The Glory Season 2 (2023)

Lives up to its expectations

In the second installment, it becomes clear why the show is titled “Glory”. Everyone chases glory in their own way and all the characters are led down a path of destruction in their pursuit of it.

There’s no judgement on whether particular interpretations of ‘glory’ are good or bad – the point that this show makes is that all glories must come at a cost.

Here's the thing: If you thought part 1 had absurd moments and events that were timed almost too conveniently, part 2 is the same. It's unclear how some parts of the revenge plot unfolded the way it did because there was a huge element of luck and coincidence in so many events.

If you're looking for an elaborate, heist-style revenge scheme, this doesn't really scratch the itch. But the colourful characters and constant drama is enough to compel.

I also wish more time (or a new season?!?!?!) was devoted to Dong-eun helping Yeojong with his revenge.

Overall, this was a good revenge story with decent pacing and interesting characters.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/04/20/the-glory-s2-2023-review/

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A satisfying and great end, which is quite rare for revenge dramas usually.

Honestly I didn't know what to expect for this drama to be concluded, but I'm quite enjoying the ride Part one let us witness Dong-eun planting her seed of vengeance all around and preparing her ultimate revenge. So part two is when we're finally able to see how Dong-eun utilize everything that she have planned!

Have to say that I really was so excited here, since part one had been leading us to the climax and the climax in part two managed to keep the momentum going without faltering. And something that is worth to note in this part two was, that so far as much as she have been planning this revenge for so long... her side hadn't really taken any active aggressive actions against her enemies and instead use her opponents weaknesses and arrogance to cause them to lead themselves to fall to ruin. If that wasn't brilliant, I had nothing else to say. But seriously I'm enjoying the mind games. It's nice to see that as much as Dong-eun barely committed any illegal acts aside from stalking people, instigating and manipulating people's actions to suit her plan; she still managed to get her revenge plan going. It was pretty clever, like I know revenge is bad and all that jazz, but dang... technically it'll be hard to prove that she have committed any wrongdoing (cos ultimately the ones who ended up doing the deeds of destroying her enemies was not her.) Real world moralities aside, who would not enjoy a story where people who do bad things be punished and getting their just desserts? And in this story, we're seeing stuff like victims of violent abuse taking charge of their lives and taking back their honor and selfworth.

And as much as there's no glory in doing bad deeds or even of committing acts of revenge, I'm really glad that this drama had a happy ending for Dong-eun. I mean, in the past, for revenge dramas that aren't daydramas, we usually don't often get a real happy end... and the MC tends to get sad endings after their revenge was completed. But this trope didn’t happen to Dong-eun. And as much as this part 2, still have some loose ends left wide open... it's still a pretty good conclusion to the story. Got to say that the whole cast and production team really did well to make this drama so engaging.

While some might say that it's dissapointing that Dong-eun's revenge didn't end up becoming more violent, I really like this outcome since despite the fact that the original five bullies did bad things deserving of violent punishments, there are still innocent people like Yesol and Doyeong. And I'm just happy that Dong-eun's revenge did not end up consuming her and allowed her a chance of a happy end (to which many other MCs of past revenge dramas didn't get. )

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A truly satisfying second part of this captivating revenge drama!

I was once again super impressed by the scenario of the drama: every little details in the script were full of impact and meaning on the story. It was a real pleasure to see all the pieces of the puzzle falling perfectly together. Over and over, I found myself captivated by the plot which maintained a good pace, totally bingeable with its engrossing intrigue.

The performances of the ensemble cast uphold the ones from the first part. Even though we saw seemingly a bit less the teens actors, they remained consistently great. The relationships between several of the adults couples / pairings was further developed providing some truly emotional and sometimes disturbing scenes. I loved to see how evolved some of the most unsettling and quite toxic partnerships.

I continued to be totally immersed in the soundtrack: the songs ending the episodes were particularly moving with their agonizing vibe. Production-wise, the show maintained a high standard: quality of the sets with its luxury accessories and magnificent houses as well as gripping scenes kept luring the viewer deeper into the series.

I would recommend this to people that love the first part of the show (it would be criminal to not finish it) and that are in the mood for a dark revenge drama with a well-built scheme, beautifully directed and acted. Be aware that this series can be triggering.

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Well done and satisfying

I started watching The Glory with no particular expectations or much thought. All I knew was that it became hot topic in less than a week and appeared on my instagram feed continuously. So, I gave this series a chance, and I do not regret it!

Throughout the whole time, I was amazed by the beautiful cinematography, the well done plot, and the talented actors. I usually watch TV series with dark concept and more serious plot, so I have seen similar dramas, but this is definitely one of the best revenge dramas out there! I enjoyed both the first and second part; they were dark, well detailed, and insteresting.

There were a lot of overwhelming and sad scenes, some of them I cannot stop thinking about; especially when Yesol was crying while hugging her father and apologizing. That kid did nothing wrong, yet suffered so much!

I also enjoyed the romance, and could feel the chemistry between DongEun and YeoJeong.

