Heirs: Episode 1
by javabeans
Finally—and I mean FINALLY—we see the premiere of the most-hyped drama of the year, Heirs: He Who Wears the Crown, Endure Its Weight, which for purposes of efficiency and just plain sense we will be calling, simply, Heirs.
My biggest concern about Heirs would that it would be all hype, no follow-through. All talk, no action. All big names, no plotular significance. With the massive promo machine accompanying this drama—which got going about seven months in advance of its premiere, which is approximately six months more than the average other drama—you had to wonder if they were building it up to a fever pitch that no reasonable drama would be able to match in execution.
My reaction to the premiere: Measured optimism. I liked it. I know, I’m a little surprised that I did, but also relieved because I was pretty much going to watch this drama regardless. I see flashes of promise here and there, in between the parade of stars and starlets, poking its head out from behind the wall of embarrassing English. (I can NOT wait for the show to head back to Korea.) There are hints at emotional depth and layered characters—well, some of them, but as the ones I refer to are mainly the principal cast I think we’re fine on that score. And perhaps most importantly for a romantic comedy, I really like the leads together. There’s acting talent on both sides, individually, as well as character warmth and depth, and then you add in chemistry to the mix and I think we’re looking at a potential sensation. Just a hunch.
Okay, enough dithering. On to the show!
SONG OF THE DAY
Lee Hong-ki – “말이야” from the Heirs OST. [ Download ]
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EPISODE 1 RECAP
Southern California coastline. Our hero surfs the day away with his buddies, laughing it up and looking light-hearted. And then… a broody shower scene on the beach. HAHA. I dunno whatchoo got to be so angsty about, uber-rich teenager hero-manchild, but the music and mood tells us he is Very Serious On the Inside about something.
May as well introduce him off the bat: This is 18-year-old KIM TAN (pronounced tahn and not, say, like the English word tan. He’s played by Lee Min-ho, but you either knew that already or this is your first drama ever).
His narration tells us of the parting words with which his older brother sent him abroad to the States, so blunt and succinct: No need to get good grades, just have fun and live lightly. “People with money just eat and play—they don’t bother with dreams,” he’d said. “If possible, don’t even come back.”
And thus Tan realized that his study abroad was more like exile, and that his cold older brother was staking his claim on what he thought Tan might steal from him. Hyung’s name is KIM WON (Choi Jin-hyuk), and at 31 he’s the president of Jeguk (Empire) Group. Their father is the Jeguk chairman and Tan its future heir. But while there’s no literal throne at stake here, royalty seems an apt metaphor: There’s only one crown in this family, and Big Bro’s gonna wear it.
Tan sits at a cafe and is served by a waitress who speaks to him in Korean. (Why hello there, Yoon Jin-seo, what are you doing in Heirs?) Overacting American Friend asks how Tan feels about his family relationships, or rather his lack of them. Doesn’t it sting that nobody’s on his side? Tan just looks around idly and thinks, “I’m too lazy to hate anyone.”
Next we meet CHOI YOUNG-DO (Kim Woo-bin), hotel heir and Big Man on Campus back in Seoul. He bullies a hapless fellow student with a baseball while his lackeys snicker. Aw, why you gotta be an asshole, Woo-bin-ah? His good cheer makes his actions all the more chilling, because everything is laced with underlying menace.
But more than being hit by the ball or mocked, the sense of terror comes from Young-do’s icy reminder that no matter what the victim does, his fate is sealed: His life will continue to be this way forever, and one day these bullies will be his employers.
Young-do gives the guy props for standing up to him, then leaves with a pleasant “See ya after vacation.” Behind him, his sidekicks start the beating.
Young-do drops by a motorcycle shop, where our heroine drops in to deliver a food order. She’s CHA EUN-SANG (Park Shin-hye), a no-nonsense high school student who won’t take crap from anyone (yay for that), calling the cops right away when a couple of the shop ajusshis harass her for a date. The ajusshi hastily backs the hell off, and she marches out to make her next delivery. She catches Young-do’s eye, at least for a moment.
As though we weren’t sure she were a poor Candy girl, she’s got a whole string of part-time jobs. Her friend drops by the cafe where she works; he’s YOON CHAN-YOUNG (Kang Min-hyuk), a platonic childhood buddy who has a girlfriend and encourages Eun-sang to find herself a boyfriend. She scoffs that any time spent not earning money is a waste. Chan-young eyes her with pity, though I’d say Eun-sang has no use for his pity. I do like that about her.
Then, a shrill voice orders Chan-young to look elsewhere—ha, this is the girlfriend, and right away we can tell she’s the high-maintenance type. Her name’s LEE BO-NA (Krystal), she’s an heir (to Mega Entertainment), and she shoots Eun-sang a glare, ordering her to stop flirting with her boyfriend.
Eun-sang is used to Bo-na’s possessive nature and has perfected the way to disarm her fuse with wry nonpliments about how Bo-na’s plenty pretty and how Eun-sang is too busy for this. I get the sense that Bo-na knows she’s being mocked but isn’t quite smart enough to figure out how (it’s all in the tone). Haha. I’m liking Eun-sang more and more.
Bo-na drags Chan-young away, griping about how much she hates Eun-sang. He assures her that they’re buddies, and Bo-na snaps that guys and girls can’t be “just friends.”
Eun-sang launches into her own set of complaints about Bo-na on the phone, although her rant goes unheard by her unni. On the other end of the line, unni is having a fight with her boyfriend in English—ah, this is Yoon Jin-seo. Ignoring the terrrrible English (cringe cringe), unni calls the guy trash. The guy slaps her in the face and says, and I quote, “Bitch get out of my house.”
On her way home, Eun-sang gets caught in the rain and pauses under an awning, where the dreamcatchers in the storefront catch her eye and bring a smile to her face.
Chan-young is on good terms with his father, as we witness as they cook dinner together and chat about his upcoming plans to move to the States. Bo-na insists on following him there, but he hasn’t had a chance to tell Eun-sang yet, with her up to her neck in part-time jobs. As for Eun-sang’s mother, well, Dad refers to her as “the center of power for Jeguk Group”…
…in the sense that she is the Jeguk family housekeeper. She’s also mute, writing her responses on a notepad she carries with her. Mom is warned that the madam of the house is emotional tonight, given that her son (Tan) is ignoring her calls.
Madam Han is on rather rocky terms with stepson Won; when told he has arrived, she downs her wine before he can see her—for whatever reason, she’s not allowed to drink. Hm, so she’s the lady of the house but Won has power over her. That’s interesting, and rather sageuk-like.
Mom scrambles to hide the wineglass for her employer when Won appears. He barely spares a glance for his stepmother as he coldly orders his room cleaned again. Madam Han orders a replacement wine bottle sent to her room, forgoing dinner: “If I were able to swallow any food after suffering this indignity, I’d be a concubine.” So perhaps the sageuk allusions are intentional, then.
Mom wraps up the mistress’s dinner to take home to Eun-sang, telling her that eating and surviving is the most important thing so she should just take it without complaints. Eun-sang says with a bite to her voice, “Is it my fault we live like this?” Is that resentment I hear?
Eun-sang stomps to her tiny room and tearfully blames her sister for leaving them to live in comfort on her own (she’s supposedly going to college in California, though I have my doubts). Then Mom gives her a bankbook to send a large chunk of funds to America—unni is getting married.
Eun-sang is awash in curiosity over her sister’s impending marriage, while Mom is content to stay out of it. She won’t go to the States for the wedding lest they dampen unni’s image, either. Eun-sang says defiantly that they’re not blots on unni’s character, and a slip of the tongue reveals that Eun-sang carries resentment for her sister running away from home. Ah, the subtext is that Eun-sang was left behind in poverty while unni skipped off into the sunset. So rather than wiring that money overseas, Eun-sang says she’ll deliver it in person.
Marriage is also the issue for another of our rich folks, YOO RACHEL (Kim Ji-won), heir to RS International, whose mother announces that she’ll be getting remarried. Rachel balks but Mom breezily tells her to prepare to meet her new daddy.
Rachel is dragged along to lunch, as is the son of her stepfather-to-be, whom we’ve already met as the bullying badass Young-do. Both teenagers sulk in silence while their parents chat pleasantly, occasionally letting out a scoff or sneer. And then Young-do brings the conversation to a screeching halt with the comment, “My sister is exactly my style.” Ha. Oh no you di’n’t.
Young-do’s rudeness earns him a slap to the face (now we see where he got his violent streak) and he leaves the room. Rachel follows him out, though it’s not out of any warm and fuzzy feelings, as she informs Young-do that she’s as opposed to their parents marrying as he is. However, she notes that he probably hates it more, since she is engaged to Kim Tan. And if both weddings happen as planned, then Tan becomes Young-do’s bro-in-law. Aw, is that too much ego for one family?
