Heirs/The Inheritors Episode 2 Recap

I think watching Heirs/The Inheritors and expecting more is going to be mentally exhausting and ultimately unsatisfying. If you like what you’ve seen so far, then chances are this is the extent of it. Episode 2 spanned a day in the life of meet-random couple Cha Eun Sang and Kim Tan, and I’ve actually never watched a Kim Eun Sook drama where so little happens substantively but still I’m curiously bopping along. The start of Heirs gives me the impression that the popular screenwriter was hired to write a drama where the concept was handed to her – rich kids in high school, toss a poor one into the mix, shake and stir and come up with something with her usual verbal dexterity to it. A writer will tell you that ghostwriting is always just a pale imitation of the writer’s voice, and I feel like Heirs is a lackluster version of a Kim Eun Sook drama. It doesn’t have her snap, crackle, and pop to it, and even the two leads Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye feel like they are going through the motions at half energy. All this is prefacing my realization that I’m actually enjoying Heirs, and the recapping process for this drama is a combination of grousing about the lame bits but humming along with the inoffensive cute stuff.

A break up with a beloved can be a long and arduous process of letting go, and I’ve had two dramas from Kim Eun Sook (Secret Garden and A Gentleman’s Dignity) where I’ve come to grips that she’s not a writer that connects with me in general even if one of her dramas just happens to be my all-time favorite (City Hall). Heirs came along at just the right time in that I’ve let go of expectations from her and find myself ready for a high school drama. The scenes in LA continue to be absolutely cringeworthy and atrocious anytime it involves a local denizen (thank god the surfer friend is in the hospital and out of commission). While Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye evidence about as much chemistry as two puppies sitting side by side, I quite enjoy their character’s banter and interaction. I will find all the secondary characters wholly unpalatable except for Chan Young, but he’s so adorable and awesome he makes up for the other characters’ lackings. I was praying the drama could wrap up the LA portion today but it looks like the kids won’t get back to Korea until episode 4 at the earliest. I will be so happy when the LA part ends and everyone puts on a school uniform and gets down to business

Episode 2 recap:

Eun Sang realizes staying outside in this neighborhood isn’t safe and grabs her suitcase and starts walking down the street. Kim Tan pulls up having turned around and asks her if she wants to go to his house.

He can tell she’s weighing the danger of staying her or going with a guy she just met, and she actually asks him if he’s safer than staying here. In K-drama logic – the answer is yes because he looks like Lee Min Ho and drives a Maserati. In real life logic, the answer would probably be – call the cops and ask for help finding a safe place to stay tonight. His answer is that he’s safer than this place.

Eun Sang goes home with Tan and she’s utterly wowed when she walks into his beachfront modern mansion. She asks if he lives alone and even wonders if he’s a drug dealer (especially with his choice of friends). Tan rhetorically asks her what if he is?

Eun Sang heads to the guest room he directs her to, but then she starts backing up when she sees Tan sauntering towards her. He asks if she thinks he’s “only” a drug dealer and asks if both her kidneys are still intact. Ha! He’s just there to open the door for her and says to call him if she needs anything.

Eun Sang goes inside and sits down with a sigh. She thinks back to her confrontation with Eun Seo on the beach. She realizes she’s hungry and heads back out.

The living room is all dark and Tan is upstairs in his study. He hears sound and peeks over the railing to see Eun Sang headed to the kitchen. Not sure why she didn’t tell him she was hungry since he just told her to get him if she needs anything. She peeks inside and grabs a few items, but Tan turns on the lights and comes over to ask why she’s eating expired items since that was all she grabbed.

Eun Sang promises to pay him back and tries to leave but he tells her to come back and clean up. He asks for her name. She thanks him for taking her in and he snarks that she has a very weird name. There is nothing to apologize for since he was the cause of her powder present to her sister getting ruined.

Big brother Kim Won is headed to the US for a business trip. I’m glad the drama picked the US for a location shoot, imagine trying to explain away half the characters in this drama coincidentally all showing up in a less popular overseas place for work, play, study, sister seeking, etc. Kim Won is followed by Secretary Yoon (Chan Young’s dad) who is arranging the trip and meetings. Turns out Zeus Hotel (Young Do’s dad) wants him to stay at their place, and Won says the hotel thinks its already an Empire Group shareholder since the president is marrying the President of RS International (Rachel’s mom), who is a minority shareholder in the Empire Group.

This stops Secretary Yoon in his tracks for a moment before he hands Won the guest list for the party in the US. Turns out he already emailed it to Won but printing it out is an old habit for the Chairman. Won calls him out on being a servant to two masters right now. Secretary Yoon says he serves the Empire Group. Won warns him to start serving the right master or he could get fired once the Chairman retires.

In the Kim household, Chairman Kim (who is in a wheelchair) talks with his second wife Jung Ji Sook. She’s not Kim Won’s birth mother, who is the deceased first wife to the Chairman. She raised Kim Won and left after the Chairman brought his mistress Ki Ae (Kim Tan’s mother) into the house. I look at the Chairman and he is way to stodgy to be so salacious with the wives and mistress, but whatever.

Chairman Kim admits he was at fault while Ji Sook laments her situation due to her not giving the Chairman any kids. Ki Ae is eavesdropping outside when Kim Won walks up. She says his “mother” is inside and Won says he has no “mother” in this family. Ouch. Ki Ae amends it as the ahjumma who raised Won is inside.

Kim Won enters the room and Ji Sook greets him as long time no see. Despite raising him for ten years before Won went abroad to study, he’s very cold to her. Chairman Kim tells them to stop the biting duel of words and informs Won that since he’s going to the US for work, he’s to take Kim Tan along to the business gathering to present the air of Empire being a family business.

Won doesn’t want to but Chairman Kim overrides him since he’s still officially the Chairman of the company.

