The Master's Sun Final Review

Hey guys so my family, for now, seems to be surviving well enough for me to get back into the swing of things.  For the first time in months, a drama actually caught me, & kept me, for more than one episode.  But I'll get back to that later.  I want to say thank you so much to all of you who have emailed, tweeted, and facebooked me over the last few months, with words of encouragement & support, it meant the world to me, to know I hadn't been forgotten by my favorite peeps.

Overview: 
On with the review, I'm going to wrap up the last three episodes in this one review. I really enjoyed how they wrapped up this drama, granted it was a little predictable and they used one of my least favorite, but overused ploys, the whole going away for a year & then coming back but I loved the faces that Joo Joong Won made when he was pretending that he was in so much pain and that he was gonna let her walk away from him when really he wasn't.  I enjoyed how each character was paired off for a happily ever end.  Call me a romantic or a goofball for liking a clean cut happy ending if you want.  It doesn't bother me.  Life is so full of complicated, messy endings, that most of the time don't actually feel ended that when I'm watching a show I want what I can't really get in real life.  Real life is overrated.

Cha Hee Joo: (The Real Cha Hee Joo)
At the end of 15 all is revealed, all that was pretty much visible throughout the drama, at least to me.  She is the REAL Cha Hee Joo.  She was the one who was in the orphanage, when her sister came to see her for the first time, we see that Han Na was actually the nice twin, probably because she was raised with adoptive parents in a nice, read: rich, environment.  The whole nature vs nurture issue comes up here.  That CHJ had a thing for JJW, but was too scared to approach him, so her sweet twin sister did it, while pretending to be her.  Eventually CHJ was going to tell JJW the whole truth of their deception, once she started having feelings for him.  But then CHJ stepped in & there was the kidnapping, the jewelry heist, the murder of her own sister & then taking her sister's place as Han Na.  She gets caught, admits to her dirty deeds, 2 day before the statute of limitations expires, how convenient, and is hauled off to jail.

Tae Gong Sil's Eonnie and Cheap Mouth:
Weirdest pairing I've seen in a while.  They start off as acquaintances & out of nowehere they're flirting & hanging out, he's no longer using her to get the dirty deets to take back to Uncle.  And even though she finds out he's the one with cheap mouth selling secrets of her own sister, she continues dating him.  But he was funny & cute & he was willing to do all those shots for her so even I forgave him.  Besides she has enough sass & feistiness in her to make him pay but in a totally loving & funny way.  So in the end it worked.

Aunt & Uncle:
Aunt becomes pregnant!  And we find out that she has never been able to carry a baby to term.  Which has made her sad & bitter & probably caused failed relationships in the past which explains her need to control everything & why she is very guarded.  I ended up really liking Aunt.  But it took TGS to point out that while it is scary to trust & rely on others that it is also good for you, even if you get hurt.  I loved how happy Uncle was & how he was prepared to raise the baby after Aunt gives birth, because 50 is too old to take care of baby, in Aunt's mind.  I think these 2 just might make it.  He's the perfect Yin to her Yang.  And he cracks me up every time he cheers, "TGS, Fighting!", under his breath.

Kang Candy & Tae Yi Ryeong (or Black Whale):
She gets him drunk!  Kang Candy drunk is adorably honest.  And I love that she spiked his drink.  Way to go girl!  Again this is the kind of stuff that is just creepy & wrong in the real world but is awesome in KDramas.  While intoxicated he admits he thinks she's quite beautiful.  And you can see how happy it makes her to hear this.  In fact she likes it so much that she agrees to help Kang Candy & JJW stop TGS from leaving the country.  In the most awesome ways ever!  Loved the 'OMGosh I think I am dying' on the plane, acting & the way she was grabbing on TGS & dragging her with her out of the airport to the hospital every step of the way.  Pretty strong for someone who is abject pain.  And afterwards, Kang Candy rewards her by basically agreeing to be hers.  Totally adorable couple!  I loved them together so much!  Very reminiscent of Ice Cream Girl & Cha Moo Won, from Protect the Boss.

This leaves us with...

Joo Joong Won & his Billion Won Radar, Tae Gong Sil:
So many happy feels.  I loved that even though he didn't want her to leave him, he told her "Get Lost" in that fantastic way.  I was glad that she didn't come back from her search for answers, all healed & unable to see ghosts anymore.  Her explanation that while she was in a coma & traveling with the photographer who can see ghosts as well, she was touched by the spirits & promised to help them & that is why she is such a shining light to them, because of her promise to help when she got back in her body.  It was very sweet.  After the tried & overly used plot device of separating for a over a year they run into each other again & she fakes that she is cured so that he doesn't feel sorry for her, because she wants him back.  But she wants him back on her terms, not because he thinks she needs him to protect him from the scary ghosts.  She's even earned some major bank while she was gone so that she can buy her apartment building, which he told her early on if she bought that building he'd take her then.  I'm paraphrasing of course but you get the general idea, right?  Anyway, he finds out when he gets her drunk & has to keep a plethora of ghosts from taking control of her.  Again I loved watching Gong Hyo Jin play so many different characters in her one body.  She is one of my favorite actresses.  Eventually it all works out, she buys the building, he finally gets the girl & she accepts herself & her abilities.

