The Glory Season 2 (2023)

A worthy successor

I`d like to pose a cautionary reference/grade if you will:

I have obviously seen "The Glory: Part One" and rated it a 7,5.My rating hasn`t changed since then,but I haven`t written a dedicated review for it.
Secondly,as I do with all my reviews,I`d like to congratulate every actor,director,writer,down to every staff member for participating in the making of this drama.Creating a drama is hard and the effort should be recognized accordingly.

With that out of the way,I can begin my review properly.

I`m starting off my review of "The Glory: Part Two" by listing what I did like in this revenge fueled,mean spirited but fun journey.The villains:Park Yeon Jin,Jeon Jae Joon,Choi Hye Jeong,Song Myeong Oh and Lee Sa Ra,played by Lim Ji Yeon,Park Sung Hoon,Cha Joo Young,Kim Gun Woo and Kim Hi Oera,respectively.I don`t know if it`s wrong to like this bully bunch,but if it is,I don`t wanna be right.I absolutely believe "The Glory" would be nothing without its antagonists.Despite some overdramatic mishaps and holes in writing(later on that),every one of them never cuts corners.They decided to work for that paycheck and it shows.Absolute delight and I hope to see more of them in future projects,especially Cha Joo Young,my personal favorite.
Not to mention,Jung Sung Il as Ha Do Yeong.The best acting job,besides Yeom Hye Ran as Kang Hyeon Nam,positive,albeit somewhat tragic assistant of our protagonist.When I think about who most naturally adapted to their character,it`d definitely be these two.In fact,I wanted even more of them.A lot more that we got.

Another point would be in regards to cinematography.As with most Netflix backed projects,it looks great.The colors pop when they need to and it`s appropriately somber at times.As it should be.The tones were conveyed competently,including the OST,which never felt out of place.Also,the ending was actually satisfying and in today`s KDrama climate,that`s something to applaud.Not only that,but this drama has some very memorable scenes,courtesy of its antagonists mostly.

What the first part probably has over the sequel(which,one thing:This drama should NOT have been separated into two seasons.I get why it was done ahem,but there`s no actual benefit for the viewer in this separation) is the novelty and writing.Despite this having a lot more action,it FELT a lot slower and in parts,the pacing suffered greatly.Like some stated before,some important characterization and logic were sacrificed in favor of a very subpar romance.Also,as I praised the villains,I did praise their actors.The way they dumbed them down in the script,however,I`d have to mention here.Yeon Jin in particular is greatly wounded by the `convenience over logic` trope.I won`t spoil it for you,but on more than one occasion,she made choices her character wouldn`t commit in that way.And the excuse of `she panicked` very much feels like a cop out in this case.While I mentioned how the ending was good,and it was,make no mistake,I don`t feel like it was achieved thanks to our glorious revenge,as much as luck and having the right connections,so to speak.Like I also noted,Ha Do Yeong should`ve had a bigger role and impact.I`d take his character over Lee Do Hyun`s any day,and I,like many,have a soft spot for Lee Do Hyun.

Guess this is as good of a segue as any:What I can observe as a viewer who enjoyed this drama well enough,is that both Moon Dong Eun,our beautiful,tortured and determined lead and Joo Yeo Jeong,a sweet albeit,distanced plastic surgeon,her headsman and love interest,are played...adequately.Here`s the thing:Besides her beauty and "Full House",it always seemed to me Song Hye Kyo was holding back.Her expressions,intonations,body language...like in previous projects,it`s also felt here.In a smaller measure,to be quite honest,there are moments I thought she was legitimately good.But it always seems to me like she`s afraid to unleash her potential in full capacity.Yeom Hye Ran is a great example of what I mean.That woman can ACT and she does that.I always get immersed in her characters.

As for Lee Do Hyun,he`s been,unfortunately typecast once again,as a somewhat inoffensive,warm hearted younger male lead to a colder,more intellectually driven older female lead.He`s never really TRIED to get lost in a character he plays,but their romance here is very,very underwhelming and kind of even one note,and a fair chunk of the runtime is given to it.So that`s why it`s even more of a surprise.

