Soooo. 2013 is almost over and what a year it was for K-dramaland! Some of the best dramas premiered this year. However, I shall dedicate this post to the most anticipated and starry drama of the year- 'He Who Wishes to Wear the Crown, Endure Its Weight- The Heirs'.
After almost a year of great publicity and extreme anticipation among fans (I confess, I was one of them), 'The Heirs' had its finale on December 12, 2013. My excitement at the prospect of watching Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye cannot be described in words; I was SO EXCITED because I had been shipping them ever since I saw them. The concept also contributed to aggravating my excitement. Yep, I am a total sucker for rich guy-poor girl love stories!
My feelings at the beginning of Episode 1-
You could hear my scream all the way to the beaches of California where Lee Min Ho was surfing. The picturesque beaches of California, the symbolic dreamcatcher (my! that dreamcatcher elicited an obsession for dreamcatchers within me), Lee Min Ho and Park Shin He together..........can I ask for more? Oh yes, apparently I could have. Let me see- Kim Woo Bin, Choi Jin Hyuk, Krystal and Kang Min Hyuk as a couple. Admittedly, the pace irked me a bit because it seemed soooo slow that a tortoise could have raced by it but then I was prepared to forgive ANY flaw in this drama.
Boy, was I wrong!
By the end of Episode 20, my expression was a cross between-
and
Practically, NOTHING HAPPENS for 10 episodes. And the drama picks up pace in the 11th episode, only to lose its steam again after 4 episodes or so. Add a clumsily tied up finale to it and you have the perfect overrated drama.
Such a great premise was set for this drama: the lonely teenager who has been exiled to the USA and must bear the weight of the crown on his return to South Korea, a paranoid half-brother brother who is determined to keep him away from the CEO's chair at Jeguk Empire at all costs, a bitter and scarred friend-turned enemy, a mother who is forced to live beneath the roof of the Kim mansion and denied her privilege. Power struggle, broken relationships, broken hearts. SUCH GREAT POTENTIALITY. However, none of these things happen until episode 12 (or was it 13?). A greater half of the drama was wasted on showing the bitter and hatred-filled relationship between Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho) and Choi Young-do (Kim Woo Bin) with Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye) in the middle. I admit, it was chiefly a love story and I was not disappointed with that aspect at all! It was the quintessential K-drama love story. However, I would have loved it if Kim Eun Sook (the writer) would have initiated the power struggle within Jeguk Empire earlier, which would have allowed for a greater and better build-up of the central conflict, that is, will Kim Tan sacrifice everything for love or vice versa.
However, disappointed I was with the plot, I LOVED THE WRITING! The dialogues were witty and crisp, especially Choi Yong-do's (It did help that Kim Woo Bin did an AMAZING job of playing the character; in several ways, he was the true star of the drama). I loved the chemistry between Hee Nam (Cha Eun Sang's mother) and Ki Ae (Kim Tan'a mother), Kim Tan and Kim Won (KT's broter played by Choi Jin Hyuk. Mmmm. His voice! His looks! His eyes!).
SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM 'The Heirs':
#1 Lee Min Ho and shower scene? SIGN ME UP!
#2 Shirtless Kim Woo Bin. I swooned.
#3 When Kim Tan was embarrassed after he caught Cha Eun Sang changing her clothes
Such innocence is refreshing!
#3 When Kim Tan was embarrassed after he caught Cha Eun Sang changing her clothes
#4 When Kim Tan falls in love with Cha Eun Sang
The way Lee Min Ho gazes at Park Shin Hye....sssiiiigghhh!
#4 When Kim Tan falls in love with Cha Eun Sang
#5 The partial confession
"Perhaps, do I like you?"
#6 Kim Woo Bin. Kim Woo Bin. Kim Woo Bin.
#6 Kim Woo Bin. Kim Woo Bin. Kim Woo Bin.
#7 When Cha Eun Sang tamed the big, rich, spoilt, babies
This scene totally cracked me up! And Kim Tan and Choi Young-do were
SO ADORABLE!
#8 The bromance- I began shipping them halfway through!
#9 Kim Tan kisses Cha Eun Sang publicly
Although there was no snow falling; this is an edited picture
#10 The closet kiss
I'm proud of you, Park Shin Hye. At least, you kissed back. Lee Min Ho, PLEASE KISS ME!
#11 When Kim Tan breaks down after realizing that he has, possibly, lost has Eun Sang forever
This scene broke my heart. Completely. Utterly.
Lee Min Ho, I fell in love with you. Deeper than ever.
#12 The endless laughs that we got from Kim Tan's results. ^^
#13 The last kiss and the last walk
#14 THIS AMAZINGLY CUTE COUPLE. HOOK UP IN REAL LIFE TOO. PLEASE.
#14 THIS AMAZINGLY CUTE COUPLE. HOOK UP IN REAL LIFE TOO. PLEASE.
OMO. There were just way too many memorable moments in this drama, accentuated by the unforgettable dialogues. I shall keep updating this section as and when I remember those moments!
CONCLUSION: However, you might have hated this drama for its almost non-existent plot, yet you can't help but remember it. I, for one, shared a love-hate relationship with this drama, as is quite evident from this blogpost. This drama was perfect: a stellar cast, great acting, awesome dialogues, beautiful and dreamy visuals, an amazing premise BUT THE PLOT KILLED IT. Scratch 'killed'. It DESTROYED the drama. Sigh. Can we please remake the drama with a proper plot and no hastily tied up loose ends? But heck, people loved it, they cried over it, they yelled at their screens out of frustration. Many fell in love with it. I would've too had I not been over-analytical. >.<
For those, who haven't watched it yet, go and watch it at least once! Here's the link if you can't find a site to watch it!
The Heirs is one of those dramas, much like 'Boys Over Flowers', which will go down in history as one of the most popular K-dramas. Heck! It even managed to earn the second spot in the 'Trending Worldwide' on Twitter and was almost consistently above 20% when it came to the ratings. GO, STAR POWER!
LOVE IS THE MOMENT! ~~
Signing off!
Aja! Aja! Fighting!
P.S. I wish Won had his happy ending. Wae, drama? Wae?
