that may have been the intended message but in my eyes it was not executed very well.

0

Me,

That was really well said. Thank you! What did you mean here, "Why did she not leave when her dear son got exiled to America? That was clearly because of Won’s power struggle."
Also, I was wondering, didn't KT's mom stay because she wanted to be around when her son came back from the US? She wanted to make sure that KT would have a cushion right? Having as many shares/stocks of the company as he possibly could have? She always talked about how she didn't want KT to lose out to his brother.

0

Hi Ivoire,

I was commenting on a comment that mentioned that KA left because she saw what the quest for power (Won's) did to her son. I think the commentator was referring to KA seeing Tan all broken after he was made to part with ES but I think if that was the main reason she would have left much sooner, especially when Tan was kicked out to America. From what the story has told us, the plan was to have Tan never return. He returned against Won's will and largely because of ES.

I do think that KA wanted Tan to have a cushy future being the son of Jeguk. But I don't necessarily think that she had to stick around the house to wait for him when she was so lonely and ostracized there and did not know if he would even return.

I really do think that she genuinely loves the chairman and kept hoping for the day when they could live truly as husband and wife. When he said all of those mean things to her she realized that that day would probably never come and decided to pack up and go.

0

Hello me,

And thank you for explaining, I understand now. I do agree with what you said about KA loving the chairman, especially when compared with JS, who does not. That became evident in how KA takes the chairman's side at times, even though it can also be argued that she was trying to protect KT and make sure he got what she thought he deserved, as the 2nd son of Jeguk.

I thought it was very telling when KA didn't want to tell KT the truth about why she had run away, and about why she was hiding from the chairman. Good thing KT was smart enough to figure it out, and he kept asking pointed questions.
Also telling (in this ep.) is how quickly KA rushed to the chairman's bed side, when she learned that he had collapsed. Her tears, her worry, were those of a woman who truly cared about (and loved) the chairman. Also, she was the one who kept urging/asking kT to go back to his dad (to the house), because she didn't want him (the chairman) to be alone, in that big house. I think that she also felt that KT should have some kind of relationship with his dad, as awful as his dad had been to him.

I really liked your perspective, and I love that you explain things well. Thank you :-)!

0

um 19 hours to get through for one episode of cuteness....I do not think so.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree with all of your comments, Eileen. I really wanted to like this drama but as you say the conflict resolutions really are bizarre, and overall the whole thing is just disappointing. So much wasted potential.

My main issue with this show is the characterizations of the leads, something many people here (incl. jb and gf) have commented on. Apart from their arbitrary personality changes, I especially don't like how this show expects me to root for KT and YD, even though their behaviour towards women is (in my eyes) downright despicable. Like you say, KT has mostly been creeptastic and stalkerish, and it saddens me that so many fangirls romanticize KT's and YD's aggressive courtship.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Can we say Stockholm Syndrome, boys and girls?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The highlight of this episode was definitely Youngdo's story. His character has grown so unbelievably, and seeing him so sad just stings a little. I'm glad he can confide in Rachel, and I'm glad that she has finally found another person that she can relate to in Youngdo. I really do hope Youngdo can have his reunion with the mother. After being lonely for so long, I'd like his character to have a good closure.

Was it just me or was Tan's dad's acceptance of their relationship kind of random and bleh. I mean, I know he doesn't approve of them in the entirety. But letting it go seems all so random especially with all the angst that has been built up over these 19 episodes. Idk.

I LOVE THE MOTHER'S REUNION OMG. Eunsang's mum and Tan's mum deserves the OTP of the year or something lolol. I'm glad that the writer didn't make Tan's mum an evil character, because that would be so annoying. Speaking of parents, I wouldn't also mind Rachel's mum reuniting with Chanyoung's dad.

On that note, while it was hard picking my favourite scene from this episode, I went with Bona & Eunsang getting busted by their boyfriends lol. The jealousy and fighting for their partners was completely hilarious. Double date again pls! :)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Kim Woo-bin has been running away with nearly every scene he's in, the only one who's truly a match for him in this cast is Kim Ji-won - and Young-do is a far more interesting character for being played by him. I'm pretty impressed by his face acting (that scene where he's being led away from the room by the investigators, ouch. And his scene with Eun-sang's mother last week, OUCH.)

I agree that this show actually works a lot better when you have Tan and Eun-sang interacting with people who don't have the grand mission to Break Them Up. I loved the four-way Bona/Chan-young/Eun-sang/Tan scene, Krystal has great comic timing. And sometimes more character interaction with people who aren't love interests is necessary to flesh them out a little - Hyun-joo and Tan, for instance, or Eun-sang and Won.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I am actually so upset that they set the stage for an oh-so-epic business battle with the rivalries and everything but we got NONE of that for 19 episodes. This is just going to fizzle out and go FLAT like a bottle of soda left out too long.

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ever tasted a beer that has been opened and left out in the sun for a few hours? That is what this series was - a bright shiny can with nothing but something kind of yucky-flat inside.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

They definitely could have saved at least an hour for plot development if the writer had cut down the three-way staring battles...

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Love heirs <3 just watched heirs to the eleventh episode and I loved it but I've been reading recaps on dramabeans and also the comments here and I feel sorry for the cast. I am surprised that people hate this drama cos I love and to be honest I didn't watch for the plot but for the cast especially LMH. LMH I love u and Nigeria loves u. But please choose a better drama where u don't have to wear sometimes ugly sweaters and too tight high schooler pants.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

LMH likes tight pants though. He wears them quite a bit in his dramas, and if you see pictures of him, when he was younger (circa him being 19 and older, like early 20s), you will see that he wears tight pants a lot.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Love heirs <3 just watched heirs to the eleventh episode and I loved it but I've been reading recaps on dramabeans and also the comments here and I feel sorry for the cast. I am surprised that people hate this drama cos I love and to be honest I didn't watch for the plot but for the cast especially LMH. LMH I love u and Nigeria loves u. But please choose a better drama where u don't have to wear sometimes ugly sweaters and too tight high schooler pants next time. Love TURA and NIGERIA

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

*Last week, several commenters (including me) raised the question of what could possibly happen to fill two episodes now that the central conflict was resolved in episode 18. We got the answer: not much. I was disappointed because this episode seemed like mostly filler to me. While I didn’t want yet another rehash of the Demon Daddy wars, I would have liked to see something more happen.

That being said, I still enjoyed the episode. It was really nice to see Kim Tan and Eun Sang face the world together, and to do so while smiling! It took courage on both their parts to “come out” at the party like that.

Their couple-y interactions throughout the episode kept up the cute, from the test results shenanigans to the “double date” with Bo-Na and Chan-Young, to Tan’s accepting Eun Sang’s need to live in the more modest apartment that she can afford on her own. I know that video present is probably creepy, but it just cracked me up. “Here’s a moving-in present for you, - a video of you!” *Kim Tan smiles proudly.* And I’m thinking, “How about some a coffeemaker or something?”

*Tan’s and Eun Sang’s mothers pairing up was also pure love. They really have one of the best relationships on the show. I have to give major props to the actress who plays Tan’s mother – she took her character from spoiled mistress to heartbroken woman learning to face reality, and she made the journey seem completely believable.

*Young-Do’s mother getting in contact just now after all this time seems awfully convenient –where was she for the past number of years while her son was going off the rails? But that’s probably the closest we’re going to get to a happy ending for him, so I’ll take it.

*LOL at Rachel asking Young-Do when he is going to start putting his hair back up and being mean again. That’s got to be a writer’s wink at us, right? How many of us have joked about the deep, mystical connection between his hairdo and his behavior?

*The Deathbed Daddy/Tan and Won Must Unite storyline wasn’t exactly unexpected, and it will be nice to see the brothers pair up. However, having the Chairman get taken out of the equation like this feels almost like a cop-out. I really wanted them to take him down, not wear him down.

*The Shallow:
*What, what, WHAT were they thinking with that god-awful white suit Tan was wearing to his birthday party? The last time formalwear like that was acceptable was circa Miami Vice in the 80’s, and it was a bad idea even then. He looked so good in the black coat and then- off it comes to reveal that monstrosity.

*I read somewhere they will be auctioning off Tan’s clothes for charity after the show. They should have done it earlier – I would have bought some just to spare us having to see them in the show.

*In contrast, Park Shin Hye looked amazing in that red Dolce gown. That’s the perfect color for her. Krystal looked beautiful too, although did anybody else think the dress was a leeetle too short? I wouldn’t have wanted to sit down in that thing!

One episode left!

0
18
reply

Required fields are marked *

LOL! Like I've said before...they need LMH to sell the stuff that are absolute, horrible, fashion disasters. Otherwise, no one else will buy them. Though I sincerely hope fans will leave blind devotion behind in this case. Just to teach the fashion people a lesson that ugly clothes will be ugly clothes no matter the price tag!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Faye

"I read somewhere they will be auctioning off Tan’s clothes for charity after the show. They should have done it earlier – I would have bought some just to spare us having to see them in the show."

