'Heard It Through The Grapevine' Advances In The Ratings

"Heard It Through The Grapevine" is advancing in the ratings even if it can't quite catch up to the ratings winner "Shine Or Go Crazy."

The story about a teen couple achieved its highest ratings this week, reaching nine percent of the viewing audience. That still places it far behind "Shine Or Go Crazy," starring Jang Hyuk and Oh Yeon Seo.  "Shine or Go Crazy" earned an unbeatable 12.9 percent of the ratings.

But viewers have discovered that "Heard It Through The Grapevine" has something to offer. It's the story of two endearing teens that fall in love, get pregnant and want to get married. The problem is not just that they are underage but that their families come from such different economic backgrounds.

Han In Sang, played by Lee Joon, is the baby daddy but he's also the son of a wealthy influential lawyer played by Yu Jun Sung. Everything in their home is about image and to maintain that image, the family's life is dictated by formalities. In Sang's mom Choi Yeon Hee, played by Yoo Ho Jung, maintains order with military precision. When In Sang shows up at their home with a girlfriend who is about to give birth, their world is shaken and they're not sure how to react. 

The girlfriend, played by Go Ah Sung, is smart and sweet but all they can see is her economic background. Once they decide to accept her, they have to make her over into their image and that means separating her from her family.

A poor girl having the child of a noble or wealthy man is not a new concept for k-dramas. Such k-drama parents are often cruel, dismissive and even abusive.

But there are twists to this plot that make it especially enjoyable. First, Han In Sang's parents are not evil. They are portrayed as trapped in their own vision of how life ought to be which is often shown to be ridiculous. Viewers can't hate them because they are a joke. The whole notion of class differences is laughed at with Lee Joon's character often having to stand up to his dad to tell him just how wrong such outmoded undemocratic ways of thinking are.

Another plus is Lee Joon's character, a young man who embodies a sense of justice that his lawyer father may have misplaced. A son standing up to his father and publicly correcting his worldview is something you don't often see in a k-drama. Even Park Shin Hye's character in "Pinocchio" took a long time to confront her mother.

How far can "Heard It Through The Grapevine" go in the ratings? What do you think?