She think she’s got him all sized up, but Young-do surprises her: “I never said I hated this marriage.” He calls marriage in their class a business merger and points out that her mother holds a number of shares in Jeguk Group: “Who will end up with those?” His words cast a shadow over her face—does he have a point?
Eun-sang works yet another job scrubbing dishes, a Sisyphean task that comes close to cracking her composure today. When her boss asks about her school vacation plans, she answers frankly that she’s going to the States and doesn’t plan to return: “Unni getting married means she doesn’t intend to return to Korea, and that means I’m stuck forever washing dishes and living with my mother.” Leaving is an escape plan she’s been dreaming of for the past ten years.
She packs her things, putting away some blank notebooks for Mom’s use. Eun-sang flips through one of the used ones on the shelf, and the messages weigh down her heart—it’s all stuff like “I’m sorry madam” and “Please don’t be angry, madam.” She cries silently while flipping through the pages, and writes a message in a fresh book: “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll make something of myself and send for you. Wait just a little.”
Rachel plans a trip to California to see Tan, and while packing she and her mother bicker back and forth some more about Mom’s marriage. Basically her mother offers to cut her free (read: cut her off from her inheritance), and that gets Rachel to back down from her teenage rebelliousness.
Back in his beachfront estate, Tan ignores his calls from Rachel while narrating to us that at first, he’d thought of using his exile to rebel against his brother. But ultimately he ended up taking his advice and living easily, not thinking about too much.
Tan tells Overacting Surfer Bro-Dude that it’s his engagement anniversary, and the exceedingly uncomfortable English conversation at least provides us with one winner. Friend: “You look like none of that is a good thing.” Tan: “No, I always look this good.” (God, these California scenes make me cringe down to my soul. I’ll be so glad when they go back to Seoul.)
Eun-sang lands at LAX with a bit of wide-eyed little-girl-in-the-big-city nervousness. She clutches a page of carefully written notes as she makes her way outside, where she spots Rachel curbside answering a call in Korean. Rachel’s obviously lying (about Tan coming to pick her up and complimenting her about getting prettier), and Eun-sang smiles a bit to herself.
Rachel gets offended and calls her out on it, and after a failed attempted to pretend to be Japanese, Eun-sang apologizes. It wasn’t a mocking smile, though, she assures her—rather, she felt a sense of solidarity for not being the only one to land without a welcoming presence. That just rubs it in more for Rachel, whose mood darkens further.
More surfing. Eun-sang arrives on the pier and notices Tan briefly before continuing on her way. But when she arrives at the address, she’s puzzled at the rundown house and sketchy neighborhood. A sleazy duo answer the door, and Eun-sang fumbles for her English phrasebook. The guy hazards a guess and says her name—must’ve heard it from her sister at some point.
Eun-sang is let in and looks aghast at the frankly disgusting house. The floozy stomps out in a huff and Eun-sang asks the guy about her sister Stella. He laughs at the idea of them getting married and says unni doesn’t go to school, and Eun-sang demands to know where she is.
Tan turns down his friends’ invitation to party hardy, choosing instead to get introspective over his journal at his usual cafe. (“It’s when I’m writing that I think about the fact that I am thinking.”) It’s where Stella unni works, and she chats briefly with him before leaving him to write about how writing makes him think the thoughts that his brother told him not to think. Yeah, it’s all a bit meta, but everybody needs their phase of angsty adolescent journaling, right?
Back at Jeguk Group, Won heads a board meeting where he receives bad news about lower than expected sales for their premium shopping malls. In a nutshell, this scene tells us: (1) President Hyung is a hardass, (2) President Hyung has a tense relationship with Chairman Dad, who technically runs the company though he doesn’t come to work on a daily basis. Not that he needs to—he has eyes and ears in the company reporting to him, behind Won’s back. Hence the tension. Oh, and (3) Chan-young’s friendly dad is one of the board members and looks to be aligned with Chairman Kim, rather than Won.
Back on the beach, Tan looks up and notices Eun-sang on the boardwalk with her suitcase, looking out of place. She spots her sister inside the cafe as unni manages customer leers and accepts their tips. Gahhhh, this ain’t no strip club people. I know this is a Korean drama and not an American one, but aughhhh.
Tan clocks Eun-sang’s upset reaction as Stella flirts with another customer (who asks her to “work for me tonight, you know, work”). He stares at her intently, so intently that it’s actually rather moving, and that’s how Stella finally notices her sister standing there.
The sisters face off on the boardwalk and Eun-sang confronts unni with all the made-up stories of a good school and wonderful fiancé. Unni looks abashed to be caught in her lies, but that doesn’t stop her from opening up her sister’s suitcase right then and there to look for the money.
Eun-sang bursts out that unni was her last hope in this goddamned miserable world, and that she was just hanging in there with mom waiting for her to come back. Unni says sorry, but asks for a pass this time and goes rummaging for that cash.
Eun-sang warns her sister not to dare touch that cash, the money Mom worked so hard to collect, but unni wrests it away and tells her to hurry home. Eun-sang cries after her not to leave, but unni grabs the money and dashes. So Eun-sang is left sobbing over her suitcase crying for her sister to wait for her, and Tan watches sympathetically.
Cringeworthy Surfer Friend pops by to lure Tan away to a party (please make him stop talking, won’t somebody make him stop?). This is when I mute my screen and read the Korean subtitles, because goddamn is this bad. Surfer Brah sees Eun-sang crying and jumps to play wingman, helping her with her things. He calls her a fallen angel and fawns over her, then grabs one of her plastic bags from the suitcase and starts running. Wait, does he think those are drugs? Ha, I do enjoy Eun-sang’s reaction: “On top of everything else, am I being robbed?!”
She chases him onto the beach while he giggles and runs around like a little fiendish Rumplestiltskin, until he runs face-first into a volleyball net and goes down. You twat. Eun-sang tries to grab the plastic bag out of his hands, because it’s a grain powder her mother made for her sister, and the powder goes flying everywhere. And up Surfer Dude’s nose, from the looks of it, as he begins to gag and gurgle.
Tan rushes to his side and recognizes that his buddy’s in trouble. A trip to the emergency room assures them that he’ll be fine, despite his allergic reaction to the beans in the powder. Annoyed, Tan asks what the heck she was doing carrying around that powder, and Eun-sang gets indignant—she was the one robbed.
He stalks off in annoyance, leaving Eun-sang to confront a disapproving-looking cop on her own. In her broken English she tries to explain what her grain powder is, but the cop gives her the hardline—where does she live, are they drugs, is she underage, is she illegal? Ah, so many hot-button American political issues, boiled down into an embarrassing cliche soup of a character.
Then Tan comes strolling up and slings an arm around her shoulder, telling the cop she’s cool, she’s just his girlfriend. And of course Tan is on a first-name basis with the officer, who knows enough of Tan’s checkered history to say that they’ll definitely have to look into it with Tan involved. He confiscates Eun-sang’s passport to hold until they’ve investigated.
Of course Eun-sang doesn’t have a place to stay and no cell phone, though she considers calling her sister. Tan points out that it’s not likely that’ll happen given their huge blowup, and she asks for a ride and his phone, offering to pay for every imposition. He points out her money fixation: “Are you rich?” She mumbles, “It’s because I’m afraid you’ll leave.” Aw, that’s not the answer he was expecting, from his expression.
He drives her to unni’s ramshackle house and waits while she knocks on the door. No answer. She supposes she can wait here till unni shows, and he points out exasperatedly how very naive that is. Fine, do as she wants, he says, and drives off.
Eun-sang huddles on the stoop as a group of rowdy guys spot her and make a few catcalls before thankfully moving on. She decides she can’t stay here and starts to walk off nervously… and Tan’s car comes screeching back. YOU BIG SOFTIE.
“Want to go to my house?” he asks.
COMMENTS
There are a lot of characters to get through, and we’ve only gotten through maybe half the main cast. So this first episode presents a lot of setup, and there are a lot of names and relationships to get straight. I do think Heirs does a pretty good job with the introductions, in that I wasn’t frantically flipping through character charts and writing notes to myself to keep everyone straight. (That could be helped by the fact that the setup is, despite all the frills, a very basic one.)
I do have reservations about this writer, but I don’t doubt her ability to create witty dialogue and compelling character relationships, and Heirs has that touch. It also has a nice stylistic moodiness woven in and out of scenes, which I like; we’re given glimpses into characters’ inner lives that belie their outer circumstances, and I like that. A lot. Like how Tan is on the surface a troublemaking rich kid who does nothing but party, but that there’s an internal pull to resist that shell that’s expected of him. More on that in a second.