Hahaha. As always love your insight.

I'm with you, I was quite disappointed with this episode. And this is coming from a big fan of the show. It definitely felt like a filler and like the writer had run out of storylines.

At the end of episode 16, I remember wondering if 4 episodes would be enough to tie up all the storylines? And then at episode 18, like you, I was wondering what else could possibly happen. Apparently, that answer was not much. I mean we had Chairman starring at MYS while he took a selfie? Whaaat?

The big party was a let down. I think I was expecting ES/KT to face another big obstacle and have to overcome it TOGETHER.

I would have liked a scene with Won and Hyung as well.

And then the cliffhanger with KT and YD wasn't exciting, considering they seemed to get closure in an earlier scene. Perhaps this scene is for KT to offer YD emotional support since he helped him out earlier.

Overall, I still love the show. Can't believe it ends tomorrow. Perhaps episode 20 will be better and tie all the loose ends together.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

"The big party was a let down. I think I was expecting ES/KT to face another big obstacle and have to overcome it TOGETHER."

*This* is what I wanted to see. They keep passing the baton in terms of who has courage in any given episode, but it would have been very satisfying to see them act as a partnership to overcome something. Chairman Daddy just shrugging it off and then going into a coma does not feel satisfying on any level.

That being said, I agree with you that overall I still love the show. I will miss these characters and the world they inhabited. Hopefully it'll go out on a high note.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

My Confession (** in reference to Usher's "Confessions" **)...

The Light Pink Angora Sweater that Kim Tan had on as he hugged Kim Won in the basement/wine cellar...wait for it...I have the exact same/similar sweater in my wardrobe/closet. For the past 5+ years, it was packed away. However this winter, I have been proudly wearing it as I imagine hearing Lee Min-Ho say to me "It's Okay Baby!"

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Adapted from Confessions, Part II by Usher - I imagine Lee Min Ho singing this to himself sadly in his dressing room:

"These are my confessions
Just when I thought I'd worn every ugly sweater in existence by today
My costumer called - said she got another one on the way
These are my confessions
Man I'm thrown and I dont know what to do
Wearing these clothes just sucks -that's my confession"

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ha Ha :) ...Love it!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"I know that video present is probably creepy, but it just cracked me up. “Here’s a moving-in present for you, – a video of you!” *Kim Tan smiles proudly.* "

To me that just said how very out of touch he was with a normal life. He thinks he could choose ES over the lifestyle, but....

And I don't think the whole security camera thing is creepy. If someone older did it, then yes. But these characters are supposed to be in high school. For some reason they just seem to look older.

"I would have bought some just to spare us from having to see them in the show."

Hilarious.

"Circa Miami Vice"

Maybe even more retro than that: Linc from Mod Squad meets Liberace?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Gidget - Ha! I thought of Liberace too. Definitely with the brocade.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree with the short skirt. When they were filming at TCIS the girls all used their notebooks to cover their bottoms when they walked up the stairs. They really needed to...

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hello Rachelle,
Did that work, using the notebooks? That would seem a little hard (and very inconvenient) to me to do.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Rachelle -When I visited Korea in the winter, the shortness of skirts was something I noticed a lot. Not that I was trying to be a perv, but it was pretty funny to see girls and women wrapped up against the cold and sporting scarves and hats and gloves - and then their skirts were so short they were two inches away from having a public gyn exam. Modesty issues aside, it looked cold!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I noticed that also, especially in the more "fashiony" areas of Seoul. Seen it also to some extent in Japan, but not near as much. I guess when it comes to fashion, a few frozen limbs is a small price to pay. One of the most amusing sites was a store display of what they called in English "safety pants", which were panties that looked more like short shorts. :D

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

One thing I will miss about Heirs recaps is the on-the-ground updates from you guys in Seoul - and poor girls! Quite apart from the modesty issues, wearing skirts like that must be freezing cold in this weather.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hahaha you made me realize that we just thought every friggin episode to be a filler, one after another, again and again. So this whole show is a filler then. Damn. >.<

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Nope, I didn't think so. Just this one.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh sorry I didn't mean you think so. I just meant we in general. It's just because every week there's someone who thinks that the episode of that week was a filler and that just happens every week...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Faye - the OTP may have completely failed to ever make me care, but their mothers had the most awesome relationship - yay for ahjumma love!

And Ki-ae's story is far more moving than Tan or Eun-sang's, because of just how much time and ground her story arc covers - even the bits we can't see, like her humble beginnings, are pretty well brought out by the acting. I mean, think of how far she's come from the sad, selfish womanchild she started out as - her leaving the Chairman (who is still a sack of shit who should be dropped off a cliff, I don't buy the last-minute poor-Daddy-me flashbacks when he is the one to treat his wife/mistress and sons like toys and not people) was the one moment in this drama that really made me want to cheer. And she's the one character in this drama who actually makes a move towards giving up great material wealth for her freedom while understanding what she's giving up - something I didn't get from Tan, but did get at least the impression of from her, since she knows what it's like to not be rich after all.

LMH's clothes.....I wonder which fool with too much money would buy them? But much as I hated the white suit, I did love his hair at the party - who'd have thunk it just needed an upsweep to make him look hotter and younger? And PSH looked absolutely GORGEOUS in that red dress, it was perfect for her colouring and I was in awe of how flawless her skin looked, even this far into a live shoot. Heirs has tons of high fashion going on but most of it seems to have gone to Rachel and Ki-ae so far (that Miu Miu AW13 coat and scarf at the PTA meeting, lol), it's nice to see her dressed up a bit at last.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

@pogo - We may disagree on the show's OTP, but we are in accord on Ki-ae's growth. I hate adultery and usually have zero pity for any of the parties involved, but the actress was so good that I forgot she wasn't exactly an innocent party. I agree that, adultery aside, it took tremendous courage to leave the house and the gilded cage she was living in. She truly grew up in this series.

I wish LMH had worn his hair up like that all along - I loathe fringe on men. But I guess it was supposed to make him look younger.

I agree on Daddy Chairman - I don't buy his woe is me moment at all. He's the cause of all the misery his family suffers.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you for the recap! So this is the last week, and this ep. for me felt like it had quite a few scenes that were fillers. The dad getting the brain hemorrhage was not a surprise to me, I think we thought something like that might happen.

Before I forget, I would like to thank some of the beanies who took the time to answer my questions in the past few weeks. I am actually grateful any time I get an answer to my questions. I usually make an effort to respond as well, when needed, however, I have not been feeling well, and that kept me away from my computer for a while. I was not online as much as I usually am, I would have responded otherwise. I just wanted to mention that.

I do not seem to have as many questions with this ep. so far (that could change, of course) and I will just ask my (few for now) questions:

1—KT:“I could barely breathe hanging on to that” vs “I could only breathe hanging on to that.” This is what KT told ES when he showed her the video at her old apartment. Those are 2 different translations which mean something different. Does anyone know what KT actually said, or meant to say? I am leaning towards the 2nd translation, which makes more sense to me, though I could be wrong?

2—I was surprised about this, is Yoon not Vice President any more? When he sits down with Esther to talk, she tells him that he is not VP any more. I am confused, because I didn’t see any mention of him in the drama not being a VP, not after KW brought him his plaque with his name and his title, I am assuming?

3—So, this is not directly about this drama, however, I was just wondering, how does cable programming work in Korea? Do the viewers have to pay extra to have it? (like in the US, for example). And so, if it is like in the US, are their ratings usually lower (than the three main stations, KBS, MBC and SBS), because not as many people subscribe to cable stations to begin with?

I did like some of the cute and funny scenes in this episode, though I wondered if it might not have been a good idea (possibly) to start tying some of the loose ends in this ep. For some reason, I missed seeing HJ, though I do know that she does not have that big of a role in this drama.

I also came to realize that I always enjoy watching YD and MS together. I just love how MS cares about YD and how protective he is of him, though he is never afraid to confront him, and tell him the truth. YD finally beat his dad at Judo, YAY!!!!! I am so looking forward to YD’s meeting with his mother tomorrow. I want to see what will come of that. YD continued to move me in this ep., I think part of it for me is that I love how KWB has been playing that character.

I also loved the reunion between KA and ES’s mom, I was glad that there had some scenes together, and that ES’s mom has been the only person (besides her son) KA has been able to be vulnerable with, and breaking down in front of, without being attacked or put down. Kudos to her as well, for wanting to stand up for herself, and start anew, though she has no skills and is not getting any younger. If KT and KW get their way tomorrow and get to keep the company, she might never have to work at all, because they will take (good) care of her.