Ki Ae talks with the still legitimate wife Ji Sook, upset that fiancée Rachel’s side of the family wants to meet Ji Sook as Tan’s mother. Ji Soo is listed in the official registry as Kim Tan’s mother not to mention she’s still the Chairman’s legal wife. She correctly derides Ki Ae as the mistress as long as she’s still alive. Ji Sook will never divorce the Chairman and give Ki Ae a proper name. I’m now officially disgusted with every member of the Kim family other than Tan, who should be thanking his lucky stars big brother sent him away with all the money he can spend and no requirements to do anything.

Tan lays in his room writing in his journal. He sees his mother as always coveting another woman’s purse, house, and even husband. That is the world she lives in. Ki Ae calls her son but Tan doesn’t pick up.

Eun Sang calls her mom and turns out Mommy Cha is only mute but not deaf. Eun Sang lies in the entire call that big sister is doing well, looks healthy and happy in sunny California, and that she’s staying with her sister in her big house. Mom still looks worried and taps on the phone to indicate to Eun Sang that she’s listening. Eun Sang tells her mom not to worry and to eat well and get some rest.

Tan arrives to drop off a sandwich for Eun Sang and pauses at the door when he hears this conversation. He looks quite sad for Eun Sang. He comes in after she ends the call and hands her something nutritious to eat. Tan admits he eavesdropped when he compliments Eun Sang on being quite a liar.

Eun Sang hands Tan her precious dreamcatcher, explaining that it’s mean to capture the bad dreams and only allow the good dreams in. It’s her way of thanking him for taking her in. He teases that it ought to let in the pretty girls as well, and then reminds her to eat the nutritious food that is good for her kidney health. Heh.

Tan hangs the dreamcatcher on his wooden surfboard display out in the yard. He looks at it before turning to look at Eun Sang through her bedroom window where she is barricading her door and he scoffs at how insulting that is to him. He quickly walks away when he notices she’s getting ready for bed and he brushes the dreamcatcher as he walks back to his room.

Eun Sang wakes up the next morning and takes her a second to process where she is. No jetlag? It’s lucky to be so young and not subject to the laws of travel. She walks outside and looks out over the pool towards the ocean.

Kim Tan walks out on his balcony and looks down to see Eun Sang standing prettily by the pool. Cue staring scene. Eun Sang looks up and notices him and she nods her head in greeting.

Tan is all packed for school and tells Eun Sang to stay put while he’s in class. She wants to leave and not bother him anymore but he points out her sister’s shift doesn’t start until the afternoon. He offers to let her tag along to school especially if she’s curious about the life of a foreign student.

Tan drives Eun Sang to school in his convertible and barreling down Pacific Coast Highway. Eun Sang enjoys the wind in her face but squints at the bright sunlight. Tan hands her an extra pair of sunglasses and smiles a bit to see Eun Sang enjoying this drive.

Tan goes to class in what is definitely a college classroom and professor, but he’s supposed to be a high school student so I’m assuming he’s auditing at a community college. Or whatever. It’s a linguistics class and the professor is talking about the meaning of words. He lands on “mother” as being the most beautiful word English language and Tan freezes. After class ends, the professor stops Tan and asks when he’s planning to turn in his writing? Tan says his writing isn’t meant o be turned in.

Eun Sang sits outside with all the college students soaking in the atmosphere. She takes out one of her mom’s notebooks and flips through it, missing her mom. Tan walks out after class and doesn’t see Eun Sang where he left her.

Tan finds Eun Sang staring at some Korean students chatting in the courtyard and she’s rather envious of luck to be born into a good family that can send them here. She wants to part ways with Tan now and go find her sister. She can’t even find her way out of the college so Tan sticks with her and takes her back to the restaurant, the perfect excuse to avoid his hated math class.

The manager at the restaurant explains that Eun Seo texted her resignation yesterday and also a message for her sister to return to Korea and that she is fine. Eun Sang is upset because she really needs to get the money back from her sister.

Eun Sang and Tan leave the restaurant and runs into Eun Seo’s loser boyfriend outside. He’s also looking for Eun Seo, calling her the bitch who left with his money. Tan must be a martial arts expert because he effortlessly subdues to guy.

Suddenly the boyfriend’s two white fat friends lumber up and notice the scene. Tan and Eun Sang run off while the two dudes chase after them. Let’s not forget one of the fat dudes is running while carrying an open bottle of beer in his hand. They pause thinking that those two fat guys can’t possibly catch up.

Rachel calls Tan again and Tan’s face hardens when he sees the call. Eun Sang grabs Tan’s hand to alert him that they need to keep running. He’s upset at Rachel so brushes her hand off roughly. He sees her alarm that she upset him and he jokes to Eun Sang that it’s a buyer calling him to buy his organic weed. The two fat guys manage to catch up so Tan and Eun Sang take off running again.

Rachel is in the hotel and puts down her phone pissed that Tan is not answering. She gets a call from her mom and lies that Tan is in school. Esther asks if Tan knows now that Rachel is about to become step-siblings with his friend Young Do? Rachel says that Tan and Young Do are not friends anymore.

Young Do rides his motorcycle to his dad’s Zeus Hotel where he works in the kitchen washing dishes. The employees discuss how the hotel president makes his son work from the bottom up. Young Do is chastised by the manager for his bad attitude today and Young Do throws a plate down because he’s in a bad mood.

Young Do reminds the manager that he’s going to own and run this hotel in ten years. The manager is told that a very VIP group is here to dine. It’s the Lee family, consisting of lawyers and prosecutors all powerful in the judicial world. Lee Hyo Shin (Kang Ha Neul) is the youngest son and he can barely eat when the conversation is all about expectations of him.

Young Do arrives to greet the family and is complimented for being a very outstanding hotel heir. He puts on an actor and pours water for everyone. He specifically fills up Hyo Shin’s glass to the brim.

