Heirs ep 19 - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Well, well, well... here we are.  Closing out yet another drama together.  This was arguably the most anticipated drama of 2013.  Now that it's coming to an end, what are your thoughts?  Did it live up to the hype?  Did this all-star cast deliver?  What did you love?  What would you change?  What will be your takeaway from these 10 weeks?  I suppose we still have a bit more time to figure all that out, there is, after all, one more episode to go.  I would hate to get ahead of ourselves here.

This episode was filled with plenty of ups, but also plenty of downs.  Headways were made, yet threatened to be lost.

First, the happy.  Our lead couple.  Our dear OTP.  After bravely walking hand-in-hand into Kim Tan's birthday bash, Tan and Eun Sang finally get what they've been after all along - sort of.  While they don't get his blessings per se, they do get Papa Kim tossing in the towel and ending the battle.  They are now free to date, he won't stop them.  He figures they'll figure out sooner or later that he was right and they were wrong and they'll come to regret their decision.  Or so he says.  Saving face or finally starting to see the light?  Who knows.  He's a hard one to read.  I would hope that at least in part he's finally starting to come around and realize just what his tactics are costing him in the end.  Look how pathetic his life has become.  He's in an awful marriage, his mistress has left him, and both sons hate him.  What does he have left besides the company and his money?  The question begs to be asked if that's okay with him or not.  Is his company/money all that he truly desires and seeks?  Does he have any shred of humanity left in him that craves love and family?  I don't know.  I hope that the next episode answers that and in a way that I will like, but I'm not holding my breath.  He's given us so little to hang our hopes on up to this point.

Anyway, so yeah, Kim Tan and Eun Sang are finally an official couple and "out" to the world.  Once they overcome the hurdle of getting Eun Sang's mother's permission of course.  This whole scene with the moms reuniting and then Eun Sang's mother's refusal to allow her daughter to date Kim Tan was so cute and amusing.  Those two ahjummas just make me smile.  They are adorable together.  After a silly show put on by just about everyone involved, the green light is given on Eun Sang's side at last, thus overcoming the final hurdle in their young relationship.  Now the fun really begins.

Okay, so it's no big secret that I've been sort of lukewarm on these two for the entire drama.  I don't hate them together by any means, I've just been kind of bored by the endless angst.  Now that the angst is behind us, we get to see them shine like never before.  Sure, we had glimpses all along, but nothing like what their newfound freedom brings.  They really are cute together.  I love their fighting and arguing and playfulness.  The interplay between them is fun to watch.  It's like someone has finally shone a happy light on the dark, depressing halls of Jeguk High.  Tensions are relieved, smiles seen and laughter heard.  Kids are being kids.  It's been a long time coming and I know that I for one am happy to finally see it.

Of course, all the happy feels couldn't last indefinitely.  We still have a whole episode in front of us.  Things take a turn for the complicated when Papa Kim falls suddenly ill.  He's there, alone in his big empty house, having a moment of reflection on what a crap dad he was, when he grabs his head and passes out.  Interesting to see what happens next.  Who rushes to his side not moments after claiming that they are forever done with him?  Both brothers and the mistress.  Who is conspiculously missing?  The wife.  Now, in her defense, that woman actually has every right to be royally pissed off at her husband and her life in general.  How much would it suck to have your husband still in love with his dead first wife plus shacking up with his mistress and their love child?  You literally have no skin in this game other than that piece of paper that shows you are legally bound to this man.  She must have a sad and miserable existence, so I don't want to be too harsh on her.  Her life sucks.  She's got money and some power and that's it.  Other than that, she's empty.  Still though, her husband lies in a coma and she's trying to secure the business for herself while stripping both brothers of it.  She has a meeting and looks to be turning to all of Papa Kim's relatives that lost out in the previous battle for company control.  It was an ugly war, Papa Kim was the victor, but if they choose to act, he may not remain as such.  That crown could be lost, and by golly, she's going to do what she can to take it from him.

And finally, what review of Heirs would be complete without talking about my Young Do?  Our dark knight with such deep scars that has, at least in my little opinion, stolen this show.  Poor guy's having a rough time.  He's lost his girl.  His dad's company is in big trouble.  He misses his mom.  A few things take a positive turn for him though in this episode and are certainly worth mentioning.  First, he jumps from being #98 to #27 in his class rank.  Turns out that actually taking the exam and not just doodling on it makes a bit of a difference (Kim Tan was #50 which pleased him greatly when he found out he was average).  Second, after working diligently with this one goal in mind, he finally bests his dad on the sparring mat.  And he does so without cheating.  Dad admits defeat and offers up to his son a reward - any favor he wants.  What does Young Do ask for?  He wants to know where his mother is.  To his relief, Dad doesn't actually know.  Sad that he can't get answers, but still a relief to know that it wasn't something that was being kept from him out of spite.  Thank goodness for even small victories, huh?  Poor Young Do.  The third event from this episode in Young Do's world worth mentioning is that, after a chance meeting with the waitress at the little cafe, Young Do gets what would appear to be his mother's business card left for him by her.  Talk about a major clue literally being handed to him.  He has yet to act upon this new information, but I suspect that that will be something that comes up in the finale.

Those were my stand-out mentionable moments from episode 19.  Progress was made, yet the victory not totally secured yet.  There is still a battle to be waged and things to settle before we can bid these characters farewell and adieu.  One thing's for sure, it promises to be an interesting wrap up party still to come, don't you think?  Who wants to take wages on the guess that there will be a "x years later" involved in the end?  I'm betting on it.  Whenever you go into a final episode with these many things still left unresolved, it's pretty much a given that the whole "x years later" will come into play.  I understand why they do it - they have to keep tensions high so you come back for the dramatic conclusion, but really...do we have to leave so many ends untied here writers?  We'll see if I'm right or if I'm right.  That's just my guess of course.  I could always be proven wrong.

Stay tuned and I'll see you back here after our dramatic conclusion!