Weekly Ghosts We Grew To Love:
They even managed to wrap up the ghosts...Trashcan ghost was at the trashcan because he lost a big time lottery winning ticket & let his family down but JJW fixed that by helping Trashcan ghost's daughter have the wedding of her dreams.  Then there was Woo Jin.  Who's mom, is so distraught with grief for her son that she almost commits suicide, but TGS rescued her in time.  We even found out that the coffee ghost kid, that I loved the best, is actually just like TGS.  He's still awake & avoiding the pressure of college & exams & life by staying in a coma, like TGS did & following photographer guy.  Sigh, it felt good to get those answers.

So all in all it was a fun, different kind of rom/com Kdrama.  I enjoyed the actors & actresses & the characters & most of the writing, plot devices & all.  And I have another K Crush in So Ji Sub, who is my age...feels good to crush on age appropriate men.  ^^


And that about covers it for me folks.  I am moving on to review It's Okay, That's Love, again starring Gong Hyo Jin.  It's been a seriously long time since a drama has caught my interest for more than an episode or 2 & I really like the more grown up, serious feel to her new drama.  I also like the fact that she isn't some poor pushover or in need of protection heroine.  In this one she is sassy, big mouthed, intelligent, and successful.  It's a nice change.  But I probably won't get any of the reviews out until I get back from KCON next week.  My eldest son & I are flying out tomorrow.  I hope to meet a lot of fellow addiKts & squee & have a total blast with all of you.  This is an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity & there was no way I was going to pass up this experience.  Thanks everyon e for the love & support & the cheering section for me & especially for the Crazy Ahjummas.  We love you guys!

SEE YOU AT KCON!!!

Unnie

My Love From Another Star ep 10 "Just a Girl, Standing In Front of an Alien..."

I have good news, and I have bad news.  Bad news is that I am way way way behind on all of my dramas, including this one, having just finished last week's episode today and with no idea when I'll get to this week's episodes.  The good news is that I'm so far behind because I've been having a freaking amazing time hanging out with real for real Koreans in real life.  There are 4 kids visiting my son's Taekwondo master for the month and this past 3-day weekend, we had the opportunity to travel with them all to Los Angeles.  KTown LA, Hollywood, Orange County, the beach, and tons of fantastic Korean food and treats.  It really was a fabulous trip, which, as I mentioned is great news for me (hey, it beats being sick or out for other less awesome reasons), but bad news for my drama viewing.

Did I mention that I was at Huntington Beach where they filmed the first part of Heirs????  I was in fangirl heaven!

What made it even better was when I saw the restaurant, you know, this one here...

and turned around to try and explain to one of the new friends, Ji Hae, who loves dramas (woohoo! Best friends for LYFE, right Jihae???), that that was where Park Shin Hye's character's sister worked in the drama, blah blah blah, but it turned out that eye contact was all we needed.  No words.  Just catching each others' eye and simultaneously letting out a huge "SQUEEEEE!!!!!!!!"  It was magical.  See what dramas can do?  They can bridge culture gaps and language barriers in one fell swoop.  Someone should notify like the UN or something, maybe they could find it useful.

Okay, okay, okay...I could go on and on about this, but it has nothing to do with the actual reason we are all gathered here today, so I will put it on the back burner, save it for another time and place and move on with writing this review (if for no other reason than I have to finish it so that I can watch this week's episodes).  Ready?  Let's go!

This episode was mostly focused on rising suspicions.  Suspicions surrounding Do Min Joon and his origins.  Suspicions building around the death of Han Yoo Ra.  Suspicions of a developing crush.  And so on and so forth.  First, we begin by dealing with just what is up with Min Joon.  Hee Kyung and Song Yi both confront him about odd discoveries they've made - Hee Kyung regarding whether or not Min Joon was the one that saved Song Yi 12 years ago and just so happens to appear exactly the same as he did back then, and Song Yi regarding the shard of headlight she found in his garbage can from when he saved her from careening off the cliff in her car.  He artfully dodges both, but something tells me that they aren't completely pacified.  I mean, where's the fun in that, huh?

So, just how creepy is our bad guy, Jae Kyung?  Pretty darn creepy.  So creepy that even little brother Hee Kyung is starting to get a weird vibe.  As Min Joon starts to look into it further by watching this mysterious USB drive that seems to be of particular interest to the bad guy, some kind of creepy things are hinted at, like the disappearance of an ex-wife.  Is it just me, or did Han Yoo Ra seem to be intentionally recording this conversation.  Could she have possibly suspected something was off about her would-be-husband-and-baby-daddy-turned-murderer?  Things are starting to get dangerous for our alien friend as the plot thickens and he gets deeper and deeper involved.

Do Min Joon isn't alone in his troubles.  Song Yi is having to face a reality of a different kind - her rapidly dwindling finances in the face of her career going down the toilet thanks to the whole Han Yoo Ra business.  She begins to do the unthinkable - sell off her "babies", i.e. her collection of designer bags.  She attempts to make a deal with a boutique, but when she is rebuffed there, takes her "babies" to the internet.  She takes photos of herself with each item and posts them.  Hilariously enough, poor Min Joon is unknowingly dragged into the whole affair when she lists his number as the contact.  He has no idea why suddenly calls start flooding in asking about the bags, discounts, and so forth.  The dude has got to be crazy about her, because any guy not totally smitten would have blown up over something like that I'm sure.  I just loved how it showed the humor not only possessed by Song Yi, but shared between the two of them.

