What goes around, comes around
"Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, fracture for fracture. The one who inflicted the injury must suffer the same. I don't know. That sounds too fair to me."What a remarkable series. The direction, cinematography, story, acting and especially dialogues were outstanding. I even noted down some of them. The story is so complelling to watch and the way the events unfold is amazing. It shows you the true face of misery. What helplessness feels like and that your past will always come to haunt you. That everyone has their inner demons that they are either fighting or have accepted. How always pushing someone to the edge of their limits can drive them mad sooner or later. How much dire consequences can your actions have on someone else and certainly, on you.
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This came highly recommended to me a few months back but I shied away from it after hearing that the first two episodes were pretty violent. I'm glad I changed my mind because while it (the violence) was difficult to watch at first, it wasn't quite on the level of Squid Game, which I was able to enjoy. There is a rebirth aspect in this revenge drama that reminded me of Green Rose- an older classic, a re-interpretation of the Count of Monte Cristo and also one of my favorites. The melodrama here is turned up a few notches because it is a makjang but once I had my expectations set, I was able to enjoy everything and take all the melodrama with a grain of salt.
I think the cast was pretty strong here and that every actor/actress did a good job, even the ones with minor roles including the child actress.
I'm glad the main actress chose this role because she is mostly known for playing glamorous, leading lady types and this drama allowed her to try something different. I liked her controlled performance throughout because this restraint created an even more powerful effect during those scenes where she finally had to erupt and get emotional. I also like how she had help from several other, like-minded characters, namely the supporting female lead who was just as abused as she was and also the male lead who played her love interest. One of the tropes here is that they were all broken people who supported each other because they could see eye to eye and because the regular justice system couldn't help them like it should have. I'm also glad because it seemed (even for a melo), realistic for me that she couldn't do everything by herself even if she was clever about some things.
There is one part of the plot that I feel was handled poorly and this is how she got revenge on her former high school teacher. I felt that it was silly and that the guy could have just walked out of the room full of flowers if he was so allergic! Other than that, I liked the drama, even if it isn't something I'd rewatch.
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dongeun is a normal high-school student who dreams of becoming an architect but gets bound up with some bullies who bully the soul out of her. literally. its gruesome so trigger warning for that. she decides she is gonna end her life but in the end she realises those bullies are not worth her throwing away her whole life so she starts plotting revenge and lives for it. after 18 years the bullies have their respective happy lives and no guilt or remorse whatsoever for whatever they've done in their teen years and here we have dongeun who's starting her fight against her bullies
the bullying is gruesome and i have trust issues from watching thriller dramas previously so ofc i dont believe all the people like i wont be surprised if someone betrays dongeun at the last moment or smth
dongeun has started her revenge plotting and its just gonna o down from here on so im excited for that. also lee do hyun >>
now why the 8. stars? its overhyped. its not overrated but overhyped. like if ur not on social media or watching it on air thats the only way ull be truly able to enjoy the whole thing. for me ive seen so many edits ik what happened ik what the summary is i basically knew almost everythin in s1 which led to me not enjoying it as much as i thought i would. i dont think ik how this will end tho so lets look forward to it
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Revenge but it's a slow burn
The foundation could've been written better. I get it's a revenge based story but there isn't much to the foundation. Why are the bullies, bullies? How do they get away with it?I would've enjoyed the younger actors getting more details and story. Yes bullying is bad and it shouldn't be done. It just feels like they missed a chance to give us context. I have had friends that ended up being bullies and had to stop being their friend because they couldn't or wouldn't change. It's clear there's one main bully, why are the rest still that person's friend??? Context would've given this a 10.
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The Glory- A game of Go
The Glory- A game of GoFrom episode 1-8, I have been so hooked on the plot of this drama. I think it’s my first time seeing a school violence kdrama where the victim retaliates in such an interesting and well-planned way ad I’m enjoying this new take.
Although some of the line deliverance is slow (like most kdramas), the plot itself moves at a steady speed so it isn’t at all boring.
Song Hyekyo: I haven’t seen her play such a calm yet devious character and I am definitely impressed. She’s done a great job so far. As for her character, Dongeun, I am highly impressed with how the writers developed her- she changed in an fascinating yet comprehensible way which I liked.
Lim Ji-Yeon: WOW WOW WOW. I first saw her in High Society years ago and thought, ‘Aw, they should give this cutie more roles!’ CUTIE?!! I hated her character so much that I can’t look at her without associating her to Yeonjin- what a fantastic job she’s done. I’m looking forward to more great acting from her. As for Yeonjin herself, I really don’t understand how she thought she’d get away with lying to her daughter. Sooner or later, the kid would grow up and ask questions so what was her plan..?
Shin Yeeun: Sometimes I feel like I hate young Yeonjin more than the older version. Her expressions send me into literal RAGE! I can’t believe how impactful her acting was even though he has very little screen time compared to older Yeonjin.
Park Sunghoon: I loved him in Squid Game S2; I hated him here. Brilliant acting, mister.
Lee Dohyun: I refuse to believe someone who looks like him waited for the same unresponsive girl for 8 years- it just didn’t work for me. However, the way he was a mere loser in the beginning but had a lot more to his personal story later on, was very surprising.
