The Glory Season 2 (2023)

Terribly Flawed Last Minute Revenge Plan

Eighteen years of planning a revenge just for it to be executed so badly, and exposed so early on.

For 4/5 of the bullies, Moon Dongeun really had zero leverage over them from the beginning. She was only able to come up with a plan AFTER Son Myeongoh provided her their dirty little secrets. What made the show really hard to watch is the lack of backstory for Moon Dongeun's planning of the revenge. Things just happen and you have no idea whether it's by her own hands or somebody else. Her so called "planning" is flawed and unstable. How can she confront the antagonists boldly when she doesn't have concrete evidence on their crimes yet? She sets up traps for the antagonists and it's up to them to go against each other. In other words, she relies purely on luck.

The ending is unsatisfying with so many unaddressed loose ends. The bullies got their revenge, but the emotional damage done to them is nowhere equal to what scarred their victims. There are so many terrible crimes revealed throughout the story that were never brought to justice, or even brought to attention to the public. For example, the sex trafficking at the shaman shrine.

It's a shame that the drama doesn't expand more on school bullying, SA, and domestic violence. All the director wants to do is put focus on romance, and useless side characters. Anyone could have taught Moon Dongeun chess. The ML barely contributed. Also, what was the purpose of having Kim Kyungran stick around during adulthood if she's going to be completely useless to the plot? That woman had so much potential. Either give us a proper development, or cut off their characters completely.

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A bit over the top

The Glory is undoubtedly a high-quality production but the plot, while engaging, was too dramatic and unrealistic for my taste. The antagonists are one-dimensional, starting as cruel bullies in their youth and ending up as the most detestable individuals you could imagine as adults. The main character's plan is riddled with unaddressed plot holes, and in the second half, she conveniently receives help from her love interest, a surgeon who (surprise!) shares similar emotional trauma and seeks revenge on someone. Unfortunately, the two actors lack chemistry, leading to their characters romance to fall flat.

Is it a terrible drama? Absolutely not. It's entertaining and explores a few interesting themes. However, it fell short of having an emotional impact on me because I couldn't connect with the characters, and the ending left me unsatisfied.

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A Glorious End

Dong-Eun finally fulfilled her dream. The first few episodes were very thrilling to watch, and after that, the story started to settle down. The acting, as always, was outstanding by the cast. The class of Ha Do-Yeong remains unmatched. However, this time I felt that the dialogues were not as thought-provoking and deep as in the first part. Still, the hardships and bitter realities of life are portrayed in an excellent way. The twists and turns along the way were certainly unexpected.

Park Yeon-Jin lost everything as Dong-Eun promised she would, but I can't help but think that it was Yeon-Jin herself who, because of her stubbornness and arrogance, made things much worse for herself. I don't get why Yeo-Jeong is hell bent on taking revenge from his father's murderer, Kang Yeong-Cheon. As we get to know in one of the episodes, it is exactly what he wants. He wants Yeo-Jeong to remember him. That is why he kept sending him letters talking about the pleasure he got from killing his father. In my opinion, the best revenge Yeo-Jeong could take is to forget him and move on. Choi Hye-Jeong could have effortlessly made it out unharmed if it weren't for her wanting to make it known that she is behind defaming them and taking revenge for all the years they looked down upon her. It was interesting to witness her lust for wealth. In my opinion, Jae-Jun's death was unethical; fighting someone who can't see isn't exactly a fair fight. He did have it coming, though. He should have handled matters with more patience. His careless and impatient attitude led him to his death. Ha Do-Yeong already realized that it was too late for things to be restored to how they used to be. He knew it was best for him and his daughter to cut off ties with Yeon-Jin before things got out of hand. It didn't feel in character for him to push Jae-Jun off the edge of the building while he couldn't see. That spoiled, drug-addicted brat, Lee Sa-Ra, got less than what she deserved. It breaks my heart to think that mothers like Jeong Mi-Hee (Dong-Eun's) and Yoon Da-Kyung (Yeon-Jin's) actually exist in this world. They used and sold their children for their own sake. They leached off of them and put wrong morals in their minds. From the depth of my heart, I wish them a fate that is worse than death. The Shaman's death made no sense to me. Maybe it was a spiritual thing. Now that I think about it, it wasn't just Dong-Eun who wanted revenge. Almost every other character also wanted to get revenge on others. Myeong-O wanted to get revenge on Jae-Jun. Hye-Jeong from Yeon-Jin. Ha Do-Yeong from Jae-Jun, and so on.

In the end, when Dong-Eun was standing on the roof about to jump, the scene beautifully represented what people like her go through. Even after taking revenge, everything remained the same. The past, the scars, the pain, the struggle. All of that still remains with her. She is still carrying that burden of abandonment on her shoulders. I remember how terrified I was in that scene. I didn't want her to jump. But what could have held her back? She didn't have anything to live for. Thankfully, when Yeo-Jeong's mom showed up and asked her to save her son, that is when she realized that she did have a reason to live. Now, it was time for her to switch roles and become the headsman in order to have someone she cared about get his revenge.