One of my reservations about the writer is that while she is very good at making hit dramas that start with sparkling romantic banter and are later sprinkled in melo angst (or drowned, in some cases), sometimes I feel like her writing is of a different era. As in, an older, less narratively sophisticated one. Her dramas are all modern gloss, but the themes and conflicts sometimes feel like they belong a couple generations back. It’s actually for this reason that I hoped Heirs might offer something fresh, because by making her characters younger, it actually works with those limitations. In a drama about independent thirtysomething careerwomen, you wonder why they can’t just get over the angst and either make up or break up. But youthful passion mixed with the idea that you don’t quite know yourself yet, that you’re still struggling to make it in the Real World? I think it works.
Heirs actually works on a secondary level for me, and that’s in its invocation of the whole royalty theme. They could have played it as a one-off metaphor and left it there, but as the episode unfolded I felt like I was watching a modernized sageuk drama, and I really liked that.
Consider the family at the center: You have the older chairman on his way out, still in charge but leaving the day-to-day business dealings to his ambitious and competent older son. The drama proper hasn’t outlined the exact family relationships yet but the character descriptions tell us that older brother Won is the son of the first wife, who died when he was young. There was a second wife who has since divorced Dad, and now Madam Han is the young new mistress of the house. The concubine, if you will, who has the safety of a son-heir (Tan), but not eternal security for as long as Tan is not registered under her name in the official family registry. That keeps her as an outsider, and she’s putting all her hopes in Tan to grow up, take over the corporation, and change that registry. Taken on its own I might consider the conflict a bit simplistic (archaic even), but seen as a reimagined Joseon-esque power struggle, I actually dig it.
It also explains the brotherly strife, in having the elder son protecting his interests by keeping his younger brother out of the picture. Tan currently has little power, but he could choose to be a rival should he exert himself… so hyung makes sure to keep him far away and occupied with frivolous pursuits. Sound like a few sageuks you’ve seen? Quite a compelling setup.
As for our hero: Who else is glad he’s not the raving asshole (however entertaining) that this writer loves to make popular? I found the heroes of Secret Garden and A Gentleman’s Dignity lots of fun, but when I heard we were getting more chaebols I feared we’d be getting more of the same, and I’m tired of that. Granted, there’s plenty of room for Tan to show some snobbery, but I like that already he’s got some depths—which is particularly interesting because he’s been encouraged not to have them.
I like that his proclivity is to actually be studious and serious, and that the playboy persona seems put-upon, like it’s the only thing he can do with his life. It reminds me a bit of Hong Gil Dong or other stories of disenfranchised heroes who find their preferred paths barred to them by society… although I do suppose it’s a bit perverse in this scenario to have a man of such overwhelming privilege feeling shackled by it. Cry me a freakin’ river, right? Still, it’s a twist on the expected, and so I welcome it.
I am NOT a fan of making Eun-sang such a typical Candy character, because haven’t we hit the ceiling on what you can do with that same ole character? Please prove me wrong on this, but I don’t expect the show to do anything exceptional with her storyline. On the other hand, at least if it had to be done, you got an actress like Park Shin-hye who could make you care about her, who injects some sass into the role anyway.
Most of all, I’m excited about the romance, because there was something about the way Tan looks at Eun-sang that hooked me good. It got me invested right away, and while Lee Min-ho has had his ups and downs as an actor and romantic lead, I am SO READY to fall in love with him… and moreover, to fall in love with him falling in love. C’mon Heirs, be good. You can dooooo eeeeeet!
RELATED POSTS
- (Could there be any) more stills from Heirs
- Heirs releases another teaser
- Kim Woo-bin and Park Shin-hye’s first meeting in Heirs
- Romance via sprinklers for Heirs
- The first teaser for SBS’s Heirs
- More stills from the set of Heirs
- More Heirs: the Kim Woo-bin rendition
- Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye’s first shoot for Heirs
- Heirs holds script rehearsal, begins production
- Lee Min-ho learns to surf for Heirs
- CN Blue’s Kang Min-hyuk and Kim Ji-won join Heirs
- Im Joo-eun cast as teacher in Heirs
- Heirs adds Kang Haneul, Park Hyung-shik
- Krystal joins the cast of Heirs
- Choi Jin-hyuk to play Lee Min-ho’s brother in Heirs
- Kim Woo-bin in Heirs, rejoice!
- Jung Yong-hwa quits Heirs citing difference of opinion
- Park Shin-hye cast opposite Lee Min-ho in Heirs
- Choi Jin-hyuk offered role in Heirs
- Jung Yong-hwa quits Heirs citing difference of opinion
- Jung Yong-hwa cast opposite Park Shin-hye again, seriously
- Park Shin-hye cast opposite Lee Min-ho in Heirs
- Lee Min-ho in new drama from star writer Kim Eun-sook
Tags: featured, first episodes, Heirs, Kim Ji-won, Kim Woo-bin, Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
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51 1608
October 9, 2013 at 9:03 PM
Whatever. So much makes so little logical sense, but for the first time I think I'm fangirling, and it's all because of KIM WOO BIN. I dont even care that he's already an "intolerably cruel" arse because I lurve him. Can somebody PLEASE give this guy a leading role?? That being said, this pilot definitely could've been worse. I'm willing to see where the show goes but I'm definitely not holding my breath.
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thelady
October 9, 2013 at 9:09 PM
Kim Woo Bin fans unite! We will make it through this drama.
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dramafan100
October 9, 2013 at 9:56 PM
United. I love Kim Woo Bin.
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Nancy
October 9, 2013 at 10:10 PM
Was never a fan of Kim Woo-bin until I watched him on Running Man (2 eps). He was adorably shy and clumsy there and then you watch him here and his other roles and you have to marvel at his acting because it's so different. I hope he gets more leading roles and ones that aren't school character related. I think he can handle the meatier roles and be awesome.
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selina
October 10, 2013 at 6:44 AM
here. him and other minor character such as Choi Ji Hyuk and the rich mom and the other half of the characters are why I will be sticking around. His character is an arse, but he is an arse that stole the show for me.
United!!
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52 sofia
October 9, 2013 at 9:04 PM
chang young is my favorite guy, he is nice, cute, handsome and sweet, is so cute with his dad, eun sang and bo na. but really bo na is toooo jealous and annoying.
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53 Obsidian
October 9, 2013 at 9:04 PM
I thought that this episode started off well...except for the cringe-worthy English. My insides were literally turning. I cannot wait for them to get back to Korea. Maybe it's because I'm trying to not expect too much, but I thought it was a good first episode.
Some of the scenes seem a bit disjointed (like all of a sudden the tone turns melancholic), but I think the acting is done well. And the bricks are being laid to tell the story. I was overall surprised and thought it was good, and look forward to the next episode. I actually really liked it more when Park Shin-hye and Lee Min-ho interacted. They seem to have a lot of chemistry, and I'm really excited to see their love line develop. I also can't wait for Woobin to stop being a jerk. Why does he have to be mean?!
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54 Hagar
October 9, 2013 at 9:08 PM
I liked it......
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55 okitokki
October 9, 2013 at 9:10 PM
I can't help but be amused that most posts have around 5 articles under "related links" and this one has... well. a lot more than that. hahah.
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ilikemangos
October 10, 2013 at 6:26 AM
i scrolled up and laughed real hard.
thanks for that!
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56 blegh
October 9, 2013 at 9:10 PM
only Kim Woo Bin can show so many different bad boys. people were afraid that he would become typecasted for doing so many bad boy roles. but he gives different meanings to being a bad boy. In White Christmas, he was a badass with brains and awesomeness (still my favorite character ever). In School 2013, he was a badass, with a soft heart inside and sexiness. And now he is a badass who's evil sexiness will give you the chills. and there's that Friends movie.
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MariD
October 9, 2013 at 9:12 PM
Lol. Evil sexiness.. That crack me up.. I wanted to throw the ball at his face. Then while he was out I would had taken him away... *dream sequence*
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blegh
October 9, 2013 at 9:30 PM
haha! same here. this just shows that he got skills.
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PlumWine
October 9, 2013 at 10:39 PM
Oh yes definitely agree! Tie on White Christmas and School 2013 for me. I'll see how he does in this.
Could he do a nice sweet puppy role or would we melt?
Will dream sequence soon ;p
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Pororo
October 9, 2013 at 9:14 PM
I read somewhere that his character here is sort of a genius with an IQ of 150. I liked his bully, creepy vibe in this show. I am hoping he keeps things interesting because I'm not very invested in the main couple. Woo-Bin, give me some bromance!
