Heirs/The Inheritors Episode 20 Recap

It’s with a pat on the head that I put Heirs/The Inheritors away, a drama that had so much but did so very little with it. It was enjoyable but frustrating, harmless yet mildly irritating. I wanted to tell it all the time to get on with telling me a story with more purpose while it stubbornly insisted that this was it and nothing more was forthcoming. In the end there was no time jump anywhere in sight, so the main cast started off as high schoolers and end up maybe taking a few steps forward in the path of their lives. For some those steps were big ones, transformative ones, while for others not much changed even if all sorts of random and improbable things happened along the way. The drama delivered on the superficial in a mixed way as much as it failed to deliver on the substantive. The cast was comprised of pretty young actors and actresses but everyone sported the same pink lipstick with sartorial tastes that ranged from absurd to ordinary. I felt myself watching for the sake of watching, like it was here and I just wanted to see it through to the end. When I wonder how a cast can act in a truly terrible drama to the end, I figured it was about making the best of it. That was me and Heirs.

I did like bits and pieces, and a few episodes in the middle were really engaging and entertaining. But overall this drama failed to come alive and merely floated in the shallow ended, which was even more frustrating because even the viewers could see there was more to be mined. This was the first Kim Eun Sook drama where the central love story completely fell flat for me, on paper I got it, if I tried to analyze the why and hows I could make myself accept it, but viscerally on the primal feelings of attraction turning to love and passion, Kim Tan and Cha Eun Sang were like two wet towels rung repeatedly to milk the tears and emotion by sheer brute force. This story couldn’t decide whether it was a high school drama filled with test-taking worries and school yard conflict, or a inheritance drama stemming from familial strife. It presented both and failed to do anything meaningful with either. I did take away my own little bits of satisfaction with this – Kim Woo Bin is a scene-stealer extraordinaire and has great chemistry with Park Shin Hye and I’d vote for them to do a drama together in the future, the production captured the beauty of Southern California but I could do without the cringeworthy English scenes, Bo Na and Chan Young are delightful and any scene with them made the drama better, and the two Moms soothed my soul when the drama tried to suck it dry and for that they deserve hugs.

Episode 20 recap:

Tan and Young Do find in each other mutual brooding kindred spirits up on the roof of Zeus Hotel. Young Do breaks the silence by noting that it’s cold out tonight. Tan adds that it’s also very dark. I’ll take that as allusions to their own worries.

Tan goes to start corralling supporting votes to keep Chairman Kim as the Chairman of Empire Group. He meets with Myung Soo’s mother and asks for her be his lawyer because he doesn’t trust the Empire lawyers.

Won gets a report from Secretary Yoon as to how the two sides add up on shares and its looks pretty close. The deciding factors are finding those who still support the chairman, overseas shares, and shares held in holding companies.

Tan and Won sit in the Empire conference room waiting for their supporting shareholders but no one shows up. Secretary Yoon points out the obvious that people are choosing gain over loyalty. Finally two old guys still loyal to the Chairman show up.

Ji Sook is holding court with a lot of shareholders and thanks them for supporting her. Esther is there but she’s not decided yet.

Eun Sang hears from Chan Young that Chairman Kim has been hospitalized and that Tan and Secretary Yoon are on a flight out of the country to get votes from the overseas shareholders and collect signed proxy votes for Chairman Kim. Secretary Yoon reminds Tan that he needs to play the role of the sad son that his dad is sick, a little boy who is on the verge of losing his dad. Tan wonders how his dad has been able to wage this battle for the last 20 years.

Eun Sang reads a note from Tan apologizing for leaving without telling her. He encloses the owl hand warmer she wanted. He warns her not to cheat on him but then says he’ll miss her a lot and will be back soon.

Young Do is dining with his dad who tells him that he will likely be detained during the interrogation and investigation. He tells Young Do not to trust anyone and only trust the Vice-President. To communicate with his dad, he has to go through the company lawyer. And if his dad doesn’t come back soon, he needs to go stay with his aunt. Dad tries to keep the mood light and tells Young Do not to shirk his kitchen duties and he’ll be back soon but Young Do is very upset.

