First 5 episodes similarities between The Master's Sun (TMS) & The Heirs (TH):
The first 4 episodes of TMS was slightly scary to watch live at night, but by the end of episode 4 I was hooked.
Whereas TH, the first 4 episodes were paced slower than screenwriter Kim Eun Sook's work in the past but by the end of episode 4 the pace was slightly moving forward to a balanced drama pace.
TH relationships:
1. Brother / Sister complex
Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho) & Kim Won (Choi Jin Hyuk) - KT admires his older half-brother KW but to KW, KT symbolises both a broken family & competition for their father's affections.
KW believes if he can't have his father's love then he'll take everything his father lived for including inheriting the Jeguk Empire Group.
Plot speculation - What will cause KT to want to inherit JEG?... Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye)
CES gave KT a dreamcatcher as payment for letting her stay at KT's overseas home temporarily. A dreamcatcher catches bad dreams and only allow good dreams to enter during sleep.
When KT decided to hand in his assignment, he wrote, 'He who wishes to wear the crown must bear its weight.'
KT's desire to receive KW's brotherly love is important to KT. Losing the chance of being approved by his older brother is a bad dream for KT. But KT would be willing to risk his bad dream coming true for someone who's capable of growing to love KT for who he is - CES.
CES & Cha Eun Seok (Yoon Jin Seo) - CES's older sister, Seok is like the female version of the prodigal son. Seok took all of their mother's life savings to squander it all away from home. CES is like the brother of the prodigal son, feels resentment of being left behind looking after their parent. CES is hard working, both at working part-time and studying - she's maintained a top 5 ranking in her year level.
Plot speculation - What will motivate CES to strive not to inherit poverty?... KT
KT's father transfers CES to Jeguk High School, where KT's step-mother also enrolled him to attend.
Why would KT's father bother to send his housekeeper's daughter to an elite school with his son?... because KT's father knows who is CES's father who isn't registered on CES's birth certificate.
Most likely CES's father is a chaebol of an empire in direct competition to KT's father's JEG.
Also, CES's father had an affair with KW's mother... which means CES's real mother is KW's mother, who passed her on to KT's father's housekeeper as her daughter instead.
This is plausible, because CES and KT are the same age. KW's mother might have slept with her husband's competitor to get back at her husband having a mistress.
Behind the scenes, KT's father still can't forgive KW's mother and wants KT to be his heir and is pushing CES closer to KT. Because eventually CES's father would want to reclaim CES as his daughter and be his heir after he finds out the truth.
2. KT & CES's relationship
Fate guides KT and CES to meet each other when they both least expect it. Both their lives are parallel - minus their bank accounts. They start off building a friendship because they can understand each other's sibling complex and feeling isolated. KT doesn't feel his father's love and CES doesn't even know who her father is.
KT and CES have an affinity with one another, living under the same roof (a very big roof), going to the same school, CES's childhood friend is KT's ex's current boyfriend. KT's frenemy is his love rival for CES's affections. CES respects KT's fiance status as KT's fiance, but doesn't allow herself to be a punching bag for KT's fiance's insecurities about losing KT to CES.
Park Jang Hyun, Park Hyun Kyu - Love is feeling OST, is a ballad that encompass KT and CES's relationship.
Lyrics - http://am-sukasuki.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/park-jang-hyun-park-hyun-kyu-love-is.html
Judging by the song lyrics, there'll be plenty of obstacles in KT and CES's relationship before they reach the point of acceptance and confess their true feelings for one another.
Plot speculation - List of their relationship obstacles
* Choi Young Do (Kim Woo Bin) & Rachel Yoo (Kim Ji Won) - These step siblings will finally agree on the same thing... to keep their love interests KT and CES apart.
CYD will use the secret that KT's registered mother is actually his step mother in order for CYD to get closer to CES.
Rachel will try to befriend CES to use the I'm your friend and KT's fiance card to make CES feel guilty of bonding with KT. Rachel will suggest CES to give CYD a chance, because CYD is available and is interested in CES.
* KW to spite KT when he realises their father's intentions to pass the reign of JEG to KT by causing misunderstandings between KT and CES.
* KT's mother plans to become the official wife instead of a mistress. She wouldn't want others to look down on her if KT ends up with CES the housekeeper's daughter instead of Rachel the heiress of RN international.
3. Ratings
After Secret ends in a month, The Heirs' ratings will surpass the 20% mark.
4. Kim Eun Sook
Lovers in Paris & Secret Garden were her biggest hits to date.
What's missing in The Heirs compared to LIP and SG?... that light hearted and the chemistry between the two main leads.
LMH and PSH have a mutual friends chemistry which is suitable because they are portraying a high school love, instead of a mature post high school love. Their scenes together are sweet but it's more sugar coating than wanting to dig into the bowl to make sure there's no leftover cream.
I like LMH and PSH as actors. I think that LMH and PSH are still shaping their acting careers, they both have more to give before their break out performance. They're not just naturally pretty actors, they can both act. With more life experience, five years from now their acting growth will be evident.
I like Kim Eun Sook's series. It's hard to write hits that appeals to the mass audience tastes. Kim Eun Sook is an established screen writer. There's lots of pressure for her to deliver hits, same with the Hong sisters.
Her writing was so witty in the political comedy, City Hall and also in the mature A Gentleman's Dignity. Even though the ratings weren't as smashing as LIP, it felt Kim Eun Sook's heart was in it, she was writing what she enjoys.
Whereas, The Heirs feels almost forced. It's the big budget and big cast that's too distracting. It reminds me of screenwriter Park Kyung Soo's The Empire of Gold - he was trying to recapture the essence of The Chaser rather than letting Empire of Gold shine on its own merit, plus the ending was rushed and disappointing. But even the Empire of Gold had that likable restrained tension between the two main leads that is lacking between LMH and PSH... and there were no kiss scenes between the two main leads of EOG!
Because I've kept my expectations of The Heirs at ground level I'm enjoying the series. 5 episodes down, 15 episodes to go. Looking forward to cute scenes between KT + YD, CES + YD, YD + R, R + CES and of course KT + CES. As long as KT + CES has a happier ending like TMS and not like EOG, I'll be able to re-watch The Heirs five years from now fondly.
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