Finally,I have to repeat myself:I do think this is a GOOD drama.I`m a sucker for revenge themes in my media,in general.It`s just now,to me,more obvious what can be improved upon whereas the First Part was able to hide those cracks just a bit better.

A story that can,at times,leaving you wanting more,still was an entertaining ride. I`d recommend this drama,just manage your expectations,based on generous reviews left by others.

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The supporting casts truly outshines the leads...

I hardly watch Song Hye Kyo's shows and The Glory is probably her first show i had ever watched. I would say it was a great switch up for her from pretty roles to a traumatic role. She was able to convey the tough emotions pretty well. She is such a hardworking actress and to think that she has to move on with her real life after a difficult divorce and public-shaming period, Song Hye Kyo is definitely an admirable woman and an actress. However, i feel that screenwriter Kim Eun Sook has probably added too many supporting actors and actresses that kind of outshines Song Hye Kyo's character.
I mean do you really need 5 villians in one show. Probably 1 biggest bully and 2 bully-sidekicks so that each character can have more space to grow...get what i mean?

My favourite characters are:
Yeom Hye Ran as Kang Hyun Nam>>>>>>> A mother's love for her daughter finding a respite in Moon Dong Eun's revenge plan. She's pitiful and yet adorable at times.
Park Sung Hoon as Jeon Jae Joon>>>>>> Very convincing and wholesome character
Jung Sung Il as Ha Do Young >>>>>> Kim Eun Sook could have developed the complicated relationship between Ha Do Young and Moon Dong Eun.

The character which i feel most redundant in this show is none other than
Lee Do Hyun as Joo Yeo Jung.
Lee Do Hyun seems like a great actor and i feel Lee Do Hyun's story (in The Glory) can stand on it's own in his own new Kdrama. But why does Kim Eun Sook put in Lee Do Hyun for the Glory. Moon Dong Eun does not need this person to complete her revenge plan. Most of the time Lee Do Hyun looked like a high school kid in the show. It was so hard to visualise him neither as Moon Dong Eun's partner or a doctor. The role just doesn't suit him. Kim Eun Sook could just take him out and develop the relationship between Moon Dong Eun and Ha Do Young. Ha Do Young's character was so wasted.

There was zero chemistry between Song Hye Kyo and Lee Do Hyun. I don't feel that they love each other. It was awkward.
I hope casting directors stop throwing in handsome faces to boost ratings....at least consider their chemistry first...

Moon Dong Eun needs a more matured and clear headed partner to support her instead.

Kim Eun Sook goes on and on about how Song Hye Kyo inspires her for the story and yet in the end, all the villans in the show outshined Song Hye Kyo.....T_T

I don't think the ending was satisfying or well played out.

But thanks to Lee Do Hyun and Im Ji Yeon's dating news that give more spotlight to The Glory.

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Satisfying but not a masterpiece

When I first heard about this show and saw some clips online, I was so hyped to be mind-blowing. I was promised a mastermind revenge plan but it was a lot of dumb luck and coincidences.

The first part was good. I took it more as the introduction so I wasn't very critical about it but if I had to choose I certainly liked part 1 more.

We don't even see our mc dong eun much in this part. It's mostly the internal feud that causes all the characters downfall. Some tthings where very unbelievable too like how was one person able to spy on so many people? I hope we where given more of moon dong eun's pov about how she foresaw what will happen between our villains.

The acting was pretty good! Especially Sara as a junkie and yeonjin as a bully. She really made me hate her so much.

Overall the end sad satisfying. Justice was served.