Young Do watches on the news that his dad went to the police station and was placed under arrest. Lawyers for the hotel come to tell Young Do that they will take care of him, all he needs to do is go to school and for now the VP will run the hotel so he needn’t worry. His dad passes word along that Young Do is to keep working hard and not break any rules.

Young Do goes to the high school where the kid he bullied Joon Young is now attending. He walks up to apologize to him but Joon Young doesn’t want to accept it. Young Do says he’s being sincere and wants to apologize to him. Joon Young is shocked that he apologized and tells Young Do to live with this for the rest of his life. Young Do accepts that. Joon Young asks him never to come see him again.

Eun Sang texts Tan and tells him about life in Seoul which feels colder without him around. She tells him news that Young Do’s dad was arrested. Tan meets with the shareholders and collects their proxy votes for the Chairman.

Eun Sang goes to school and sees another body shape on the ground and this time a girl runs away holding a spray can. She voiceovers that she discovered that the body shape was drawn by a different person every day including even Rachel, Hyo Shin, Yi Seul, Myung Soo, and Young Do.

After she learned that, she could no longer envy or hate any of the kids anymore. Eun Sang looks up around the school. She texts Tan and asks if he drew a body shape early in the morning as well?

Young Do goes to his mom’s café but stands outside looking at her working inside and doesn’t go in. He ducks when his mom turns to look out the window.

Tan and Secretary Yoon are coming back on the plane and Tan tries to get another vote but is turned down. Eun Sang voiceovers that she hopes the weight of the crown doesn’t make him collapse and she misses him, Kim Tan.

Tan, Won, and Secretary Yoon are visiting the Chairman in the hospital and hear he’s doing better and the swelling has gone down. Won hears Tan did well and got some votes, but a few refuse and some are still considering it. Won reveals that the shareholders meeting has been scheduled and if the Chairman is removed then control of Empire Group will change hands.

Tan and Won move back home because they need to protect this house while their dad is in the hospital. Won tells Tan to go see Young Do since his dad is being investigated and can’t come to the shareholders meeting. Tan asks Won to continue working with Zeus Hotel and Won agrees as long as he’s still President.

Eun Sang is cleaning up at work when Tan arrives to see her. He opens his arms and she runs in for a hug.

The sit in the café to talk and Eun Sang hears that the Chairman hasn’t woken up, the shareholders meeting is continuing, and then she tells Tan she didn’t cheat on him. He’s very touched at how nice she is to him and asks to hold hands. They hold hands with Tan saying that he missed Eun Sang and she telling him to hang in there.

Tan goes to see Young Do to get his vote for the Chairman. Young Do finds out Ji Sook is trying to remove the Chairman and says that having a mom and not having a mom are both problems. Young Do agrees to do it for all the bad things he said about Tan’s mom in the past. Tan tells Young Do he doesn’t need to come as long as he fills out a proxy. Young Do asks how the Chairman is doing and Tan tells him to worry about himself.

Young Do tells Tan to leave because he needs to wash dishes. Tan is confused and Young Do says all he can do right now is wash dishes. Young Do goes down to the kitchen to wash dishes and cuts his finger.

Secretary Yoon goes to see Esther to get her vote. He uses the most polite and pleading language with her and says he feels like when Empire is under siege he has to help. She asks why he’s being so formal when he could use how attractive he is. He teases that he forgot he could do that. Esther agrees to sign and she doesn’t want to attend the meeting. She tells him to keep living well and he says likewise.

Won dines with his rich matseon date because her father’s vote is very critical now. She asks if he’s ready for marriage to get her father to vote for the Chairman? Won’s eyes widen.

It’s the day of the Empire Group shareholders meeting and everyone files in. There seems more people seated on the side of Ji Sook. Won’s date comes in and sits behind him. The votes are counted and the Chairman’s side wins and he remains as Chairman.

Everyone files out and Ji Sook and Won talk in the hallway. She tells him not to feel pleased he won today, this is the start of the war. Won thanks her for showing him who his enemy and friends are. Ji Sook says she doesn’t know when they will battle again, it can be next month or next year. Secretary Yoon hears that the Chairman has woken up and can be operated on. Ji Sook overhears this as well.

Chairman Kim is wheeled into the OR while Won, Tan, Ki Ae and Secretary Yoon wait outside. The surgery is a success and now they need to wait for him to wake up. Ki Ae cries in relief while Tan asks why she’s crying over a guy who kicked her out of the house.

