Director: Kang Shin-hyo and Boo Sung-Chul
Episodes: 20
Cast: Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-Hye, and Kim Woo-bin.
Music: Park Se-Joon
Streaming: Netflix, MX Player, and Viki
Synopsis:
A young couple, belonging to families with contrasting backgrounds, must navigate through various societal restrictions and fight against the norms held up by the chaebol families.
The Heirs K-Drama Review:
This is not a high school but a college drama. It’s the burden of being too rich & connected. How the rich bully & do anything to get their way. Marriage is arranged by force & parent believes in force to get their kids what they want.
It’s a vicious circle, the kids are exactly like the parents. It’s actually terrible to watch the deceit, lies, betrayal, bullying, stupidity, gossiping, parents’ dream, suffocation, phony, immaturity, spoiled brats & pitiful. Some people are just so vicious.
The story was a bit cliche but the way it is presented is wonderful. On the surface, it’s a story of a rich boy falling for a poor girl. To make things more cliche, the girl is the maid’s daughter. And then the maid is mute.
Throw in high school bullies, ex-best-friend after the girl (also rich), and a best friend of the girl who protects her (but is ‘poor’, so he is not a suitor). CLICHES CLICHES CLICHES. But the way the story is presented is a breath of fresh air.
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The kind of humor that is used is just awesome. There are so many instances I want to add here but they would spoil. The humor used here is something you have seen in Secret Garden and A Gentleman’s Dignity. The writer has written a formulated story but she is true to her style and that made this drama extremely special.
It’s like she is saying “Let me twist these cliches around and present them with a new point of view”. And it worked (for me anyway). Coming to characters. This is the difficult part. I must tell you I love Lee Min Ho’s every show and series. Kim Tan is someone you would either love or hate. There is seriously no in-between.
You would expect him to be someone like Cu Jun Pyo but Kim Tan is a mature version of Jun Pyo. Somebody who has bullied others in the past but now wants to live a more meaningful life.
But the similarity is the kind of devotion to his girlfriend that he brings to life again, which would definitely remind you of BOF (Boys Over Flowers). Aside from his atrocious wardrobe, I loved his character.
Park Shin Hye’s finest role would always be Pinocchio. But here, she is not half-bad. I mean, sure, she has been given a typical role of a damsel in distress, working hard, and being chased by rich guys. But she is good in her role.
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It is much better than Flower Boy Next Door. Choi Young Does steal the thunder. I loved Woo Bin in School in 2013 but I liked it more here. and I have lost count of the number of times I wanted him to get the girl or have the happiest ending of them all. He was the rough diamond of the show. The biggest surprise.
The rest of the characters were also awesome. The adults. The relationship between Kim Tan and Eun Sang’s moms was endearing and a high note of this show. But I seriously feel that Kim Tan’s “on-paper” mom was wasted here. She was unforgettable in Secret Garden. Lee Bo Na was another amazing character. I loved Secretary Yoon and his son.
Kim Tan’s brother was great, I loved their relationship journey. Kim Ji Won held her own. Kang Ha Neul and Im Ju Eun seemed a little wasted on this show. But overall everyone was great. The music was something that stayed with me for a long time after the show ended.
Usually, I download a couple of songs from a drama I love but here I downloaded all of them because I was obsessed with the OST. My personal favorite was “Crying Again” by Moon Myung Jin. And of course, it was fun to guess whether “Love is the Moment” is going to start playing or “Love is Feeling” in the background.
Verdict:
I would like to say that this drama tries to give a lighter and more realistic feel to the cliches and shows us the non-cliche consequences of the cliches.
The way Eun Sang’s mom uses her notebook is hilarious. A typical drama would portray her as a pitiful character but she is funny and strong in her own way and holds her own despite her poverty. This drama is really great if you let go of your expectations.