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blegh
October 9, 2013 at 9:36 PM
I'm on the same boat. may be that's the masochist in me talking. his bully creepy vibe is strangely attractive. and I'm in no way implying that bullying is a good thing or its ok because it woo bin, but I am applauding his acting here. I love how he can play bullies in so many different levels.
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Pororo
October 10, 2013 at 6:13 AM
I think it's ok because we all know he is going to turn out to be a nice guy deep down. He will be redeemed from his meanness . And as long as we have to deal with the bully, I am glad WB is playing it and is doing a good job at it. Him and Min-hyuk were my favorite parts of the 1st episode.
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canxi
October 9, 2013 at 10:47 PM
Haha Woo Bin on his character in this drama:
"Young Do is a genius with an IQ of 150. He uses his genius in a way...*looks around*...I wouldn't recommend." LOL.
Even the actor thinks the character is an ass, so maybe it has only just begun.
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eternalfive
October 10, 2013 at 2:05 AM
LOL awww he said that?! So cute XDDD
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57 sophia
October 9, 2013 at 9:11 PM
That was maybe the hottest mess I have ever seen. I laughed so hard, but for all the wrong reasons.
but...some saving graces:
1. showering LMH....show, the world thanks you
2. hilarious roomie. just comedy gold ("do you think she has a gun?"...priceless)
3. too the rescue in the shiny red car LMH. we love your knight in shining armor side.
Ill keep watching but this was NOT a good start.
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bluemouse
October 9, 2013 at 9:15 PM
showering scene was less than 2 mins into the drama. I was eating dinner and I almost gagged.
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58 sophia
October 9, 2013 at 9:12 PM
Ugh, this is one of the worst first episodes I've seen in awhile...in fact, I can't really think of one that's worse than this at the moment. The cringe-worthy English, the horrible misrepresentative of American culture/intelligence (seriously? He thought the 미숫가루 was drugs?), and the bland acting with a loose to almost non-existent storyline was so off-putting. I always give a drama a 2 episode chance or reeling me in, but this first episode just totally turned me off. It just makes me feel that the writer is incredibly ignorant and unaware. Never again, Heirs no more.
When wealth and foreign travels are pulled off, it looks elegant and realistic. When it isn't, it looks horribly cheesy, fake, and well...stupid.
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59 Cynthia
October 9, 2013 at 9:12 PM
I'm hooked - despite the ear puncturing Engrish (anyone notice that LMH's voice actually goes up an octave when he's wrestling with the Engrish dialogue?).
Sorry to see that Woo Bin is a nasty bully here, especially as I just watched him on Running Man where his real personality is a real sweetie-pie.
Also loved Tan's mansion - wasn't that used for the American Idols a few seasons back?
I hope that they'll keep the CA location for another few eps - we're practically guaranteed that LMH will do more showering to wash off all that salt water....
Thanks for the recap, JB. Will you be switching off every other ep/recap with GF?
:-)
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owl
October 9, 2013 at 10:02 PM
Okay, and Tan was "banished" to -- that mansion? And he's rebelling by - - studying? That will show his mom! Who could possibly relate? I'm spinning, spinning in a kdramaland spiral!
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soprection
October 9, 2013 at 11:39 PM
He's rebelling against his brother by studying because his hyung told him not to waste his time by putting in any effort at school since his life is already decided for him.
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Cynthia
October 10, 2013 at 8:36 AM
Lol
Of course he was banished to that mansion - because that's how the insanely wealthy live in Kdrama Land - or on any of the BravoTV shows that involve Housewives of L.A., Dallas, O.C., Atlanta, Jersey etc., etc., - it's mansions galore!
As far as the 'studying' goes, to me it looked like the only thing he was doing was writing an essay - is he even IN school? Maybe Surf School...
And while I'm wasting time thinking about this, doesn't the best friend,Jay-Surfer Dude Over-actor a dead ringer for Scooby-Do's sidekick Shaggy? Gotta love it!
:-)
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windsun33
October 10, 2013 at 12:53 PM
For a while at the bottom of the housing crash, real estate agents in California were letting movie companies use on-the-market mansions for film locations for free, just for the publicity, so they could say in the ads "XYZ was filmed here".
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60 Yep
October 9, 2013 at 9:13 PM
I thought it wasn't completely abysmal, but I didn't like it that much either. The script was awkward at best and everything just so cliched that I had to fast-forward many parts. I hated the English dialogue, the juvenile bullying scene, the horrible American surfer boy actor, the stereotypes, the Candy character, the plain predictable plot, etc. However, despite all this I will probably still watch it, just because there's no other show to watch at the moment.
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61 haha
October 9, 2013 at 9:14 PM
I just think that ifans really just love to pick on Heirs and the cast....
It was a good start, a great introduction
I like it and expect it to get better
thanks DB for the recaps
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62 lily
October 9, 2013 at 9:14 PM
Can we talk about the OST? is it just me or is it awful? it reminds me of the BOF ost (ALMOST PARADISE) and that' just not a good thing.
other than that, I don't really have a lot of complaints.
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Ade
October 9, 2013 at 9:19 PM
oh, i thought that too!!
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jozie
October 9, 2013 at 9:28 PM
Guilty Pleasures - some days I miss Almost Paradise. Not enough to actually listen to it again, but...
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crazedlu
October 9, 2013 at 9:31 PM
Yes. Let's talk. The theme song was a fusion of BOF's 'Almost Paradise' and You're Beautiful's theme song. SHAKING MY HEAD, "Original Sound Track".
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lily
October 9, 2013 at 9:44 PM
wow now that I think about it.. it does sound like that one song from You're Beautiful that the band performs at the beginning ..
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Nancy
October 9, 2013 at 10:14 PM
FT Island Hongki did the Heirs OST and he was in and sang for You're Beautiful too. But totally agree with @lily and @crazedlu
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jozie
October 9, 2013 at 10:51 PM
Ha ha ha :)
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thelady
October 9, 2013 at 9:32 PM
it is like the intentionally included a song just as bad as Almost Paradise
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Mystisith
October 9, 2013 at 9:36 PM
I hate that "Mariaaaaa!" (or whatever the title) sung by LHK with a passion and practically all the other songs. Only the instrumentals are nice. Disappointed, mostly.
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lily
October 9, 2013 at 9:48 PM
I hate Lee Hongki's voice with a passion so I was extremely disappointed to hear him in the ost for this drama. They have so many singers in this cast, they should've gotten one of them to sing it instead
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mia
October 9, 2013 at 9:53 PM
FNC is the music producer, so of course someone from FNC will sing at least one song
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kirst3n
October 9, 2013 at 11:22 PM
Ditto! I'm afraid of hearing it again!
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63 stars4u
October 9, 2013 at 9:14 PM
The English!!!!!!!
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64 mina
October 9, 2013 at 9:20 PM
Right! thanks Java, I've been waiting for the whole day. Just can't get over how Tan stares at Eun-Sang, so intense! lola
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65 Pakykul
October 9, 2013 at 9:21 PM
Thank you for the recap. I love your writing !
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66 Jenny
October 9, 2013 at 9:22 PM
First episode was...blahhh...I do hope it'll get better soon. I don't know, may it's just me, but I feel LMH's acting in this episode is so dull. Story wise, there's no wow factor, and the characters are not interesting enough.
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67 snow_white
October 9, 2013 at 9:23 PM
English is not his native language...so why everyone expects that he should speak it fluently....I am really surprised when people react this way....can we speak Korean or some other language perfectly....
And this is a general idea....not a fangirl defending her favorite.
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FrostBitten
October 9, 2013 at 9:28 PM
It's not his English alone that people are talking about. Heck, if this was based in Korea and he spoke English no one would care. It's EVERYONE'S English. How do you have American's where English is supposedly their first language, speak horrid English? The only person whose English was decent was the police officer. The others spoke like they believed in their minds they were Koreans speaking English for the first time or something.
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Ace
October 9, 2013 at 9:57 PM
I expected the bad English (and bad acting) from the non-Koreans, hahaha. I may have zoned out when the surfer friend and the other Amercans were talking so I don't remember how bad they were. They should've casted Julien Kang or Sam Hammington.
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Mystisith
October 9, 2013 at 10:03 PM
The guy who played the cop was perfect: He acted well and he didn't try to. slow.down.his.speech. like if he was talking to mentally deranged people. Geez.
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Tru2u
October 9, 2013 at 10:38 PM
"slow.down.his.speech. like if he was talking to mentally deranged people." LOL!!!