Young Do finally gets up his courage and goes to see his mom. She asks how he’s doing and he says he’s not doing well. Mom goes up and wipes his tears away and says her son is so tall and handsome now. He calls her mom and they have a tearful reunion. Mom says she’s sorry to him for not waiting longer. She originally wanted to see him soon but she’s sorry she didn’t go back.

Hyo Shin hands Eun Sang some study books that are the best he used. She thanks him but he thanks her for bringing happiness to his high school life at the end. He tells her to make a long and sickeningly but boring sweet romantic movie with Tan. She asks if he’s really leaving to go somewhere.

Esther is in a RS International meeting when Rachel comes in. Rachel gives her mom feedback about the new line and Mom says she thinks Rachel has good taste. Rachel likes the clothes because it keeps warms and she hates the cold. Esther offers to take her somewhere warm on vacation and Rachel wonders if it doesn’t sound like a honeymoon. Rachel wonders why Esther is being weird and Esther says she knows Rachel has been taking her sleeping pills. Rachel says it’s only a few times and not a habit so no need to worry. Esther understands but wants Rachel to see a doctor for her own medical treatment.

Rachel is in the waiting room to see the doctor when Hyo Shin walks out. He finds out this is her first visit and explains he’s under treatment here because he wants to keep living. Rachel says she’s here because she can’t sleep. Hyo Shin thinks it’s weird that he keeps sharing secrets with her, and reveals that he’s going to the army early and it’s also a secret he hasn’t told anyone.

Tan runs to the train station and catches Hyo Shin before he leaves to enlist in the military. He hasn’t told his parents but this is how he is going to thwart their plans for him and buy him more time to think. Tan thinks this is crazy but tells him not to get hurt. Tan and Hyo Shin hug. Awwwww. Hyo Shin promises to take care of himself.

Eun Sang and her mom are sorting beans in their apartment and mom wants to send it her sister. Eun Sang asks if her sister called and find out she got a new job and cell. Eun Sang acts pissed but really wants to tell her sister that she and their mom are doing well. Mom asks if Eun Sang is really happy to be her daughter and Eun Sang is. They hug. Eun Sang gets a call from her boyfriend to head to the hospital.

Chairman Daddy has woken up and is meeting with Ji Sook, asking if she caused trouble while he was unconscious. She endured for so long, why did she ruin all her hard work? Ji Sook says she’s been planning for this for a long time. The Chairman also has plans and calmly tells Ji Sook that he wants a divorce. She accepts it since she’s been ready and plans to take Empire Group. If she can’t take all even half is fine.

Tan and Eun Sang come in to see Chairman Daddy after Ji Sook leaves. Eun Sang hands him a book to read when he’s bored. Daddy tells Eun Sang not to be nice to him. Eun Sang promises to pay back all the debt so he needs to live well. Daddy says he will live long so she can pay back that debt. He tells her not to come anymore but he’ll read the book.

Tan and Ki Ae walk down the street shopping and asks if she’s happy. Ki Ae is but she’s freezing and her feet hurt in these high heels which she insists on wearing because her dream is to be Miss Korea.

Chan Young and Secretary Yoon go camping because we need a place to PPL camping gear. Chan Young snaps a selca with his dad and he asks if it’s being sent to Bo Na. Dad wonders if Bo Na is going to take away his say in Chan Young’s life once college rolls around and Chan Young is looking forward to that. He asks Dad to consider dating but Secretary Yoon isn’t interested. He wants Chan Young to grow up and support him and complains about how hard it is to earn a living.

Won and Tan arrive and Won asks if Secretary Yoon is complaining about working for him. The two boys are fishing and bickering while the adults stand off to the side to talk. He hears that Secretary Yoon wants to spend some down time with Chan Young since the exams are done. Won turns to ask how Tan did and Tan is beaming with pride and tells Chan Young to announce it.

Won and Secretary Yoon are shocked that Tan got 50th place in the last exam, with Won happy shocked and Secretary Yoon shocked that Won thinks 50th place is good. Won asks what Chan Young got and hears Chan Young gets first place all the time, so often it’s actually boring now. After Tan and Chan Young run off, Secretary Yoon asks if Tan knows yet? Won says there is no need for Tan to know beforehand. Secretary Yoon says the news is coming out tomorrow. Won likes this place to relax and plans to come in the future.

