The Heiress (2020)

Not worth the watch if there isn't going to be a Part 2

I was so pulled into watching this drama series. I read the synopsis and thought I had to watch it. The first 23 episodes were epic. I couldn't put the series down. I was on my edge of my seat until the last episode... then.... it just went into a whole other realm I didn't expect. There was basically no confusion between the leads until the last episode. The FL should have known what kind of person the ML was... and she just up and believed everything after spending practically all her time with him for months on end.
And then the ending. This drama had one of the most hated, unexpected endings I have ever come across in a C-drama. I absolutely HATED the ending. If it wasn't for the ending, this drama would have been one of my favourites. It had everything going for it... the strong FL who was good at fighting, the over protective and indulgent ML... everything. I don't think I will watch this drama again... just because of the crappy ending.

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Joyful and humorous storyline within an intense drama!

The lead actress was at her best in this drama. The two male leads were interesting to watch, but Una You was mesmerizing every time she was onscreen. Yes, a lot of the acting was over the top at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed her portrayal of the persona of her brother. I can't recall how many times I was in fits of laughter over her antics, which made the drama worth it for me.

If I'm being picky, I didn't enjoy the numerous flashbacks when characters were remembering situations in their past. Too drawn out and I felt the music didn't fit the dialogue. The music was also too loud at times. I was slightly disappointed in the ambiguous ending, however, it left the viewer to determine their own version of events.

If you're searching for a drama that engages and entertains, then give this one a whirl!

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The last 4 episodes RUINED this drama

I loved the three main leads in this drama and their relationships, they all had really good chemistry. I was hoping, throughout this drama that none of their relationships would get ruined by the politics:
- the sibling like relationship between Shyi (FL) and Wang Er (SML),
- the frenemy relationship between Yanyi (ML) and Wang Er (SML) and,
- the comedic bromance to romance between Yanyi (ML) and Shiyi (FL).
I love how none of the leads cared about politics though it influenced their lives more than anyone else's due to the power of their family (FL), their own status (ML) and their families strong political alliance (SML).

Yanyi (ML):
At first Yanyi seemed like the the typical cold (frankly a bit boring) ML, but after several episodes he became much warmer and comedic. His relationship with the Shiyi also made his character more interesting.

Wang Er (SML)
Wang Er was always hilarious, he was a bully in the first episode but was surprisingly a sweetheart in every other. He was the most intuitive character and was spot on about Shiyi from the start. The guy who sleeps in all his classes turned out to be the poet and writer of the group.

Shiyi (FL)
Shiyi made a quite handsome man, the makeup and posture was perfect. Her character was physically strong, calculative, street and book smart, but also very oblivious to the admiration of Yanyi and Wang Er, which made me love her more. She wasn't annoying or stupid in any way and she always had a plan before doing anything. I usually don't like plots where a the FL pretends to be a man, but I felt that there was a good enough reason for that to be the case here, and the FL pulled it off really well as a pretty boy. She had both men and women alike, falling head over heels for her and seriously considering their sexuality.

Lin Baozi
The doctor is introduced several episodes in. An anti-imperialistic doctor who doesn't care for power, status or the gender of Shiyi. He was a really funny and enduring character who seemed like the third wheel to Yanyi and Shiyi.

Wang Xiyuan (SFL)
Wang Xiyuan was also surprisingly a sweetheart and EXACTLY like her brother which made her such a loveable character. (SPOILER) I mean, she got married to the Shiyi, the woman her brother was in love with ???.

Ending (SPOILERS)
Everything was going great until about the last 4 episodes, especially the last 2.

I have NEVER seen a Kdrama or Cdrama where the ML is the Crown Prince/Emperor and gets a happy ending with the FL. I've seen open and outright sad endings, but not a single happy ending. And this drama, though comedic and mostly light throughout, it got really sad and HEAVY in the last 4 episodes. The three relationships I was afraid would be ruined, did in fact get ruined, the only reason it was surprising was because it happened very late in the drama. Character development, relationships and even the plot went down the drain in those last episodes.