I've gotten so used to seeing non-korean do this in K-dramas, that it was nice to see this cop actually acting ans speaking normally.
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sally_b
October 9, 2013 at 10:54 PM
Agreed. The cop wins best 1 minute of English speaking Award in the whole first episode. I actually tracked-back to watch his scene again JUST BECAUSE he actually spoke standard cadence English.
However -- I was totally expecting the dialogue in the Cali filming to be warped -- was not disappointed. The thing about the show at this point for me is: don't drown me in cheesy-melo, please. Keep the characters actively engaged in working towards some Arc. And a bit of humor would be nice too -- real people DO laugh occasionally.
Let's see how epi 2 rolls out ~ :)
Tru2u
October 9, 2013 at 11:13 PM
@sally_b, I'm pretty sure there going to be some if not a lot of humor in this. This writer is known for that, so I'm not too worried. I just feel like this was out of her element. So once it moves back to Seoul I this everything should kick in, at least I hope.
LaseyLac3
October 10, 2013 at 12:24 AM
I think my fav is when they cast a non-korean who is obviously not a native english speaker to speak english lol
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thelady
October 9, 2013 at 9:35 PM
oh I agree, I have no problem with the quality of the Korean actor's English. It is expected that they have an accent. What drove me crazy was all the Americans speaking crappy English. There were filming in California so there should have been some decent struggling actors willing to be on the show.
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Ace
October 9, 2013 at 9:42 PM
Based on his character living for a long time in LA the English should've been better, and so they should've cast another actor with better English or the timeline should've been adjusted.
For me, I thought that LMH wasn't as bad as Rain or Lee Byung-hun. I could actually understand what he was saying the first time (and I didn't notice any grammatical mistakes). I have low expectations on East Asian actors speaking good English (trouble with R/L, B/V, P/F, Th~ pronunciation) so for me, this was a good job on all the actors. Of course some were better than others, but as long as I can understand them... Some people's expectations were just too high probably.
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windsun33
October 10, 2013 at 12:58 PM
It is not his command of English that is the real problem, it is the totally stilted dialogue that he says. In short, nobody talks like that. I blame the writer and director for that, not him or the other actors with bad Engrish lines.
They could have asked a couple of random Americans around the beach or whatever how it sounded and gotten it a lot better.
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68 Treasure
October 9, 2013 at 9:27 PM
I have to keep reminding myself pilot or 1st episodes are often boring as they need to introduce characters and back stories. Taking that into consideration and acknowledging that no show could live up to the hype this one has had, it's not bad. I thought surfer dude friend was the wrost of it, and really should have been reined in by the director. LMH performance was acceptable. If they are filming in order, I thought the english got better as the episode went along, so didn't have an issue with that either. PSH, I didn't expect any better, but I'm sort of sad she lived down to expectation. KMH was a very pleasent surprise, I thought he gave a nice understated performance, the scene with his Dad coming off very well. I can see KWB running away with the show. With a cast this big and varied it's always difficult to balance so one person doesn't become the show and LMH did with BBF. So in the end? GO SHOW you can do it!
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69 Lauren
October 9, 2013 at 9:28 PM
As much as the English here pains me-and as an American grammar nazi, it about killed my soul- I like the fact that Tan and Eun Sung meet in the US. In Korea, there is no way that their differences in class could have been avoided in that first meeting. By placing them in a neutral area, it places them on even footing- he's a nice guy, she's having a shitty day, and their bond is built on general decency and chemistry, forming a more genuine and balanced relationship overall. No matter what happens in Soeul, they won't be able to put up the distance that would otherwise be there, because how you first form a relationship has a serious effect on how it ends up.
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thelady
October 9, 2013 at 9:37 PM
I like this summary and I agree that if they met in Korea with her Mom being his servant it would be harder for them to form a relationship as equals.
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SweetPea
October 9, 2013 at 10:37 PM
I like this!
Especially-
"By placing them in a neutral area, it places them on even footing- he’s a nice guy, she’s having a shitty day, and their bond is built on general decency and chemistry, forming a more genuine and balanced relationship overall"
THIS. I like that they're on the same plane field so the relationship actually starts out normal and healthy. :) And the bond that they form here- over being shut out by their family and trying to find a place in this world- will carry on no matter WHERE they go- because they are connected at the heart! SOUL MATES!
Heh. Okay, maybe I'm getting a tiny bit carried away, but darn, the way he looked at her. I'm with Javabeans on this- I see so much potential! ITS SPECIAL. ok.
Park Shin Hye and Lee Min Ho together. UGHHH. so good.
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70 saranga
October 9, 2013 at 9:29 PM
i liked this first episode too. i too was pleasantly surprised by a lot of things. like how LMH's character isn't another kim joo-won of secret garden (LOATHED that character) and shows flashes of sympathy. and like how i think this may be the first time i've liked park shin-hye in anything she's done as an adult actor. i've always liked PSH herself, but not so much her dramas or her characters, or both. i wasn't all that enthused when she was cast, but i did hope i'd be proven wrong and i think i was. i like her so far.
lee min-ho is SO HOT. he looks amazing. his english is terrible, yes, and i too cringed a whole lot, but it must prove how much i like him because overall my very high opinion of him went largely unaffected. hey, languages are difficult, and at least he didn't make a fool of himself in the way rain did (on so. many. occasions, with the mtv awards being the cherry). english can be hard, but he can improve. oh, what i'd give to help teach him english...
one thing that does bother me is how old all these actors look. none of them look like high schoolers, aside from krystal. in fact, i was waiting for this recap to go up because i knew jb or gf would make it clear. was it really necessary to set the story in high school? college wouldn't have done? ah well.
thank you!
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saranga
October 9, 2013 at 9:36 PM
ah, i forgot to say, i liked this episode and the promise it shows... overlooking all the american stuff. i really can't believe the police officer thought the bean powder (that stuff is so good sprinkled on patbingsu by the way) could be drugs. someone drag him to a korean market and show him a whole shelf full of the stuff!
the american stuff was dramatized and overexaggerated, but knowing that we won't be here long, i was prepared to forget it. i honestly don't expect any better from korean dramas when it comes to this sort of thing...
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Momo
October 9, 2013 at 9:42 PM
Me too. I could not stand JW from Secret garden, he was such a jerk.
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jozie
October 9, 2013 at 10:53 PM
JW was a stalker. Which was my conflict with Secret Garden. I liked it except for him and psychopathic mom.
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71 Yoori
October 9, 2013 at 9:30 PM
I didn't think the first episode was bad, but not great, especially for a KES's drama.
Visually, the drama was very appealing. It looked like it was an hour long beautifully produced music video.
Nice introduction to everyone and a bit of their backgrounds.
"Chemistry" between the leads? Nope. At least not yet.
The American actors were extremely cringe-worthy to watch! They're worse than the "American" actors, who are filmed IN Korea ... so bad. However, I will forgive LMH's english ... he tried, and you can literally see it in those scenes, lol.
MANGOSIXX is in every drama!!!
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jozie
October 9, 2013 at 9:39 PM
I always wonder about this when you are shooting in the country. I mean, it seems it would be fairly easy in LA to get really good actors. I am wondering, if you belong in the actors union in the USA if you are allowed to work in foreign films if they are non union (because theater and movie actors would most likely be union in LA) or if Korea has an equivalent of an actor's union that one would have to be a member of in order to be in the TV series?
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thelady
October 9, 2013 at 9:52 PM
they probably did not want to pay union wages
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windsun33
October 10, 2013 at 1:04 PM
It is not just the union wages for actors - it is all the other expenses that go with it. Basically they would have to go with all-union electricians, lighting, and all the rest - even if it was not needed.
For good or bad, the SAG and associated Hollywood type unions are among the very few unions that still have any real power - almost dictatorial in many cases.
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Fiercediva
October 10, 2013 at 2:02 AM
South Korea has an actor's union but it is not a SAG/AFTRA affiliate. If they were a SAG/AFTRA signatory union production they would have to hire local crew and abide by SAG/AFTRA pay scale, working and safety rules for all involved in the production. They would never get away with abuses like the inhuman consecutive hours of shooting in, say, BOF if that had been a SAG production.
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jozie
October 11, 2013 at 7:56 PM
Thanks!
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72 Altari
October 9, 2013 at 9:32 PM
I was going to skip this drama (at least until they return to Seoul) until I read JB's HAHAHAHA tweet. Now I might watch out of morbid curiosity about awful surfer dude.
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73 pn
October 9, 2013 at 9:35 PM
Halfway through the drama I thought, "I can't wait for them to be back in Korea" HAH, good to know I wasn't the only one.