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illogical plot , weak victim , no worth to watch at all

I can’t note the high rating of this series just because the main character Moon Dong Eun took revenge on the offenders years later. She herself was also initially to blame for what happened to her.
She had the opportunity to avoid what happened to her the first time, but she did not escape it. She had plenty of time to run away before they started torturing her, but she didn't leave.
Before they began to mock her, it was possible to understand their intentions and leave, but she remained and waited for what would happen next. When she was called for the 2nd and 3rd time, she also went, although an adequate person would not go knowing what happened to him after the 1st time. She was 18 years old at the time but she didn't even try to hit them back. She did not fight at all herself, for herself, despite the fact that everyone left her, her mother and teachers .. she did not change schools after the 1st time or did not engage in self-defense, is she really not to blame for herself? Her fault is that she herself did not fight for herself and for her salvation, but allowed them to treat her like that! Yes, of course their fault is paramount, a normal person would not do what they did but she did not even try to hit them back! So who is to blame? She is in front of herself.
And later, she also did not go to self-defense courses or did not go in for sports to fight back, but remained just as weak. It was a pity to look at the revenge of a weak person .. she did not become stronger. Yes, she got something, what she wanted, but she didn’t get better, and people like them can come across a lot in her life until she starts to defend herself and not wait for the aggressor to stop. He will not stop until he gives back in the same form in which he gets himself!
I didn’t like that the scriptwriters make the victims weak and lack of initiative .. is there a trend in Korea to be a toy or a rag and not defend themselves, but just cry? What kind of nonsense? Any normal person in that situation would have given on the head so, with those tongs, that it would not have seemed a little ..
It also suggests that they specifically do not teach girls to fight back there in Korea, judging by their films, because it is convenient for them to have dolls at hand and intimidate them.
The theme of revenge is quite primitive, to quarrel and set the aggressors among themselves and thus win. But this is if you are lucky to quarrel them, according to the plot, they also do not differ much in intelligence, like their victim, and are led to her entire plan. But she lost. She lost to herself at 18 by letting this happen to her. I don’t know, but at the age of 18 you need to have brains and you need to stand up for yourself, so the plot is rather illogical ..
So I don't see a masterpiece here. In fact, the girl is to blame for her lack of initiative towards herself and allowed a lot. And before taking revenge, someone needs to become stronger not only mentally but also physically so as not to break down on the way. One desire for revenge is not enough.

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Revenge, an act of passion with a gratifying conclusion.

The fact that I ended up watching both parts in less than 24 hours is a testament to how compelling this drama is in its entirety. Part 2 picks up pace, tying multiple loose ends in that were sprinkled through the first part. The treatment of the storyline and characters is brilliant. While there is a lack of suspense throughout the show, in my opinion, that was never the point of it. The Glory of it is in the way things happen and the FL comes after her perpetrators guns blazing. While there are some interactions that could be considered as unnecessary buildups but they are few and can be forgiven easily. FL is surrounded by people who come ahead and help her throughout the course of the story depending on her to be courageous enough. There are also moments when she experiences kindness and humanity which she was devoid of as a child. These moments are heart wrenching, especially her seemingly non-existent relationship with her landlady.

The acting by the cast as a whole is marvelous. Song Hye Kyo portrays a believable vengeful FL supported by Lee Do Hyun who shines in his own right. Usually in other shows, when any main lead is dealing with such trauma, often their significant other is sidelined and ends up adding nothing to the main story. This show breaks away from that cliché and the ML becomes an essential factor for transpiring multiple events. Lee Do Hyun plays his complex character with grace and comes out as a mature actor capable of handling such storylines. I laughed at his carefreeness, I cried when he was struggling, for me, this was his best performance. Yum Hye Ran continues to be stunning in this part as well, you can't help but feel powerless in her situation. Lim Ji Yeon will really make you hate her character and that is a proof of how good she is. It is satisfying to watch her beloved castle of glass break. Even other actors have played their character to T and made this show what it is.

The show is also special because of the beautiful background score which really enhances the scenes. The cinematography is top notch with high production value. This season is, dare I say, better than the first one because you will see results of thing put into motion previously and that is very thrilling. The end is gratifying and as much as I like the show, I do not want there to be another season because that would only mean that the main leads are still struggling somewhere. I could probably watch a slice of life version of them together because they are so cute but I hope this will be the end of it and they finally got the peace they deserved.

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Hauntingly perfect.

This drama was elixir to my soul.

I am drawn to dark stories, but I am also subconsciously drawn to stories where self growth and worth are paramount.