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um dos melhores doramas do ano

fazia muito tempo que não assistia um drama coreano tão bem feito quanto esse. por ser da netflix, não botei muita expectativa quando comecei, apesar de ter ouvido falar muito bem e me interessado pelo plot. foi uma surpresa quando me vi assistindo 3, 4 episódios num piscar de olhos.

a trama é muito bem elaborada e envolvente. a história do dongeun, contada entre idas ao passado e presente foi uma ótima forma de interligar todos os pontos. praticamente não há furos no roteiro! além disso, mesmo não sendo o foco do drama, o romance entre a dongeun e yeojeong foi realmente incrível!

algo a se destacar é o final, que foi bem trabalhado e não ficou a "deus dará". já cansei de ver doramas com histórias ótimas, desenvolvimento incrível, um elenco maravilhoso, e chegar no último episódio com um final mal planejado que deu a parecer que foi feito às pressas. the glory passa justamente o contrário. todos os personagens tiveram um fim, e de bônus ainda tivemos o início da vingança do yeojeong.

enfim, definitivamente uma obra digna de um 10/10.

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what all revenge stories aspire to be

it's rare in kdramaland that revenge stories are both bloody and emotionally satisfying. that's what the glory achieved. like a carefully organised chess board, Song Hye Kyo's much needed revenge was beautifully orchistrated and masterfully executed.

credit goes primarily to her, of course: i've been telling you people that song hye kyo is a spectacular actress for years. she has mastered the art of subtle expressions, with one look she can convey fiery emotions. she's been doing this from 1999 and it can be seen in her best melodrama -in my humble but correct opinion- Encounter. she's supported by a cast of villains you hate with your whole gut and two partners that make it all worth it. one offers her warmth and frienship and the other pure, everlasting love

i love my revenge stories but coming from the end of penthouse, i don't trust the writers to land the shot. this one did and it will remain legendary

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A slightly disappointing ending.

The second half of the drama was definitely weaker than the first. The acting was excellent and the drama still was very gripping. I liked the story a lot —up until episode 14.

In the last two episodes the story got a little messy in my opinion. A lot of unexplained and just weird plot points. The revenge itself also didn't feel as satisfying as I had hoped and the ending felt rushed. The romance between the main characters also didn't work because of the massive age gap and lack of chemistry.



Overall I still enjoyed part 2 and the issues didn't really ruin the drama. I am just disappointed as I expected this drama to become one of my favorites. To the drama as a whole I would give 8,5/10.

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Some Scars can't be healed

This show needs no introduction nor does its leading lady.

A show that depicts the darker side of humans and how monstrous and inhumane they can get. A broken and scarred girl who swore revenge on those who made her life hell returns and unleashes the same hell on each and everyone of them making their lives worse than death.
She decides to take away everything they had from them and in the process meets a guy who is too broken and scarred just like her. He becomes her support when no one in the world did that for her, making her start to believe in others again.
The show will make you feel so many emotions. You will cry for the victims and hate the guts of the bullies. The cast has nailed their roles be it of the good or bad one.
Song Hye Kyo proved with this show that she ain't just a pretty face but a phenomenal actress too who can pull of both sweet and darker roles.

(The saddest part is that the things that are shown do happen in real life too and even way worse. Many have faced it growing up and many are facing it even now and this will continue on cuz such monsters exists everywhere at any age groups. I do pray for the well being of those who have suffered such atrocities and hope they are able to move past those scars.)

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Excellent

For those unfamiliar with kdrama, 16 episodes is the typical episode order of Korea tv dramas, so both parts of The Glory is part of the same series/season and one continuous story arc rather than being two separate seasons. The writer is a veteran of addictive hits that are hits and misses in terms of quality for me personally, but The Glory is an objective masterpiece. I wouldn't call it a fun watch considering the painful subject matter, but it is a most cathartic one. The acting is wonderfully led by Song Hye Gyo in her best work to date along with the writer and wonderfully supported by Lee Do Hyun who is Netflix's Sweet Home alum, and all of the support cast on either sides of the revenge accomplice and bully spectrums.

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An actual revenge stpry!

What a journey!

I had so much fun watching Part 2 of The Glory. Seeing all the pieces from the last episode fall into place and actually getting a long detailed show of the villains getting their comeuppance in the last episodes was sooo satisfying.

I really love that they did not skimp on the conclusion to the revenge. No halfassing, no stupid forgiving; just completely destroying the villains and giving them what they deserve.

The actors did a phenomenal job. Honestly, even despite how toxic the villain group was, I lived for their "friendship". It was just so hilarious seeing them together and watching their dynamics/conversations. Such a crazy group of villains but so entertaining. Song Hye Kyo's acting range also really impressed me.

My only issues with the show were the romance b/w Dr. Joo and Dong-Eun and Joo's story with the serial killer guy. For the romance, I still feel it was unecessary. Honestly, the whole character/actor, I was not impressed with at all. The romance felt so awkward to me because Dr. Joo was cleary so into DE but DE always just had an impassive expression (obvs since she's just trying to focus on her revenge mission). And although there were moments where DE and Joo would be laughing together or being playful, I juat wasn't feeling the chemistry. So yeah, I would have preferred for there not be any romance. As for the serial killer plot, I just didn't like seeing that serial killer's annoying smirk all the time lmao. Also, wasn't sure what the purpose of that whole story was aside from giving Joo something else to focus on beside DE.

Anyway, overall it was a very enjoyable revenge series that makes you feel relieved and satisfied.

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