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Most successful (in my opinion) cross dressing

The FL of this story cross dresses almost throughout the drama, quite successfully I must say. She even made the ML think that he was gay lol. I'm not going to explain the plot since many other reviews already did that, so I'll just write about my thoughts.

My rewatch value is quite high because the cross dressing is really successful, not the kind where the viewers will just be thinking why can't they see that she is a female. Also, she has martial arts ability and her maids are also strong in martial arts so don't worry about her being damsel in distress.

Now on why just the story rating is so low. I didn't read the novel so I'm not sure if it was adapted from the book or the producer of the drama didn't know or just wanted to end the drama quickly. The transition for the FL to review her female side (her dressing back to female clothes) was SO TRASH!!! The episodes from the beginning till the middle was fine and all so I had my hopes up on how she would be reviewed to the public as a female, but the director simply made her whole family die and she got pushed off a cliff and loses her memory. The next scene already shows her in a female clothes and the ML searching for her. In the end, they ALMOST met but still missed each other so BE for those wondering.

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Great until episode 23. No happy ending! Season 2 never aired

I was absolutely loving this drama until episode 23 came around and ruined everything. Episode 24 was even worse, and I'm genuinely angry about it. How could the director and scriptwriters think it was okay to deny the fans a happy ending for this period romance? It's a complete insult to the viewers, and I'm not going to sit here and take it quietly.

I have a few theories about why this happened. Maybe Season 2 was cancelled due to budget issues or problems with casting and production. Or maybe the Chinese censors had something to do with it. But regardless of the reason, it's completely unacceptable that after all the time and emotional investment I put into this show, I was left with such a disappointing ending.

There are even rumors out there about what happens next in the story - that they get married, she becomes his Empress, and they have twins. So why did episode 24 end with them simply crossing paths without even acknowledging each other? It's infuriating and frustrating, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. I was so invested in this show, and now I feel like I wasted my time.

Episodes 1-22... 10/10
Episode 23… 5/10
Episode 24… 1/10

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Incredibly entertaining, then not

I'll try to keep spoilers vague, but I'm going to say right out the gate: halfway through episode 22 and on are a complete disaster. This isn't even a case of "I didn't like the ending" but that the ending is objectively bad. Plenty of terrible things I HATE happened before that point, but this was where the writers realized they didn't know how to resolve their plot. It was extremely lazy writing, which I admit shows its face throughout the show in some ways (the full dynamic of whatever the hell the Wang family was up to with the 2nd Prince, for example, was never really explained). My big beef with this is that I really don't understand how the FL can be so extremely clever and strategic only to suddenly become stupid and careless.

A large part of why the ending is so terrible is because everything leading up to it was so GOOD. This is one of the most entertaining C-dramas I've ever watched. I LOVED how the FL was portrayed up until the very end where she became a dumbass who suddenly couldn't grasp any situation she was in (even though she's spent her entire life being hyper-vigilant).
I also don't know why they decided to add in pointless tragedies? None of the people who died at the end were this stupid. The deaths before episode 22 were also unwanted but they at least served a purpose to the story. The others didn't do anything but summon another LOUD round of one of the show's only two songs.

All this said, I will probably watch the show again at another time. Next time, I'll just stop before it goes downhill. I should talk a bit about the perks.

- The Characters: There are so many good characters, sweet ones and stupid ones and kind ones. While they aren't all super complex, they're almost all quite loveable or sympathetic. Second male lead syndrome is a bit painful in this one.

- The Flirting: Constant. It's fantastic, sweet, and hilarious to watch everybody flirt.

- (Some) Acting: Some acting in the show isn't SUPER great but the really important scenes are beautifully done. The lead actress in particular is really incredible and melding with her character. The ML's face is usually hard to read unless he's comfortable in the scene which I think is very endearing (I love scary faces worn by people who are super sweet and doting).

If you like this show, I would recommend My Uncanny Destiny for a semi-similar plot with a lot more satisfaction. I definitely feel like watching that after watching this. These shows' endings are like night and day.