I didn’t have a great experience at school. Going to a girls school in England really messes you up on some kind of level. Permanently. Even though time does heal, which this drama showed exquisitely.

So this drama, with its roots in school and unpleasant bullying, called to my inner child (who loved seeing karma in action).

The dramas ingredients of pain, pleasure, love, hate, kindness, karma, depression, anxiety, selfishness, naïveté were simultaneously balanced and unbalanced.

So, if anyone reading this is unsure about it, give it a try. It really is healing in the regard that you are fully satisfied at the shows conclusion. That is very rare.

I felt like it helped me on a personal level work through some of my issues and regrets from my formative years. I hope it does the same for you.

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ML is the Bestest GREENFLAG in kdrama history.

An absolute impeccable masterpiece. It is the best that kdramas offer. The entire crew and cast did a phenomenal job. It is by far my favorite series. The acting was brilliant and the writing was splendid. There were so many jaw-dropping and thrilling revelations/moments from the drama that could make you feel a range of emotions: contempt, sadness, empathy, anger and exasperation. So much was going on in each episode and each moment/scene was unraveled silently and calmly but yet full of suspense.

The way the protagonist was treated was heartbreaking and you could only hope that she and all the other victims involved get the happiness and justice that they deserve. The story was unfolded unexpectantly. Although the revenge plan was an excellent one, outside circumstances take place to a level I did not expect.
All I am saying is that you will enjoy every moment of this series. It makes for a fun watch. You will gasp in astonishment with each revelation revealed.

Enjoy!!

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Super disappointed

They certainly don’t make them like Vincenzo or Taxi Driver. Damn. I actually really liked part 1 because it was like a build up for what’s to come but to say I am super disappointed with this part2 is putting it mildly. It was super anticlimactic and extremely underwhelming. I honestly wouldn’t even call this a revenge drama at all, IMO it’s more like a Justice (law) drama. I wanted to see pain and suffering in a severe way but all I got was loss of voice, maybe or maybe not blindness, and 2 freaking prison sentences for our 4 major perpetrators. To say I have been left unsatisfied with the outcome of this is such an understatement.
It would have been better and made more sense IMO if it was Kim Gyeong Ran that pushed Jeon Jae Joon instead of Ha Do Young.
Someone’s review was like, yeah I get all she went through and that they don’t agree with bullying and abuse but said reviewer would have preferred if she got some awakening and chose forgiveness and chose to let go instead and I’m like GTFOH with that stupid self righteous goody2shoes fake and pretentious attitude. It wasn’t you or any of your family members that was tortured so brutally for an extended amount of time, so you can come here and sit on your self righteous high horse and spew some pretentious crap so you can come across as a good person, once again GTFOH with that BS. She didn’t even get revenge, she more like got Justice, the people that were hurt/dead was not even her doing, it was their fellow perpetrators that dished to them just a little of what they actually deserved.
My rating is lower on this than part1 because my revenge fantasy wasn’t met at all and I’m super pissed that no severe bodily harm was done to the 4 of them especially to Park Yeon Jin, Jeon Jae Joon and Lee Sa Ra, the same way they did to several other people. I am an eye for an eye kinda person. In my book whatever is good for the goose is also good for the gander.
I’m going to go watch season 2 of Taxi Driver and then rewatch Vincenzo to get my revenge fix.
This was the perfect drama for the lead actress and she shone in this drama because it didn’t require her to show a lot of different range, i don’t think she can act very well, if she’s too display several different expressions, I don’t don’t how that will come across because her face always looks so frozen like she can’t move any muscle on her face. I haven’t watched decadents of the sun but I have dropped all the other dramas of hers that I tried watching, this is the only one i completed.
I definitely don’t plan on rewatching this.
Rewatch Value 3/10
Overall value 7.5/10

