The Glory

Hatred, romance and hope

With the premise that I was myself victim of bullying (even though not this cruel), I must admit the satisfaction of this drama. From the absolutely relatable hatred towards the bullies to her strength to actually seek revenge, I've loved everything about "The Glory".

The hope that the main character had in her adolescence made me rethink about my life: she was able to get out of that situation, and despite it all she became stronger day by day. I admire her so much, I wouldn't be able to save myself, especially if I was completely alone like her.

Apart from this, she had the mental sanity and clarity to plan a revenge, which even though we can't properly see in this first season, we can foreshadow it'll be fantastic. She remained strong even when confronting her bullies face to face, so strong that didn't snap and kill them right there and then. Even though, my personal opinion, it would've satisfied my need.

Although it was a very difficult journey she stayed loyal to her feelings of hatred and fury.

I love this kind of dramas, where the protagonist's only purpose in life is revenge. It shows that no life is pitiful, just different from ours. It dimonstrates that someone is born to accomplish great things, while others are born to live a miserable life. While the first ones are who, regardless of their dreams, purposes or positive or negative attitude towards life, usually achieve important aims (wether these will be economic or whatever), the latters are those who think everything and everyone own them, that they will conduct a happy life 'cause they have power and money to spend.

Our Dong-eun surely is one of those who are born to accomplish great things: in her case, revenge. There's something else that I love and admire of this types of dramas: the main characters don't have anything else to do after their plans end. Their "main task" is finished, so what do they do now? Either living in regrets for what they've done, or feeling relieved and trying to heal their wounds, or again just surviving until the day they'll die. I think however a character decides to carry on they're heroes nonetheless.

I honestly hope Dong-eun will focus more on her life and how to live as a (approximately, 'cause this kind of wounds will never heal completely) normal person, maybe with Yeo-jeong by her side. This is the kind of happy ending I hope she will get, along with all those people who are living the same hell, 'cause we all know there are more than what we are ready to admit.

Yeo-jeong is that kind of man who makes you feel loved and cared for even in your darkest times, even when you've lost hope in everything and everyone else. He's that kind of man that stays loyal until the very end and will do anything for you and your well-being. But he's also someone who can pretty much relate to Dong-eun's pain, even if for another reason (which is still incomplete in the first season).

They're two broken pieces of a picture, and together they form an artwork, a delightful painting. Maybe with too many dark colors around the edges, but I'm sure when they mix together they create those beautiful lights. They're just perfect for each other and I'm here for it.

Now, apart from the storyline, which is too complex but at the same time satisfying, the acting was superb. Just a look at the cast and I was sure it was going to be perfect. Even Jung Ji-so was amazing: her parts weren't surely the easiest! She portrayed her character so good that she got me goosebumps. It must've been hard...

Overall I'm giving a 9.5. That 0.5? Well, maybe the soundtracks... While they were perfect for the drama, I thought maybe something else would've gotten more effect. And you're asking why the rewatch value is lower than the rest? That's because I wouldn't be able to watch it a second time: too cruel. The first time is already traumatizing, I don't think I need to see it a second time.

And finally, just a last comment: I'm fortunate to have started and finished it when the second season is already out, 'cause otherwise I couldn't have waited that much to see how it would've ended.

One of the best revenge-plot dramas ever!

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1st half may be difficult for victims of bullying but the second half (revenge) makes it worth it

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022/2023 South Korean psychological thriller with revenge as a primary driver for the main character. There are 16, 47-72 minute episodes in two parts. The first part comprises the first eight episodes which is primarily where the revenge is set up. The last eight episodes center around enacting the revenge.


First I provide a unique synopsis then I review.

 
Synopsis


The entire story consists of multiple instances of true life bullying and revenge incidents. It is all based on true occurrences but not all of any one but rather elements of multiple true occurrences all melded into one. It is representational of the full range of bullying and provides an example of the most extreme cases. In this story, Moon Dong eun (Song Hye kyo) survived her school years most likely by dropping out of school at a critical moment to survive the bullies. Others that were targets of the same group of bullies were not so lucky. Her entire life after that is centered around earning enough money, and putting herself in the correct position to exact revenge on those that caused such suffering and misery. She bears the permanent physical and emotional scars of the actions of this bully group.  She becomes a teacher and steers the situation so she is assigned as the homeroom teacher of the leader of the bullies’, Park Yeon jin’s (Lim Ji yeon), daughter.  From that position, which puts her in close contact with her targets, she plays out her revenge. By fate or chance she meets Joo Yeo Jeong (Lee Do hyun) who falls in love with the troubled and mysterious Dong eun and offers to help her after seeing and learning the horrible things that were done to her. Kang Hyeon nam (Yeom Hye ran) is a housekeeper in the home of one of the subjects of Dong eun’s interest. Heyeon nam catches Dong Eun collecting and going through the garbage for clues and strikes a deal for mutual benefit. Dong eun is at first unwilling to accept the true friendship and caring from others as she is so damaged from her past. But as she widens her circle of supporters to help in punishing those who were not punished by the adults at the time, she begins to heal emotionally. Karma is coming to those that bullied helpless and innocent victims in the form of Dong eun. Can she survive her own revenge?