0
17
reply

Required fields are marked *

Also, I meant to say to Adette (and I forgot): Thank you!!!!!! so much for taking the time to answer my questions in the middle of filling out your application for the internship. I do hope that you were able to turn it in on time, and I also hope (fingers crossed), that you will get it. I really appreciate what you did, and I also hope that you did it (answering my questions), because you were taking a break. As you know, my questions could have waited, you could always come back to them at your convenience. I usually go back and check on the comments, days after the beanies have commented.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I also wanted to say that KT did not look 18 to me, with his hair up, at the party. He looked more like someone in his 20s...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Ivoire

"I also came to realize that I always enjoy watching YD and MS together. I just love how MS cares about YD and how protective he is of him, though he is never afraid to confront him, and tell him the truth."

"I think part of it for me is that I love how KWB has been playing that character."

It's hard to imagine another actor turning the character of Choi Young-Do at the flip of a moment from someone you love to hate, into someone you hate to love, or somehow find yourself liking/looking forward to more than the 1st lead character - Kim Tan. Kim Woo-Bin has done this flawlessly episode after episode.

Ji Sung as Jo Min Hyuk in Secret Love was never as hynoptic and awe-inspiring as Kim Woo-Bin. Even the progression (usually baby steps Episodes 1 - 19) and transformation (hair gel vs. flower boy look) that Choi Young-Do took toward acknowledging his faults (through brooding/self-analysis) was more plausible and riveting.

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hello August,

And thank you for your response. I loved what you said in your 2nd paragraph, because you are right on the money. I cannot imagine another actor playing YD. Not with the same flair, the same nuances, the same gravitas, the same presence and the same intensity. And like you, I came to look forward to KWB’s performance more than LMH’s, which at times, (to be honest), left me not as impressed as KWB's.

KWB had chemistry with everyone on that set, and I always believed him to be YD. He simply made that character: the mannerisms, the crinkling of his nose, the touching of his eyebrows, the shifting of his eyes when he would be emotional, the way he slurred his words, the tone of his voice, the softening of his voice, when he would talk to ES (when he fell in love with her, and even earlier, when he was around her), his extreme politeness and humility when being in ES’s mom’s presence (the way he would put his arms behind him), the ways in which his face moved, his eyebrows (which even the writer noticed, and wrote about in one of the episodes, LOL [when HJ asked him to bring his eyebrows down], etc…). I could go on about KWB’s excellent performance as YD, and I know you would not disagree with me.

I really love KWB as an actor, because he makes me curious about acting, and he makes me fascinated about him. I am absolutely convinced that he added mannerisms to the character, which were never written in the script. KWB makes me want to be there on the set when he is filming, so I can see how he transforms from KWB, to being the character. He makes me interested in the thought process involved. If I could meet him and talk to him, those are the kind of questions I would be asking him, really. And that is when I know that I have been sucked in. When a performance, an actor/actress makes me wonder about the BTS and what it takes to produce/give such a performance. People like KWB make acting look easy, natural, flowing, and I know acting is not easy, not always natural, not always flowing or effortless. So yeah, I am impressed, as one could tell.

I used to not think much of MS, however, as I have reflected over the drama, I came to realize that MS is actually a very good friend to YD. He mothers him, and he knows when to be gentle with YD, and when to confront him. I love that he is not afraid of him, and he knows YD and he can read him. He knows what can hurt YD emotionally and he protects him when needed. That was why he stalled him in ep. 15, after the kiss, and why he tried to hide the pictures in this ep. He often wants to feed YD (a nurturing thing to do), or give him something warm to drink. He often makes YD reflect, after he has said some things to him (why did you bully her? You don’t bully girls. If you like her, just tell her. Why do you always chose the melodramatic endings? You should have listened to me about 1st loves, etc…). I love how MS goes along with whatever YD concocts, like when they acted goofy in front of the journalists, who were bothering ES. And YD does like MS’s presence, and overlooks the fact that MS can be dense at times. They make a good pair, if you ask me. When KT went to the US, I was glad YD had MS to be his friend and be in his corner.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hello Ivoire,

I agree with everything you said especially. The "Bromance" of Choi Young-Do and Jo Myung-Soo was without question an unexpected highlight of Heirs. Jo Myung-Soo was a really good friend that never gave up on encouraging and hinting to Choi Young-Do to be the best version of himself that he could be.

Often in the Heirs Recap threads, a comment would appear remarking that Kim Woo-Bin (as Choi Young-Do) is stealing the show and outshining Lee Min-Ho (as Kim Tan). I have been thinking about this for a while now.

Automatically people assume that this has to be bad thing. Instead of thinking that we have come full circle and it’s a good thing when a newbie shines and excels. Making the list of great acting talent – one to watch out for/one you expect great things from in the future is an honor. Lee Min-Ho's big break was in Boys Over Flowers because people had similar reactions to his performance as Goo Joon Pyo. This time around it was Kim Woo-Bin's turn to excel and get the much deserved big break.

In real life, as with acting, If you are around someone/another type of individual with a dynamic personality - How do you manage to keep from disappearing/evaporating into the background?

Primarily in the early episodes of Heirs, Kim Woo-Bin’s portrayal of Choi Young-Do reminded me of the Tasmanian Devil (AKA Taz) a Looney Tunes cartoon character.

The Tasmanian Devil was savagely fierce and aggressive with a notoriously short temper and little patience. He would eat and bite through just about anything/everything with an appetite that knew no bounds. His ability to spin like a vortex, he was capable of reading and writing, the sound of his voice and speech consisting mostly of grunting, growling, and occasionally his punchline delivery is what stood out most about him.

However, the character Kim Tan was required and tasked during the early episodes of Heirs with being the polar opposite – bland (dull), indifferent, lethargic, mellow, lackluster, disinterested (apathetic), impassive (deadpan), poker-faced, slacker, and unreadable.

Lee Min-Ho’s utilized the freedom that comes with controlled acting to deliver an emotionally controlled performance with the right mixture of loneliness, vulnerability, despair, and indignation.

I commend Lee Min-Ho for willingly accepting the role of Kim Tan which required a certain level of sacrifice as the male lead counterpart to the more appealing and strongly written character Choi Young-Do. (Thereby leading to a refactoring of his “assured” status as the favorite male lead character or OTP in Heirs.)

“An acting performance can be easily discussed and critiqued when looking at two specific dimensions of acting: individualization and stylization. The range of individualization of an acting performance can be determined based on how much the actor makes the performance their own (1). When playing the role of an archetype character such as the "mad scientist"…an actor can put as much or as little of their own signature on their character as they want (or as much or little as is called for in the role they are playing). When an actor has put a unique and signature twist on the character they are playing their role is said to be highly individualized.

An acting performance need not always be highly individualized in order to be considered a "good" performance. Sometimes the role an actor plays requires them to be less individualized in order to work with their...

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Continued...

An acting performance need not always be highly individualized in order to be considered a "good" performance. Sometimes the role an actor plays requires them to be less individualized in order to work with their character's situation in the context of the film. Stylization of an acting performance can also be measured, ranging from lowly stylized or flat to highly stylized or flamboyant (1). Stylization of a performance is usually more dependent on the broad or reserved actions the actor makes while performing as well as the tone and volume of their voice.

Like individualization, the amount of stylization an actor puts into their performance is somewhat dependent on the type of role they are playing and what is called for in the context of the film.”

https://film110.pbworks.com/w/page/12610144/Acting

0

@ August,

My last thoughts:

I loved what you said in your last paragraph. I didn’t watch Secret Love (too melodramatic for me), however, I did watch a few snippets and part of the last ep. I will however take your word for it, about JS’s performance vs KWB’s. I have developed a new appreciation for KWB, and I don’t think there is any turning back for me. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Ivoire - I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Hope you recover soon!

0
9
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hello Faye,

Thank you! I appreciate it. I am feeling a little better. I am soooo sorry to have missed the conversations, you know how much I love to read other people's thoughts and share a few of my own as well. Oh well, sometimes you just can't help it.
What other dramas are you planning on watching after this? We might see each other on another drama recap, maybe? What other dramas are you currently watching? (if I may ask?)

0
8
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Ivoire - I've had a lot going on lately in and out of work, so I haven't watched anything but "Heirs" (and "Marry Him If You Dare" before it ended). I did watch Episode 1 of "The Prime Minister and I," and it looked like it had promise, although Yoona falls a bit flat for me.

What are you watching? Can you recommend anything? I hope we meet again in dramaland! I feel like we were fellow soldiers in a way, in this Heirs thread :).

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

@ Faye, part 2:

I want to check out YFAS,with KSH next week, but I gotta be honest, I am not feeling that drama. I am curious and intrigued by the premise, and I have not seen KSH in anything besides Dream High, so I would like to see how he fares. And there will be the living together hijinks, which I always love (same in Prime Minister and I) l, so yeah, I am curious. If I don’t feel it though, I might stop watching it, and come back to it later, much later. I would actually like to take a break from dramas for a while, but I keep being curious about themes, so we will see. I would like to spend more time on me, journaling, and tackling things I have been meaning to tackle in my personal life. A break from dramas would be nice. I will try harder to make that happen.