Young Do goes to a hotel room and Hyo Shin arrives and runs to the bathroom to throw up. What? He thanks Young Do for letting him use the bathroom and the two exchange pointed words that they know about each others stuff that shouldn’t be aired so it’s a fair trade.

Eun Sang and Tan are hanging out and she buys him some coffee. He teases that she took so long but she doesn’t care and just wants to enjoy her American coffee and make good memories. He asks if she hasn’t made any good memories so far, obviously hinting at her meeting him.

She ignores his question and asks if he sold all his organic weed. She wonders how long he’s been living in the US? Before he can answer, she notices lots of girls taking cell phone pictures and she asks to borrow Tan’s cell phone to contact her friend in Korea.

Eun Sang texts Chan Young to let him know that she is in the US. He asks if the guy is her boyfriend but Eun Sang clarifies its her friend who is a guy. He tells her to just call but Chan Young changed his number plus he mentioned going out of the country so Eun Sang doesn’t know how to reach him. Tan doesn’t think her friend will contact her back but Eun Sang is sure that he will. He’s annoyed that she’s speaks so highly of Chan Young, especially when he hears she’s known him most of her life. Tan walks off peeved and Eun Sang chases after him.

Eun Sang and Tan take a cab back to his place. Chan Young still has not texted back and Tan is unimpressed with this so-called good friend. Eun Sang begs him to let her know when he texts back, Chan Young is her only hope right now. Tan seems annoyed, probably because he is helping her now but she doesn’t seem impressed. The cab drops them off at Tan’s place but he hands Eun Sang the house keys and tells her to go in and wait for him while he has to go pick up his car.

As Tan sits in the cab, he flips through Eun Sang’s use of the text message network to find her chats with friends and even Chan Young. He realizes she works many part time jobs but is still trying to be a normal high school kid and chat with her friends. Eun Sang appears to have a love of horror movies which makes Tan think she’s weird. When it comes to her convo with Chan Young, she snaps his picture and labels him as her most difficult customer at the café. Tan sees Chan Young’s picture and mutters “so this is the guy.” Chan Young teases in the text that she doesn’t have a difficult customer as cute as he is, to which Tan retorts “are you insane?” Eun Sang says the same thing back which gets Tan to nod happily that she shares his same sentiment. Tan notes that Eun Sang and Chan Young are likely just be friends.

Tan retrieves his car and keeps reading Eun Sang’s posts, including one where she doesn’t want her mom to work so hard and she hopes the Empire Group collapses. Tan’s eyes widen. There is a knock on the window and it’s the cop from last night. He returns Eun Sang’s passport to Tan and says it was all a misunderstanding. Tan says it’s not the first time and then drives off.

Bo Na is hanging out with Myung Soo and he asks why she’s not answering her phone. Bo Na likes it that way and he calls her a weirdo. Young Do arrives and the three friends start bantering.

Bo Na calls Chan Young in the US and gets jealous when she hears a woman’s voice in the background. Chan Young teases about the woman who is really just a lady ringing up his purchase. He placates Bo Na that he’ll video chat her when he gets back to his room and she’s all happy again.

Chan Young hangs up and receives the text message from Eun Sang.

Eun Sang has packed up and starts to take her suitcase upstairs when she stops to see Rachel walk in. Does she have a key to Tan place? Or he never locks his door? They recognize each other from the airport and Rachel immediately informs Eun Sang that she is engaged to Kim Tan who lives here. She demands to know why Eun Sang is here!

Eun Sang explains she stayed her last night for very accidental reasons. Rachel storms down the stairs and grabs Tan’s keys from Eun Sang and then kicks her suitcase down the stairs “accidentally”. The suitcase cracks a corner but Rachel is unapologetic. She orders Eun Sang to open up her suitcase so she can inspect whether anything has gone missing since the owner of this house is not here.

Eun Sang asks what will happen if nothing from this house is found in her suitcase? Rachel doesn’t care and goes to rummage through the suitcase and calls everything inside trash. She orders Eun Sang to leave with all her trash before Tan gets home. Eun Sang swallows this degrading treatment and packs up her suitcase and leaves.

Eun Sang leaves Tan’s house and stands by the harbor staring out as she decides what to do next. She makes up her mind and leaves.

Bo Na is very upset because Chan Young didn’t text her like as quickly as she wanted. Young Do says men never tell the truth but Bo Na says her Chan Young does. Young Do teases that Bo Na should dump Chan Young and date Myung Soo instead. Myung Soo tells Bo Na to go to the US to see Chan Young if she misses him so much. Myung Soo mentions Rachel heading to LA to see Kim Tan, and the mention of Tan’s name makes both Young Do and Bo Na tense.

Eun Sang goes to the travel agent and tries to buy a return ticket. This actually makes sense that she needs one what with her original plan to not go back to Korea. She remembers that she doesn’t have her passport.

Tan comes home and finds Rachel in the house and no Eun Sang. He confirms that Rachel informed Eun Sang that she was his fiancée and then kicked Eun Sang out. Rachel doesn’t want to talk about Eun Sang and demands to know why he didn’t contact her.

Tan flops down on the sofa and lazily explains that he knew she was coming but it was too hot so he didn’t go pick her up. Plus the airport is too far away. He doesn’t know if he’ll really marry her one day, all he knows is that they are presently engaged.

The doorbell rings and Tan goes upstairs to see Eun Sang outside. She tries to leave but he grabs her arm and asks where she’s going? Eun Sang is headed home but she needs her passport so she’s here for the policeman’s business card. Rachel says she tossed it in the trash outside and Eun Sang runs off to find it. Tan demands to know why she threw it away and Rachel says she never even saw it. Tan explains that Eun Sang got her passport taken away because of him and now she can’t go back to Korea. He warns Rachel not dare be so difficult. Tan runs after Eun Sang and Rachel looks pissed.