Review

This is hands down the best revenge show I have watched. For anyone that has been bullied or been in an environment where there are lots of bullies, this will definitely resonate. For me those parts were hard to watch because I am an empath to begin with but also because I was involved in a situation where I was minimally bullied where someone else was bullied so severely it drove them crazy and they wound up on drugs, out of their mind, and ran over a bunch of people on a sidewalk and they are now in prison. I did my best, when that was happening to protect that person but, as the show portrays, it is hard to effectively protect anyone when you are one of their targets. But that was not physical bullying like this show had where it was severe physical bullying with a psychological component.

The acting in this is phenomenal by both those playing the bullies, the victims and just everyone. It does roughly follow where the first eight episodes (first half) sets the stage and tells about the past, and the final eight are focused on the revenge aspects. I delayed watching it because I wasn’t sure how well I could take watching the severe bullying, as when something like that happens to you it is not something you ever fully forget or recover from, so I thought it might be too emotionally upsetting for me. But it is just mainly those first episodes and the way she gets her revenge is so satisfying.

 
In sum, I highly recommend this for anyone that likes the revenge trope. I would rewatch it readily if it was on as there is a lot of depth to it

Spoilers

The main detractors for me were some unnecessary things people did. I think what I liked the least was that the main bullies’ spouse, who had been a very likable character nearly to the end, wound up murdering his wife’s lover. The guy was a part of the bully group, and had done some horrible things, but that did not excuse him pushing him, now blind, off a building into a vat of cement. I did not want to see the little girl with her murderous mom, psychotic grandmother, nor her sociopath father and thought I would be glad to see her going with the father she grew up with, but he did that and I was like great she is still being raised by a murderer. I know they were alluding that he did it so the real dad would not continue to bother them, but that is no excuse to murder someone.

The other senseless murder was when the girl that was the main bullies’ assistant, finished off the injured, long haired, boy bully. It showed he had raped her and they all were obviously still bullying her, but murdering him by making that final blow took her from a sympathetic character to a person willing to murder someone when they were helpless. If he had been actively attacking her again I could have sympathized but it was not an act of self defense at that moment. It did not feel as good that the main bully went down framed with a murder she may not have committed. They were trying for an even deeper revenge, because of the irony that she is serving time for a murder one of her victims committed, but I thought there was plenty of opportunity for her to go down for the murder without turning the victim into a murderer. And it is based on true events, not a record of true events, so it isn’t like that was the way it really happened.

The other detractor, for me, was Do Hyun’s suicide attempt at near the end. During the bullying, at her young age, it showed a suicide attempt and I think they were trying to show that suicide was always an option for her and now she accomplished her revenge why not? She herself should have known how much that would hurt Yeo jeong. I mean I would hope she would know how much that would hurt all of the friends she had, however reluctantly, developed. it is just such a selfish act I have a hard time sympathizing. And, if she had gone through with it, it would have reversed a lot of her revenge as her main bully would have used it as a way to vindicate some of her actions. Like see “she was always like that.” I unfortunately know that is likely how that would play out as I spoke with the bully that drove the girl crazy and to prison and asked her about that incident and she pretty said “I know isn’t she crazy?” It was apparent from the very gleeful way she said it, that she was pleased with the outcome and did not feel any personal responsibility for the end result. That bully group destroyed one life and was, in my opinion, partially responsible for the death and injury that person that was bullied caused.

It would have been nice to have seen the main couple together longer than just the tail end of the last episode. Some say the romance element was completely unnecessary but I enjoyed the angel that two people with psychological scars can find healing in each other.

I think they left it open for another season by showing the male and female lead enter the prison where it was apparent they planned to exact revenge against the person who murdered the male lead’s father. And that wasn’t a bad way to end it. It didn’t wrap up that particular piece but that was okay because it wasn’t what we were there for anyway. Streaming platforms like to keep the piggy banks open and often end things very unclear. In this case that one piece was not even completely unclear. We know enough about our main girl by now that we can be sure she will help him get his full revenge.