To this, I agree, “I feel like we were fellow soldiers in a way, in this Heirs thread.” I am sooo sorry for the times you commented and asked questions, and I meant to respond, and days would go by, and I hadn’t. I have been watching Heirs on gooddrama.net, because viki doesn’t have the license for it. I live in the US, do you live in the US too? So my subs are usually from there (where ever they get them from).

There is not a drama that I have not liked, because for one, I keep low expectations (though I do get frustrated and irritated with the characters or the writing at times), and I do have my favorites. Have you seen “The King2Hearts?” It has romance, politics, action and LSG elevated his acting in this drama. It has a lot of heart, and is the drama (I believe) with the most comments on DB, so far. You can check for yourself. The last ep. had over 2,000 comments. I loved “President,” (2010) which is on gooddrama.net as well. Politics, romance is not the focus (be warned), well acted, well funded too. I saw it at 1st on KBS World, so it was in HD, which was great. The leads are married in real life, and are veteran actors in their 40s. The cast was really good and the intrigue and twist well done. I would recommend it. Had low ratings in Korea, but great reviews.

Also, “the King of Dramas,” recapped here. And “Gaksital, “ I Do I Do” (because I loved the male lead in it, who was written like a 2nd lead. The female was 2 dimensional, but I really loved the male lead. It is a romantic comedy). “Chaser” is also good and has veteran actors as well. “City Hunter,”, and I liked “Dream High,” to an extent. Also, “My Name is Kim Sam Soon,” because KSA is funny in it, and the male lead gets beaten a lot (HB), which you usually don’t see in Kdramas. I thought the male lead needed to do more to deserve the female lead, but oh well. I can recommend more later. I hope this list helps.

I like watching different genres of dramas, because I want to see different kinds of acting. I am not too fond of melos, unless the acting is good, and I like the actors and actresses, and the story. I also liked Gu Family Book, in part because I lived through it (like Heirs) and commented a lot, and because I loved the hero and the heroine. I do think that the drama had its flaws, however because I was so invested in it, it does mean something to me. When I rewatch those kinds of dramas, I remember the questions I asked, the comments I read, some of the treatments I got on DB, etc… and all of that makes it meaningful to me. I will add a paragraph which might be held for moderation, FYI.

0

Hello Faye again,

I had only been watching Heirs, and I read a lot of blogs about it, while I was watching it. I also participated a lot, here and on other blogs. I tend to like to focus on 1 or 2 dramas, since it is time consuming for me to watch them (my method, that is). I sometimes watch an ep. twice, 1st raw, and then with subs (if I can do that the same day).

I also always take notes, at 1st in a notebook, but now I do it on my computer, which goes a little faster, and helps when I need to post my comments. So I stop the ep. a lot or quite a bit, depending on how many questions arise in my head, and depending on the comments the ep. is eliciting in me. I write down every single thought that comes to me. I have 2 notebooks full of notes based on dramas I have watched. I should organized them one day.

That is why and how I can be organized about my questions, and how I can remember them. I love to live through a drama, to experience it fully if I can. I also learn a lot that way, new words, phrases, connotations, etc… I become sensitive to the actors/actresses voices, changes in their voices, details that I pick along the way, and I love that.

My “watching” dramas has helped me at times in my real life. It has made me reflect, has brought up memories, and because I am a linguist by training and at heart (I really love languages, and what they tell you about the people who speak them), I am very sensitive to how things are pronounced and to how they convey the relationship between people and the interactions happening in the scene.

Because I like to be so invested, and I like to take my time to process things, I feel better sticking to one drama, or 2 at the most. I make a list of good dramas I have heard about, and always plan on watching them later. As you can imagine, my list is long by now, however I am OK with it. I am interested in quality (my time, the kinds of drama I watch), not in quantity. If I were to die tomorrow, and not have watched ½ the dramas I wished I had watched, I would still be OK. I enjoyed the ones I watched. I think it also has to do with the fact that I actually enjoy talking and dissecting dramas a lot, so I spend a lot of (my free) time doing that, which means I don’t watch a lot of other dramas, and I am OK with that.

I have watched “The Prime Minister and I,” and I enjoyed it, a lot. It was my 1st time seeing LBS in anything, and I like him a whole lot. I find him handsome, I love his chemistry with YA, and I feel that both actor and actress can carry this drama. I also like the 2nd leads and the jealous brother-in-law. I don’t know if they will continue to recap the drama here, but I want to continue to watch it. Interestingly, I had no questions when I watched ep. 1 and 2. Iwas so surprised, and so happy with myself (silly, I know), because that never happens with Heirs :-)

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sorry Faye,

My answers are in the wrong order, but I think you will get it. Part 3:

You don’t have too, however, if you ever want to drop me a line (and stay in touch), you can do it here: amvondo1@ yahoo.com
I have ended up meeting people here that way :-) Oops, I did it again, happy reading.

0

Ivoire -thanks for your thoughtful post. It was very interesting, and it makes a lot of sense now that you ask a lot of questions if you're a linguist. Something we have in common! I work in the science field, but I grew up in a multilingual home and speak several languages. I was actually a translator through my college and grad school years -it kept my skills sharp, and it paid pretty well. I love languages too, and a byproduct of my k-drama watching is that I've convinced my husband 2014's couple activity (we learn something new together every year) will be to learn Hangul. It will be a challenge, for sure.

Since you're a linguist, you know that to really speak a language properly, you have to understand the culture and its nuances as well. So your methods probably help you to do that, and to have a more enriching experience culturally.

Thanks for your posts -you really helped me think about the show.

0

Hello Faye,

I am glad my lengthy posts (the last 3) were helpful in understanding me and my Kdrama watching process better. I am also delighted that my many questions and often long responses helped you think better, deeper and more about the show, over the course of the drama.
And you hit it on the nail, I do have a richer and fuller experience, watching it the way I do. Many people do not understand that, though I am glad that many beanies have benefited from my many questions and comments. That is one of the benefits fo participating on a blog like this one. If you don't mind my asking, how many languages do you currently speak?

I have a few more things to say, however Heirs ep 20 just got done being subbed on GD. So, I am going to go watch now, so I can post my questions (possibly) and comments on time later tonight. Please check back here, at some point, to see if I added some more thoughts to this response. I would appreciate that.

Thank you!

0

Ivoire -I will email you so I don't hijack the thread.

0

I think that is a great idea Faye. I did not want to push it on you, however, as I said, there is more I would like to share with you.
I will patiently wait for your email. Thank you for trusting me, I look forward to reading from you.

0

We only have one (1) episode left of Heirs. In retrospect, the parallelism that writer Kim Eun-Sook has implored with the characters of Kim Tan/Choi Young-Do, Kim Tan/Kim Won, and Choi Young-Do/Kim Won is compelling.

- Bullying (Former/Present)
- Father Issues
- Parental Abandonment
- Mom, Mother, Mistress
- Only Child vs. Having a Sibling
- Future Heir to Father’s business
- Attraction/Attachment to Cha Eun-Sang
- Circle of Friends/Acquaintances
- Contrasting the ideas of good/bad, love/hate, 1st/2nd lead
- Chaebol/Future Heir in love with “Candy” – Poor Girlfriend
- Preparing the Future Heir for the Real World through Tough and Often Harsh Lessons

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

@August - very true. Nice, succint summary.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Faye

Thanks! I tried :) - especially after my 3500+ characters rant & rave postings in the MHIYD Episode 16 Recap thread and the 12/06/13 Open Thread #320 last week.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

@August - Don't knock it. I liked your post better than the actual episode!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

So many?

No wonder the show is everywhere.

I felt like I've ran & suffered with everyone - Tan, Eun Sang, Won, Young Do, Rachel, Moms, and it's exhausting. Thank goodness it's ending in 1 hr.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

LOL, momosa, I feel you. Yeah, it is over by now. And I for one, am relieved as well. Like you, I did live through this drama. It WAS exhausting :-)...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i just find it hilarious how they've written the storyline so that kaokao talk gets so much screen time...must be making tons from them for product placement

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

A lot of Galaxy Note 3 functions advertised too haha.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I must say this has been my least favorite episode thus far. I was a bit disappointed. I found it boring and anti climatic for the episode before the show finale.

It almost feels as if the writer ran out of storylines. Perhaps she should have saved KT and ES's reunion for this episode. I feel as if nothing happened for the first 40 minutes.

And then the dramatic storyline with chairwoman still felt boring and anti climatic. Plus it didn't make much sense. KT's dad is not yet dead, and could literally wake up any minute which would destroy her plan. Why not just wait till he passes??? Seems overly risky and stupid.