Also, I love the way he looks at her. From the restaurant, to the end scene, I just really really liked it.
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saranga
October 10, 2013 at 7:06 AM
the way he looked at her was perfectly dreamy!
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74 Faye
October 9, 2013 at 9:38 PM
I guess my standards are lower than everyone else's, because I rather enjoyed this! I mean, this is not going to be Masterpiece Theater, so if you view it for what it is,"It's okay, baby!"
In all seriousness, it was a pretty good expository episode. We met all the characters and their conflicts, and what I saw interested me. I think the comparison to "Gossip Girl" is an apt one -Woo Bin in particular just reeks of Chuck Bass-ism. In general, it seems like a hyper-reality that most of us can't really relate to, but it draws us in as viewers. I thought the senior generation and their conflicts were just as interesting as the yung-uns, which is nice.
There was lots of discussion about LMH-PSH chemistry, or lack thereof, on the web. I definitely saw a connection. Maybe not a sizzling, sexual one, but enough of a spark that I want to see where these two go on their journey together. I like Kim Tan's central conflict -his battle against his own inner demons and those planted by his half-brother to become his best self-and I want to see how Eun Sang helps him get there. As for PSH's character, I'm glad she's got spirit, and I hope she has a storyline of her own outside of Kim Tan.
I don't know why so many people have issues with LMH's pink lipstick. It's a lovely shade; I'd like the name of it for myself :)!
Now for the negative. The Engrish, particularly our hero's, was just awful -to the point where it detracted from the story. The plethora of negative American stereotypes -Big Bad Brutish Boyfriend, Stupid Stoner Surfer, Busty, Presumably Sluttish Blonde Babed, Rude Leering Customer, Hostile Black Cop-were unnecessary, offensive, and farcical. To be honest, I'm not even sure why they shot in CA, since I think it took away from the story. Couldn't they have had Kim Tan and Eun Sang's sister go somewhere else -preferably somewhere where English wasn't required? I never thought the day would come when I'd find myself thinking wistfully of Woo Bin's "Yo Yo my bro"-ing.
All that being said, I think this is a drama with a lot of potential, and once the characters go back to Korea, a lot of the problems that detracted from the first episode will be gone.
Thanks for the quick but thorough recaps, Javabeans!
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jubilantia
October 9, 2013 at 11:46 PM
Man, the English was the worst for me too, although I liked the episode overall.
I wonder if they shot it in California partially to appeal to the American audience that drama makers are recently acknowledging openly. Also, America is "cool" to the young Koreans that are the audience for this drama, so it's a win-win for the network. The Dramafever coverage on this drama was exhaustive, which makes me wonder if they either got more money for it, or the studio pushed for more advertising in the initial deal.
With the American characters, I feel like they are painted in broad strokes just like normal drama characters, like our resident Candy, screechy soon-to-be-ex-fiance, and Darcy Chaebol. It just hurts a little more because it's another country's perception of our own archetypal characters.
At any rate, I will be ecstatic when they're back in Korea.
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Faye
October 10, 2013 at 4:06 AM
I see your point, buy I still think they missed the mark widely with the California shooting. If they were trying to appeal to American audiences -which I too originally thought after hearing Dramafever was a production partner -they surely went about it in a strange way by painting all the Americans so negatively.
Regarding portrayal of Korean characters in stereotypical ways, there's a big difference between the sometimes cliched depiction of characters who are nonetheless appealing, and the California scenes, where literally every single American we saw was very negative. It reminded me of Mickey Rooney's character in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" -cringeworthy.
I honestly wonder whether this wasn't a very deliberate choice on the part of the showrunners. My parents are European, and I have many relatives abroad. I can tell you from visiting them and watching shows they recommend that anti-Americanism plays very well abroad. Foreign audiences who demand nuanced portrayals of freaking terrorists just lap up broad, crudely drawn portrayals of Americans. So maybe the drama producers are playing to their domestic viewers' prejudices, although I sincerely hope not.
The only reason I'm harping on this is that it was so glaring an issue that it took me out of the show, even though I really did like it. I think we can definitely agree that the shift to Korea will be a food one!
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jubilantia
October 10, 2013 at 9:58 AM
Yeah, they didn't really succeed if they were trying to appeal to American audiences with the California scenes. It took me out of the show too, but mainly because I was laughing my head off.
It's entirely possible that the somewhat negative portrayal of Americans was intentional. I'm inclined to think it's just the kind of American cultural ignorance we can expect from a country with drama titles like The King 2 Hearts, that can't find an English editor to save its life, and that sends people to the U.S. like it's some kind of magical Ph.D. dispenser. Keep in mind that our portrayal of Asian peoples and cultures is pretty stereotypical and limited, too. Even Americans of Asian descent have gotten the short end of the stick, in real life as well as media portrayals.
Honestly, I don't really have a problem with Americans being stereotyped, other than the fact that it was poorly done and distracting. I see your point with the Mickey Rooney comparison, but I don't think it holds water, for the same reason that the idea of misandry as a threat is laughable. American minorities come to exponentially more harm from stereotypes than white Americans. Not to mention that America has the most powerful military in the world (not that this is necessarily a good thing)- a few dim surfer characters aren't going to diminish that fact, and countries have been making fun of their stronger counterparts in such ways for centuries.
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75 noanao
October 9, 2013 at 9:41 PM
My skin crawl at the cringe worthy English... Damn!! LMH is a good actor for his age but give him dialogue in English, and he breaks apart for good! I had to watch it in mute because I can't stand any of it anymore! And wow, Rachel's Japanese is decent. And she looked a bit like Sawajiri Erika, especially with her hair styled like that.
WB is reprising his S2013 and WC but I can see Mireu in his character here. I am a bot exasperated to know that he was typecast to be forever the bad boy in the drama, but hopefully he will have more layer to his character.
For 1st episode, I am not hook yet (maybe for the lack of WB on the screen, heh!) but I am still going to continue watching to see how the story will develop. Heirs, hwaiting!!!
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76 elvira
October 9, 2013 at 9:44 PM
Is the dude bullied by Woo bin is the same dude with the puppy in Cyrano?
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77 kdramafan
October 9, 2013 at 9:48 PM
JB sounds like you took one for the team.
After seeing Choi Jin-hyuk and Woo-bin I got interested in this drama but...it sounds awful.
It needs to get back on Korean soil urgently otherwise I'll cut the heirs off.
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kdramafan
October 9, 2013 at 9:54 PM
After seeing Choi Jin-hyuk and Woo-bin in Running Man that is.
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78 dramafan100
October 9, 2013 at 9:49 PM
I will watch more episodes because of the cast. Mostly Woo Bin and shamefully because of the hype and I am curious. But, if I did not know the cast and if the hype did not exist, this is the drama that I would stop watching.
May be it is not right to judge after first episode. But, after all the hype and the what we have seen this cast do, one would expect first episode to be spectacular. It was not. I was really disappointed.
The fact that they used really bad actors or used bad direction/script for American characters did not help. The fact that Lee Min Ho had to focus on his English more than his acting irritated me. He is a good actor. If he can't speak English, don't make him. That just makes you a bad director or bad whoever-thought-this-up. And it distracts.
But, the cast is talented and I am hoping second episode is great because I really want to watch this drama and like it.
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79 lily
October 9, 2013 at 9:50 PM
also I've been browsing around dc drama and it seems like a majority of people are more impressed with Secret and especially hwang jung eum's acting. I was under the impression that Secret was extremely makjang-y lol hence why I was kind of hesitant about following it..
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80 DanyDanyBobany
October 9, 2013 at 9:50 PM
After watching the 14 minute preview I was ready to get bored. But I did not! I liked it. I'm ready to give it a chance and happy to see how this is going to unfold. Lee Min-ho speaking in English is both awful and cute. And Oh my God the friend. Did the director asked him to do that? Because it was annoying.
I got a strange thing with Kim Woo-bin: I loved to watch him act in this episode (he looked so...flowy? Maybe natural is the word) but I hated his character at first. What an asshole. It didnt get better but I again, I loved whatching him, I mean, aside that he is good looking, the way he moves and talks is great.
I dont have any problem with Park Shin-hye. She is not my favorite actress but she is ok.
As javabeans said, this wirtter like her heroines in a certain way (most of them) and Im not hoping for anything really new, but I feel comfort with that. Even if her heroines begin strong and with a spine, they at some point become the same Candy in some of their actions. So please, the only thing I ask for is for her to retain the attitude.
"… and moreover, to fall in love with him falling in love" Yees!! Oh yes!! One thing why I love dramas is because theres something about to watch a man falling in love that just bewitch me. The change that triggers in them because of love is so exciting to watch (ok, good change and if is done it right).