Hyun Joo reads about Won’s upcoming marriage on the news and cries. She goes to see him and tells him to pull apart the wishbone with her now. He doesn’t move to take it so she pulls it apart herself. She gets the larger piece so she says her wish is for them to break up. Even though they are close but they are so far apart and she has always known this. Won keeps apologizing to Hyun Joo. She plans to send him off with a wave and tells her Oppa to go well.

Won comes home and Tan asks if he’s really going through with the marriage? Won says it’s not enough for them to protect the company, he needs more support. This is the weight of the crown he has to bear. He doesn’t want Tan to go to the US anymore, he needs Tan beside him. This means Tan can’t have dreams anymore and needs to learn business management. Won is very lonely. Tan asks if Won will be less lonely if Tan is there and Won says he is always lonely but having Tan is better than having no one.

Young Do is at the bike shop and notices a cut on his finger. He sees another chicken delivery girl and that reminds him of Eun Sang. He finally takes out her band aid and puts it on his finger.

Chan Young, Bo Na, and Yi Seul are playing cards that start with 18 years old and then having to use the cards to string together ideas of what 18 year olds would do. Chan Young wins and asks for a kiss as his prize and then turns his head at the last moment to get a lip kiss from her. Yi Seul is grossed out and her wish is for them to break up.

Tan gets a package delivery from the US and it’s from his teacher returning his journal. On the last page, the teacher wrote “What type of crown were you trying to wear? Was it wealth, fame, or love?” Tan writes in the journal that the owner of the study has changed.

Won sits in Chairman Kim’s study which is now his study and he cries and cries looking at the one half of the wishbone. Tan voiceovers that hyung got the position he wanted and is stronger but he would cry often at night. The place where hyung is exiled is probably this house for the rest of his life.

Tan goes to school and runs into his classmates as he can’t believe he’s finishing his high school life. Myung Soo takes his picture and they banter, he and Rachel share a look before she walks away, Chan Young and Bo Na happily greet him and walk by as Tan warns Chan Young to watch out for tomorrow’s test, he and Young Do pass each other without saying anything. Tan says nothing has changed as they haven’t learned to make clean breaks or resolve things properly.

Eun Sang voiceovers that they learned that when they are 18 and things seem so raw, they cried and hurt and made mistakes and loved so freely. Tan sits down with Eun Sang and asks what he wished for when he blew out his birthday candles. Tan wishes for everyone he knows to be happy.

Tan says in 10 years, when they are 29 years old, he will throw a party. Chan Young and Bo Na are busy working even at the party. Hyo Shin won another award at a film festival. Rachel is busy running RS International but Hyo Shin invites her to the film premiere. She’s not interested in movies so he tells her to come see him then. Rachel says she will consider it.

Young Do chats with Myung Soo who is entering the army this late. He tells Won that he will handle the next hotel project for Zeus Hotel. Chairman Daddy comes out of his study with Secretary Yoon. Ji Sook walks down the stairs after chatting with Eun Sang’s mom and Ki Ae.

Tan walks up the stairs to his room and says that even in 10 years he will passionately walk towards her as she waits for him at the end of the road. Tan enters his room and a grown up Eun Sang stands there waiting for him. She turns around and he leans in for a kiss. Eun Sang hopes this wish can come true because only in that wish could she see everyone smiling. Tan says it will come true and he will keep wishing it.

Tan and Eun Sang walk down the street and he voiceovers that at 18 they loved, cried, ran away, knelt down, turned their backs on each other. Flashback of all Tan and Eun Sang’s moments in this drama.

Tan asks Eun Sang when she will finally treat him to that meal? Eun Sang is shocked he believed her. He wants her to cook a meal for him then, a meal every morning. Tan then asks if he just asked her to marry him? Eun Sang says no since that is just causing more trouble. She walks away and he tells her to stop letting him see her back. He wants to bicker with her and asks if she wants to go to his house?

Eun Sang says that even if they fall and kneel down in the future….Tan adds that they can only keep going forward.