Rachel goes back into the house and sees Tan’s cell phone on the sofa. She opens it and sees Chan Young’s return text to Eun Sang. He says gives her his number in the US and tells her to call him ASAP. Rachel stares at the text.

Eun Sang is rifling through the trash to find the business and crying over her string of terrible luck. All she wanted was a better life in the US but now she’s stuck digging through trash. Tan apologizes and tells her to go up. He hands her back her passport and explains he just got it back.

Suddenly a cab pulls up outside the house and out jumps two black dudes and a woman. The dudes ask if the bastard lives here while the woman tells them to calm down. I’m assuming they are after Tan’s loser surfer friend but who the heck knows.

Tan grabs Eun Sang and runs off when the two angry black dudes spot him. They run through Hollywood, which is about an hour away from Tan’s house in Malibu. Nice magic teleportation, drama.

Tan pulls Eun Sang into a movie theater and they sit down in the dark to catch their breath. Neither really understands why they were running in the first place.

Tan tells Eun Sang to watch the movie and closes his eyes to rest. Eun Sang has no clue what the movie is about since she doesn’t understand the dialogue. Tan keeps his eyes closed and translates the dialogue for Eun Sang: If I am to believe you, I need to first know your name.

Tan continues from that line of dialogue: I met a girl yesterday, her name is Cha Eun Sang. I am curious who she is. Could it be that I’m falling for you?

Eun Sang and Tan stare at each other.

Thoughts of Mine:

The world of Heirs is unintentionally funny but not in a way that makes it impossible to chuckle and the move along. Everyone seems to share the exact shade of bright pink lipstick, men and women alike. The Americans that our plucky heroine Eun Sang has encountered in her short two days in LA have been nothing short of every offensive and brain dead reduction of the diversity of the US down a few stereotypes acted by what appears to be random people plucked off the street as a walk-on part. The rich kids are thus far wholly annoying, but the greater sin is that they are uninteresting. I don’t care why Rachel is a bitch, why Bo Na is an insecure whiner, why Young Do is a calculating bully, why Hyo Shin barfs under so much pressure, why Myung Soo just hangs around one play room all day long. I’ve already written them off as there for a narrative purpose, and if they surprise me and unearth some depth later on, that’s even better. I don’t find the two leads Eun Sang and Kim Tan all that interesting either, which is where Kim Eun Sook’s writing in this drama has really managed to surprise me. She writes interesting leads if nothing else and all her plot points go to convenient pots later down the line. Yes, normally her female leads pale in comparison to the focus she puts on her male leads, but here I actually think she writes Eun Sang with more richness than Tan. I get Tan’s complicated family situation and his lonely living abroad situation, but I don’t get why he acts or reacts a certain way. Whereas Eun Sang is clearly a typical poor girl who tries to hold onto her pride but swallows the unfairness of it all in the end.

What I like the most are when the kids are interacting in situations that teenagers would experience. When the rich kids are bantering in the playroom, when Eun Sang and Tan go to school, and when they discuss texting friends. I know that these characters are all preternaturally mature due to life circumstances, whether it’s Eun Sang being a family bread earner as well to all the rich kids being raised well aware of their status and expectations. But this drama isn’t going to appeal to the audience wanting a mature storyline but acted out by teen characters, and those wanting a school based story is going to get tired of all the extraneous and ridiculous adult situations. In one episode already Eun Sang and Tan have had to run from danger twice! Either LA is teeming with angry Americans, or else those two happen to be around danger all the time. All of the LA scenes thus far have reeked of staged conflict and chance encounters that all happen in LA for the sake of the drama having an overseas shoot to bring in the location eye candy. Eun Sang and Tan’s meeting could have happened in Korea, but it would be harder to give them an excuse for her to stay with him unless it happened outside of Seoul and she couldn’t get back home. I don’t mind location shoots if integrated properly, and Kim Eun Sook used to do it so well. My favorite overseas shoot in her drama has to be On Air where the cast when to Taiwan and spent two episodes there doing a drama-within-the-drama and with so much production drama. Here it’s awkward and a tad silly, but I’ve already said ultimately it doesn’t bother me to the point I can’t keep watching.

I’m quite enjoying the friendship between Tan and Eun Sang, which rather flows from how much I enjoy the friendship between Eun Sang and Chan Young. Romance is so on the backburner for me in this drama, and I would rather it develop on a super slow burn and let all the other issues get fleshed out first. I don’t mind showing that Tan is interested in Eun Sang, as he already is, but no need to toss him into the pits of falling in love so soon. Same goes with Eun Sang. If the drama wants to posit that all these kids are dealing with a mountain of family issues, then show me how they are doing to deal with it rather than gloss it over with love heals us all. Tan has money which could solve Eun Sang’s worries, Eun Sang can be the companionship lonely Tan needs – that is good and all but the drama has introduced so many characters and complicated ties the next 18 episodes needs to be spent digging deeper one step at a time into this world. As for ratings, the big jump of Secret surprised me since I thought Medical Top Team would come out ahead, but I’m not surprised that Heirs debuted with around 11% in ratings. Despite Kim Eun Sook’s name brand and tossing in so many young actors, this is just not a sure fire viewer lure for the domestic audience as much as the international fans are clamoring for it. So far this drama is a bundle of star power and laid back superficial pleasantness. I like it but not sure it’s got the teeth to hook a greater swath of the viewing public in.