So, bring it, Heirs. Im ready.
Thank you for the recap!
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81 Nina
October 9, 2013 at 9:55 PM
It's FINALLY here indeed!
1- PLEASE SOMEONE get LMH a new make-up artist, his face looks ASHY-GREY! The undertone of his foundation is SO off that he turned grey! Please stop trying to give this beautiful man a fairer complexion by putting on a cool tone foundation when he clearly has a golden undertone! This is such a terrible terrible make-up faux-pas!
2- CAN WE PLEASE also not put awful pink lipstick on beautiful LMH? PLEASE.
3- Why do you look so passive LMH? You were so wonderful, SO WONDERFUL in city hunter!
4- Park Shin Hye is such a lovely young actress but why is it that she has zero chemistry with her male lead? This is so terrible.
5- Other than, it wasn't that terrible. Will definitely watch ep. 2!
Thank Javabeans for the recappp :)
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Momo
October 9, 2013 at 10:08 PM
maybe because he got a tan there, they are trying hard to make him turn ''pale'' looking agai.. maybe the sun made his skin not so great to appear on screen and they are putting tons of make up there.
Trying to make him look younger... but failing 100% on it..
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82 lola
October 9, 2013 at 9:55 PM
my fav part of the first episode is Kang Minhyuk's Yoon Chan Young
he's so adorable
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83 fishy2love
October 9, 2013 at 9:55 PM
This drama is looking extremely promising, so please be good!!!!!
I, also, can't wait any longer until they go back to Korea (their English is totally a mood-killer...)
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84 Petmink
October 9, 2013 at 9:59 PM
It was a good episode. Some cliched characters and some bad engrish. Actually the Engrish of the Korean actors was tolerable since none of the characters actually grew up in the US. Overall it had little unexpected doses of humor.
Umm where did the cop go to cop school? He is looking at her visa and asking if she is illegal.
I was really hoping the bean powder allergy would kill off overacting surfer dude. Hopefully we won't be seeing too much of him in the next episode. Maybe a shark will eat him while he is surfing.
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dramafan100
October 9, 2013 at 10:16 PM
A shark needs to eat him for sure. I sincerely hope he does not put this character in his resume if he is serious about his acting. I feel bad for him. Perhaps, someone made him to act that way... No one who wants to be an actor can be this bad unless they picked him up on the street and told him he would get weed for acting.
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Mystisith
October 9, 2013 at 10:22 PM
Where is Bruce? You know, the little fish of Jaws. The Universal Studios are not far: It's doable.
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Lightrain
October 9, 2013 at 10:35 PM
Ah yes, I was really hoping Surfer Dude would've just died on the beach as well. I kept yelling at LMH to just leave him there in agony. Him being shark bait is not a bad idea either. Maybe in episode 2...
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PlumWine
October 9, 2013 at 10:50 PM
Ha ha! 'Maybe a shark will eat him while he's surfing'! Oh goodness! Thank you!
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85 Beky
October 9, 2013 at 10:00 PM
Well its way too early to tell its just starting but seriously Lee Minhos English lines is too long for him they can just give him simple short lines to look cool but the director made big mistake. Park Shinhye deliver as always honestly I dont like the story its telling too typical poor girl rich illeligit boy I was hoping for a very refreshing plot but I will still watch it theres not much show to watch anyways. Still hoping it will catch up and be better every episodes.
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Petmink
October 9, 2013 at 10:54 PM
Yes, the short English lines flow a lot better in the scene. It is when Lee Min Ho has a lot of English lines, he forgets to act.
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86 Tina
October 9, 2013 at 10:00 PM
I was so disappointed. I was so excited for this to air, and was left super disappointed.
The beginning was so much fun. I liked Eun Sang's sass in dealing with pervs-ahjushi number one and two and her friendship with Kang Minhyuk's character (forgive me, I don't know anyone's names yet). I liked her right off the bat.
Kim Woo-bin, pls. I was rolling my eyes because ANOTHER self-entitled rich kid who is a bully?
As the story went on, I liked the main character less and less. It was like a complete character change. She had so much strength and sass and realism - and then she turned into a complete whiny little brat. Refusing the food because she was too good (okay, I understand pride), and being a bitch to Mom (and then accusing her unnie of doing the same? Come on - pot meet kettle). But okay, I understand her circumstance and I'm glad she's not another overly optimistic goody-two-shoes - but still, why oh why did she have to be such a brat. We already have enough brats from the rich cast.
Over all, everyone's character was so boring and cookie-cutter. The angsty rich kid who has no one, the evil cold brother, the incompetent asshole parents, the jealous 'oppar is mine!' girls.
I have faith in the characters' growth. Maybe they have to be a bunch of little assholes so we can see the improvements and it is only the first episode. Already we see a glimpse of what mades Kim Woo-bin's character such a douchebag. But, man, they better grow up fast or they better be justified fast because so far it's nothing but lots of money and lack of good parenting - wait, where have I seen this before? Oh in every drama.
That said, there are some gems. Like Kang Min-hyuk's interactions with Krystal, his dad and our heroine. What a joy. And I do love Lee Minho and Park Shin-Hye's characters interactions at the end. They hit it off so well. Good chemistry. But it's scenes we've already seen from previews so meh.
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87 Shil
October 9, 2013 at 10:22 PM
The 1st episode was pretty terrible, that has made me disappointed due to my high expectations. And honestly LMH acting make me cringe
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88 Nanny
October 9, 2013 at 10:23 PM
If I watch it it'll be mainly for Krystal and Minhyuk just because everyone else is way too old to pass off as high school students and that's incredibly distracting to me, they act in a manner far too immature for how old they look.
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Petmink
October 9, 2013 at 10:57 PM
I have seen MinHyuk only in Hearstrings; his acting has improved remarkably. Krystal's on the other hand seems to have gown downhill. She was a brat in high kick too, but I enjoyed her character there. Episode 2 might add more character depth to her.
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Petmink
December 23, 2013 at 1:42 AM
Now that I have seen the entire series, Bo Na (Krystal) was one of my favorite characters. Her acting was adorable.
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89 dustdevil
October 9, 2013 at 10:23 PM
I'm in the "pleasantly surprised" camp, plus I was thrilled to see Kim Mi-Kyung as Eun-Sang's mother. She's always great, and I liked how they used the voiceovers to communicate her thoughts and dialogue. I have a feeling we won't see her again for awhile, but I hope we get more of her interaction with Kim Tan's mother.
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90 saranghaelmh
October 9, 2013 at 10:25 PM
I liked it. LMH is a great actor. Why do you think BOF was even watchable? Because LMH made stupid look good. He has the IT factor we can't ever deny and we will sit through an entire drama just because he is in it. Heirs, yes bad English accent. Embarrassing even, but hey you have to admit, you will probably forward and anticipate the next thing to come. Can't help it. So whether this drama will be a hit or not, I will watch it. Plus It's a pretty pretty hot cast .. Whoa I am sold!
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91 lalala
October 9, 2013 at 10:29 PM
Oh My English ㅠ.ㅠ "Kom eon..."
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92 bjharm
October 9, 2013 at 10:30 PM
I be watching this the same way I did Lie to me that is try as best I can not to take into account any of the hype, I mean Lie to me wasnt the worse comdey/romance made by a long way, it was just the hype over it that lead to dissapointment for many. For me long as it funny sweet and romamtic and they keep away for the dark side..ie heavy melodrama then it will just be find for me.
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93 Sajen
October 9, 2013 at 10:34 PM
I've wondered something about K-dramas for a while, O.K. I get that the Korean actors and actresses can't speak English but why can't they hire foreign actors that speak English? I swear whenever they need foreigners the non Korean actors are worse than the Koreans.
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94 jennie
October 9, 2013 at 10:36 PM
thanks!
and yes I do like the fact that Kim Tan isn't that regular chaebol ass (kinda like Woo Bin's character). I'm glad he has some depth into him and he's not flaunting his money in her face or maybe not yet??
But I am looking forward to the romance since Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye look so good together.
And off the bat, I do like some characters already.
Somehow I am loving the Rachel and Young Do pairing, I like them together (even though they're step siblings), but they have such a "Cruel Intention" vibe to it that makes both of them so sexy together.