#SongHyeKyo

#TheGlory

#LimJiYeon

#LeeDoHyun

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The Glory

The Glory isn’t your typical revenge K-drama with flashy twists and heroic speeches. It’s cold, patient, and almost painfully controlled—just like Moon Dong-eun herself. The story doesn’t rush to make you feel satisfied; instead, it makes you sit with the damage. Every scar, every silence, every slow step in her plan reminds you that trauma doesn’t fade just because time passes.

Song Hye-kyo delivers one of the strongest performances of her career. There’s no exaggeration in her acting—her eyes do the screaming. Dong-eun isn’t written as a “strong female lead” in the loud sense; her strength is survival. She doesn’t forgive, she doesn’t forget, and the drama never asks her to. That alone makes The Glory feel brutally honest.

What truly elevates the series is how it treats revenge not as fantasy, but as consequence. The villains aren’t cartoonishly evil; they’re disturbingly realistic, protected by money, status, and silence. Watching them unravel feels earned, not celebratory—there’s no joy, only balance being restored.

The pacing is slow but intentional, the cinematography muted and heavy, and the writing sharp without being preachy. The Glory doesn’t offer comfort. It offers truth.

In the end, this isn’t a story about winning—it’s about reclaiming dignity after it was stolen. And that’s why The Glory lingers long after the final episode.

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Ok but i need u to understand that construction bosses are the Real Villains

School kids gang up on a classmate and torture her to the brink of death. Not because of any personal hatred but rather as the because they are the rich elite exploiting their power over others. We not only despite these teens for their cruelty but also their flippancy; their indifferent disregard for another person's life.

So riddle me this: Why is Ha Do Young spared?

Sure, he at no point is involved in the violence and bullying. You might argue that he innocent, just like his daughter. I would argue otherwise. In fact, I would argue that this is the central contradiction and disappointment of The Glory.

His daughter is a child. But Ha Do Young is a construction boss*. Let that sink in. A. Construction. Boss. You ever heard of one of those who *hasn't* indirectly committed industrial manslaughter? Who hasn't used the poor, working class as fodder for profits? You think how he achieved immense wealth is *innocent*?

Construction bosses like Ha Do Young are far more scary a villain than a bunch of rich teens. He does not need to hold a heated rod himself in order to inflict lifelong scars. But that's ok I guess! The FL decides to take revenge *personally*, even if the motivation of her torturers wasn't personal at all.

And honestly, that approach from the writers makes sense. The Glory is escapism (torture porn aside). In the world of The Glory, injustice *can* be righted. Of course, this is only achievable when the violence is boiled down to the individual level rather than as a result of social structures. To suspend that disbelief, Ha Do Young remains unblemished and unscathed.

All this to say: my itch was not scratched! Either you provide a) individual motivations for the rich kids to have bullied the FL or b) pure class warfare. It's that easy :P

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*The construction industry is one of the worst for workplace deaths. It is the employer's responsibility to ensure a safe working environment for workers. Just last week, half a dozen Korean construction workers died in a fire likely originating from materials on site: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/14/at-least-6-killed-in-fire-at-south-korean-hotel-construction-site

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复仇细节实在扯，宋慧乔演技很好。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

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The Glory: 5/18/2024 ~ 5/30/2024

I know this show was separated into two parts but because of the time when I watched it I consider it as a whole since it does not have separate seasons. The story itself was something that I had never watched before so I went in not really knowing what to expect, minus the fact that people really liked the show. After watching it can see why since I also love the show as well. The FL was simply a badass and did not wavier when it came to take her revenge which is something I really like. It not only the fact that she didn’t wavier but stuck to what she planned to do, making sure they all felt the world around them crumble. The thing I loved however the most was the fact that while there was romance they did not try to make it a key point but instead a very minor point, and also it was not pointless. It wasn’t like she fell in love and took out her revenge separately but instead the ML stood by her side and helped take her revenge. Which as twisted as it sounds made their love story all the better even though it was barely shown. Now on to the heavier topic which is the bullying it talks about, it sad how realistic it can be in not only the fact it happens but how it get easily brushed aside with out anyone caring.

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you will love this drama

The Glory is a series that stands out for its intensity, strong emotions and precisely constructed story of revenge. I liked how it slowly but surely reveals the past of the main character and shows how deep the scars bullying can leave. Every scene has its own meaning, no character is unnecessary and everything gradually fits into the well-thought-out plan of the main character.

What I enjoyed most about the series was the quiet but relentless build-up of tension. Don't expect a classic revenge action - instead you get a psychological game where every step is carefully planned. The acting, especially the main characters, is great and the story draws you in so much that you want to know how it all ends. It is a dramatic, visually impressive and powerful spectacle that will stay with you even after the end.

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