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this was fucking fantastic. im so glad i binge watched this after my friend suggested to do so.
glory is about dongeun who was severely bullied in high school and came back 18 years later to take revenge. in the first season we see how dongeun grew up after she was severely bullied and the second season executes it all out. for me s1 was more of a build up situation and s2 was executed perfectly. the revenge was so satisfying and the final ep?? mwah almost cried
i loved the acting sm. all the actors potrayed their characters so well. like u hate them for being the villain but u love them too cuz their acting is just so good. i loved everyone in the cast sm
the only flaw maybe was jooyeon's backstory. he needed more. like im not really satisfied with it. if ur really opening up his side of life u should execute it like u did what dongeun's story. it was totally unnecessary to bring up his past imo
other than that i loved this whole series. would definitely recommend but do check the trigger warnings

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Nicely Done and worth a rewatch

Now this is what I call a great ending to a drama. Doesn't happen much with KDramas, but I must say The Glory tied every loose end, perfect ending and as it should've been

All perpetrators got their just desserts. It's a pity that in real life, this doesn't seem to be the case for actual victims, as the law in Korea continuously fails them.

The bullying culture in Korea, especially towards poorer, weaker people, classism and bribery is so disappointing, but sadly cannot be resolved.

SHK and the entire cast did a phenomenal job. Was current, realistic, heart-felt acting.

But my Grand Award goes to my girl Yeom Hye-ran. My word, I LOVE THIS WOMAN!! Everything she does is top notch! She absolutely deserves an award for this role. She embodied this role and made the viewer feel her pain, joy, anger. She's amazing!!

Another one who was a great villain was Lim Je-yeon. She was excellent and one couldn't help but despise her to the end. Job well done.

Seriously, the cast was really great. The husband with that inert danger to him, the fickle friends. Even our Singles Inferno 2 sweetheart, Lee So-ee did a good job.

SHK fitted the moody, sad role, as per usual, BUT THERE WERE A FEW SMILES HERE AND THERE! So, a win's a win ?.

All in all ..9/10

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Jaw drop, amazing.

I just finished watching The Glory and I am literally at a loss for words.

I started watching this drama earlier this year and I was so sad when I thought there were no episodes left. Part 2 was so amazing, I could not stop watching once I started. This show is one of the best kdramas I've ever watched in my life. Every time I thought I knew what would happen next, something unexpected would happen.

The cast is amazing, the acting is enthralling, the emotions are visceral, and the plot is stellar.

I really hope there's another season. If not, though, I'm so satisfied by the end.

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The Bitch

The story is very good, its well-directed, well acted, blah, blah, blah. Watch it, you will not regret it. Instead of repeating what everyone else is saying, I'm going to touch on random subjects and rant for a bit.

Instead of "The Glory", the title should really be "The Bitch". Its the most spoken word in the entire drama. Almost every single character says it at one point. Even YOU will say it at least once during the course of the 16 episodes. You will definitely say it during the main villainess' scenes. Speaking of which.....

The main villainess, Park Yeon -Jin, is a STRAIGHT UP BITCH! Both actresses do an excellent job in bringing Park Yeon Jin to life. You will find yourself uttering "bitch" whenever she is on screen. And really, how can you not? Her cruelty, sadism, remorselessness, and narcissism will bring forth the word from your lips. She is utterly irredeemable, and you will desire her downfall as much as the protagonist does. Speaking of which.....

Why is the protagonist always dressed in black? Haven't you noticed that? Every episode, almost every scene, she is dressed in black from head to toe. I count on one hand the number of times she wore other colors. Just because you're out for revenge, does not mean you have to be dressed up the like 'The Crow' 24/7.

Other random observations: What is up with Jeon Jae-Joon's forehead? His forehead is really, really narrow. He has a curved in hairline, it's almost triangular and I just couldn't stop staring at it every time he was on screen.

The actress who plays Choi Hye-Jeong is smoking hot. Mmm, what a body. If I had been Jeon Jae-Joon I would have chosen her instead of Park Yeon-Jin.

Why do the victims mindlessly obey the bullies' every command? The bullies tell them "Meet me at the gym or wherever" and then the victims just show up. Do they know that they don't have to show up? Guys, the word "NO" exists for a reason.

How are the bullies even friends with each other? Whenever they're together all they do is put each other down. They're constantly hanging out yet they're nasty to each other and its clear they couldn't care less about each other. What is the point in even getting together?

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