This review may contain spoilers
This is a decent show if you like teen soap operas. It felt like the Korean version of Beverly Hills teens with all the standard kdrama tropes, so if you’re looking for a inspiring, thoughtful plot that explores adolescence, growing up and gives you all sorts of life lessons, this is not it. Maybe the Reply series might be a better bet. For one thing, the theme of this drama is “He who bears the crown must carry its weight.” It explores what it’s like to be a chaebol heir and the things one has to struggle with and give up…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, but this is not exactly a universal thing that many people can relate to.
I feel that a lot of dramas start out with a very strong first eight episodes and unfortunately their plots go awry and you get either a bad or, at best, lackluster set of last episodes and ending. The Heirs was the opposite for me. The first eight episodes, despite the beautiful landscapes that were filmed abroad, I found a bit slow and this is why I was only able to finish the series on my third try. The plot picked up and the pacing became faster in the last 10 episodes, where they added the family drama and business political machinations that framed the main love story. The main issue for me was the pacing because I felt that this would have been better with 16 episodes. The plot felt very draggy and stretched out at times and I would’ve given this a higher rating if it weren't for that.
When this first came out, a lot of people complained about the lack of chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye, but I didn't see any problem with it. Did they have a convincing portrayal of a young couple in love? I think they did...it’s just that they were playing specific character types that viewers either like or don't like.
I know someone in real life who won’t watch anything Lee Min Ho is in. I have another friend who won’t watch anything with Park Shin Hye. I used to not like her because of this drama…but now that I’ve seen her quirkier side in Pinocchio, etc. my opinion of her improved. She plays the typical, sweet kind girl here and she does it well. Lee Min Ho tends to be very expressionless, but he has scenes here (like the one where he thought Eun Sang left him) where he effectively displays emotions such as despair. I think the character of Kim Tan is basically the Korean version of the second male lead (Rui Hanazawa/Hua Ze Lei) from Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden…except this time, he gets the girl. The second male lead, Choi Yong Do, played very well by Kim Wo Bin, had all the qualities that you normally find in a male lead (bad boy turned good, etc) but in here, these qualities are rightfully shown as red flags. Kim Tan used to be such a character, but he changed and because of the goodness he was able to display at the right time when he met Eun Sang, they instantly hit it off. I normally don’t like love triangles and thankfully, they don’t dwell too much on it. Kim Wo Bin may be more charismatic than Lee Min Ho, but he had no chemistry with Park Shin Hye, IMHO, and when his character finally turns good, the main couple are already pretty solid. Thankfully, he chooses to become their friend and becomes a good ally.
The side characters, especially the one played by Crystal, are delightful. She basically gave the show its lighter moments and I smiled every time she was on screen. Rachel Yoo, played by Kim Ji Won (Queen of Tears) played the antagonist and while I don’t like the things she did, she came across as sympathetic and in fact, seemed to get along with the others and make her peace with them at the end. The only character I didn’t care for was the male lead’s older brother, Kim Won. He was very cruel to his younger brother. I got why he behaved the way he did, but his younger brother was not to blame for what happened to him. Good thing he turned out decent in the end. He basically fulfills the theme of the show and has to give up the girl he loves to get the power he wants. It was all for the best because, the dynamic between him and his teacher girlfriend, while it had its similarities with the main couple, felt very imbalanced. Despite the wealth gap between Kim Tan and Eun Sang, they still felt like equals and when they talked to each other, felt like an actual couple. But every time Kim Won and his girlfriend (I can’t even remember her name) were onscreen, it felt like he was talking down to her and their interactions didn’t feel as sincere.
I feel that a lot of dramas start out with a very strong first eight episodes and unfortunately their plots go awry and you get either a bad or, at best, lackluster set of last episodes and ending. The Heirs was the opposite for me. The first eight episodes, despite the beautiful landscapes that were filmed abroad, I found a bit slow and this is why I was only able to finish the series on my third try. The plot picked up and the pacing became faster in the last 10 episodes, where they added the family drama and business political machinations that framed the main love story. The main issue for me was the pacing because I felt that this would have been better with 16 episodes. The plot felt very draggy and stretched out at times and I would’ve given this a higher rating if it weren't for that.
When this first came out, a lot of people complained about the lack of chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye, but I didn't see any problem with it. Did they have a convincing portrayal of a young couple in love? I think they did...it’s just that they were playing specific character types that viewers either like or don't like.
I know someone in real life who won’t watch anything Lee Min Ho is in. I have another friend who won’t watch anything with Park Shin Hye. I used to not like her because of this drama…but now that I’ve seen her quirkier side in Pinocchio, etc. my opinion of her improved. She plays the typical, sweet kind girl here and she does it well. Lee Min Ho tends to be very expressionless, but he has scenes here (like the one where he thought Eun Sang left him) where he effectively displays emotions such as despair. I think the character of Kim Tan is basically the Korean version of the second male lead (Rui Hanazawa/Hua Ze Lei) from Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden…except this time, he gets the girl. The second male lead, Choi Yong Do, played very well by Kim Wo Bin, had all the qualities that you normally find in a male lead (bad boy turned good, etc) but in here, these qualities are rightfully shown as red flags. Kim Tan used to be such a character, but he changed and because of the goodness he was able to display at the right time when he met Eun Sang, they instantly hit it off. I normally don’t like love triangles and thankfully, they don’t dwell too much on it. Kim Wo Bin may be more charismatic than Lee Min Ho, but he had no chemistry with Park Shin Hye, IMHO, and when his character finally turns good, the main couple are already pretty solid. Thankfully, he chooses to become their friend and becomes a good ally.
The side characters, especially the one played by Crystal, are delightful. She basically gave the show its lighter moments and I smiled every time she was on screen. Rachel Yoo, played by Kim Ji Won (Queen of Tears) played the antagonist and while I don’t like the things she did, she came across as sympathetic and in fact, seemed to get along with the others and make her peace with them at the end. The only character I didn’t care for was the male lead’s older brother, Kim Won. He was very cruel to his younger brother. I got why he behaved the way he did, but his younger brother was not to blame for what happened to him. Good thing he turned out decent in the end. He basically fulfills the theme of the show and has to give up the girl he loves to get the power he wants. It was all for the best because, the dynamic between him and his teacher girlfriend, while it had its similarities with the main couple, felt very imbalanced. Despite the wealth gap between Kim Tan and Eun Sang, they still felt like equals and when they talked to each other, felt like an actual couple. But every time Kim Won and his girlfriend (I can’t even remember her name) were onscreen, it felt like he was talking down to her and their interactions didn’t feel as sincere.
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