Kdrama Review: The Heirs (AKA "Secret Garden" and "City Hunter" had a baby)


I can’t even… my feeeeeeeeeeeeeeels!



I don’t usually watch recently aired Korean TV shows, but after thoroughly enjoying “Man from the Stars” I decided to go ahead a watch another drama from within the last year: the highly-anticipated, star-studded, the one, the only, “The Heirs”! Written by Kim Eun Sook, who also wrote “Secret Garden” (my favorite drama), and starring Lee Min Ho of “City Hunter” (also another favorite). Also starring… a ridiculous number of Korean celebrities. Where to begin? Here’s my rendition of the cast list:

Mr. Terrible Sweater (Kim Tan): Lee Min Ho (LMH) of “Boys Over Flowers” and “City Hunter”
Miss Lost Puppy (Cha Eun Sang): wide-eyed Park Shin Hye of “You’re Beautiful” and “Heartstrings”
Creeper (Choi Young Do): Kim Woo Bin – Okay, IDK where he came from, but he should def stick around (Apparently he’s a model)
Best Friend (Yoon Chan Young): Kang Min Hyuk of “Heartstrings” and band CN Blue
Miss Ditz (Lee Bo Na): Krystal Jung of kpop group F(x)
Sunbae (Lee Hyo Shin): Kang Ha Neul of various musicals
Big Brother (Kim Won): Choi Jin Hyuk of “Emergency Couple” (haven’t seen)
Smiley (Jo Myung Soo): Park Hyung Sik of kpop group ZE:A

The cast is bigger than that, but you get the gist.

Anyway, with all the hype about “Heirs,” I tried not to have too high of expectations, just in case. I mean, the premise reads like BOF: the drama of ridiculously wealthy high school students, including a clique of attractive bullies, oh and the male lead falls head over heels for a poor girl, which naturally results in evil parents trying to stop their love, etc etc. This story’s been done did told five years ago. LMH is getting a little old for the school uniform.

But writer Kim Eun Sook turned all those plot clichés on their heads so beautifully, I can barely put into words how much I enjoyed this drama! I’m a sucker for good story, and “The Heirs” is full to the brim with excellent plots! I spent several minutes trying to sum up all the plotlines in this drama and failed. I estimate that there are at least eight of them, and of course they’re all interconnected – and brilliant. It’s easier to think of the drama in sections: the first part primarily takes place in California, the next part focuses on the love triangle back in Korea, and the final part depicts company/family politics. The process of character development is amazing and believable. I love it!

Some may disagree, but I like “The Heirs” better than “Man from the Stars.” MFTS was a little too Twilight-esque for me, with two great guys falling for a klutzy girl and the boyfriend having superpowers that include the ability to eavesdrop, watch her sleep, save her life, etc. “Heirs” won me over not only with excellent story, but amazing acting. This drama took LMH to a whole new level. I could feel his anger and believed his depression. I honestly hated Creeper Young Do from his first scene. He’s so dang good at being evil. And, I mean, Park Shin Hye is an expert at crying.

Speaking of Miss Lost Puppy, I should probably mention my least favorite part of “The Heirs”: WEAK FEMALE LEAD and her subsequent male-dominated dating relationship. I’m trying to be understanding of her character… She’s a gentle spirit, a quiet and compassionate soul. She’s not Jan Di, and she shouldn’t try to be. But there were moments when I stared at my screen and said, “Grow a spine.” She was consistently scared and obedient. Your boyfriend should not be able to order you to come, go, sit, stay. Cha Eun Sung, make up your mind and stop running away. Ugh.

Thankfully there was so much else going on in “Heirs” that I didn’t have much time to be annoyed with Female Lead. Chan Young and Bo Na win Best Couple in my book! The only other drawback in this drama was the depiction of America in the first few episodes. The terrible English, the stereotypes… I laughed. Kdrama should stay in Korea.

Those are the only remotely negative aspects I can even come up with while reflecting on this drama. It’s that good. Some of the endings were sad, extra bitter in the bittersweet, but I appreciated the realism. The heirs in “The Heirs” inherit careers and unfathomable wealth, as well as greed and broken relationships. The lucky ones are people like Kim Tan, who realize the quest for success can cost you everything, and love (whether in a family or a significant other) is not worth sacrificing for the plush and power of an inheritance.

Comments

  1. Unknown18 October, 2019 03:58

    Oh my god, I feel the same way. I’m such a sucker for love stories. But personally, even though I love Lee Minho, I fell for Woobin hard.

    ReplyDelete

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