It doesn't just end with the bags though.  Oh no.  Do Min Joon is further dragged into Song Yi's financial business when she takes him along to negotiate with her former agency.  The scene where she asks for his help is actually rather touching, she admitting that she isn't fierce enough to handle it on her own and that they would soon see that.  It's a moment of weakness and vulnerability that makes her all the more likeable.  We see her human side, her frailties as opposed to her brashness and pigheadedness.  Turns out that asking him along was a brilliant idea, because not only does he help her save face, but he finds some nice little things in the contract that work to her advantage.  Even after the meeting, he continues to save the day.  While there at the agency, Song Yi bumps into Se Mi and her entourage.  The five of them sit down to a very awkward conversation and ends with Do Min Joon escorting an injured Song Yi out of the mire.  He's so good at protecting her in so many varied ways.  <3

Grateful for his help, a still vulnerable Song Yi asks Do Min Joon to stay with her.  He is the only one around her that she trusts.  He of course responds by further pushing her away and even telling her that he won't always be able to be there for her and she should look elsewhere and not lean on him.  Her response to him pushing her away?  She begins to look for any way, shape, or form that she can keep him close.  When she returns home she finds that her mother has left some kimchi there for her and her brother.  She gets all excited because certainly everyone knows that such things as kimchi must be shared with neighbors - it's only proper after all.  She pushes little brother to take the box of kimchi next door, but is disappointed when he comes back with an uninteresting report.  So, she cooks up another reason to visit - she absolutely must have her beloved kimchi box back, don't you know?  But, does she just go over and fetch the box?  Of course not.  This involves an outfit change, makeup and hair done up.  I love how she just keeps clinging and won't take no for an answer.  On anyone else it would probably be pathetic and annoying, but on her it fits and is so very cute and adorable.

PS - did you notice the ET reference???

Her obsession grows to the point when even she is forced to take notice of it and come to realize that she has developed a crush on the sexy alien next door.  And then this next scene - the balcony confession. Anyone else get the serious Notting Hill/Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts vibe here?  Famous actress, "regular Joe" (only our regular Joe obviously isn't so regular) - actress falls for the regular guy and confesses awkwardly to him.  I could practically hear Song Yi saying, "I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, telling him she likes him" or however the actual line from the Notting Hill movie goes.  Like I would know that.  It's not like I have watched that movie over and over again over the past years that it has been out.  Nah, that'd be lame.  *side eye*  Do Min Joon's response to her confession?  Silence.  Dude, that's cold.  I get it, but still man, say something.  The poor girl is suffering enough as it is.  Just freaking tell her already.  Give her all the juicy details.  Go on, I'm waiting.

I loved the part where Song Yi is having some jajjangmyeon with her closest thing to a friend bookstore lady and talking about how she needs to hold a press conference to try to clear her name and get her life back.  They've got the whole thing perfectly choreographed and worked out.  We'll see how all that goes later, huh?  It was cute.

What wasn't cute was when the prosecutor was taken down by our Psycho Killer guy and our Alien apparently framed for it.  Min Joon is waiting to hand over the incriminating USB drive to the prosecutor and gets suspicious when he doesn't show up.  He arrives on the scene just as the hospital is taking him away.  And wouldn't you know it, but Psycho himself is sitting there in his car in the parking garage just waiting for Min Joon to appear.  No words are needed, just a staring show down.

Min Joon follows Jae Kyung to a dark and deserted location.  The USB is dangled and a tranquilizer gun comes out.  Guess by making it a tranq gun, they got away with not having to blur it.  Yes, these are the things I focus on.  My apologies.  Things look bad for Min Joon.  Suspicions surrounding his true identity have been raised on multiple fronts and he needs to be careful to not reveal himself for who he is, especially with Mr Psycho himself.  But what to do?  The guy is out to kill him so that he can get to Song Yi.  Speaking of Song Yi, our dramatic show down between the two guys just so happens to involve Song Yi as well.  She, ever so adorably, is looking for any excuse to see Min Joon.  Just like before, she invents a reason to go over there (she apparently left a favorite hair band at his place) and gets all dolled up (yes, to go fetch a hair band - could she be any more obvious and adorable?).  She enters his apartment and is searching for him, going into his secret lair where Psycho's henchman just so happens to be hiding.  He is there to put some sort of will and/or suicide note on Min Joon's computer so that his murder will be assumed to be a suicide brought on by the guilt of what happened with Yoo Ra.

Back at our Mega Man Showdown, Min Joon has a gun pointed at him and a decision to make.  Well, when he knows that he must defend not only himself, but the life of Song Yi, what other choice is he going to make?  I mean, come on.  Just as the gun is fired, *POOF*, he's gone.  Jae Kyung stands there dumbfounded as he is suddenly alone.  Until Min Joon comes up behind him ever so suavely and squeeworthily and reminds him in a low, threatening voice that he, Jae Kyung, can never kill him.  Oooh!  Burn!  Such an awesome moment!  And that is where we end it for the week.  Pretty ah-maze-ing!  Loved it!