Thoughts of Mine:

What I’ll take away from Heirs in all its good, bad, weird glory is that the weird out-weighed everything else. I don’t agree this drama has no plot. It had a plot, it was just weird and the conflicts plus resolutions made no sense once one took a closer look. In the end I might as well have turned the sound off in episode 20 and just watched every little thing get resolved with ease and a swell fare-thee-well. And even in episode 20 I continued to wonder why all the easy solutions thrown at Tan and Eun Sang couldn’t be extended to everyone. Some got off easy and others seem to get an extra beat down. Won turned out to be the one wearing the weight of the crown, and boy does his life suck. He is miserable from the moment we see him until the very last scene when he’s sobbing in his study with a new greasy hairstyle. His sad sack romance with Hyun Joo was anemic from start to finish, and who can blame them when they had about 15 minutes total of added screen time to show us they were in love and sad they couldn’t be together. I saw neither and instead felt like Won was just meant to be Tan’s cautionary tale. So if Won picks money over love, his life is going to suck in a loveless marriage but at least he gets the company. Whereas if Tan picks love over money, he’s going to get everything including a hyung to protects the company while he waits in case anyone needs him. Dude, who wouldn’t want that job? No wonder Tan can afford to give it all up for Eun Sang when the end result is that he gave nothing up.

I’m not going to ask this drama provide any illuminating insights on human psyche and interpersonal conflicts, but it was a painful experience watching none of the raised issues get resolved rationally. Other than Young Do’s entire arc where we saw actual struggle to overcome his wrong ways of thinking, most other characters ended up shrugging and moving on. None moreso than Chairman Daddy, who went episodes threatening Tan and Eun Sang and then backing down all of a sudden, only to be conveniently stricken by a brain hemorrhage to render him even more toothless. I never understood Won’s insistence on pushing Tan away nor did his last minute about turn to allow him to now back him up. He’s a smart adult, the conclusion he reached was always within his intelligence to figure out. That it took him that long to get there made him even more ridiculous. Some of the high school student characters sort of puttered to their own acceptable conclusion, such as Hyo Shin leaving for the army early, Rachel simmering down and getting on some meds, Myung Soo still being Myung Soo, and Chan Young and Bo Na showing us that sane and sensible people did exist in this drama. I feel like Young Do stole the show not because he got a lot of screen time or that his scenes were particularly memorable. What worked was that his character grew without any easy solutions offered to help him out. He will have to live with the consequences of his own misdeeds as well as accept the weight of being the heir to Zeus Hotel and a father who is abusive but cares for him and might even be a future felon. In the end he found a measure of peace with his lot in life, I dig that.

If Tan and Eun Sang floats your boat then paddle away happily on it, but for me their romance and individual characters all fell so flat. Tan was written to be cool and easy to swoon over, what with his immediate fixation on Eun Sang and then total and complete pursuit of her. The problem is that Tan only ever amounted to that in the journey we saw. I don’t like male leads like that, especially since he used his feelings for Eun Sang to justify all sorts of shitty behavior towards others like breaking the engagement with Rachel and embarrassing her. He’s not a bad person, but as a leading man he was wanting in having a life and interests outside of his love for Eun Sang. At least it was tempered a bit by his desire to protect his mom. Eun Sang is the textbook definition of Candy heroine and whatever bits of personality she had in the beginning of the drama was overwhelmed by the extended story line of her unexpected and reluctant romance with Tan. This is one drama where those two should have gotten together early so the drama could be about the confronting obstacles together. I’m happy this drama delivered a happy ending however devoid of proper context and well-laid justification. I enjoyed it more than I disliked it, the music was pretty terrible but a few OST songs were lovely, the OTP kissing was blergh all around but I got a kick out of Tan and Young Do fighting because of the throwback neanderthal vibe of it all, and overall I think it’s a inoffensive drama for a casual watch. It should have been so much more but I’ll save that lament for another day when another drama comes along. Thanks Heirs! I had fun, I think?

Click here to watch Heirs.


Comments

Heirs/The Inheritors Episode 20 Recap — 75 Comments

  1. You’re so fast! Thank you Koala! The show has been terrible but I still had some fun time thanks to your recap. Now maybe will you recap Beautiful Man (Bel Ami)? It would be really nice.

