The Heirs (2013) Review: A Chaebol Fairytale in Uniform

Is The Heirs worth watching?

Yes. The Heirs is a glossy, addictive chaebol romance that helped define a generation of K-drama, and its young cast delivers the star power it promises. Kim Eun-sook knows exactly which fantasy she is selling, and the love triangle at its centre has real pull, thanks in large part to Kim Woo-bin’s wounded rival. The reservations are a middle stretch that repeats itself and melodrama that tips into excess.

What is The Heirs about?

Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) is the second son of a powerful Korean conglomerate, sent to California partly to keep him out of the way of a family succession fight. There he meets Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye), a hard-working girl from a poor family juggling several jobs, and when she returns to Seoul he follows. Both end up at Jeguk High, an elite school where students are effectively ranked by their parents’ wealth, and where Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin), an heir with a long-standing grudge against Tan, sees Eun-sang as the perfect way to hurt him. Engagement arrangements, family pressures and boardroom manoeuvring complicate everything.

The Heirs is a South Korean series in Korean, written by Kim Eun-sook and first broadcast in 2013. Kim Ji-won, Kang Min-hyuk and Krystal Jung complete the ensemble. This review covers the complete series, a single 20-episode season with a finished story.

A love triangle with genuine charge

The central romance works because the actors sell it. Lee Min-ho plays Tan as a restless, lonely rich kid whose confidence masks a desperate need for affection, and Park Shin-hye gives Eun-sang a stubborn dignity that keeps her from becoming a simple Cinderella figure. Their scenes together have the heightened, swoony intensity the genre demands.

Yet many viewers remember Kim Woo-bin best. Young-do begins as a bully, but Kim reveals the hurt and isolation behind the aggression, and the character’s gradual complexity gives the show much of its emotional depth. His scenes with both leads crackle with tension and regret.

Kim Eun-sook’s glossy universe

Kim’s writing is known for its memorable lines, and The Heirs is full of the kind of dramatic declarations that became widely quoted. The show also has a surprisingly sharp eye for class: the school’s rigid hierarchy of wealth, the fear of losing status and the way money shapes every relationship all sit beneath the romance.

The production is equally polished. From Californian sunshine to marble-floored mansions, the series looks expensive, and the large ensemble of young stars gives the school scenes a lively, crowded energy. Kim Ji-won is especially good as a sharp-tongued heiress whose arrogance hides her own insecurities.

Where the fairytale sags

Twenty episodes is too long for the amount of story. The middle stretch cycles through the same obstacles, parental disapproval, misunderstandings and dramatic confrontations, with diminishing returns. Some subplots involving the wider ensemble feel underdeveloped, and the melodrama occasionally becomes exhausting, with adults behaving in ways designed to keep the lovers apart rather than to make sense. Viewers new to K-drama may find the tropes laid on thickly.

Who should watch The Heirs?

It is a strong pick for fans of romantic K-drama, of rich-and-poor love stories and of the actors themselves, and it is essential viewing for anyone curious about the era that made Lee Min-ho and Kim Woo-bin household names across Asia. Twenty episodes are a real commitment. The content is mild, with some bullying and emotional conflict, suitable for teenagers.

If you enjoy it, try these next from the romance shelf:

• Goblin, a later Kim Eun-sook drama that pairs her trademark romance with fantasy and melancholy.
• Queen of Tears for a more recent chaebol love story that balances glamour with comedy and heartbreak.

The verdict

The Heirs is a glossy, heady teen romance with charismatic leads, a memorable rival and a wry eye on privilege. It is overlong and melodramatic in its middle stretch, but as a showcase for Kim Eun-sook’s style and a generation of young stars, it still delivers.

Rating: 4/5