Comments

Heirs/The Inheritors Episode 2 Recap — 77 Comments

  1. super fast recap! thank u!

    liking the friendhip developing between the leads, and also interested enough in the other characters too, to know what their deal is..

    though i do agree, the story needs to shift to korea ASAP to make it juicier.. cuz i think, even layered characters like young-do and rachel ( and to a lesser extent bona) are falling a bit flat since the object of their resentment – our hero Tan – is away from the scene.. so we get one dimension of their character with only hints of other facets to unravel..

    while i went into this expecting the all-flash-little-substance fun of Gossip Girl, more introspection in the place of frivolty seems a fair exchange to me.. the laid-back theme is charming to me.. i really like the characters kim tan and chan-young, like eun-sang, and am excited about the possibilty of loving-to-hate-and-then-maybe-loving young-do, rachel and even bo-na…

    overall actin seems decent too.. seems unfair to kim ji-won to say her acting is not that good, when her character has been written in such broad strokes (b*tchy), hopefully they show her as a blair waldorf than your standard kdrama-2nd-lead-b*tch…

    one grouse though.. where’s my beloved im joo-eun???

    • I disagree with you her character has More depth than Lee Bona 😀
      I see in her face that she is sad and i think she will open in next episodes to us why she is like that ??
      I loved her In To beautiful you & her performance was great 😀

    • I like the funny bits you inserted in your recap, such as “In K-drama logic, the answer is yes, because he looks like LMH and drives a Maserati,” or the bit about the dad (Kim) being too stodgy, so how could he be so salacious to two wives and a mistress? That was funny, thank you for that.

  2. thank you Captain.. it’s 4am when i read this. can’t comment yet since i hvnt watch it yet (internet was super bad).

      • Ep.2 got much better in my opinion.
        But i still cant stand watching Lee Bo Na. She’s annyoying from head to toe. Krystal voice in high pitch really hurts my ear drums . I hv to suffer seeing her acting and voice until ep.20 ?? Syeettttt! !!

  3. Thank you for the fast recap. I LOLed at your teleportation comment. I guess not only can they run from Malibu to Hollywood, there must not be a high school (or college for that matter)close by that Tan had to travel an hour and a half to attend an English class…University of Redlnds. lol Their drama dept probably had some fun though they weren’t given much of a dialogue. Who asks a question and not follow through with a reason why they are asking (i.e. that classmate of Tan asking him where he is going after class)… an open-ended question I guess. KES what is wrong with your script? If you are going to have 3-4 episodes of the drama in the US, couldn’t you at least portray the US supporting cast with some logic or even a decent dialogue? Ok I can try to understand the stereotypes but… oh well, I gave myself a few episodes for this drama but it is stretching my patience.

  4. I’m in shock at Krystal’s acting. I’ve seen comments saying that Krsytal is pretty good. But even since the first time I saw her in the first episode. I am completely shocked. She was literally screaming and overreacted some–all–parts. It’s like watching a skit instead of drama. I know she supposed to be whiny, but.. not in that kind of way..
    I mean, if this is the role that should’ve been played, I think Suzy’s acting in BIG was more decent and better. She was also this whiny, bitchy, spoiled girl. But she did it in the right proportion.
    And I find it awkward to see Krystal acting with Minhyuk, because Minhyuk seemed to take full grab of his role, and he was this natural and calm, then Krystal came with all of that and it become.. awkward.
    It’s like watching two different things in the same time. And there were some parts where it should’ve been funny or at least comical, and again it become awkward in Krystal’s part.
    That’s why, just to compare, at least Suzy (in BIG) was hilarious

    • Krystal is so awful here its impossible to truly explain the combination of everything bad that makes her performance cringeworthy. It apparently runs in the family because her older sister Jessica is hands down one of the worst idol actresses I’ve ever had the misfortune of watching in a drama.

      • too bad she and Minhyuk’s character come in pair most of the time
        i hope the cuteness can save this pairing because i do think they look good together on screen when Krystal is not being bratty and whining around

      • I’m kinda disappointed actually. One of the little things that actually makes me take a look at Heirs is Minhyuk. And now that he is beyond adorable here, I think it’s really a waste that he needs to act opposite of Krystal. This could’ve been cute if they had the perfect girl for him. What to say, I kinda feel.. bad?

    • dear god, anybody is better than krystal. so yes, even suzy would play this character 10 times better. and we all know about suzy’s horrendous acting in GFB.

    • LOL – I don’t know… Min Hyuk is so awesomely cute and calm that he makes her a bit tolerable. Like, there must be something good about her for him to like her. Hopefully, she’ll just be harmlessly annoying, as cringy as she is and not have too many scenes. I’m worried about Rachel character who seems currently 1-d b*tch. I always see that actress in a bad role!

    • I think so too! She’s too annoying in here, and plus she’s more of a girly girl compared to Suzy. I don’t get how Min Hyuk and Krystal could be a couple since they are both so different…

  5. I find this episode globally better (as in: Less cringe worthy scenes). But what with that awfully slow editing?? A lot of characters we didn’t see in this episode just because we had no time for them. I’m used to the quick pace of the previous KES dramas (Shin Woo Chul PDnim, please come back!): 10 seconds/scene so everyone can have his moment(s) of glory by episode. Remember the thick scripts shown at the reading sessions? What happened to them? Cause the stuff is NOT on my screen!
    Also, what with the looooong moments where nothing happens & we don’t even have a background music? Someone lost the tape or something? It’s such a let down for me as a fan of this writer. Ghostwriting would indeed explain a lot of things but I refuse to believe that for now. That would be too humiliating…
    Yes, let’s quickly go back to Korea. Maybe things will get better here (that coprod thingy doesn’t seem to work that well if you ask me). *Wishful thinking*.

    • PD Kang Shin Hyo is as dull and uninspiring of a PD as I remember him. His Midas and Tazza were both horribly directed. He’s not one of the PDs I absolutely hate, but he’s just oddly untalented with shot selection, editing, and timing. He can hold the camera still though, which is one thing PD Pyo can’t even do. I miss PD Shin as well, but looks like he’s joined MBC and will no longer be working with Kim Eun Sook since she’s with SBS. Bummer. 🙁 All her old dramas were very watchable if nothing else.