    • Oh sorry I just realized that my tone was impolite, it sounded like I ordered you around there. What I really meant was that it would be great to read your analysis of the show.

    • ah huh.. and I can only conclude one thing, Tan’s fashion sense didn’t change a bit even after 10 years.. wow! at least that’s consistent.

      • hhmmmmm… I was referring to Kim Tan’s but come to think of it… The character and the actor has almost the same taste. But whatever, He’s still my baby, hihihihi

  2. I liked Heirs. No regrets. But i will not miss it.
    For me, i really loved KT-ES couple. They were cute when allowed. YD-ES were boring for me because it was one-sided for YD.

    • And the ending was just as Hideous as LMH’s one piece suit (if you can call that a suit) @the party!! My Lord what Where They Thinking!!???! Uff :/

  3. Ms.Koala your feedback is always equivalent to being splashed on by a bucket of cold water. It’s sobering in the worst possible way. Especially in this case since I am obsessed with Heirs and am one of those hopeless fans who are all in for a second round some time in the near future. If I think neutrally, you were right on all counts except the OTP having no chemistry. I thought they had hordes of it! As you said, it DID sail my boat. Anyways, keep giving us reality checks and keep up the good work!

  4. i haven’t actually watched the episodes yet, but just following your fast and detailed recaps. It seems like they ended the drama, where the loose ends were tied just for the sake of tying it up but leaving a lot WTFs and questions.. More of a head scratcher. It confirmed my fears that it will turn out to be more of a bark than bite. Oh, well…

  5. I didn’t watch this, but read the recaps. Or I should say, fixated on the purple lipstick. Why oh why do the makeup teams put purple lipstick on almost everybody? It looks awful.
    Just my two cents.

  6. This wasn’t the best drama for Lee Min Ho or Park Shin Hye, but I’m so happy it has benefited Kim Woo Bin. He’s an excellent actor, I loved how he expressed Young Do feelings. And I loveeee his eyebrows!!! ❤❤❤❤ I love strong eyebrows and he rocks them, he controls them very well helping his performance. I want to see more of him in future projects. Has anybody seen ‘Friends 2′ where can I watch it? Is it good? Sorry for the fan girl outburst, btw.

  7. My feelings for this drama can be summed up in one word: meh.

    (And I still don’t see any chemistry between Park Shin Hye and Kim Woo Bin. On his side, sure, because he just exudes charisma, but not on hers.)

    Thanks for the recap, MsK! 🙂

  8. I watch this drama just for only Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hey pairing. Could not careless for anything else. And I like their sweet kisses too. Though I was expecting a bit more with the last kiss. But oh well what’s done is done. Time to move on. I’m glad it’s over they all can have a good sleep 🙂

  9. This drama got a 5 out of 10 for me. It was somewhat interesting enough to keep me watching until the end, but yet, it was frustrating because some of the things that happen did not make any sense.

    • Chan Young and Bo Na’s relationship is the perfect kind of high school romance, they have such good chemistry together even in their lil scenes

    • Even with recaps, i scan through till i see mention of either Bona or Chanyoung and read that paragraph. Rinse and repeat. Sigh…..

      Last night, i was shocked and totally delighted to be bombarded with Bona-Chanyoung kissing picsies on twitter from random ppl. They were in agreement that Krystal and MinHyuk should be the next WGM couple. lol. I would support them too.

  10. Seriously, WTFF all over the place. Glad that the drama is over. I really won’t miss it but I still can’t believe they wasted so many good actors and characters at the same time. The big thing that Hyoshing wanted to do was enlisting in the army ? SERIOUSLY ? Ji Sook and Chairman Daddy smiling and giggling at Tan’s party like nothing happened, seriously ? And Won and Hyun Joo not getting an happy ending … SERIOUSLY ? I could have understood/feel something if they showed us more of their lovelines but noooo, we have got 5 seconds in each episode, so how come we can feel sad about their romance ? Though, it’s heartbreaking to see Won like that.
    SERIOUSLY, I thought they were going to use the idea of The Heirs in its fullest but so far, I get the title of the drama but I don’t get it either. GAH, Man from Another Star, come to me fast and make me forget The Heirs ASAP.