While I like KT/ES as a couple, all the cutesy scenes felt more like fanservice. I just feel like I was expecting a little more.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

I thought it was an interesting and realistic plot development. Because as the legal wife, Jung Ji Sook has power of attorney to withdraw life support and end the Chairman's life after a certain period of time.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

@August, I have to watch it again because some subtitles were missing when I watched. From what I could make of it, it seems her plan would only work if Chairman was dead. And he wasn't and could awake from his coma, discovering her plan & divorcing her. So this left me confused. If her plan is to pull the plug on him, then that storyline makes more sense.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

@Vicky - I think the plot point with the chairwoman actually was (somewhat) realistic. If the head of a large company is incapacitated for extensive periods, there are usually issues in determining who takes over. It's actually more complicated than if the person dies. I remember reading about all the problems Apple had during Steve Jobs's multiple illnesses, which were kept hush-hush.

In any case, they wouldn't be rushing to a board vote a few minutes after the guy was in the hospital :).

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I was very happy to see Lee Min-Ho and Kim Mi-Kyung paired together again in another drama.

This year (2013) in “Heirs” = Kim Tan and Park Hee-Nam (Cha Eun-Sang's mother)
Relationship: Most Likely Future Son-In-Law & Mother-In-Law

Last year (2012) in “Faith” = General Choi Young and Court Lady Choi.
Relationship: Nephew & Aunt

I loved all of their scenes together in Faith as General Choi Young and Court Lady Choi. Definitely a welcome surprise to finally see them together in Heirs with a much longer scene with one another.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"Oh, Heirs. I was all set to write you off as a drama that was never going to be anything but meaningless pretty fluff, but now I’ll have to actually sigh over what you could have been but chose not to be."

We all need to come together for a sigh-fest. So many convenient, "coincidental" interactions to get the plot going smoothly... I cannot help but feel how great Young-do's character could have been.
I did love the scenes between Tan and Eun-sang's mother though. So cute.
I feel like tomorrow is going to be a rushed hour. Why did we waste so many episodes? So many characters gone to waste. Sigh.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

YES! So many characters gone to waste... ehem YOUNG-DO... ah can we have a series of just young-do after this like a bully turned dark hero i'd watch!

Light of hope everyone You from another star soon!!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Not only waste characters, but also the story.. What did we actually get after seeing 19 episodes? We didn't get much. Waste of talent and money definitely..

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I completely agree! My favorite bromances KT + KW and KT + YD-the potential development these characters could've had!

*sigh* well at least the moms' scenes made up for it somewhat.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sad days, Heirs.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

At first I wished Rachel and Young-do would have their own loveline but I like how they are now.
I wanted Heirs to do really well but there's just so many things wasted in this drama. They dragged so many things until the last minute. It's not like the story had a new concept but it would have made a great difference if the execution was done better and more snappy.
And Kim Woo-bin needs to be the lead of a drama soon!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I am truly disappointed in this drama.... Still not as much a s I was with Big, but still disappointed. From episode 1-4, it was okay. 5 up till 7 was good. The back stories and characters were setting in just right but then for some odd reason, everything became about ES and Tan, which got boring real quick.

But now the story is finally picking back up? The hell? The father collapsing, company takeover, young do fathers company and reunion with mother, hyo-shin suicidal past, Rachel and her mother.... All of these should had happened or started from episode 8 and on forward. Heirs could had been so great. The cast and storyline was promising but then, it just fell flat.

I truly felt attached to only three characters in this entire drama - Young Do, Tan's mother, and hyo-sin. I need a remake with a different writer.

0
8
reply

Required fields are marked *

And I feel we'll never have any sort of closure with Hyo Shin's character ... the drama built up his dark past with the suicide attempt and constant battles with his parents, and then what? What's going to happen tomorrow that'll be satisfying for his story arc? I feel so gypped because he was one of the few real characters I enjoyed.

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

I really wanted closure for Hyo Shin because I really got attached to his character

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

The previews ware ominous. I'll be ticked if they kill him off in the last episode.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

And I barely understood his battles. I didn't get much sense of him as a star director or as of anything special, so i didn't see the point of him and his parental issues.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Pressure that ensues when one renounces following into the family business (legacy) in order to create your own path/identity as one grapples with at least measuring up to or surpassing the accomplishments of one's parents/extended family.

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

While I really wanted Rachel/Young Do I would have settled for Rachel/Hyo Shin because their scenes are cute and I can buy an unexpected romance that starts due to showing your current LI how little they matter to you (although I wish it had been R/YD instead). But his suicide storyline has always worried me.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Agree with everything. But I'd add one more character...sort of.

I thought the episodes when KT was breaking down were surprisingly powerful. Those were the only scenes in the show that drew me in completely. In the best possible way, I found the scenes deeply painful to watch. They were delivered with emotion that felt so raw and real. After the scenes were over, my first thought was how courageous LMH was for how he played them.

Unfortunately, after the meltdown conflict was resolved, KT reverted to being just a character in a drama. But maybe part of that was because the scenes resumed focus on the day-to-day romance, which I've also felt has been the least interesting element of his story. Well, the needs and motivations underpinning the romance were somewhat interesting. But the day to day machinations of it weren't.

So I'd add KT to the I'd-like-to-see-him-again list. But only IF the story explores his psyche in a way thats more raw and real.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I truly felt attached to only three characters in this entire drama – Young Do, Tan’s mother, and hyo-sin.

I'd add Rachel to that list, for just how well she was played, but apart from Chan-young and Bo-na, this show has managed to waste/do major disservice to almost every one of its younger-gen supporting cast (Choi Ji-hyuk! Im Joo-eun! Kim Ji-won! Kang Haneul!). And all in service of what? More scenes of Love Is More Pain and Sneering Papa Wheelie.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This was a slow-moving, filler episode. That ajumma has been holding on to that business card for three years? Young Do eats at her shop practically everyday. She has not noticed his name tag once? I would be doubting whether the contact info on the card was still good. I found that unrealistic along with Won and Young Do's father's overnight personality changes.

Loved the Lee Hyun Jin cameo. Thanks for the recap!

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

I thought that the card being left was in response to YD's message on the wall. YD just recently noticed his mother's questions on the the wall, however long it had been there. It was my assumption (due to the voice over of that wall conversation during that scene) that she left her card after reading that he wasn't doing well. I may be wrong, we'll find out tomorrow.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I don't think YD went there often except for recently. Maybe the first time he went there in 3 years was the time he and MS (when YD admitted he lost both his mom and friend there) went together. Also he was not wearing his uniform those times for the Ahjumma to notice his name tag.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I thought it was two (2) different restaurant locations because of the background near/where Choi Young-Do was sitting:

1st Restaurant had writing/messages on the wall above the table. (Mentioned lost Mother/Friend to Jo Myung-Soo, running with Kim Tan/5 minutes late flashback, Kim Tan waits on Young-Do to leave with him/farewell to Cha Eun-Sang meal)

2nd Restaurant seemed to have posters plastered on the wall above the table. (Given business card)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Actually no. YD was given the card at the regular restaurant with all the scribbles on the wall. The second restaurant with the posters on the wall was only used once, when YD said goodbye to ES.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Wow... it's going to end tomorrow guys... finale.. tomorrow...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

So I was all resigned to the thought that we'd have two filler episodes this week, because there is basically no story left other than Evil Daddy, and we knew that was going to end soon because, well, there's only two episodes left. But they've actually introduced so many new potential story lines I'm left thinking, "How the heck are they going to wrap all this up in the next HOUR tomorrow???"

We need to see the resolution of Mommy Dearest's takeover, Tan/Won/Daddy's reconciliation (if he wakes up, which is another plot), Ki Ae's and Evil Daddy's reconciliation, and possible re-building of Tan's and Young Do's relationship. They should have done this 10 episodes ago ... it makes me so sad because then there would have been actual conflict and not the back and forth of, "We should be together but we can't be together"

Seriously, BIG SIGH. At least we still have pretty Lee Min Ho and Kim Woo Bin to stare at ...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you for the recap Javabeans. I'm with you about almost "writing it off' and I'm also heaving sighs of regret and disappointment while thinking what this drama could have been. It would have been so great. If only this drama had a story...

I felt this episode was way too cheesy. Don't get me wrong, I liked the cute moments. However, the emotional shift seemed too sudden that I felt like I was transported, ala Star Trek, into another space and time. Also, the way some viewers' 'complaints' about the drama were addressed seemed too much like the writer covering her ass. For example, Tan explaining his controlling behavior and jealousy. It reeked of drama-writer covering her ass!

Oh well, on a happier note, at least we'll get a happy ending. Right?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Interesting turn of events ....