And there we have it.  Now two weeks late instead of one, since I'm finishing this wayyyy after I started writing it.  So sorry you guys.  My life has suddenly taken a crazier than normal turn and I have found absolutely zero time for watching or blogging.  We kind of sort of made the decision to try and buy a new house.  Oh, and I'm trying to get a job at the same time so that the new house can become a reality and not just a dream.  The clock is ticking and I'm so stressed and freaking out.  The whole house thing is a total secret though, so let's just keep it between us for now.  Our families don't even know yet.  Good thing none of them read my blog. ;)  I only tell you all so that you'll know why I'm such an unreliable blogger as of late.  I feel totally bad about it though because this drama is awesome and deserves better from me.  Oh life.  Life, life, life, life, life.  You can be so full of tricks and turns and surprises sometimes, can't you?  I know everyone is kinda bummed that there is only going to be one episode this week thanks to the Lunar New Year, but honestly, I cheered when I heard that because it gives me just that little bit extra help in order to hopefully do some catching up.

Until I return, back hugs and wide-eyed fish kisses!

Dongsaeng

My Love From Another Star ep 9

My very first single episode review of this drama! I am so excited! I spent a large portion of this episode gasping and squeeing and yes, even kicking my legs like a giddy little school girl and more than once at that. I have no shame in admitting it. This was an episode with many squee-and-kick worthy moments. From the kiss, to the naked sponge baths, to the very first face-to-face showdown with Mr Evil. And so much more! But we'll of course get into all that in a second here. I think I ended up getting screenshots of the whole episode. I was trying to capture our lead guy when he looked all gorgeous and hawt and stuff, and well, he was completely gorgeous and hawt throughout, so what was I to do? Anyone know of a great way to upload hundreds of photos to share? ;) Anyway, I am totally stoked to talk about and share with you the awesomeness of this episode so that we can all bask in its glory and loveliness together. So, what do you say? You game? Let's go!

 We start this episode right where we left off last week - our two leads sitting there snogging on the couch like the good alien and bratty actress that they are. I loved that this time around they interjected two things in - first, his lecture on love vs hormones in regards to skinship as well as the heart rate monitor for both of them before, during, and after the kiss. I wish there was a way to type the giddy gleeful reaction I had then and am having now as I remember the moment, so that I could truly express to you how much I loved this part. It was awesomesauce with a side of bacon. Hours later, the poor boy's heart was still racing. And then he got a fever. Looks like we now understand the reason behind the statement he made in the first episode about how he cannot exchange bodily fluids with a human. Looks like our resident alien caught a good old fashioned case of the cooties from a girl (thanks to my good friend Anne Violet who said it first!).  His spit swap gets him very ill and Song Yi gets concerned about him and even nurses him while he's ill.  And what a good nurse she is too - taking her job so seriously.  Like when she calls her only "normal" friend to ask how to treat a fever.  The friend, assuming at first that Song Yi is caring for a child and not a perfectly gorgeous grown man, instructs her to strip him naked and rub him down with warm cloths.  Song Yi's reaction to that was priceless!  And then she goes for it!  Well, she at least unbuttons his shirt and starts wiping him down with her eyes averted, but as we all know, in kdrama world, that's gotta be at least like, what, third base?  I thought it was a home run personally, but that's just me.  *rimshot*

I also loved how she got stuck in the sleeping bag and he wouldn't let her out.  Omo!  And then her new year greeting to Jang Young Mok (who she thinks is Do Min Joon's father) seriously had me in stitches.  Cheap humor?  Yeah, but still, freaking hilarious and I adored it!

We get some interesting background in this episode that I should mention.  First, the story about how Min Joon learned (the hard way) how he can't exchange fluids with humans.  It also just so happens to be how he met Young Mok.  He was working in a bank back in 1976(?) and a coworker spit in his coffee which he then drank.  Young Mok at that moment was in the bank pleading for a loan in order to save his mother.  Min Joon got sick and Young Mok didn't get the loan.  Both ended up on the roof - Young Mok to throw himself off and Min Joon in ill health.  Min Joon's abilities were hampered though thanks to the coffee sludge and so when he went to save Young Mok, it wasn't perfectly seamless and there was no hiding that something supernatural had just happened.

We also get a little insight into Song Yi's history.  She talks of her parents divorce and the misunderstanding that happened between her father and herself when she overheard her parents arguing.  It was as she was running away, completely distraught and sobbing, that she ran out in front of that truck and Min Joon saved her those 12 years ago.  She hasn't seen her father since.  Which is why she lists "stability" as her number one requirement in a man - she wants someone who will always be with her and never leave her.  Of course.  Duh.  You know, because Min Joon's time is almost up and so of course that would be the one thing that meant more to her than anything else.  And of course now he's going to feel bad because he knows he's leaving and that feelings are developing on both ends and he's going to just end up hurting her.  Or having to make the decision to stay.  He does, after all, need to protect her against Mr Evil, Jae Kyung, who has thrown down the proverbial gauntlet in this episode.

Speaking of Mr Evil, let's chat about what's going on there for a moment.  Dude just keeps on getting freakier and freakier.  It comes out that Yoo Ra had been pregnant before she was killed.  This was apparently going to be her big reveal the night of the party.  I wrongfully assumed that that was the real reason Psycho had killed her, but no.  He didn't even know.  No, he just killed her instead of dumping her.  That he dodged the whole "daddy thing" was just a lucky bonus.  This guy is so seriously scary!  And now he's after Song Yi.  As in, he is in her freaking apartment looking for her, scary creepy "where arrrre you?" and all.  A still recovering Min Joon, looking ever so dashing in his cream colored sweater by the way,

hears him in her apartment and confronts him as he exits.  And then we have the gauntlets thrown down by both men.  How amazing was it when, thinking he had won, the elevator doors open and Min Joon is standing there????  I died!