    • Honestly it was heartbreaking to see Won like that but only because I love the actor Choi Jin Hyuk he makes me feel so much which is why I am still in love with him as Daddy Gu 🙂

  11. it was amazing journey i loved everysecond f it ‘! im crying just imagining that i will not watch this anymore
    haters BUUUUUUUUUUUUURN !!

  12. THANK YOU!
    Spot-on with your analysis of Heirs, Ms. Koala, in particular : “… KT and CES were like two wet towels rung repeatedly to milk the tears and emotion by sheer brute force.” At some point I didn’t care about them anymore and I could connect with them either. Overall I have several issues with the writing and I don’t like the messages that are included either (e.g. bullying is never ok and girls are not objects, which can be pushed between boys!!!). Not to mention the denouement of the conflicts.

    Apart from the writing, another problem is the casting of PSH & LMH as a pair, as Ms. Koala has emphasized in the other thread: “….it’s not the fault of either of them, but if one was cast then the other shouldn’t. Does that make sense?” YES, it absolutely does! PSH & LMH together = totally friendzoned couple!!! And not only on behalf of PSH, but also from LMH. All who have said, that she looked enduring & suffering in their kissing scenes, I would like to stress that he looked equally unconvincing in his ‘feelings’ for her in these scences, too. Sometimes I wonder if the admiration for LMH leads fans to believe, he has chemistry with everybody he’s paired with – even with a stone. Especially, if the undoubtedly evidence of his leading lady sparkling with the second guy is thrown in your face, as it happens here (ES-YD).

    I’m with all the other comments, who have pointed out during the whole series, that they couldn’t see ES-KT romantic chemistry. There are other OTPs in Dramaland where you actually can see & feel what chemistry in rom-com should be: sizzling sparkles flying everywhere (despite age gaps or unbalanced attractiveness in the OTP). And I’m not talking about make-out- and kiss-scenes. Just in general two people with the vibes of a real One TRUE Pairing, not just friends.

    That said, I also looooooved BN-CY. Their interaction was so cute and they played it so sweet, that I waited every episode for their scenes. One of the few highlights of Heirs, apart from the moms, some witty dialogues and -of course- KWB (who made a despicable charcater bearable).

    A real pity that so much potential was so hugely wasted: cast-wise and to a lesser degree story-wise (b/c after all it’s a rom-com, it’s allowed to be fluffy, but then you have to limit the angst). If I had one wish for Heirs, it would be a tighter and more focused writing with a suitable & contemporary message in 16 eps. Ok, that’s more than one wish.

    • Where’s the Like button? You said everything I wanted to say.
      This drama could have been great but instead we got a lot of meh mixed with wtfery

  13. THAT’S IT?! The only thing I liked about Heirs was the Won/Hyun-Joo romance (because of the actors) and it SUCKED! I can’t believe it ended like that! -__- major disappointment!

    • Same here -_- But what can we expect from a drama that was as limp as a wet towel from start to finish? What a waste of good actors, especially these 2.

  14. Thank you Mz.Koala. Finally done! I think I will skip watching the drama… I watched up to episode 12 and could not continue anymore. Reading your recap is good and satisfying. I don’t think I can tolerate their lame kissing scenes, yuk 🙁

    • me too I couldn’t watch it anymore though I like the side characters but it wasn’t interesting enough to hold my atention 😐
      the kissing scenes are just bleeeehhhh!

    • Oh,and the only redeeming thing that came out of this series? My newfound obsession…er, love, for actor Kim Woo Bin! I began watching this series solely because of Lee Min Ho, but about halfway through, I found myself completely succumbing to Kim Woo Bin’s charms. On paper, I didn’t love his character, Choi Young Do – sure, he was misunderstood, but I couldn’t get on board with his misogynistic and cruel behavior – but somehow Kim Woo Bin managed to make him vulnerable and in the end, quite sympathetic.

  15. This drama was not really great but there was some nices moments!

    The character of Young Do was nice and Kim Woo Bin was really great in this role : mean, mad, sad, in love etc… I was thinking that I never saw him in a relationship in a drama. It sucks!!!

    I loved the couple Bo Na and Chan Young, they were so cute and normal.

    I loved too Hyo Shin and Rachel, they’re funny and cute.

    The main couple was nice in USA but after it was a little bit boring.