      • Hi Koala, I’m always interested on this but nobody explain to me, what does the pd do? He chooses the way the actors will do the scene and the way to reac and etc, so we can really blame pd for stiff characters and stiff kisses/hugs?

        The pds also edits ? or chooses where edit and what scene use?

        the angles you say that are boring and not original, what are them?

        Ok, I know I’m asking too much, but since every drama airs you talks about the pds work, I get interested and confused…

        sorry.

  6. Okay, about those fat dudes chasing them: I was groaning and laughing all at the same time. Seriously, what is the director thinking?
    I wish I could read Korean because I really want to know what the Koreans think of all these stereotypical and lame portrayals of Americans.

    I thought this was a very boring episode. I don’t mind the romance being on the backburner for a while, but I do like plot development. Hope ep 3 will be better, though I doubt it since it will still apparently take place in the US…

      • Jomo maybe he was in agony from Tan breaking his arm, he could hardly move and chase after him. What with Chris looking so buff from working out he must have had his strength drained out of him once Tan out-maneuvered him. Sigh the stereotyping in this drama *sigh*… maybe, when the everyone is in Korea it might be more natural. I do like this episode than the first and the character development of the leads and the others are coming along, I keep on telling myself, don’t sweat the small stuff, however, like Koala mentioned this may be as good as it gets as far as the scenes here int he US.

      • I think these guys are the boyfriend or pimp(?) of the blond girl John was hooking up with… remember Tan said something about not letting the boyfriend come over?

        As for the fat guys, if I’m to go by my uncle, Koreans are amazed by the “fat” Americans… so perhaps they put it in there to be funny? When I was looking thru my uncles travel photos in the US, he had several shots of random over-weight people and when I asked why, he said he had to show the people back at home.

  7. I just read the recap and didn’t even watch ep 1&2 yet. Waiting for them return to school than maybe i will start watching. Anyway, regarding the Secret lead in rating i guess it’s understandable. I’ve watched it last night and what can i say is i love the storyline.

    • You know, that may be a really good plan, now that you thought of it.
      Most of the cringe-worthiness has to do with characters who don’t matter.

      These are choices of an overly ambitious PD/writer who wanted to highlight the vast beauty enjoyed by a wealthy California landowner, but needed actual people to say words.
      The words and people are stupid, but in the long run, have nothing to do with our main cast.

  8. I knew , we all new heirs was hyped. But this is a dissastor. The main leads have no chemistry to a level its a pain watch. Im not a lee minho fan but since he’s okay i wish he dodged this bullet like yonghwa did. Even his topless wet surf scene failed bcz of the obvious pink lipstick and the mopey face expressions.

    I liked kim woo bin. The mute mom .(She’s real something) The stepmom. Kang minhyuk so far.

    • I don’t know how can people drool over Kim Won Bin. His look scare the heck out of me. I wish I could fast forward when streaming live.

      Don’t think MinHyuk was necessary to be in the US for filming. And if Eun Sang has a friend there already. Why didn’t ask for help?

      • eun sang asked help from chan young, she didn’t know he’s already in US
        the one with ‘white hacker yoon’ id is chan young

      • I find Kim Woo Bin strange-looking too. Like his eyes are too widely spaced, and too big for his face? It’s like his eyes are at the side of his face, which is definitely not helped by his slicked back hairstyle… I don’t know how to say it, but every time I see him on screen, I’m always jolted by his strange looks even as I’m interested to find out more about his character… There’s a hint about his strained relationship with his father, and we know about his bastardly manipulative bullying tactics, and yet he’s nice towards his friends…

      • KWB has one of the most interesting faces that for me is more attractive than standard classic looks. He has a great screen presence and is making his character come alive in a very distinctive way.

  9. Well, I gotta say that thank goodness this one has a lot of pretty faces and idols with big fan bases and also big fan bases overseas cause that will at least make it lots and lots of money. So in that sense, I hardly find it a failure but for me personally, I remain unimpressed after two episodes. But still 18 more to go to impress me lol. Well I supposed I am not in the target audience for this, but it must be cause it’s mostly in the us right now that the script really lacking in trademark KES dialogue etc. I am not really feeling the inner look on KT at all. He isn’t selling me his laziness and indifference that masks something greater. It’s hard for me to distinguish the line between that and sheer boredom… It’s just not quite all there. Same for PSH… But again, it’s only ep 2. I have liked all of KES’s dramas so there is still time. I even liked on air.

  10. Both Krystal and Kim Ji-Won are horrendous to watch in their dismal attempts at acting and also painful to listen to as they screech their lines.. Is Krystal seriously considered to be some sort of beauty?? Really??? And will Kim Eun Sook save poor Chan Young from the clutches of that whiney harpie? So far, Kang Minhyuk is the one to watch, the camera just loves this guy, and to top it off, he can act.

  11. l’m not denying that Heirs is one of K-dramas l’ve been watching but it is not top of the list. Heirs is not like Master’s sun, that l re-watch every single eps. Heirs is not an addict dramas that l want to re-watch. Enough with one time watch and read recap here for more understanding. Casts all are goodlooking and pretty (who can resist Lee Min Ho, Kang Min Hyuk, Park Shin Hye and Kim Won Bin, anyway!). But Krystal, sori, that yelling pitch voice and face, iieeekk!

    L’m going to watch Secret, heard it’s good. Love Ji Sung there.

    Nevertheless, awaits for ep 3 of Heirs where cute moments between Eun Sang and Chan Young in US with a jealous but cute Tan!!.

  12. I wonder if they are freaking out about the ratings. It’s not like they can change things since this has all been filmed. Anyway, this episode was better than the first one but I just can’t watch the LA scenes anymore. I might pick this back up when they finally get to Korea.

  13. I know this has nothing to do with the drama… but is Kim Tan’s oh-so-glorious mansion the same one from an American TV Series, Revenge? Is that Nolan’s bachelor pad?