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Great Drama week ending

Ilike all the reviews. I hope the is a season 2. This drama was full of excitement with betrayal for the crown prince postion. There was of course the romance between Chen ling li and an shi yi aka Han yuan niang. The Han army was know as being powerful, but had supported the emporer and had no thoughts of ever betrayal.. Then thetr there the Wang ahi who prime minister and is cahoots with the 2nd prince and son of empress wang. Then there the 5th prince who isn't fighting for the CP. Or emporer postion hw was the son empress Chen who died of a broken heart, but Wang ahi convinces the 2nd that 5th wanted to be CP. So this started with the betrayal of Wang against the 5th and Hans army. The 5th finds out that Han shi li is a girl when she is injured. She is protending to be her brother who was killed by Wang. Accomplish at the age of 6. In order to keep the Han army there needed to be a heir so she trained for it. The emporer invited him to go to school and to meet him, but he acts like a playboy to throw everyone off. He. Start off needing protection as he offended Wang er(who is not like his dad he like to write books that books) and the 5th came to the rescue. As time went on they became close. Wang er finds out. She is a girl and knowing that she likes the 5th he still goes after her which causes many issues. Then the war between on Chen state in the north By the Wei and yi attacking from the front and back then the south also being attacked. Turns out the Wang and bad people in court sent in a spy who stole the map and gave to. Wei state who then massacred the Han army and then tryed to make 5th prince quily. Shi li while going back to Han army and finds them all dead then she is corned by Wei and inj there general and falls off the cliff. Everyone is looking for her as she is. Found by a lady that helps get better. Now about 2mo later Wang er finds her but she amnesia he try to hid her and wrong info. She escapes to walk around and is found by CP he takes her home and tries ro help her but the cousin show up and again tells lies to get rid of her, as she wants to marry the CP. Now there are rumors that the CP setup the Hans army to get rid of them due to too much power across spread by Wang ahi before he killed himself. Shi li is given letters that she takes as proof against the CP as she fights with. Him She stabs him while Wang er watches he know it's false his father did it, but let's the prince be accused as he thought shi luiwould leave with him.oops didn't happen. She leaves on her own. 3yra latter she appears and is listening to the gossip of how great the new emporer and that he didn't marry or have a concubines. Then opened up the restaurant she wanted. They almost. Saw each other but... They didn't. The end. The ending was horrible.,but the show was great

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Pretty good

I like the story line even though it's nothing unique, but this was a good one where the female lead stuck to her identity a lot longer than others. To be honest, it started out kind of off-putting and awkward to watch, but it started growing on me later. I actually think she had better chemistry with the second male lead more than the first male lead. I find the first male lead kind of boring and somewhat overbearing. Even if Shiyi does love him, she wants to protect her family by not exposing herself, but the Fifth Prince is constantly undermining her in that sense and that irritates me. It's okay if he wants to protect her, but he still needs to keep his distance. His constant presence puts her in an awkward position and makes it a lot easier for her to be caught out. The other guy might tease her about being a girl, but he is better about keeping his feelings known. He's also a lot more likable. I know that in the end she doesn't end up with either, but I'm not mad about it. As for the female lead, I know her cover was to be some idiot playboy, but I actually wished she went a different way about it. Maybe been more smoother in her approach. She acted like a buffoon most of the time. I think she could've at least shown her fighting skills earlier or romanced more ladies.

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Early 2000s Quality

The plot is nothing crazy (as of Ep 6) and we've seen these tropes before. What makes the drama unbearable is the acting. It was quite in your face, nothing sutble or refined. The cinematography and the cuts were all very old-fashioned/amateurish. This was my second attempt to give it a fair chance and power through, but ultimately what turned me away was the execution. FL is supposed to be an OP (or at least somewhat powerful) character since she hails from a general's family. For some reason, her schemes and acting as a playboy aren't up to par. She's found out by two important characters about 3-4 episodes in. One of them found out because she was wearing perfume (?). This is the screenwriter's mistake, but the actress that plays FL made really exagerated expressions when she was questioned. If she cannot maintain her composure, then how are we to believe that she's supposed to fool the Capital into thinking she's her brother.

All in all, even if I had the spare time, I would not try to push through this drama and try watching something else.

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