  16. >sigh<…i just read the recaps for this drama… thank you Koala for your recaps! ur recaps and thoughts on the drama made this drama a lot more interesting for me…this drama was o-k-ay, not great.…it could have been better, but no harm, no foul…moving on to the next drama for me..

  17. I don’t know but I didn’t see any great chemistry between KWB & PSH….their scenes were dull and boring….it was all fine but not more than that….

    Despite all flaws, I really liked Heirs a lot and LMH and PSH were simply awesome together….

  18. did anyone else get a serious titanic vibe from the 10 yrs later scene. it was shoot just like that scene in titanic when she imagined what it could have been like everyone smiling happily same camera angles etc etc.

    besides that im now ready for my next lee min ho show, I swear all the other actors almost jump from show to show but he only does 1 a year =((((

    • LOL, I noticed that for sure. It was shot the exact same way, camera movements and all, with the staircase and everything. I was like, how come no one is talking about this????

      Glad to see I’m not the only one that noticed! 🙂

  19. Was not a bad drama or ending but it left me wanting more.. They did not resolve half the questions popped up! They literally just ended it cause it was 20 episodes… so disappointed.

    The story would have been better if they went with the false “leaked” story with Eun Sang really being an heiress and time jump! Along with Kim Tan and Young Do becoming friends again.

    The only character that benefited from this drama was Young Do he actually changed! Everyone stayed the same.

    I would not mind a spinoff drama solely on Young Do, Lee Hyo Shin, Lee Bo Na and Chan Young they were the only interesting character i loomed forward to!

  20. I don’t why you guys can’t feel the love btw Tan and Eunsang? All those stares looking into each other eyes like that… Especially at the birthday party. If it wasn’t love in those eyes I don’t know what is? You guys have grudges against my OTP.. It’s Romeo and Juliet feelings..

  21. the weight of the crown. i guess Won bears the weight of it. he sacrificed himself in a way. The Heir wasn’t the best drama ever but i enjoyed watching it. Thanks for the recaps!

  22. Thank you for the recaps , Ms Koala. I appreciate all your hard work. Usually, I read the recap before watching the episode, but I’ve already seen the final. This is my #1 disappointment drama for 2013. What happened? I’m gonna watch City Hall again if I get snowed in this weekend…and cry about what might have been.

  23. What a flat and boring finale; LMH and PSE= boring!
    Young Do: Mindblowing; KWB: show stealer!
    KT’s mom: adorable!
    I felt sad for Won and HyunJoo; I wish Chan Young’s Dad and Rachel’s mom will get together.
    Please LMH, you don’t pass for a high schooler…be a man next time!!!
    I’m frustrated that this writer will think she’s good since the show passed 25%.

  24. I felt nothing big ever happened in this drama..Except Eun Sang left momentarily and Tan goes to look for her. The rest are just little bits about other characters. Somewhat makes me feel this drama has too much cast and just 20 eps to squeeze it all in.

  25. Thought the last episode was a touch slow but sad it came to the end. I have to say yes it could’ve done better but didnt have much expectation. So i greatly enjoyed KT and CES characters and others as well. Thank you for the 20 episodes journey!

  26. The entire drama was a hodgepodge, from cast to stories. They put in all the hearthrobs and teenyboppers and made them re-enact best scenes from top rated dramas. Haha.
    I never bought the LMH-PSY love team, Mother & ahjumma gave me more funny & touching moments. Don’t get me wrong, I still love LMH and PSY – SEPARATELY. Maybe the story & direction is not just right for them. It was a waste using two talented actors in a convoluted story that didn’t went anywhere. The only thing I’m thankful about Heirs is introducing me to Kim Woo Bin. The most touching or should I say, the only touching scene I experienced with this drama is the reunion of Young Do and his mother.

  27. I was watching Marry Him If You Dare and Heirs at the same time. I’m wondering if my total disgust and anger with the course of MHIYD made me go easier on Heirs than I would have. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, but I wasn’t unhappy with it except that I actually wanted Rachel and Hyo Shin to realize that maybe they could fall in love instead of pining away for people who just weren’t that into them. Even though I wanted the OTP to end up together, I agree that Kim Woo Bin was a total scene stealer. He was lucky to actually get a well-written character to work with.

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