    • I’m pretty sure it is the same mansion. Unfortunately, so far Heirs has neither fast pace like Revenge nor an interesting story to tell or engaging characters. Out of the current kdrama bunch Secret is the most compelling one. However, there is still hope on the horizon with MHIYD and Answer me 1994 next week.

      Thank you, Ms. Koala for the recaps. It’s so enjoyable to read your thoughts on this rather than actually watching the drama itself. And I also miss the typical funny, playful and hilarious dialogs the author is known for. I trade this anytime for plot holes, missing logic or pace in her dramas. But without her trademark there is nothing left except the eyecandy and Ms. Koala’s entertaining recaps.

    • i was thinking the same thing. it looks like the same house, good to see different parts of it. in revenge they were only using the huge cylinder hall and the pool front.

  14. I am probably the odd man(or woman in this case) out since I loved both episodes:). I don’t know what it is about Lee Min Ho but I kind of like him, I’ll be honest I hated him in BOF and I swore I would never watch another drama of his. Well City Hunter came along and he kind of grew on me and I fell in love with him in Faith(I know, I know… terrible drama). So far the plot isn’t substantial enough and I find the characters aren’t fleshed out very well but dang it all I am sticking with it for Lee Min Ho’s puppy look LOL. After the onslaught of dark and moody melodramas I am more than happy to sit back and enjoy this piece of fluffiness.

  15. What I don’t understand is why half of the LA scenes were actually filmed in San Diego…
    As for the stereotyped Americans, I have no words to express my irritation. I was hoping this show would provide Koreans with some cultural awareness, but it has failed us all…

    • WHAT?!??!?!??? LMH was here in San Diego? So close? Why did I not get a memo?

      On another note. Malibu northward ends up end in Redlands?! Who knew? :). Did they not realize us California girls would be watching?

  16. Totally not related to the show but I cannot believe they were at balboa park in SD! I can recognize the green house any day. I would randomly go there all of the time since it was so close.

  17. yay i like your web…finally i found a good recap…
    i really had doubts with this drama…to much big names usually end up flop…
    am just watching for the sake of PSH and apparently i can’t find any good drama competitor…
    whew….
    cross fingers let’s wait and see…
    can they fast forward it a little bit…ty…

    • Lol…they are not even hot to be jealous..there are tons of actress who got more hotter guy than her in drama continuously…

      • Oh yeah. Think of Han Ji Min, Gong Hyo Jin, Yoon Eun Hye, Song Hyo Kyo. They got paired with mainly and hot men. 🙂

  18. Thanks for the recap Ms Koala, didn’t enjoy it as the first episode but it was alright. Hopefully episode 3 will give more sparks and can’t wait to see Choi Jin-hyuk again! But I also like Min Ho 😉

  19. Thank you!~

    I think the most memorable scene from this episode was the slight brush of the feathers from the dreamcatcher on LMH’s hair as he walked back inside. It was such a beautiful scene and I think it marked the start of something beautiful 🙂

    Love Minhyuk’s character! So dependable, friendly, and down to earth! <3

  20. Does anyone else find that the relationship between Eun Sang and Kim Tan moving a bit too fast, what with him sort of confessing to her at the end of ep 2? Given Kim Tan’s lazy, laidback character, it’s strange that he’s so enthusiastic about helping Eun Sang, sometimes even acting jealous (when he sees the texts between Eun Sang and Chan Young)… Not that I don’t like the breezy, cheery banter going on, but I just don’t get it though. I don’t know if he’s feeling sorry and pity for her for having such a complicated family situation, or maybe he’s just feeling empathy, because he’s in the same situation as well? In any case, I’m really bothered by the long and repetitive gazing going on between him and Eun Sang. Yes I get it, they’re feeling a sense of a connection or a spark, but don’t need to shove it in my face like that…

    • Agree. The longing/quizzing look from the balcony was all wrong. Kim Tan is probably falling in love for the first time and wondering what is happening to his fragile, lonely heart?! A little disjointed in that scene.

  21. umm.. am i the only one who think everything actually perfect except the main character’s development?

    Idk why, but i just feels PSH and LMH really lacks of chemistry. this is the 1st time i saw kim eun seok’s drama when the main character really annoyed me.(so bad, because i’m PSH and LMH’s fans)
    ah, and every eyes-meet-eyes scenes between them was just soooooo damn awkward for me.. uh, i really hope they’ll get better in next eps, because afterall i like this drama.

  22. I agree that Kim tan does like ES, but I’m don’t think she likes him yet. Or at least I don’t think she’s realized she has. I still think not cuz she seems like a type who doesn’t think much about boys. Lol. Everything has been KT initiating and trying to keep her by his side.

    Also, I think one of the guys who came to his house is prob the bf of that blond girl who keeps talking to KT at the beach and also in class. I remembered him mentioning to surfer friend Jay to not bring some girl’s bf over to his place in ep1?! Well anyway, i think that guy thinks his gf likes Tan so he wants beat him up. Maybe I’m wrong…

    I like the drama so far prob cuz the leads haven’t annoyed me yet. And the story isn’t too complicated. But going back to Korea, Tan is going to be mean again (or there should be more character development there).. No more lazing around and more fighting. Declaring war (mind games? Bantering/bickerings?) with YD and whoever opposes him and also trying to protect ES? I can’t wait for that!

  23. It is natural that when our expectations are high, we tend to get disappointed easily . After reading negative comments on Heirs, I feel sorry for the casts and the production. Because it was over hyped ( idk whose fault)most of us tend to watch it with hawk- eyes and ready to jump into conclusion before the drama unfolds its story line. I don’t deny it has flaws( which drama doesn’t) here and there. Instead of being quick to criticize, why don’t we just sit back , relax and enjoy the drama ( so far quite entertaining thou despite its flaws)and occasionally pause to ponder what underlying message the drama is trying to convey.