Finally, let's take tabs on who knows that something fishy is up with Min Joon.  Se Mi has it figured out that he and the mystery lifesaver from 12 years ago look oddly familiar, or you know, identical.  She has shared this tidbit now with Hee Kyung.  Even Song Yi is starting to get a little suspicious that something is different about this man.  She finds the piece of broken headlight from the car from when he saved her.  She hasn't linked the man from 12 years ago to him yet, but you know it's just gotta be a matter of time before that bombshell drops.  I am scared for when Jae Kyung knows too much.  I mean, he already knows too much for my taste, but when he knows everything, as he certainly will at some point because that's just how these things work (bad guys always have to learn someone's weakness and/or biggest secret and then use that against them), then watch out.  Se Mi's brother, the prosecutor, will probably play a role in all this somehow as well.  Which reminds me, is anyone else out there getting nervous about Miss Se Mi?  I can't fully trust her.  Is she Song Yi's friend or not?  She says she is not, yet she still usually acts like it.  I can't fully trust or distrust her at this point as her position is not entirely clear.  Will she turn out to be an enemy or will she remain loyal?  Will her brother be helpful or cause problems?  How far is Hee Kyung willing to take his "claim" on Song Yi?  At this point I can only trust Min Joon and Song Yi and Young Mok to not become antis.  On the other hand, I can only trust that Jae Kyung will remain evil.  And creepy.  The rest of the cast I am on the fence with.  I want to like them all, but until they prove themselves trustworthy, I'm going to keep them at arm's distance.

Alrighty.  That's what I have to say about that episode.  Now on to watch ep 10!  (yup, I am a day behind on my watching.  tragic, isn't it?  totes.)  See you when I return with my thoughts on that one.

Back hugs and Kdrama kisses,
~Dongsaeng~

My Love From Another Star

Hello there.  Greetings and salutations to you all.  I would like to welcome back those that have been with us before as well as welcome any who may be finding us for the first time.  New dramas often bring new readers and if that is you, well, then we're glad to have you here and hope you enjoy your stay.

Now, those that are experienced with us will probably recognize that the format for this first review will be slightly different.  Why?  Well, because the drama is nearly halfway over already of course.  Nothing like starting late, huh?  The worst part is that I had actually gotten a real good start prior to this posting and then accidentally deleted it all and was unable to recover anything that I had written.  Devastating as anyone who has gone through similar can, I'm sure, attest to.  I'm working on a laptop for the first time (yay! I so needed this for my blogging needs) and let's just say that there is a bit of a learning curve involved for an old one-trick pony such as myself.  I'm crossing my fingers and toes and eyes this time around and hoping that I don't screw up again because then I just don't know what I would do.  But enough of that, let's talk drama!

I've been mulling over the best way to do this since I decided over a week ago that I was going to make the attempt, despite being already 6 episodes behind.  Now at 8 episodes behind, I'm going to have to break from the mold a bit in order to jump in and play catch up.  Instead of episode-by-episode for those first 8 episodes, I'll just be giving a quick synopsis/review and then start in on the episode-by-episode after that.

So, My Love From Another Star, aka You Who Came From the Stars, Man From Another Star, or a handful of other options.  Some also just call it Alien for short.  It's, obviously, a show about an alien living on Earth.  Our hottie resident alien, Do Min Joon, landed on Earth back in 1609 during the Joseon Era.  He's been here ever since.  For those that don't like math, that translates into just over 400 years.  For 400 years he has roamed the Earth alone, learning and observing and collecting.  He has managed to collect quite a bit of knowledge and experience, yet he has done so with minimal human interaction.  He doesn't get involved in human issues, despite having what can only be called super powers.


He currently has one friend that knows who and what he is, a friend that ages while he does not.  A friend that is helping him tie up loose ends in these, his final 3 months on Earth.  That's right, our ET friend is finally going home.  And, after 400 years of not getting involved or tied down in human issues, would you know it, he now finds himself wrapped up in some "complications".

Meet Miss "Complications".  Our female lead, Cheon Song Yi, is a top actress at the height of her career.  She's the nation's treasure.  And she's a brat.  A total, egotistical, self-absorbed, clueless brat.  As luck (or fate) would have it, she ends up being our alien's neighbor as well as university student.  We quickly discover that there's something about this girl.  Something funny is going on here between the two of them.  When he first landed in 1609, he saved a young 15 year old widow from plunging to her death.  Only fitting since it was his space craft that blew her over the edge of the cliff in the first place.  Let me just say that that scene was the one that hooked me on this drama from the get-go.  I loved the cinematography of it all from when he stopped time (one of his super powers) and pulled her back.  The visual and the music and everything was stunning.  Anyway, so he saves her life and she in turn ends up saving his.  And, you know, dies in the process.  Right before she died, she had told him that she wished he could see her when she was a few years older.

Well, fast forward 400 years.  He's about to go home.  Since that first episode back when he was fresh on Earth, he has managed to not get involved in human affairs.  Purse gets snatched on the street?  Thief gets away.  He has learned not to muck around with life on Earth because it can change fates.  Then things get interesting.  12 years ago he sees a girl.  A girl that is the spitting image of the first girl from Joseon days.  She is about to get creamed by a truck.  He does what he normally wouldn't do and saves her.  This girl becomes our heroine.  Suddenly they are thrown back in each other's path.  Fate?  I think it's safe to assume that yes, there is some sort of fate behind all of this.  We don't know the why of it all at this point, but it's too coincidental to leave it up to just chance.  The first human he encounters and saves suddenly reappears 400 years later in his final 3 months on Earth.  Definitely not coincidence.  Even if her personality this time around is a bit altered.  He can't stand her at first.  He certainly doesn't recognize her as the girl he saved 12 years ago.  At least not at first.  By now he knows that it's her, and he's also starting to warm to her.