Thoughts
Tan and ES at the party- nice couple, they looked good together. Evil Dad almost had a cardiac seeing them together, good thinking on Tan's part to make the relationship public. Even Dad had to respect his cajones and back down ,sweet!

Tan's mom and ES mom- awww they missed each other , cute how they ran together and hugged. Area by the beach; poignant scene, Tan's mom, nothing left but the realization of the mistakes she made in life and ES's mom letting her cry it out . Nowhere to go but up Moms.

Tan and ES kneeling - seen this in kdramas before , but asking for blessings to marry not just date. Ridiculous scene but still pretty funny. 18 year olds with 9 o'clock curfews ? Rofl still enough time for some storage room action tho XD

Bo Na- love this girl , just because you have a boyfriend doesn't mean you can't look , I know right? Preachhhhhhh! I bet she lent that hair clip to ES. Freakum hair clip XD , Tan wasn't having it rofl.

Tan and CY - lol jealous much ? Hilarious scene at the party and in the cafe, CY was pissed (tears) ,too cute for words, like an angry teddy bear, do you feel sorry or just squeeze him ? Lol

YD - stop brooding and look for your moms , especially now that dad might be going up the river. Judo skills might be handy in jail Pops.

Evil Dad -finally blew a gasket, felt really sad to see him lying there.......not. Now wifey is rearing her ugly head , where does it end , oh my god (BoNa voice)

Ahhh this series is coming to an end , now I have to find something else to watch sighhhh. Even the OST was good favorite song is love is crying by Moon Myung Jin ( fantastic voice)

Thanks for the recap!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

"Tan and ES kneeling – seen this in kdramas before , but asking for blessings to marry not just date. Ridiculous scene but still pretty funny."

It does seem rather silly on the surface, but I actually think it makes sense for the character of Kim Tan. He really takes his relationship with Eun Sang seriously. I can see him wanting to ask her mother's "permission" to date both to demonstrate his seriousness, and to show respect to her.

"Judo skills might be handy in jail Pops"
Bwhahaha :).

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

As a big LMH fan, I was bound to love Heirs, no matter what.

What I didn't expect was I ending up liking Kim Won Bin too. I've seen him in other dramas, but Heirs is where I finally understood other girls' fascination. I just love him as Yong Do! I can actually feel his pain!

0
7
reply

Required fields are marked *

*ended up

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Welcome to the club...Hehehe

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

As a big LMH fan , I'm bound to watch it no matter what , although I've yet to watch BOF. I liked both LMH and KWB in Heirs, though their characters could've been written better. I actually liked KWB from when I first saw him in Gentleman's Dignity.

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

New Woo Bin fans - watch White Christmas! He rocked the role of Mad Maru in that drama. It's quite a heavy mind-game-thriller though.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Is that a movie or a full-length TV drama?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

8-episode miniseries. His debut, so he's a bit raw, but it's a cast full of really beautiful boys with a really scary story - definitely one of my favourite kdramas ever.

0

Omo, BOF is where I fell in love with LMH!! Go watch, please!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"Why do we finally get a hint of some interesting character development, only to have it happen literally with ONE hour to go? Happy and Wise Adviser Won should’ve put on his big bro pants earlier instead of pouting about some damn stocks, Young-do should have been allowed to confront his mother woes sooner, the Tan/Young-do grudging truce would have been amazing if we’d gotten to spend any time with it, and Madam Jung should have made her move eons ago. "

Agreed. All this should have been done 6 episodes ago. Too much romance angst wasted on the entire drama. And the first episodes in Cali were the worst. I hope PSH and LMH can find better dramas to do. PSH's last one with YSY was the only one I liked her in. While LMH last drama was a flop to me too. I guess it's not their fault but the fault of the writers who no longer have any good storylines.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I totally agree with the things that happened on this episode could have been done a few weeks back.
I was clapping my hands when Chairman is having his heart attack and succumbed to a coma (gosh now I feel like I'm a bad person) Its funny that when I watched Nine last night that the same actor had the same scene.. only faking it. hehe

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

the only thing i care about in this drama is chan-bona couple. one cute adorable couple with a normal character. can i request one special episode mainly about them? haha.

and of course tan's and eunsang's mom interaction. so cute. they can be the best mom in laws buddies.

i cant believe we only have one more hour to go.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

sift through these recaps of an awful drama to see where to skip to to watch bo-na scenes, only to be ousted by hulu's lag and ads. damn you world!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Herihead episode titles~

1 Dry Cleaning Only
2 Dreamcatcher
3 I ♥ California
4 Page 16
5 Wishbone
6 Parvenu (or New Money)
7 Pale Pink Angora
8 ‘Don’t Answer’
9 Mom Mother Mistress
10 Matching Shoes For Camp
11 Stocks Skyrocket
12 Open The Door
13 Kicked Out
14 Getting Back Together Party
15 Baby Blue Mohair
16 Closet Kiss 34:41
17 24,030 won
18 Try Living
19 Subarachnoid hemorrhage

Not my best episode title, but it serves as a place marker nonetheless.

Won smiled! When Tan and ES were bickering sitting across from him, and he called out, "Kids?" and smiled, what a smoochable moment!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I still can't believe how much talent was wasted in this drama. To this day, I scratch my head as to why Lee Minho, Kim Woobin, Choi Jinhyuk and everyone took these roles. Did they not read the script?? I'm glad it'll be all over tomorrow. I can't wait to see them in new and hopefully better projects.

I will however miss the cute between Bona and Chanyoung. Hope to see them collaborate again whether it's another drama or musically. Which btw, it would have been nice to have CN Blue and/or f(x) do the OST.

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

Did they not read the script? Probably not much of it, because from what I gather, much of it was being written on the fly between episode filmings (Did'nt anyone watch King of Dramas?). All the actors had to go on was the hype they were probably fed by their management companies and the network, Kim Eun Sook's reputation for writing ratings winners, and the opportunity to work with other well regarded actors. There was also "the formula" that has proven successful since virtually forever (the high school chaebol prince/poor girl, worlds collide storyline). Who doesn't want to be involved in a project with a high potential for success? And by all accounts, this drama has been highly successful in Korea. We here at DB are apparently one of the few audience communities inclined to pick it apart like vultures over dying carion. Not that our criticisms haven't been valid, mind you...

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Us vultures have feeling too, you know! :D Going by the ratings, it has done pretty good in Korea, and you can see on many of the fan sites in English that there are hordes of fans that will fly into a rage if you dare criticize it or PSH/LMH.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

They took their roles because this drama had big names already signed up with a big name writer. Yes this drama has a not very exciting story line but you can not deny its popularity and its ability to roll in cash. I don't think any of the actors are regretting their decisions in starring in this drama - this drama gave everyone a lift in their careers and definitely made everyone more famous and well-known (apart from LMH and PSH of course because they were already big).

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

as for what i know in kdramaland, the script given to cast any actors/ actresses in a drama are not fully decided. i mean they'll get the plot of the drama and maybe the script for first episode. but they are bound to know anything can happen in future. its like a rule in kdrama world.

almost everything depends on the scriptwriter. she/he can even change the plot even the drama is still airing. and they can back off suddenly. have u heard few dramas changed their scriptwriter while it is still airing?

as for heirs, i found it to be a slow pace drama. i cannot say KES is not a good scriptwriter. well i enjoy AGD and SG before but heirs was like too overrated.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hmmm, does Kim Tan carry around a spy camera attached to his clothes? Where did that footage come from?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

All of this should have happened in the middle of the show. The drama with the chairman being in a coma and Madame Jung taking away everything and the brothers uniting to fight for what belongs to them. The show was called Heirs: He Wears the Crown, Bears the Crown not Jeguk High: A Tale of Romance. I thought the relationship between Eun Sang and Tan would accompany the rest of the story, I didn't think it would be the whole story. I also think they should have done the thing with Young Do's father a little earlier. The should would have been so good and so layered if it had been done like that. In fact that's what I though the show would be like because when it was first playing out they highlighted the battle between the brothers a lot and all the company stuff. *sigh*

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

It's like they gave this exciting blurb at the back of book about romance, brother rivalry and company hijinks, making us thinking the book must not missed and needed to be read and then we read the book and are bored to tears and full frustration because we knew it should have been so much better.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Totally agree…I did not ever expect this drama to be 90% about Kim Tan fighting for Cha Eun Sung.
It's so fluffy and so successful at capturing the audience as the ratings would suggest but to me it's like, cute scene after cute scene with no skeleton. Highly watchable, yes, but this drama is only getting away with this sort of "plot" because of the casting. (Have to say that this is probably the most beautiful, likable ensemble cast I've ever seen in a drama though.)

I can't recall who first used the phrase "one long music video" to describe a particular movie but seems an apt description for Heirs.

Really thought it would be more about the growth of Kim Tan. Kim Tan is *still* the old American Kim Tan who stays stubbornly true to himself and doesn't really care about power for its sake. I don't see much change there.