The revenge was satisfying and very clever. I really liked the fact that the female lead didn't become a murderer herself but turned the bullies against each other. All of them either died or lost something very important. Yeonjin lost her husband, child, and the job she actually enjoyed. Jaejoon lost his vision and drowned. MyeongOh died painfully at a place he hated. HyeJeong lost her voice and her chance to marry into a rich family. Sara was humiliated and got into prison. All of them suffered and lost the same thing they took away from DongEun 18 years ago - glory.

I know some people expected more and were disappointed. However, I think it was satisfying enough and is definitely worth a watch!

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Uma narrativa com bons fechamentos

Não é novidade para ninguém o medo que fica no telespectador quando um drama começa muito bem: o fim pode ser decepcionante. Porém, não acho que seja o caso desse título, afinal os roteiristas conseguiram dar um bom desfecho a todos os personagens que se mostraram relevantes para a história. Foi muito mais profundo, nessa segunda parte, a questão do passado de alguns protagonistas e secundários que ainda estavam na caixinha do mistério.
Eu já imaginava que a vingança de Dong Eun seria muito sobre fazer eles mesmos cavarem a própria cova. Que eles não poderiam culpá-la depois, já que eles mesmos se enfureceram e foram atrás de suas sentenças. Foi exatamente isso que ocorreu. Nos últimos episódios, Dong Eun sequer precisou se esforçar muito mais: eles estavam se abatendo entre si, mostrando pela milésima vez que nunca foram amigos, que eram apenas pessoas quebradas, desumanas e sem noção de limites que se reuniram e começaram a se chamar assim.
A atuação neste drama é tão incrível, que sequer cogitei simpatizar com qualquer um dos vilões alguma vez. Além disso, gostei do fato de, apesar do romance estar presente na trama, ele não ter se tornado o foco principal. Foi realista e muito inesperado, já que sabemos que em muitas situações o amor começa a tomar frente e fazer com que um protagonista com desejo de vingança amoleça o coração. Acho que Dong Eun foi muito forte e coerente nessa parte. Pelas diversas vezes em que ela chegou até o fundo do poço, e onde foi puxada de volta à vida pela mãe do médico, ela é incrível apenas por ter conseguido viver até o momento em que pudesse dizer que sua vida adulta começou, e oferecer a mesma ajuda a quem lhe estendeu a mão.
É uma história que renderia 10 páginas de resenha. Não me arrependo de ter assistido a esse drama, e fico muito feliz pelo reconhecimento que tanto ele quanto Song Hye Kyo estão recebendo. É super merecido.

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Como pode um drama ser tão bom do início ao fim?

Review da parte 1 e da 2: Tem Spoiler pra k7

Existe uma grande chance de que mude a nota final que dei para The Glory, provavelmente para algo bem maior do que 9. Esse é um dos melhores que já assisti em toda a minha vida e eu tenho a honra de dar uma das minhas raras 5 estrelas para ele.

O primeiro episódio é, definitivamente, o mais pesado, já que é o prefácio do que veremos ao longo da história. É doloroso ver as coisas terríveis que Dong-eun passou quando era nova, chegando ao ponto de te deixar ansioso, mesmo que logo na primeira cena saibamos que ela tenha sobrevivido.
Depois disso, o mistério envolvendo cada um dos personagens deixa toda a história cada vez melhor. Você sabe bem que a vingança vai ser bem sucedida, mas você também fica ansioso em descobrir junto da protagonista todos aqueles segredos horriveis envolvendo cada um dos amigos.
Além disso, Yeo-jeong. Acho que nunca tive tanto medo de estar torcendo por um possível vilão. Tudo ao redor desse personagem é misterioso. Quem é ele? O que está procurando? Por quê infernos tem um homem obcecado por ele? O que preocupa tanto sua mãe? São tantas, mas tantas perguntas. E ainda assim, você não consegue deixar de gostar dele, de querer que ele seja realmente o carrasco do enorme plano de vingança.

The Glory é um dos melhores dramas com um dos melhores roteiros que já assisti, e sem dúvidas merece que você também de uma olhada. Tudo faz sentido e tudo é muito bem construído ao longo dos 16 episódios.

Meu deus, que negócio bom…

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DEFINIÇÃO DE SURTO

Tive a sorte de assistir quando as duas partes já estavam lançadas, não acho que precisava dividir, mas não alterou nada na história, acredito que só tenha sido ruim para quem teve que esperar.

Existem alguns Doramas que você assiste e são que nem livros, você termina em choque, porque é improvável encontrar outro tão bom quanto. Estou até agora em choque com esse K-drama, se eu soubesse que seria tão bom, eu não teria enrolado para assistir, os atores se entregaram aos personagens completamente. Eles definitivamente não são um casal normal, mas se completam de uma forma muito legal de ver, ela é mais "fechada" e ele mais "aberto" acredito que isso trouxe um equilíbrio. O desfecho de cada personagem não poderia ter sido melhor, acho que todos tiveram o final que mereciam (menos a mãe que ficou sem a filha, achei que elas se reencontrariam :( ).