  24. Overall, even though I knew Heirs wasn’t going to be a masterpiece, I had some expectations and thought it would be pretty amazing to do a Gossip Girl a la Korean but for me, it felt flat.
    I think it’s cool they met in LA, starts by friendship and all but I don’t know, something is missing and it just drags the whole thing.
    I thought that the playroom with the three friends was more interesting than the rest of the episode. Maybe because I always prefered the get together between characters, I could feel that these three were friends, were high schoolers … etc. And it was adorable because it reminded me of my high school days and how I would freakin’ kill to have that playroom (lol).
    I’m more shipping Cha Young and Bo Na than the main couple. Even though Krystal’s acting is quite bad, they are such an adorable couple and I like the fact that you can feel they really love each other and how there is no big drama because their difference of status. Like how his father talked about Bo Na. He didn’t put her in a pedestrial but he just talked about his son’s girlfriend like any father would do.
    And the fact they are already together is great because we do not have to see the usual “opposite attracts each other” or whatever.

    I just have to add that I rolled so much my eyes during the running parts because it was lame. Like really lame. In my head, I thought “why the hell do they run so much ?” Plus, I don’t know if it’s because of the korean culture or whatever but does every foreigner seem like a gangster for them ? Because all the drama shows is angry people wanting to fight. Like really ?

    I’m going to say that I will have to wait to really judge the drama but if it wasn’t for the cast, I would have stopped watching already. It’s cool to put such good and famous cast for international fans because obviously, they get greater response than domestically seeing the ratings. Writer, PD and whatever should have take the older generations in consideration too. Of course Boys Over Flowers did great rating wise but it was back to 2008. 5 years later, I think people are becoming more and more fed up of these dramas.

  25. Thanks for the funny recap! I was loling at the transportation comment. And why would you just keep running without trying to dodge until the movie theater? Ah b/c we are in k-drama logic world.

    So far Heirs isn’t bad. Yeah there’s cringe worthy stuff and I wish I could like some of the other characters better… Woo Bin guy is like the what LMH played in BOF, totaly bullying a**h*** so it will be hard for me to get over that. I hate cruel people and what he did to that boy in 1st ep. is cruel. Oh well *sigh* b/c he’s about the most energetic actor on the show and really pops. Even that Kim Han Neul (who I think isn’t a bad actor) seemed sooooo bland.

    I’m okay with LMH and PSH characters… yeah they are bland, but hopefully it will be a slow burn? But seriously what’s up with the long stares? Yeah, we get it. I do wish LMH who I’m starting to like would pick a project with a character who is more energetic, more emotional, more explosive. He’s perfect the brooding, I’m longing for you stare. Now let’s work on some raw emotions and angst so we can see what else you’re made of. I do agree that the feelings from Tan after the 2nd ep seems premature…. wish they had saved that line for like the 4th, hopefully where they leave LA and are separated until the school meetup.

  26. It feels like the main cast has this cloud of worry and expectations over their head to be AMAZING and HOT and all the other things the fans have attributed to them. I will blame the director for this one.

    EVERYONE needs to relax and let the characters speak.
    I do like Woobin as the I-hate-hate-hate his bully character hate hate.
    I like Tan’s real mom and CY’s dad. I even like Hyo Shin the barfer.

    Don’t understand at all the bitchy girls. Don’t understand why that type of character has to be written for the screen at all. First of all, they elicit nothing but bad feelings from the audience, and the second they show up on screen, I want them gone. Why not a sweetly conniving second lead? One who we aren’t sure about. Why not make Tan’s finacee someone who he actually may like one day? Right it feels like he is looking for anyone better than her.

    I also don’t understand the looooooong stares. It feels like LMH is staring at PSH and counting, or saying the alphabet for as long as needed. I don’t feel him looking at her. She seems scared to death of him for some reason. Doesn’t she know it’s LMH?

    In SG, HB had me convinced early on that he was in love with Key Lime, just because she was someone totally NOT in his world, someone he had to fight to keep. All that worked with his asinine personality. I don’t get that here. LMH is nice. He can be nice to this girl and win her over in a matter of days…My advice is, GO FOR IT!

    • The PD is to be criticized for the disjointed and at times awkward scenes. KES fell short as well. Maybe they will do better when the venue is in Korea. (I hope) My take on as far as Kim Tan staring at Eun Sang too long is, KES may have written Tan to be a character that’s intrigued at Eun Sang and was puzzled about it. Tan is used to girls who are manipulative and bitchy all the while hiding their true feelings. Something he can readily grasp. In contrast, Eun Sang wears her emotions on her sleeves but she has that strength to stand up for herself. It’s a combination of vulnerability and spirit. By the way, he also knows that she is not a “goodie, goodie” because he’s heard her say she abandoned her mother to follow her dream in the US but it was a disappointment. That coupled with his longing for family and the affinity he has with Eun Sang situation, may have triggered him to be introspective. Unfortunately, the PD’s execution of it was off. He made LMH stare at PSH far too long.

  27. Just finished watching this weeks episodes…so much pretty!

    There’s also so many gorgeous location shots in Cali that I fear when they go back to Seoul its gonna be the same tired old scenes.

    It was very slight, but there’s def something going one between Secretary Yoon and Rachel’s mom. I’m def more interested in the adults/parents story lines as opposed to the kids/students. Is it because they’re better actors? …maybe

  28. What I love about “heirs” is the comment section. From here to Dramabeans and from allkpop. So much negativity on one site and then positive reviews on another site. It’s hilarious. I haven’t even watch this drama and there are two strong sides regarding “Heirs”. What this tells me is that I should watch Secret instead.

    • Actually you should judge yourself 😀
      I also Like comments section as you but I can’t build my opinion on these comments 😀

  29. ok I am a little confused I thought the president of jeguk (empire) group’s real wife doesn’t have children. Then who is the real mother of kim won?

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