Here's the rundown as far as plot goes.  We have a classic love triangle.  Our lead actress has two friends from her school days - Hee Kyung and Se Mi.

Hee Kyung has forever been in love with Song Yi.  Song Yi does not reciprocate.  Se Mi, always playing second fiddle to Song Yi, of course has been wildly in love with Hee Kyung from the beginning.  Hee Kyung has an older brother, Jae Kyung, who turns out to be this evil murderer dude.

When actress and rival of Song Yi, Han Yoo Ra, gets too close (as in she wants to marry Mr Psycho), he kills her and frames it as a suicide, to which Song Yi is then blamed for causing, thanks to the bad blood between the two women.  Confused yet?  Well, it gets better.  Se Mi has an older brother who is the prosecutor for the case.

You know, because apparently the whole concept of "conflict of interest" holds no weight in dramaland.  Song Yi's life has fallen apart thanks to the death of Yoo Ra, and now she is in danger herself as she gets too close to accidentally uncovering bits of the truth.  She has already survived a couple of attempts on her life, thanks to the heroics of her alien neighbor.

Granted, all this is just the tip of the iceberg.  A lot has happened in these first 8 episodes, but this should get us up to speed, generally.  Now, why am I loving this drama so far?  Well, aside from the drop-dead smoldering gorgeousness of Mr Alien (seriously, why couldn't he have looked this good in most of Dream High?), my biggest draw is in the characters themselves.  I love the interaction between Do Min Joon and Cheon Song Yi.  They are really good together.  There is humor.  There is sexiness.  There is mystery and intrigue.  There's a psycho that's close to the main characters, yet goes unnoticed as the psycho.  There's just so much to love.

I got some screenshots from the last little bit of ep 8 because I couldn't let this one go without at least something.  The end of episode 8 gave us a wonderful kiss scene all in the name of chemistry.  And chemistry they have!  Wow!  And this isn't even their first kiss. Nope, not this one either.

I finally finished watching the movie The Thieves that just so happens to star these two main leads in it as well.  Chemistry - they had it then and they have it now.  Wanna see?  Duh, of course you do.  What kind of silly question is that?

From The Thieves

15 Second Chemistry Challenge from MLFAS

Double swoon, right?  I adore these quirky characters and what is happening between them.  These first 8 episodes have been a very awesome ride so far and I eagerly look forward to the final 12.  Who's with me?

Thanks for sticking with me.  I know this first review is kind of lame-o.  The next ones should be better.  I hope.  I swear as soon as I say that I always end up jinxing myself, so I won't make any promises, except that I have every intention of improvements from here on out.  ;)  Two more days until episode 9!  Woohoo!  At least that is one thing we can all anticipate together!

Heirs THE FINALE (ep 20) MiXeD bAg

As I come to the end of this drama, I am filled with an assortment of thoughts and feelings, some positive, some unsure, and yes, even some kind of sad.  I think that this one will take me some time to process.  I think it's going to take me some time to even say that I liked it.  There were things I liked, but things that left me feeling...empty.  I hate feeling empty.  Or unresolved.  At the same time, I'm also glad they didn't just give everyone a perfectly wrapped "happily ever after" either.  I am also willing to admit that I was half wrong about my previous wager that they would pull a "x years later" with us.  Half wrong-ish.  I'll argue that a fantasy 10 years later still sort of counts, even if not completely.  But more on that part in a bit.  For now, let's back up, start at the beginning and dissect this, our final episode.

1.  A Good Portion of the Episode Was Spent on This...

...but I'm only going to give it a blip of a mention here.  The takeover attempt by Fake Mom while Papa Jeguk is in a coma.  Kim Tan and Kim Won both rally and go after votes for their side.  It pays off in the end, as Kim Won manages to maintain his position as CEO and Papa Jeguk as company head.  Fake Mom loses and not very gracefully I may add.  When Papa Jeguk finally awakens and hears about what she did while he was sleeping, he wants a divorce.  She's good with that, but mostly because she knows that she'll still get half of what he has in the end anyway, so while she didn't get the whole of what she was after, she's not walking away empty handed.  Well, in her defense, she has had her husband's mistress and love child under her roof for 18 years, so I guess she's owed something out of such an awful situation.

2.  Kim Won

Part of the process to secure the company resulted in Kim Won having to agree to an arranged marriage with a business partner.  Yeah, really.  I kept hoping that he would have refused when she proposed the deal, but no, he said yes, and intended to go through with it.  This ended in a heartbreaking break up with Teacher Hyun Joo.  And later, a soul crushing scene with him alone at his desk, sobbing.  His life is a lonely one.  At least he has made peace with his brother, as witnessed by him asking Kim Tan to stay so that he'll be less lonely.  This boy...his story just devastates me.  What he has lost and lived through all in the name of "privilege" and "power".  Is it worth it?  His mother died.  His step-mother isn't exactly the warm and fuzzy type.  His dad is an ass.  He has this half-brother that is obviously loved more.  This half-brother is not only loved more, but gets to live with his bio mom and have a relationship.  Who does Kim Won have?  No one.  Sure, he finds love, only to have it stripped away from him.  And unlike his brother, he is unable to hold onto that love once it's been stripped away.  Yes, Kim Won's story truly is painful and so very sad to witness.