A história e o planejamento da vingança foram sensacionais, foi muito emocionante ver tudo se encaixando perfeitamente no final, quando eu achava que tinha dado ruim, ela sempre estava um passo a frente, foi muito legal. A vilã se entregou ao papel também, porque conseguiu ser uma chata, insuportável e má. Quem gosta de personagens mais falantes, pode achar o casal ou a protagonista chatos, mas eles são assim por causa do enredo, não adianta querer uma pessoa alegre e falante cheia de traumas, é necessário entender o psicológico dos personagens também.

Achei aquela separação de 6 meses desnecessária, porém acho que a protagonista precisava passar um tempo sozinha para absorver seus pensamentos e tudo que tinha acontecido, então eu aceito como satisfatório. São tantas coisas para falar, mas eu não gosto de resenhas muito grandes, apenas assistam que vocês não vão se arrepender. Queria poder assistir como se fosse a primeira vez, mas vou assistir de novo sem dúvidas.

A glória merece a glória.

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"While I know I didn't grow up to be good, eventually a spring will come when I will fully bloom."

I am a long time kdrama fan and lost touch somewhere around 2018. Since then I've tried to watch so many only to drop them after one episode. I remember i used to get these insane headaches because I'd stay up till 5-6 in the morning to complete a kdrama. Happy to say that 'The glory' brought back my headaches and I finished this in a day. I stayed up till late in the morning and got all nostalgic lol. Anyway, the storyline is gripping and intense and not dramatic or dragged out.

It was refreshing to see a stoic, calm, mature FL who is only focused on her aim. She carefully planned everything. A lot of the things she did made perfect sense. She had a fire inside her and was ready to destroy everyone but was equally calm. I love the character they decided to build with this story. I was able to find some symbolism and meanings here and there which was important for the plot, for Dong eun's character, which otherwise would be tagged as plotholes. Some spiritual symbolism like the mention of deities, church and their significance in the storyline was interesting.

*Some spoilers ahead*
It was powerful that although Dong Eun never had anyone all throughout her teen years and early 20s. No friends, and her mother betrayed her which resulted in never trusting anyone, but the people she eventually chose to trust never backstabbed her. And in the end the three people who saved her were three women who happened to be mothers - The investigator, her executioner bf's mom(I love to call him executioner bf lol) and the grandma who saved her from dying. They all were the mother she never had.

I saw a lot of people saying that the FL and ML had no chemistry. Tbh, I think they had enough chemistry. Definetly there were some tension between Ha Doyoung and Dong eun but her lifegoal was not romance or even peace. All she wanted was revenge and maybe find some peace in that. Yeo Jung was perfect for her. They both had their own traumas to deal with and were reserved for that very reason. Expecting Dong eun to maybe go with Ha Doyoung would just be cruel. She never harmed Ha Ye Soul but expecting her to be a mother and raise her abusers daughter would be nothing but cruel. She doesn't deserve to go back to that hell. She will always be reminded of her bullies and would never actually get out of that life. We do not want that melodrama, especially when it took so long for her to make peace with what happened. I'm glad there were no such storyline, no humbleness, no romance that would deviate the FL from her aim. She was exactly who she was when she first started planning.

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S1 top notch, S2 not so much

S1: No revenge story is complete without first showing the deeds that need avenging. In the case of The Glory, it means sitting through scenes of brutal bullying. So you better be ready cause it’s just too heartbreaking and infuriating.

Pros:
+ Well written slow-burn revenge
+ Engaging, suspenseful, satisfying plot
+ Amazing acting
+ Strong foundation for later stages
+ Memorable dialogues
+ Great OST

Cons:
- Some scenes can be a bit boring and unnecessary but it’s not a big issue.
- ML and FL lack chemistry.

————

S2:

Pros:
+ STUNNING acting.

Cons:
- I wish we had a more powerful confrontation and revenge, more insights, less romance (maybe a little hint at the end and that’s it).
- Still lack of chemistry from both M&F leads. I always felt awkward watching their interactions.
- Some plots, scenes and deaths were UNNECESSARY (the b00bs CGI, Dong Eun’s mother being too present when she’s not worth it at all, Hyunam’s husband & Jaejun deaths..). I disliked how the drama made it so “normal” to just kill the bad guys. That’s not a great message to deliver in my opinion. There are other ways to punish these people rather than killing them.


Final thoughts:

Kudos to ALL the actors. THEY CARRIED the show, they OUTPERFORMED. I truly fell in love with each one of them. The actresses that portrayed young Yeonjin and Dong Eun are extremely talented. S1 left me speechless, was impactful, heartbreaking and gave me hope for a cold deserved revenge. Sadly, S2 didn’t really deliver on some important aspects, was poorly executed and left me disappointed. However, I am happy that Dong Eun got her revenge and happy ending. That’s all that matters..

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