Something else the keeps me puzzled throughout this show - okay maybe I'm old - but when Kim Tan rebels, when his mother rebels…they're STILL spending the dad's money. It's not like any of them ever tried to make their own living. I just find it weird that the writer has made all these love-over-power/money arguments using characters that never really made real sacrifices. Even when Kim Tan left home…his mom gave him money. lol. I don't know. I'm probably too old to understand how all this is supposed to make sense as romantic heroism.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I really thought that after his friends refused to help him KT would get a part time job and show his father how little the money meant to him. KT's rebellion started out like a child throwing a tantrum and despite my expectation of character growth it stayed that way.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

His so-called rebellion was more like he was throwing a fit because daddy took his ice cream away, not like any kind of character development or reality check. Next episode he was back to happily spending daddy's money while making those faux-rebellion noises.

0

I really want to see what it was like when Bona was dating Kim Tan. They actually have a lot of chemistry.

This is a fun episode but i really don't get the point of the last 18 episodes then. Nothing that it was set up for seems to actually matter. One day all the things that were so important are just not that important anymore. The brotherly rift, the dating a poor woman, the broken friendship, the missing mother, to name a few. Seriously, would anyone wait all those years to see their son? It's just logically impossible.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

You know, I never really thought about it but now that you mention it. I think you're right. They do have chemistry together. Their scenes are actually cute and funny.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

For someone who is poor, Eun Sang wears different coats/jackets each episode. I counted about 4 different ones tonight alone.

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

lol ikr? She is supposed to be dirt poor and yet she seems to have a closet 10x larger than mine.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I am not going to bother verifying it, but comment on another site said that one of her outfits (not the red dress) was a $600 jacket.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

I did some checking, and in ep18 I counted up over $2,000 in clothes for ES alone, and only about half is listed http://www.koreandramafashion.com/heirs-episode-18-review-fashion-recap/

EP19 fashion not up yet.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Over $5,000, actually - the red Dolce dress alone is over $3,200 at regular price. I'm keeping an eye on the same one in a different color for when it goes on post-Christmas sale at Bergdorf's.

I think we have to throw realism out the window with clothes in dramas. The can't do product placement and realism at the same time.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I did not count the red dress in the "poor girl stats" because Tan bought that for her. But I guess it is no worse than one drama (forget which) where someone pointed out that the "poor" character the actress was playing was wearing a $55,000 watch :D

0

Finally! An episode worth watching for if you're looking for plot movement *le gasp. Eun Sang should have been happy when she saw the videos, that is downright creepy and belongs to a horror movie, with a man hugging the woman with knife and a lot more cynical smile *imagination amok

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I really really really want to know where Rachel's grey winter jacket is from. the one she is wearing in http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t413/javabeansdb/drama/2013/heirs/heirs2/heirs19-00313.jpg with yound do.
If anyone can tell me I would be so happy, please and thank you!!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Search for: Korean drama fashion. I posted a bunch of links a few days ago but would be hard to find now.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Kim Woo Bin reminds me the very definition of Ki Hoon’s character in Cinderella’ Sister. “If he told me the moon is square, I would believe it.” KWB is totally charismatic actor that will make me believe everything he said… In Heirs he is the only person with gradual growth and most satisfying storyline.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I can't wait till Heirs is over so I can start watching Kim Soo-hyun's "You From Another Star."

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

from the recap (i gave up watching 4 eps ago)...this looks like a point where i can (finally) pick up the story again.
i tink everything is gonna happen in these 2 eps. omg, it'd mean that the plot doesn't have much to say....so little that we can wrap up in less than the 20 eps required. maybe if they'd cut the series in half...things wld have moved FASTER...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

YD's mother better have the best excuse in the world, cus the way I see it right now, she doesn't deserve him. It took her 10 YEARS to contact her son and all she does is leave a card behind? How about a letter? Is South Korea a place where mothers don't have rights?

I don't care how scary YD's dad was, a real mother would have fought tooth and nail to be with her child. I say once again, her excuse better be extremely good, like death threat good.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Not ten years, three years, YD's mom has been gone three years.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think what they were implying was that she left home and was living anonymously due to domestic violence. Usually those women adopt a whole new identity to prevent the spouse from finding them.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think this was the most bleh & meh episode yet. Everything that really happened they could have put into 5 minutes. Lot's of filler - it almost looks like the writer had to rush the script and so just ended up putting a bunch of fluff in it.

All that angst, fighting, screaming, crying - and what we end up with is.. well I am not sure what we ended up with, but it ain't pretty. Anthony was definitely in a coma for most of this show, or he would have fired the writer.

Even most of the "cute" scenes were not that cute - most of them just seemed like setups to fill in space. The only good one was the ES/KT mom scene.

This show is basically over, and my final verdict is that it was like ordering a Kobe Steak and getting an undercooked frozen veggy-burger.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

*YAWN* ..... yea not much to say, im sorry if i offend anyone but this was a horrible drama. Merely eye candy n not much else.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Watched heirs till episode eleven and its not so bad and even if it gets awful I will still watch it for LMH. Lots of people in my country would watch it just for him cos everyone fell in love with him after city hunter and BOF. And can I say I love the OSTs. LMH Nigeria loves u

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree, this episode was actually really good. And I couldn't help but keep thinking that this should have been done a few eps earlier cos the last few eps have felt like rubbish. I'm literally just watching this to finish it and only now is it starting to get good. Ps I miss young do and eun sangs interactions T-T

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

At least Lee Hyun Jin was in this episode. The rest was boring.
Dad should have gone into a coma sooner so the plot would have been better.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh wow you can see how bloodshot everyone's eyes are.

I do wish the show as a whole had the tone of this episode more throughout. Lots of laughs and humor and cuteness, some touching moments and a little bit of drama.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

What I will remember about this drama is the side characters from BoRa/CY to YD to Madam&Maid friendship.

Luckily, Prime Minister & I looks promising.

Don't like a KDrama, no worries, another one is coming soon.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Heirs kinda disappointment for me.

Reasons are.
1. We have seen school romance , bullying. The thing is romance started before school , so school stuff is filler that filled most episode which is what weakened it.
2. Romance between lee min ho and park shin hye not electric. PSH always hesitated unlike other kdrama once girl fall in love , she become submissive , take me anyway you want ...

Key for me there is really not much eye contact. May be director is not good or writers.

3. Korean drama power & popularity comes from chemistry of lead couples. This match up is like 8/10 not 10/10 like in you are beautiful.

4. Yong do & KT should have patched like 4 episode ago and make mother villain for 4 episode would have made the drama lot better.

I started to like Park shin hye , not sure she is excellant actress but she does honest acting and looks cute. I really not lee min ho fan. I do not why people go gaga over him. But i do think he does excellant job in fighting scenes. He bring up greater emotion in fighting scene than romance. That said i like LMH better than hyn bin (secret garden guy). So it all depends on how you percieve their acting.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

She is an excellent actress. Don't tell me you haven't seen all those times she's able to cry and get so emotional, and portray the sadness and pain of CES... She's a beautiful and amazing actress.

LMH too is a fantastic actress and you only have to look at the ending of ep 16 to see him breaking down, to see just how great he is. His funny and cute moments with CES, and his funny one-liners and humour also add more spark to Kim Tan. LMH is a diverse and superb actor.

I could go on about how perfect Heirs is, but I'll leave it at that.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Nah, I just saw her look like a wet fish.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Not enough Young Do for me -______-
i do like the sibling relationship he has with Rachel since Rachel seems to like him as older brother, in a way she worries for him. Rachel even points out Young Do's behaviour changed with his hairstyle, with his current style he seems too tame for her taste haha. T

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Not enough Young Do for me -______-
i do like the sibling relationship he has with Rachel since Rachel seems to like him as older brother, in a way she worries for him. Rachel even points out Young Do's behaviour changed with his hairstyle, with his current style he seems too tame for her taste haha. The best scene : when Young Do says he wants his Mom
Sorry, woo bin is my bias

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Seems like Rachel like those evil, angry guys, torturing, bullying type of guys. What a sadist.

I never like Rachel, not in TTBY nor Heirs. Her acting is the same. Bitchy, hateful, as though the world owe her. She is rich but she is never contented or satisfied.

Rachel has the tendency to speak so fast like she's rushing to somewhere urgently, talk like a bullet train with no emotion, if she has any, it is the anger emotion all the time. Kim Tan stepmom also speak like Rachel. Fast, rushing, robotic. Always agitated face.

Rachel walks like she think she is a supermodel, even in her school uniform, with her heels, but to me, she walk like a robot. Her facial reaction is also robotic, no human touch.