3.  Young Do

Speaking of tragic characters, let's chat about Young Do for a moment.  Arguably this character stole the show.  I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that his story drew me in even more than our lovable leads.  Things don't improve much for him in the finale either.  He starts off with his dad going to jail.  Now, as far as his father goes, there is some redemption here.  As he is being carted off to jail, he leaves a message behind for his son, a message that contradicts with his earlier teachings.  He tells his son to not try to win by cheating.  I'm glad to see him at least start to see the error of his ways and try to turn things around for himself.  Sure, it took losing everything in order for him to see the light, but hey, better a death bed confession than none at all, right?  It was nice to see father and son begin to repair their very broken relationship.

So, he loses the girl and dad goes to jail.  But hey, it's not all bad news for Young Do.  He does finally get to reunite with his mother.  Now there's one that I would like to have a talk with.  I can understand her leaving.  I've seen the kind of man she married and can only imagine what being his wife was like.  I'm sure life was Hell for her.  I get that.  But to leave your kid behind with no way of contacting him???  To just abandon him to the very monster you yourself are running from?  What sense does that make.  So while I'm happy that he found his mother, there was part of me that was really upset by it.

Oh, and how awesome was he when he went to find and apologize to that kid that he bullied?  I know that the kid didn't forgive him, but I was so proud of him for having the courage and guts to do what he did in trying to right his wrongs.  What an impressive young man, don't you think?  I love him.  I truly do.  Which is a big reason why this episode bothered me because we don't get to see him of all people have his happily ever after.  Things do definitely improve and there is hope for happiness in his future, but I just wanted a little more positive resolution for him.  I wanted to see him find a girl I guess.  Not Eun Sang obviously (though yes there is a part of me that still would have loved to see that, but I'll silence her out of respect for our OTP), but someone good and kind and decent that would see him for the amazing man that he is underneath his troubled exterior.  I'm just a sap that way I guess.

4.  The Body

Remember the great mystery of the outline of the body that appears every morning at Jeguk High?  Who is behind it?  Well, we finally get the answer.  Everyone.  Everyone is behind it.  Eun Sang sees multiple people painting it as some form of release in their stifling world.  These are kids with big, real world issues on their shoulders, kids that have to live partly in an adult world before they are truly ready to bear the weight.  Kids that don't get to be kids.  Kids that the world sees as privileged and fortunate and enviable, but have difficulties to endure that most kids couldn't dream of.  I was somewhat confused on the exact meaning of the body, but my take on it was that is was a way for them to vent their frustration with the different aspects within their lives, kind of like saying in a very subtle yet dramatic way, "this is killing me" or "I may as well be dead".  Or even "I wish I was not alive".  "My world is killing me".

5.  Other Notables
There are a few other characters to wrap up with not yet mentioned.  First, Secretary Yoon.

If you'll remember from #3 up there, I am an admitted sap.  I wanted to see Secretary Yoon and Esther Lee reunite in the end.  I also wanted Secretary Yoon to be revealed as Rachel's father.  Sadly, neither of these wishes came true.  This was certainly one of the things that left me feeling empty in the end.  The end to their story was anti-climatic.  And it started out so promising with that make-out in the hallway way back when in one of the early episodes.  Sigh.  Oh well.  I guess we can't always get what we want.  Boo.

I loved the scene with father and son fishing together.  Their relationship is awesome.  Do you think that it's coincidence that our two healthiest child/parent relationships come from the two poorest (or most "normal") families?  I think that if anything, the message trying to be driven home by this drama is, "be careful what you wish for" or "the grass isn't always greener on the other side".

Another character I wanted to mention is poor troubled and dark Hyo Shin.  He has struggled with the expectations placed upon him by his family.  That and the lack of authenticity from them he receives.  We learned earlier that in the past he was driven to attempt suicide.  Now he just rebels by not taking the college entrance exam.  When even that neglects to get a rise out of his parents, he really loses it.  I will admit to not fully grasping what is going on in his world, but it would seem to me as if he is desperate to be seen as who he is and not just some soulless extension of his parents that they can manipulate and control whatever way they see fit.  It's like they have created this facade with certain expectations and cannot accept him not towing the family line.  He doesn't want to rebel and do "bad" things, he just wants to live his life his way.  He wants to make movies.  I guess he was accepted to an art school or something, but his parents don't support his dream, they just want him to quietly obey theirs.  Anyway, so he runs away from home and joins the army.  Guess who he tells first?  Uh huh, Rachel.  After running into her at the psychiatrist's office.  I LOVE this budding romance!  Like when she asks him if he has a girl waiting for him and he answers contemplatively, "I don't know" like, "well that all depends on you - are you waiting for me?  I think I might like you to".  They never come out and make anything official, but it's obvious both are thinking about each other.  Those must have been some pretty awesome kisses at that party!  And may I just add, he looks fanfreakingtastic in that beanie by the way?  Wowzers!  Yumm!  His bromance moment with Kim Tan was some wonderful fan service, and so as a fan, I feel it important to say thank you.  From the bottom of my very happy fangirl heart, thank you for this part.