And for Chan Young, he's super cute. I like his relationship with Eun Sang and who knows if he turns out to like her, I'M TOTALLY COOL WITH THAT!!! Because they look great together as well, if this drama is like a Gossip Girl inspired then I can totally see him falling for her, which is WAY better than him and Krystal, which off the bat I CAN'T STAND HER. I hate characters like Bo Na, like seriously what does a man like Chan Young who's already proven to be a sweet friend, cute person and warm hearted person see in a girl like Bo Na? I think her voice alone is annoying and Krystal's character is just like her character straight from HIGH KICK 3, which was equally annoying. I can already tell from her first impression that I won't be having any sympathy for her.
The part that got to me the most was when Eun Sang was reading the notes that her mother was writing. gosh that is so heart breaking bc she can't speak and the things she writes. It's like Eun Sang knows she's going through some tough things, but then here's HER MOTHER who's equally going through tough times too. Gosh it's so good.
And can I just say, why is that everyone can speak better English other than Tan, who's lived in America for like years? LOL, even Eun Sang speaks better. lol.
And that "it's okay baby," jeez it's cheesy and cringing, but why do i keep watching that part?
Anyways, great start. I want to see more story development!
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95 Fyri
October 9, 2013 at 10:36 PM
Rant
DISCLAIMER: I am an ABC and have seen the horror of ELL in Asia. This is a broad generalization of trends, there will be outliers who speak better English than I do.
Watching Asian-Dramas makes me cringe sometimes...
every time I learn that they are going be partially set in America my heart falls.
They somehow manage to perpetuate every "bad" stereotype about California in 7 mins.
The level of English in Asia is downright atrocious even though it is a compulsory subject. Would it have added a significant figure to their budget to have native speakers voicing over the Korean actors' sub-par English ?
Thoughts
A rather interesting first episode. I think that I will have a hard time keeping track of the characters because of the huge cast. As a member of a younger-generation, I do feel as if the problems they face are reminiscent of plot lines used in older films and movies. I think I'm on the bandwagon for the next 2 episodes. After that, I'll see.
Cast-wise: They are all so sparkly. I have a bit of a hard time buying into the high-school student thing, but they would look great on soda promotions. LMH has never been a favorite, but he is highly serviceable. :)
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windsun33
October 10, 2013 at 1:20 PM
"..The level of English in Asia is downright atrocious even though it is a compulsory subject.."
That is far more true than most Asians would like to believe. And most of those that can (supposedly) speak English are far better at written than spoken.
When I was in Japan, I would often get "attacked" by students wanting to practice English, and it did not take me long to realize just how bad the English teaching actually was, especially in high schools. In one case one of the students told me that his teacher was upset with him because he learned how to pronounce "L's", instead of the Katakana derived "prease" for please etc. Even though his pronunciation was much better than usual, it did not fit with the pronunciation the teacher was teaching.
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96 Lightrain
October 9, 2013 at 10:38 PM
I liked it. I just hope they go back to Korea ASAP!!!! I can only stand so much of these US scenes. Ack... painful.
I couldn't stop laughing at the fact that LMH had a shower scene not even 2 minutes into the drama. And a brooding one at that...
Hopefully they'll be back in Korea by episode 3?!
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97 Missy
October 9, 2013 at 10:40 PM
Seriously stop making lmh speak multiple English sentences back to back! It's taking away his sex appeal. And the affable embarrassment of a California surfer dude has to go
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98 Perrie
October 9, 2013 at 10:42 PM
I thought the start was pretty underwhelming... I mean, with all the flashy teasers and stuff, it wasn't that interesting and honestly, when I saw the dream catcher thing, it just reminded me of the whole scene in Secret Garden with the weird little abandoned house and the magical water that shows her father's face etc,
Aside from that, that's the only thing that reminded me of Secret Garden which is a really really good thing. I couldn't watch AGD because I felt like the Kim Joo Won and the main guy in AGD were way too much alike to the point they were the same character, hence I couldn't watch it. Those two characters were men child so I was really surprise that Lee Min Ho's character was mature (so far). I mean, the writer finally has a platform where a man child character would be perfect but goes the opposite direction. I couldn't help but laugh at that irony.
I'm sad Kim Woo Bin is a mean guy (come on Woo Bin ahhh, my whole reason for watching was for you! ). Did anyone else notice the kid they were beating up was also from School 2013? lol.
I really liked Krystal (or do we address her as Jung Soo Jung???) in HK3 and I thought her acting was good there...but something's off here...her acting is kinda bad TO ME here.
Anyway, my favorite thing in this episode were actually the American actors. I thought they were really good (much better than usually) and I definitely enjoyed the engrish. I understand though. I'm taking Chinese and I'm sure if native speakers heard me, they'd react the same way I am to the engrish. There's always points for trying!
Sorry I wrote a whole essay!
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Perrie
October 9, 2013 at 10:43 PM
The best eye candy(ies) for this episode is (were): Kang Min Hyuk and Choi Jin Hyuk ( especially after his appearance on running man. His look just screams MANLY)
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(permanent) visitor
October 9, 2013 at 11:16 PM
Choi Jin Hyuk's smile is SO CUTE. Sadly, it doesn't look like we'll be seeing much of it in Heirs. Guess I'll just have to re-watch Running Man.
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lila
October 10, 2013 at 12:56 AM
Minhyuk reminds me of an adorable puppy
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Perrie
October 9, 2013 at 10:48 PM
Alsoooo! (Sorry to keep adding on)
I know they're going for the whole gossip girl kinda theme but Rachel's character is like a knock of version of Blair Waldorf even with the whole hair and her room looks kinda like blair's too!
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Perrie
October 9, 2013 at 10:52 PM
AND! The main issue that really really bother me is that, really none of these characters really look their fucking age (and I already knew this would happen, but holy frick, they look freaking old compared to the characters they're playing). Eun Suk is suppose to be in college?!!! If we're talking traditional college age student status in America, there's no one I'd believe that or the fact that Park Shin Hye is suppose to be a high school sophomore?!!
Perhaps they should have made the characters college age, that would have been more believable
Really really sorry for all the extra comments, lol
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windsun33
October 10, 2013 at 1:24 PM
Yup - to make it a 1000% more believable they could have at least placed some in college. Only a few even look young enough for college unless they are going for advanced degrees where it might take 5-6 years.
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99 dukdam
October 9, 2013 at 10:46 PM
Maybe it was because I was expecting to be disappointed (LMH's mumbling Korean delivery in the promos right after SJS in the Master's Sun made me cringe so much) but put me in the 'rather enjoyed it, pleasantly surprised' camp.
There was something in the way LMH played Kim Tan that reminded me of what it was that brought about the frenzy of 꽃남.
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100 parksooha
October 9, 2013 at 10:50 PM
I'm cautiously optimistic after the premiere. There were good bits, and there were bad, but a lot of the bad was harmless and honestly made the episode more fun in a roundabout way. Take LMH's English for an instance, I thought it was more winning, in that you could really see he was giving it his all, than cringe-worthy. Same with the American characters. They were completely over the top and hilarious precisely because of that.
I'm not a PSH fan. It feels like she has been playing the same character for a while now, but I was pleasantly surprised by how rough around the edges her character was. I cheered internally during the scene where she's bitching about krystal's character to her sister. Yay for a candy who's not above being a little petty and bitter. It's more the writing I like than the portrayal at this point. PSH's over (when she's crying) and under (when she's being all 'deer caught in a headlights'-ish) acting leaves much to be desired. It's my sincere hope she's able to capture the nuances of this seemingly complex candy as the series progresses.
On the other hand, I have absolutely no hope for Krystal. It's not just that her character is insufferable, her acting is equally painful to sit through. I was actually really surprised to see her get the second lead billing, though it does make me wonder how much of that decision was influenced by her idol popularity. I doubt I'd be able to digest two bitchy second leads, so I really hope we see much more of Rachel than Bo Na. Rachel already seems like a much more interesting character.
Also, I loathed Young Do, but I'm invested in his character because woo bin's selling the whole 'sick, menacing bully' thing really well. I'm very interested in seeing what happens between him and Rachel.
Overall, it was a pretty solid first episode. Will definitely be tuning in tomorrow.
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jubilantia
October 10, 2013 at 10:12 AM
Krystal can be pretty annoying, but I'm pretty sure it's Kim Ji Won who is second lead- not that it will be very clear with an ensemble cast. I hope they do more with her Rachel character than make her a bitchy ex. She is capable of so much!
I actually really like PSY's acting, and think she lends weight to a potentially annoying role, but we'll see how her character progresses.
Remember when Woo Bin was the least pretty of the Vampires Three in Vampire Idol? Ah, memories. Now, he's a charismatic ball of angsty, slightly psychotic mischief. I, too, was much taken with his character, and think he will be quite the worthy opponent for our wonderful Redundantly Journaling Hero. Can't wait for their rivalry and inevitable (I hope) bromance.
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