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Hera’s Palace is a 100 floor luxury apartment in the heart of Seoul.  It is home to the rich and powerful.  While the parents all dream of being rich enough to live in the coveted top floor penthouse, the children compete at the prestigious Cheon Ah Art School, hoping for the opportunity to study music at Seoul National University.  In this highly competitve world, betrayals are commonplace and anyone can be used as a stepping stone as they claw their way to the top.

Kim So Yeon as Cheon Seo Jin

Cheon Seo Jin has always gotten everything she wanted, even when she had to steal them.  But the husband that she stole from Oh Yoon Hee in college never loved her as much as she wanted.  So she sets her sites on the ruthless businessman, Joo Dan Tae.  From that moment on, her life begins to get caught in a constant spiral as she desperately tries to hold on to the things that she has sold her soul to possess.  But unfortunately for her, no crime goes unpunished and no secret stays hidden.  

In the end, although her rivalry with Oh Yoon Hee spans decades, it is Seo Jin’s jealousy of Soo Ryun that really pushes her to her limits.  Her desire to be the “Queen of Hera’s Palace” is strong enough to overwhelm any common sense.  And as she spins out of control, things continue to get worse.  In the end, her greed hurts everyone who has ever been a part of her life.  Kim So Yeon is so deliciously evil in this drama, I almost hate to hate her.  She did a wonderful job of pushing this character to the absolute extremes without ever appearing ridiculous or out of control as a actress.  I could never wait to see what Seo Jin would do next!  She is a truly memorable character.

Uhm Ki Joon as Joo Dan Tae

Joo Dan Tae is the greedy, ruthless CEO of J King Holdings.  After being raised poor and losing his family at a young age, he vowed to become rich and build  a stunning home on the ground where his mother and sister were killed.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t mind taking out anyone who tries to stand in his way, even if it means destroying them or even killing them.  He and Seo Jin partner together to become a powerful and fearsome couple who will succeed at all costs.  

♥ Ma Ri The True Hero?

Ma Ri started out as kind of an unremarkable side character whose only role was to get involved in school drama with her daughter.  But in the end, she is the last woman standing, except for Song Ah, who has lost her fortune, her husband, and her social standing.  Ma Ri has become a successfuly business woman, with the help of her wealthy patrons.  She was the only one who took the punishment that she deserved for her minor role in Seol Ah’s death with grace and even thrived in the prison environment.  Some could argue that she was actually the hero of the story who outlived all her rivals and went on to live a better life.

♥  Music

Opera is not something I pretend to know a lot about.  But I really enjoyed the music that they used for this drama.  I even found myself humming songs from it.  What a great way to introduce drama fans to some wonderful culture and beautiful songs.  It was an interesting hook that I haven’t seen in other dramas, that set this one apart and I appreciated it.   

Alex

So, when Season Three came out, I heard all the chatter about a character that everyone was upset about.  But I was still surprised and baffled when I saw the character of Alex for the first time.  This portrayal was crass and so disrespectful.  At first I assumed it was just another one of Logan’s ridiculous disguises, which would have made it a little better.  But sadly, that was not the case.  There was no reason to make this character so offensive and I had a difficult time taking any scene he was in seriously.  

Prison

At the end of Season Two, we see pretty much all the adults besides Soo Ryun go to prison, which was fitting since they all collaborated in Seol Ah’s death.  But if they were just going to have all of them get out at the beginning of Season Three, it almost doesn’t seem worth it.  And of course, realistically, what are the odds that they all find different ways that get them out early?  Pretty ludicrous, really. They should have at least left some of them in there for awhile to make the story worthwhile.  

Well, in the end, revenge does not pay, even for those whose fight may have seemed justifiable.  I will admit that I waited right up until the final seconds, thinking that Yoon Hee had to still be alive somehow.  But that was not the case.  Because actually, almost all the adults are dead.  The only adult to come out ahead is Ma Ri, who has a successful business and is moving to a newer, better luxury apartment, while she waits for her husband to get out of prison again.  Lee Gyu Jin managed to weasel his way out alive but he is  on his way back to prison and Song Ah wants nothing to do with him.  Dan Tae dies in the rubble of Hera’s palace, just as he wished.  Yoon Chul falls over the balcony while fighting with Seo Jin and dies on the spot.  Seo Jin gets a temporary release from prison, which she uses to catch a glimpse of Eun Byul before killing herself with pills.  Soo Ryun purposefully throws herself off the cliff while making it look like Seo Jin pushed her, which is Soo Ryun’s final act of revenge.  And Logan lets himself die from cancer because he missed Soo Ryun too much.  As for the younger generation, Eun Byul is teaching choir at a local church.  She seems to be happy leading a quiet, simple life.  Seok Kyung is also living a normal life, working part time jobs and gaining her independance.  Seok Hoon is making a living as a professional pianst in Vienna.  Ro Na has become a famous singer who lives in Italy. She and Seok Hoon are dating long distance for now while they each establish their careers.  And Je Ni is planning to come and study in Italy with Ro Na.  Min Hyuk is home from the military and joins his mom, Je Ni, and Ma Ri for Ro Na’s concert.  The final scene shows Soo Ryun picking up Logan in a convertible as the two ride off together into the sunset (or Heaven if you prefer).  And that finally brings this whole thing to a dramatic close.