6.   10 Years in the Future

So we don't actually go in to the future, but we do get a glimpse of it in the form of a fantasy.  Kim Tan and Eun Sang are talking about what they imagine life might be like 10 years down the road.  Kim Tan pictures a party and all the people there.  Most everyone is happy, or happy-ish.  Bo Na and My Chan are still together, silly and adorable as ever.  Rachel and Hyo Shin are still flirting with each other.  Myung Soo is still in the military because he left so late.  Kim Won is still heading the company and rocking his suit, though I'm less sure about the hair.  Young Do is doing important things for his father's company and seems to have a better relationship these days with him.  Papa Jeguk is still alive and kicking and seems a bit nicer than before.  Secretary Yoon is still there smiling and happy.  Fake Mom is also still there which is puzzling to me.  Maybe that means that they didn't get a divorce after all?  Or else it means Kim Tan doesn't yet know about the impending divorce?  Or maybe it's just because she's a big enough actress that it was required that she be in one of the final scenes even if her presence there made no sense story-wise.  Whatever.  She was there.  Real Mom and Eun Sang's mom were also there, having one of their trademark hilarious interactions as usual.  This time it was Tan's mom realizing for the first time after all these years that Eun Sang's mom, who she has always called "ahjumma", is actually younger than her.  These two ladies crack me up so I'm glad they got one last scene together before the end.

And then, Kim Tan.  Wearing a pretty atrocious "suit", I suppose showing us that his stylist doesn't change in these 10 years?  Seriously, he looked like someone skinned a really ugly couch and made his outfit.  It's Lee Min Ho, so he still looks perfect, but golly, it was hard to see him beyond that "stuff" he was wearing.  He walks in to his room and standing there of course (in a beautiful dress unlike his hideous monstrosity) is Eun Sang.  He goes over to her and kisses her.  And we finally get the truth revealed in an unequivocable and inarguable way - Park Shin Hye truly cannot kiss.  In the past kisses it could be argued that it was the character's resistance to his affections that caused the pained and sick looks on her face, but in this scene that argument is dead.  In this scene they have been in love for over 10 years.  She should be used to, and welcoming of his kisses by now.  But she just stands there.  Lee Min Ho's lips are on hers and she just.stands.there.  Her chance for redemption in this is gone and cannot be reclaimed.  Her fate and label is unalterably set.  She is officially the worst kisser in Kdom.  I hate to be so harsh on the girl, but OH MY GOODNESS!!!!  It's just SO BAD that it is impossible NOT to talk about.  She is the Kristen Stewart of Korea.  Harsh, man, harsh, I know, but can we deny it any longer?  It kills me to say it so bluntly, because I really do want to just love her, but agh!  There's no use pretending anymore - I don't know if I can watch her for awhile after this year.  I'm not saying that I'm done with her forever, but I need a break.  Let's let her do some movies or something for a bit.  Or like I've said before, put her in a drama where her strengths will shine and her weaknesses be invisible.  They exist.  There are PERFECT roles for her out there.  Playing opposite of guys like Yoon Shi Yoon and Lee Min Ho though?  No.  Just no.  Stop the madness already.  It's only going to hurt her career to keep trying.  She's proven that she can't do it, so stop making her.  Plenty of dramas have important roles that are kiss-free.  Put her in one of those, let her cry and be all angsty, and keep her lips away from hot guys.  Is that too much to ask?

7.  The End

After our 10 Years Later fantasy, we get one final closing scene with our leading couple walking hand-in-hand through the snow and being all philosophical and deep talking about that year when they were 18 when they fell in love and all the pain and triumphs that came with it.  And then -- it's over.  20 episodes, 10 weeks of Heirs comes to a close.  And I don't have much else to say on it than what I've already said.  Overall, it was good.  I liked it.  Favorite drama of the year?  No.  It really wasn't.  I wish I could say that it was, but I just can't.  Would I watch it again?  Hard to say at this point.  There are certainly many parts I would love to watch again, but the whole thing with all its angst and torment?  I don't know if I could endure it again.  I do think that the cast (Park Shin Hye's glaring kiss issue aside) did a phenomenal job.  Our leads were wonderful and our supporting cast ah-mazing.  It was a fun ride, one that I'm glad I took, and that's what is important.

So, in closing, I would just like to say thank you for going along on this journey with me.  I hope you had fun.  I even hope that your experience with this final episode left you feeling less empty than it left me.  Maybe I was just having an off day.  You never know.  I haven't heard or seen any negative chatter about it, which I'm taking as a good sign.  Granted, I haven't gone looking for it either, but normally it's not hard to find even when you're not looking for it.  To the cast and crew, because of course they're totally going to see this *eye roll*, I thank you.  To DramaFever, thanks for subbing it so fast and for whatever other roles you took on, but seriously, let's try to not do this whole "exclusive" thing again because it kind of hurts your image and I'm getting tired of always defending you.  Totally selfish of me, I know, but there you have it.  Just keeping it real and passing on my "inside information" from a viewer's perspective (i.e. I have a lot of REALLY ticked off friends).  And finally, to you, my dear readers old and new, thank you for your comments and encouragement and feedback.  Thank you for spending time with us here.  It's always wonderful to hear from you guys!  Makes this labor of love rewarding.

Now, on to the next drama!

(and yes, I say that like I know what the next one will be for me, but no, I really don't have any idea yet, but I'll let you know when I do)