I saw Rachel in interviews, yes, she's really like that in person, too. Even though, I'm a guy, I don't feel a thing about her, she may be wearing classy dresses, act in rich girl roles but she sure doesn't act classy.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

.......if I recall correctly, the actress who plays Rachel, Kim Ji Won, has only really had two of these bitchy rich girl type of roles. Before TTBY and Heirs, she was the quirky girl in High Kick 3, and the naive aspiring singer in What's Up. I think it's probably more a case of her being type-cast within her two most recent dramas, so it's not really fair to equate or confuse her acting abilities with the personalities portrayed in only the two dramas you seem to have ever watched her perform in.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Word. It irritates me when I see people putting down Kim ji won based on her two most recent roles. I've erased everything TTBY-related from my memory, and I will always love her most as the cute and endearing singer in What's Up, until she plays an even better role in a better drama of course. Oh I just remembered she played another bitchy role recently, in that drama special starring Boa. Yikes, I do hope her next pick isn't another bitchy type so that it doesn't solidifying her typecasting.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I have never been this uninterested in the main couple, not shipped them sure but never to the point of fastforwarding most of their scenes.

Congratulations Heirs you've finally achieved something original.

0
7
reply

Required fields are marked *

Another typical Heirs hater omfg... What more do you expect from them? Beautiful crying scenes filled with emotion? Check. Cutesy moments that make you squeal? Check. Attractiveness from both of them? Check.

You are an absolute nutcase.

0
6
reply

Required fields are marked *

How emotional can you really get when there are nearly 50 different crying scenes? That seems to be the only thing PSH does well. I have never been impressed with her acting in previous shows, and this did not improve my opinion of her one bit.

I never squealed once - but then I am over the age of 16, so maybe that is it.

And the sure sign of a failed argument is to resort to name calling and personal attacks.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Then perhaps you need to understand the character of CES then. Here read:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/heirs-korean-drama-2013/full-character-description-of-cha-eun-sang-will-be-played-by-parkshinhye/274901162651969

Now that you know all the struggles she faced, hopefully you will understand why she cries as often as she does.

Crying scenes, cutesy scenes, serious scenes... she has done all the projects she's faced remarkably well. The only thing you can say against her is that her roles haven't showed extreme variation and that they aren't very different; she should try a new different role for her next project. Well, she's probably going to be a queen for her next project, so with that, I suggest you stop your hating before you look like the bigger fool you are.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm not convinced. Argue some more.

0

You changed your user name for me, that's so precious.

Patch Is An Idiot your fandom life will become a lot more fun when you accept one simple fact- Another person not liking what you like doesn't affect your enjoyment of it in any way.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oooh, oooh! I share the same sentiments as Patch. Make a new username for me too! My turn, my tuuuuurn. /sarcasm.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Omfg, another shit!drama enthusiasts! I guess people aren't allowed to have their own opinions anymore.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

One more episode, one more hour, I assume, won't hurt.
If only they can make it this simple from the umm.... first half of this drama, leaving the whole merry-go-round and tug-of-war things.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Well, I guess all those hidden messages and deeper meanings some People were expecting Just were...not there?
At The end of The day it was Just about The pretty. And The ugly too: KT's clothes.
Maybe I'm being cynical, but with only one ep to go, I don't see The light.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

http://www.soompi.com/2013/12/11/lee-min-ho-proposes-a-charity-auction-for-his-clothes-from-the-heirs/#.UqmXKY3xuz4

Lee Min Ho has a beautiful heart and beautiful face, of course, never seen such a beautiful boy. All Kim Tan outfits in Heirs will be auctioned for charity.

Lee Min Ho’s agency Starhaus Entertainment revealed on December 11, “All of the clothes that Lee Min Ho wore in the drama ‘The Heirs’ will be going out in charity auctions. The entire proceedings from the auctions will go to helping the underprivileged.”

These auctions were personally proposed by Lee Min Ho. Always trying to find meaning in his work, he decided put them to good use, and give back to the community.

According to the agency, the clothes will go on auction on the online stylist agency Euphoria Seoul (euphoriaseoul.com), starting on December 16, once a week for three weeks. The first auction will feature ten of Lee Min Ho’s outfits, which had been quite a point of discussion during the drama, for all his different looks: classy, sophisticated, casual, etc.

news credit: soompi.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I very much doubt the wardrobe worn by his character is LMH's to make decisions about. They are probably owned by the production company. And it's the production company that calls the shots when it comes to PR stunts like the KT wardrobe auction. They sent out a press release stating it was something LMH "decided to do", but really he's just the front man. It ensures goodwill and success for the auction. It's probably pretty common to do such charity auctions in the wake of successful dramas. Didn't Kim Joo Won's track suit get auctioned off too?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

My guess is that he didn't want to wear more than half the clothes again, so they decided on an auction. That way everybody's happy.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

She passes him a business card that a pretty woman left for her a while ago, which belongs to the owner of a cafe named Secret Garden. Geddit?
Okay Writer lady....whatever....
Last minute patchup is it or something else that is beyond us and for kindergarden logic?
Bored to watch the episode now....
havent watched from 16th episode......the rest was fast forward mode....
now you can count me in to run away from the high school chaebol romance when it is metioned

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

You know call me weird or not entirely upto you guys but I never considered the Dad as a villain (atleast not completely)

I actually thought that he was looking out for his kids in his own way like all parents do. Perhaps I am reading to much into something that is not there.

For instance lets look at Kim Tan before he encountered Eun Sung and changed for the better (if that can even be said). He had no aim or goals in life he was just enjoying his exile (again if that can be considered) and causing trouble (must have been doing that if he was so notorious with the police that they would investigate for a person just knowing him) In this situation Won would get everthing after their fathers death etc and while Tan may not have cared about it the father wouldn't want his sons to suffer.

Thus so that he would have some sort of good life he had arranged the marriage between him and Rachel. This way he would not have to suffer like the dad did when his father passed away.

Eun Sung while may have great personality (kind, tough etc) would not be able to give him all these benefits and while perhaps she would have been able to survive and may not hold any grudges it would have become much more difficult for Tan in the long run and he may have started to hate her. (for instance one moment you are a king and the other you are living on the streets. Think about it this way first you have a good job but suddenly you are now out on the streets because you have just lost it. How are you going to manage granted it may be slow but it may come etc...)

The battle between Won and Kim Tan would keep them on their feet granted I think he would rather prefer that the two of them would learn to bond with each other (which is what I feel is happening right now) and if that fails they each have something to run and maintain etc...

The same can be said for Kim Tans mom. The only reason that she would be against Eun Sung is that she wants a better life for her son (better than the one that she currently has)

By the way does this make Kim Tan and Y-Sol cousins without them being aware of this fact. If so will be a total blast to me. I am asking this because it seemed that the mothers were calling each other sisters in an earlier episode or did I hear wrong.

Didn't catch the Secret Garden reference can someone please explain that.

Either way said to muh as it is so will look forward to somemore of your comments and if I recall some other points will do so then. Till then take care and enjoy some more K-Dramas
Make mine --------

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

"Secret Garden" Cafe was the name/title listed on the business card that Choi Young-Do's mother left with the restaurant owner/worker.

Kim Tan leading Cha Eun-Sang into her new apartment and covering her eyes was similar to a scene from "Secret Garden" with the male/female leads Hyun Bin (as Kim Joo-Won) and Ha Ji-won (as Gil Ra-Im) in Secret Garden (2010 edition).

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thankyou for you time to explain the Secret Garden reference. I can assume that it was also a SBS drama.
I am truly sorry for being so ignorant as I have only recently joined in K-Drama watching so my knowledge in this category is quite bad also as I only get KBS watching shows of other channels is quite difficult.

I do like the lead actress mentioned above so will definitely give it a shot.

Takae care and hope that you enjoy the final eps of this show.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

To a certain extent I can understand why you don't see the Devil dad as the villain. You see him as looking out for his sons's futures, both in romance and in the business world. The problem is he uses threats to teach/control. Instead of teaching Won about his business, he makes him president at 18 (?) and then uses spies to control how the business is run, instead of offering advice. Then threatens him with Tan taking over if he does not run the business the way he wants and marry for the company. He is unable to give or receive emotional warmth. He is close to no one.

I could go on but as a mom I'll just add a bit more. While I will be very interested in who my daughter dates (background check), I doubt I'll ever make someone move to another country. I'll talk to her first. I do not think engineering a power struggle between siblings is good. If anything, with his family history, he should have tried to get the boys to be close so they would not repeat the fight he had with his own siblings. As for spying on potential mates, if I was that wealthy I can understand, but threatening them and their families, livelihood, and exposing them to potential embarrassment is beyond the pale. The real problem is that he does not talk to them, ask their opinions, listen to their problems, or show any expression of feeling for their personal well being beyond having enough money. He may want them to be happy, but he doesn't seem to care if they are if it is not HIS definition of happy - which is power and money.

I have still more, but it's time for the last ep. Enjoy. :)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *