Will Dong-eun be able to get her glory?
A very sorrowful and heartbreaking portrayal of bullying shown on the first episode was enough to make me grip my hands to take my own version of revenge, I mean, to make me invested with this show right away. At times, I forgot that it was not me being bullied with how ecstatic they were whenever they bullied Dong-eun. It was as if it was me being bullied instead of her, and sadness is truly an understatement.That's why Dong-eun meticulously planned her revenge to get back to them. It was utterly easy for her to just give up, but her determination was just gritting, and personally, I just couldn't feel anything but be inspired with her. In a technical sense, I loved how the pacing was done from her being kicked out of the school towards the present. Her growth as amply shown and her "love letters" to Yeon-jin just added intensity and vigor for her inevitable revenge.
This show is divided into 2 parts, with here focusing on the backstory and the planning stage of the revenge itself. Initially, I was not a fan of the split release but after watching the first part's ending with a cliffhanger and a shocking plot twist, I was able to get why they did it in the first place - to maintain the momentum of the increased tension and enthrall going in the second part. It was very successful at that aspect.
For now, I'm not as emotionally-invested on Yeo-joong's (Lee Do-hyun) story as with Dong-eun's (Song Hye-kyo). There's massive story potential shown in the first part and I know quite well that it will be tackled more on the second part. Furthermore, Yeo-joong's role at this part isn't as significant as Dong-eun, so this is why I will restrict this review on the main story.
On the other hand, this role has got to be Song Hye-kyo's best acting role as of the moment. She was really able to personify Dong-eun the best. Maybe it's because this is entirely different from her previous roles, but the stoic, almost emotionless personality was perfectly-written for this actress and she was also able to portray it very well. This project basically squashed the recurring criticism that Song Hye-kyo is a one-dimensional actress. Wasn't a big fan of hers prior, but she is able to own it and I'm being converted as a fan as of this moment. But can she transpose it on her next projects or was she lucky that a one-dimensional character suited her very well?
My other comments will be reserved for the second part, since it will be more cathartic, if not gruesome (I hope). Still, this 8-episode first part was greatly done in setting the tone for the overall show. The first part doesn't need all of the big twists and shocking events, yet I'm expecting it on the next.
The big question now lies: will Dong-eun be able to get her glory?
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Good story, poor writing
The story is good.But…
Hear me out…
The writer did a good job to tell about the severe criminal and violent school bullying (actually more torture then bullying imo) in Asia, especially in Korea.
But what was unnecessary and made this drama bad were the unnecessary n-dity scenes 🛁 🧖♀️.
They put it in the drama just to “catch” western watchers?!.
That ruined it.
I’ve seen some better drama’s telling about this issue, without any unnecessary scenes.
The writer could’ve focused more on the cultural view and social issues in Korea. And the messed up justice system.
How violence under the young citizens goes often unpunished. Because of age and influence.
Telling about that they just can skip the army by sitting in prison for a few months or a year or so or doing some community service as punishment…
What catcher my eye and was interesting, she put the cases together in one catching story: the hot iron, beating up in the ally, the women who worked at the same school as the child of her school bully and some more.
Also how the MC put all webs 🕸️ together to figure out how everything was connected to each other and discovered everyone’s secrets was a work of art in writing.
They could’ve actually made it a longer serie like in the old days, the splitting in two made the waiting unnecessary long for the viewers.
But the ending of this plot was…
Meh. (To be continued)
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Acting spot on.
I would love to focus on the actors, they were terrific throughout the development of the storyline. Their body language and expression guide you to understand their emotions and allow you to understand and feel what is happening around them.The storyline develops slowly which is perfect for understanding what is going on, but the language gap caused me to rewind a few scenes to understand the subtitles on Netflix. There were a few scenes that i had wished would have been expressed a bit earlier however i believe it was to keep us on the edge.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants some action-driven acting, and especially realistic incidents.
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This review may contain spoilers
Almost dropped it but pushed thru
The first episode was absolutely infuriating. I was planning on dropping this 3/4 of the way thru it. I instead came to the reviews to see why I should keep watching. I was mostly convinced. I went to S2 to see how it would progress. It looked promising so back I went. I then found out the bullying was something that had actually happened. While I still found the basis of the series appalling and almost unbelievable, but knowing it was "based" in reality made me push through. I wanted to see this revenge play out because boy was it warranted!There were still parts that frustrated me to no end but overall the two leads won me over and kept me watching. Will I watch it again?Probably not. Would I suggest it for everybody to watch? Absolutely not. There are A LOT of triggering scenes especially in the first episode so be aware before you start. There are various scenes throughout that are hard to watch also.
Only you know what you can handle but know you have been warned!
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Rather violent main plot idea. MASTERFUL AMAZING villains
FL is a pushy dame all set on revenge and her character to me is ... bitter and unappealing. I didnt enjoy watching her.The main villain is female and that is the best bully villain I have ever seen in movies, her line "I did not do anything to you! your life was already destroyed and harmful" - the calousness of a heartless psychopath...
The other villains wernt bad either, and her husband too.
The boyfriend of FL was ... cheesy. Offering to help her revenge ... is ... BAD.
And the ending, two of them going to revenge his stuff.. is also .. bad
I think the idea of killing and destroying the bad guys in revenge is a bad idea.... So I dislike this kdrama. It went to far to make a bombastic shocking drama.
I dont think "true" revenge looks like this kdrama. There are better revenges that dont kill or harm... and dont waste your life to revenge yourself.
I think the best revenge is Jesus Christ style. He did not waste his energy to diss his opponents. He invested all his energy to rise and shine and become a global superstar. The end.
So I think it would have been a better revenge for FL to become HAPPY and perhaps even rich and totally leave the bullies in the dust
but then there is no Netflix drama LOL
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What a fantastic first half
Brilliant. Do-eun's past is so tragic and brutal, but the set-up for her revenge is the definition of a slow burn, intertwining so many characters and their motivations together. The drama does an amazing job of building up tension.Every actor absolutely sell their role. The casting was SO good, especially the parallels between young and adult actors. The trauma and heaviness in Do-eun's character is so powerful, and Yeon-jin really is intimidating and scary. I'm really excited to see how everything finally unravels.
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Amazing acting!
I just finished it yesterday and wow... That was an amazing kdrama. I usually tend to watch series this long in 4 days or a little more, but I only took two days with The Glory, it was addicting.My favorite part of the show is definitely the acting omg, it was so good, sometimes it bothers me when they overreact but this was not the case at all. If I can highlight someone's acting in specific i would say Yeonjin's actresses. When they smiled cynically or when their faces tensed of annoyence, chef kiss.
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Good at holding interest, even better visuals
This was my intro back to drama after quite a long hiatus and it set the bar pretty high. I went in with lowish expectations based on my experience of how 'revenge' dramas pan out in kdramas, especially when it's the FL pursuing the revenge. But so far, so good.I like the way the story will weave between the past and present to uncover things gradually. The drama can take a slow, meandering pace in order to fully get things set up but its not unenjoyable. The story itself feels well thought out. It can be a bit dramatic at times but never veers too much into makjang territory. I do like how the characters have some depth in them; the antagonists, while evil, are not cartoonishly, 1D caricatures. The acting is very well done on everyone's part. Our FL really shines here and I am very much enjoying SHK's performance.
The drama has really good visuals and scenery. The music, while not really memorable on its own, does add well to the mood and vibe. Let's move on to Part 2!
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This review may contain spoilers
The Fall and The Glory
How did I watch: Two years after release. On Netflix. Painfully watching episode 1 and 2, breeze through 3-16.Why did I watched: was in the mood for a more gripping watch
Themes that I like in the drama: Revenge
1. Most favorite character: Moon Dongeun
2. Most favorite interactions: Dongeun and Hyeonam
3. Most memorable scene/ plot point: All the part in ep 1. Jung Jiso did stellar part as Moon Dongeun's Younger Actress. That scene when dongeun roll in snow is the most painful for me. Shin yeeun deliver as the young Yeonjin and wow even looking at her face incite terrible feelings.
4. Why did I stay for this drama: Have to see the plan carried through. The dialogues are deliciously manipulative, triggering, mean spirited and fit like a glove for this drama.
5. What I would like to see more: I know they purposely making the people as bad people without a lot of reasoning i would want to get a little bit sprinkle of reason. But the drama is executed well so im just nitpicking for my hopes and wishes.
6. What I would like to see less: The graphic of all the terrible things. I want my eyes to unsee.
7. Would I watch it again? Probably No. It is difficult to watch.
8. When will be the best time to watch? When i am mentally stable.
9. Radar alert for the future watch: I need to watch at least three fluffs after this.
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Cruel tale amazingly acted! Brace yourself!
This series could have been another common revenge story...Instead, it turned out to be the captivating first part of a cruel tale amazingly acted. The script was well-built with effective setup payoff and credible plotlines. The well-thought pacing creates a very bingeable show. The tone of the drama is really dark making the few instants of respite and hope really bright for the protagonists.The ensemble cast is great: most of the actors are doing an impressive job. I found the younger characters particularly gifted: each of their scenes left a strong impact on me. Song Hye Kyo successfully plays the complex (anti)-heroine. The performances of the others characters (allies and enemies) are not to be outdone either. I totally fell for the charm of Lee Do Hyun and will be looking forward his new -(and old) dramas.
The production is really great, there are a lot of scenes that are poignant and even harrowing for your soul while still at the same time being beautiful and healing in some way. The opening generic is fascinating as well as the overall soundtrack, haunting at some points.
I would recommend this to people looking for a captivating revenge drama. If you like dark stories and have appreciated thematic around social classes like in "Parasite", this one is for you! Be aware that this is a really brutal story which can be very triggering as it is centred around bullying and very violent.
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Add to Watching List!
I binge watched this so bad, I started yesterday evening and ended in the same night! I didn't think I would watched all at once, but I have to say that it was really good. It comes with a lot of revenge dramas around, revenge is a tipycal guide line in kdramas, but sometimes it gets tired to watch or you just start loosing interest because it's dragged, this one is really well made in my opinion, the pace is stable and the characters are well developed.I mean, with the end of season one it's not like nothing happened, but the real revenge it still has to come, within all season one the story is built, you see the developoment of all the characters and some new entry, and how the protagonist is paventing the way for revenge, and did not get bored, you stay there and watch every episode with curiosity.
The acting is amazing, a really high level, you can receive all emotion from them, the choices for young/adult are really amazing as if they 're real! And maybe I' m a sucker for villains, but I have to say that Shin Ye Eun and Im Ji Yeon who play the same character (young/adult) are really spectacular, when I looked at them I got shivers!
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This review may contain spoilers
This is the ultimate in oh-so-satisfying revenge dramas. The acting by Lim Ji Yeon, who played the antagonist, was superb. (I just wish that they had found a better actor for the younger version of Park Yeon Jin. I had a difficult time connecting the two actors into a single character.) But Jung Sung Il, who played Park Yeon Jin's husband almost stole the show. He, along with Kang Hyeon Nam, were my favorite characters. Rumor has it that there will be another season of The Glory. If true, I hope that they bring back these two characters. Was this review helpful to you?
