REVIEW: ‘The Impossible Heir’ Episodes 3-4

Stepping into the world of The Impossible Heir is no easy feat. Starring Lee Jae-Wook, Lee Jun-Young, and Hong Su-Zu, the main focus of Episodes 1-2 was on fleshing out the main characters and setting the stakes. In a risky maneuver, The Impossible Heir Episodes 3-4 pushes two of the three characters to the backburner. Instead, director Min Yun-Hong and writer Choi Won ask the viewers to take a chance with this deep plunge into conglomerate intrigue. The choppiness of these two episodes makes it tricky to get our bearings.

The Impossible Heir Episodes 3-4 focuses more on the inner political workings of the Kango Group. At the center of it all? Han Tae-Oh (Lee Jae-Wook). While he ascends to a position of power early on in Episode 3, the ambitious man is frequently reminded of his place by the Kango family members. His first major exchange with Kang Joong-Mo (Choi Jin-Ho), Kang In-Ha’s (Lee Jun-Young) father, is a testament to that at the beginning of Episode 3. Even if Tae-Oh is manipulating things behind the scenes, he must be mindful that his place in this world is tenuous at best.

Still, Tae-Oh perseveres, spending much of The Impossible Heir Episodes 3-4 moving the puzzle pieces in place to pursue his current end goal: making In-Ha the head of the Kango Group. Things move at breakneck speed in Episode 3, but the editing makes the experience choppy. While an intentional writing choice in both episodes, the omission of key plot points as a part of a dramatic reveal creates more annoyance than the ah-ha moment the team is looking for. That said, the relationship built between Tae-Oh and Joong-Mo takes center stage. Both work together to maneuver and manipulate around Joong-Mo’s family members.

Jang Geum-Seok (Kim Ho-Jung) is their primary source of opposition. Her goals are not aligned with Joong-Mo’s as his wife. No, her focus is on acquiring power. Her son, Kang Seong-ju (Lee Ji-Hoon), is the tool that will get her there. In The Impossible Heir Episodes 3-4, she is the reason why Joong-Mo runs into his many issues, and she revels in it. Kim Ho-Jung’s performance as Geum-Seok is terrifying. And when she leaves her husband to squirm around the floor by the end of Episode 3, we learn the depths of her ambition and cruelty.

In the background assisting Tae-Oh are In-Ha and Na Hye-Won. In-Ha spends the bulk of his time working at The Co-Prosperity Cooperation Center. Frankly, In-Ha doesn’t get much to do as he frustratingly waits for Tae-Oh’s next command. He is the distinguished pawn of all of Tae-Oh’s manipulations. On the other hand, Hye-Won is closer to Tae-Oh’s equal. Their conversations, however brief, build out the symbiotic nature between them. Most surprising is how close Hye-Won has gotten to In-Ha. Talks of marriage in Episodes 3-4 color in this latest relationship development.

While Episode 3 loses track of its narrative to expedite plot points, Episode 4 slows things down. Flashbacks in time help fill in the gaps and reveal how far Tae-Oh and Joong-Mo are willing to go to weed out the enemy. Joong-Mo’s willingness to weaponize his poor health comes in handy here. It is how he can see his wife’s true motivations.

Through this plan, Tae-Oh also uncovers the more volatile Kang In-Ju’s (Han Sang-Jin) intentions. Leading up to this point, In-Ju is emotional and unreliable. His brother, Seong-Ju, is given the most responsibility, paving the way for him to take over the Kango Group. With Joong-Mo out of the picture and Seong-Ju floundering under new obstacles, In-Ju tries to win Tae-Oh’s favor. It isn’t successful and reveals everything Tae-Oh needs to know about In-Ju’s character.

In The Impossible Heir Episode 4, In-Ha is the one person Tae-Oh slowly loses his hold over. He rightfully questions Tae-Oh’s motivations, particularly after In-Ha learns his father faked his illness. Even after Tae-Oh repeats that his only goal is In-Ha’s future, doubt clouds In-Ha’s face. In-Ha knows how opportunistic people can be. He’s seen how disposable his mother was to his father and can picture being tossed aside himself. But Tae-Oh manages to get through to him. At least long enough for In-Ha to muster up the courage to go to his father. Here, In-Ha takes a major step forward and secures his spot in the Kango Group. At least for now.

The ending of The Impossible Heir Episode 4 leaves many questions about where the series will go. In-Ha is now in the running as a successor to the Kango Group. This will likely put a target on his back, but also Tae-Oh’s. Tae-Oh already attracts the attention and discomfort of Joong-Mo’s enemies. With his close relationship to In-Ha, he will likely need to be careful moving forward.

As for Hye-Won’s part in Tae-Oh’s grand master plan, it’s unclear. She seems greatly underserviced so far in the series. She is ambitious and intelligent, which should give plenty to work with story-wise, but we have yet to see this come to fruition. It’s early days yet, but I do have concerns about whether or not this character exists more to distract than to add something fruitful to the overarching story.

The Impossible Heir Episodes 3-4 take a risk by plunging viewers immediately into the high-stakes drama of the Kango Group. Tae-Oh takes centerstage as the main character, with In-Ha and Hye-Won taking a surprising backseat. This shift in focus raises questions about why the show takes so much time, in the beginning, to focus on the latter characters and then shirks them to the side. It is an odd choice for now, but perhaps there will be a payoff later.

What The Impossible Heir Episodes 3-4 do succeed in is fleshing out the rest of the Kango family. Joong-Mo is no longer an enigma in these episodes. He is brutal, likening himself to a primal beast when dealing with his enemies. He seeks out weakness he can exploit, something he orchestrates immediately when meeting Tae-Oh. Geum-Seok is equally terrifying. Using her son, Seong-Ju, as an excuse, her goal to take over the Kango Group for her gain is now out in the open. However, by the end of Episode 4, her blatant disregard for her husband is shown to haunt her. While she is frightening, her hubris is her weakness.

The Impossible Heir Episodes 3-4 set themselves an ambitious task to dive deep into the action. It doesn’t entirely pay off in its pursuit of style over substance. But due to strong performances and necessary fleshing out of the Kango family members, there is much for viewers to sink into for dramatic enjoyment.

The Impossible Heir Episodes 1-4 are now available on Disney+ and Hulu, with new episodes premiering on Wednesdays.