The Inheritors or He Who Wishes to Wear the Crown Endures Its Weight --The Heirs -- is actually not my first kdrama since 2002. I've seen a few on Netflix Korean and Japanese dramas but none grabbed my attention as The Heirs had done. It all started when Janice De Belen posted a scene on her instagram account and I'm not sure if it was the caption or she wouldn't keep mum about Lee Min Ho, or something else, that it lured me to open a Viki account and marathon the 20-episode series.
The story definitely, is easy-watch. It doesn't annoy or makes you think deep and hard. I couldn't grasp the charisma of Lee Min Ho or Kim Woo Bin. They're tall though and are believable as bullies. I was more fascinated with Park Shin-Hye's character Cha Eun-Sang -- such a brave girl to venture to Los Angeles with little money and only a few words of English in her hand carry. A maid's ( ok, housekeeper's) daughter in Seoul, a hardworking lass who works part-time jobs during school breaks and after school hours, she wanted to embrace her older sister's world and try her luck in a western setting. But her sister wasn't a university student as she discovered but lives a down-on-her-luck existence in the US. Once the sister grabbed the pile of cash from her luggage, we never see the sister ever again. We hear about her in episode 20, a passing reference, a good use of a plot device as one comment implies.
The Heirs is male-centric in nature. The central theme is the torture of Lee Min Ho's character Kim Tan and his rich-boy problems, the conflicts with his half-brother, chairman father and ex-best friend. It's inconceivable to exile a 15-year old to live on his own in a mansion in Hollywood with no adult supervision. But that's the opening sequences of the drama. Even at 18 or (was it 17?), it's still too young to loiter independently in that gorgeous, huge abode with its infinity pool and fantastic view. I don't see an aunt to nag Kim Tan about schoolwork or cleaning ladies coming or going. On my first viewing, it took me a few more episodes to realise the main characters are still in high school.
So as the damsel that needed to be rescued in LA, poor Cha Eun-sang crossed paths with rich Kim Tan. They bonded through California adventures and car-rides and mutual attractions were embedded in their psyche so early, you know this is it (unless you don't like both or either of the leads). But Kim Tan is already engaged to be married to a rich girl, the antagonist with a great pout (Kim Ji Won). Here, here, obstacles from the get-go. And when everybody is back in Korea studying in the same elite school, the saga of Kim Tan falling for his household housekeeper's daughter (coincidence?) begins. Cha Eun-sang was given a scholarship in the rich-people school as Kim Tan's father's way of reminding her, that it is not an option for a poor girl to fraternise with a rich heir of an empire as those snobby kids would point it out to her every single school day her status in the social hierarchy.
This is no Disney's Cinderella story, I feel for Cha Eun-sang's and her tears in this drama. She has the right to be scared. She has the right to be tearful. The kids in the new school are mean and bullies anyone who is poor and on scholarship. Kim Tan, the rich conglomerate ( they also own the school) second-son might have fallen for her, but that's a no-no in the real world. She reciprocates the feeling but she knows the repercussions are huge hence her hesitation to act on it. We're talking of power and money, a maid's daughter could never fathom. Then there's Choi Young-do, (Kim Woo Bin), Kim Tan's former best friend, now erstwhile enemy, only heir of a hotel magnate and the school's lead bully, also falling for Cha Eun-sang, whose idea to win a girl over is to trip her or better yet, trip her while she's holding her lunch tray. I guess despite the his example of a metaphor, pushing someone in the pool, is not cool, dude. That's mean. I give him chops though for character development in the latter episodes. He behaved better than Kim Tan in the second half of the drama and hopefully has set aside his obnoxious ways and despite his declaration, be a friend to Cha Eun-sang.
The critique for the Cha Eun-sang character is the way she wallows in misery when she's in a love triangle with two heirs of empire. What good any of the union with either of these rich boys give her, given the disapproval of the rich families and society? Maybe a lift home from school or from one of her part time jobs every now and then?
Kim Tan, is the son of his father with his live-in partner, his mistress. But in the family register, he is listed as the son of the second wife, never divorced and the principal of the elite high school. His older brother, Kim Won (Choi Jin Hyuk), the one who exiled him to California and the president of the company, is the son of the late first wife (who was Korean-American). Won and Tan are the heirs of the largest shareholder of a big conglomerate, there should be a power-struggle. But at 18, all Kim Tan wants is an escape from the arranged engagement and be with Cha Eun-sang. Could this young love lead to a royal wedding or fade into a memory? Add to that his desire to have his real mother be recognised and walk along the streets in her pricey designer wardrobe.
There's a happy ending for the OTP ( a given). After all the tears, the threats, the running away, the slaps, the exchange of harsh words, plane tickets to Buenos Aires, the absence from school, the shareholders voting, it was the brother, Kim Won, who was the game-changer in the Tan-Eun Sang couple. The main Dad was all threats, no definitive action.
The other students of the school or the actors in the poster are memorable -- they're now big names --from Kang Minhyuk (he's CN Blue drummer, although at this writing all members of CN Blue are serving in the military), Krystal, Kang Haneul, Park Hyungsik (a big name on every popularity poll). Although I really want to see DOTS, I couldn't, because I couldn't yet move on from the Kim Ji Won slap.
The story might be light, full of necessary or unnecessary tears, cliche in most aspects. But it's popular. Lee Min Ho and Park Shin-hye were playing high-schoolers, years younger than their actual ages. But the mark of good actors is to be able to portray characters whether older and younger. In Heirs, it's just a longer than usual throwback. Besides, I reckon this drama really catapults every one to stardom. It's a reference point. Like Lee Min-ho's and Park Shin-hye's name are forever attached on google. Lee Min-ho is huge. He's got a few followers in my workplace who are not happy that he's doing mandatory enlistment right now. He's got loads of followers on Drama Fever, the others are not even close. He's top four on Viki every single month. So is Park Shin-hye, her Instagram followers might not be as many as the other kids, like the Kpop idols or those younger ladies who had a bit of tweaks here and there. But it's not a low figure and she doesn't post a lot. I bet some web influencers could only dream of that number.
For the love chemistry, between Kim Tan and Cha Eun-sang, all those gazing into each other eyes. Yeah, worthy of a ship on screen and beyond. I don't get it why she had to sleep on the couch though, when they were forced to stay the night in the motel in the third episode. Isn't it more gentlemanly for him to give her the bed?
Culture-divide. That's one beef. No, I love you, dialogue? I still couldn't decipher if there was a lost in translation. It might be a running gag that both Eun-sang and Tan are ranked so low in school. But really, Cha Eun-sang should be ranked higher. Her part-time jobs should not be an excuse for poor academic standing while Tan has no excuse at all, with his resources and privilege.