The casting is PERFECT.
There are so many things that really caught my eye and held great significance which added to the plot: the significance of Go, the green shoes (and its painting), the ‘mememto mori’ tattoo and the tape covering it, the garden of devil’s trumpets… Whoever came up with all of this: hats off for the little details because I’m someone who loves little details.
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Best revenge series ever . This ,penthouse along with mouse has to be my top k-dramas.My mom and my brother also loved it . Song hye kyu .... what an actress she is . The revenge was simple but too impactful .
Got her revenge without getting blood on her hands and slowly torturing them mentally ... The script was written beautifully, i mean the dialogs had sooo much impact on the audience .
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Great revenge drama!
I really liked this drama especially the twists and turns it takes which keep you engaged in the plot. It never wavers or drags. There were few light moments, so keep in mind that you will be watching a lot of intense violence and cruelty in these episodes. Song Kye Hyo shines in this drama in a very understated way as the adult victim of high school bullying who sets out to take revenge on her sold classmates.The drama depicts a society in which victims are terrorized by the rich and powerful who get away with crimes by buying off the right people. In this case, Moon Dong Sun (Kyo) is a student who is targeted by the worst bullies in her high school. Her torment is exacerbated by the fact that her cry for help falls on deaf ears and, with money, anything can be swept under the rug. The sense of hopelessness this creates propels our FL into action as she wills herself to live for revenge.
Kyo, and actress Jung Ji Soo, play the older and younger Moon Dong Sun respectively. They masterfully bring the tormented teen and steel-willed adult together to birth an avenging angel, ready to mete out punishment on her perps, while discovering the humanity she thought lost thanks to the help of caring adults she meets along the way
The perps are unfortunately depthless caricatures of how school bullies behave. Their cruelty is so over-the-top that it transcends the line between standard bullying and criminal deviancy. There is no backstory on any of these perps. You only get a glimpse of their family lives and the subtle hints of the superficiality and lack of genuine care to explain their deviancy. In the end, there is more to these teenagers than just normal teenage aggression, and this is done for the sake of dramatic purpose. The drama could not be as compelling were it just a case of high school bullying, as that kind of behavior is often forgotten with time and maturity. So, making them straight up criminals makes for a stronger plot and justifies our heroine's need for revenge.
The surprising thing is that these perps have not lost touch with each other. They are all tied together by their criminal secrets, love affairs, and selfish intentions. There is no camaraderie or love lost among these five bastards, and you wonder why they still suffer each other? At least it makes it easier for Moon Dong Sun to plot her revenge.
The romance angle is the weakest part of the plot. There wasn't any chemistry between the female and male leads. I wish they could have thought of a better way to keep them in each other's lives without resorting to that tired old story. Perhaps that was the respite to the heavier plot points.
It was still a better written drama than I was expecting, so I am pleased with the results. It also had a nice soundtrack and I would recommend this to audiences that like revenge plots.
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watch it
i really enjoyed watching this, it shows her getting her revenge the way she had planned to. The acting was truly amazing and really wowed me, everyone played their role amazingly and for how much of a sensitive and dark topic it is there is nothing i can criticise them on. The whole time i definitely felt on edge and felt very sympathetic for the main character, the reason why i gave emotion 7 is just because yes i did feel a lot of things but not what i thought i was going to feel. The plot twists were so on point and jaw dropping like you definitely did not expect it to happen! I think it is kinda a slow burn but not at the same time ykwim? like it goes into DEPTH about everything and i feel like the proper proper revenge only takes place in the last few episodes but i didn’t find one episode boring and it always left you on the edge of your seat for sure!!!Was this review helpful to you?
Revenge served cold—with a random side of romance no one ordered
A Brutal Tale of Vengeance That Deserved Sharper Writing and Less Cringe shi*y Flirting✨ THE GOOD:
Song Hye-kyo went full iceberg – Cold, calculating, and finally given a role with teeth.
Bullying revenge arc? Intense, cathartic, and painfully real. You’ll root for Moon Dong-eun like she’s Batman in heels althghout tbh that's an exagiration .
Villains you love to hate – Truly punchable. That alone makes it binge-worthy.
Visual tone & direction – Moody, polished, and dripping with tension.
😑 THE “WHO ASKED FOR THIS ROMANCE?” MOMENTS:
The love interest = personality void – Bro, blink twice if you're being held hostage by this script.
Romantic subplot felt taped on – Like someone whispered “but what if... feelings?” and ruined the vibe.
Execution dragged – So many scenes stretch like chewing gum. Tension, then nap, then more tension.
💢 THE “GLORIOUS BUT INFURIATING” FACTOR:
The revenge is satisfying... until the plot hands you a middle finger and refuses to go deeper.
It’s not bad. It’s just not enough. It flirts with greatness and settles for “meh, that'll do.”
🎯 VERDICT:
"Like watching someone light a fire—then use a wet napkin to fan the flames."
Watch if: You live for cold vengeance, trauma-fueled justice, and poetic punishments.
Skip if: You hate pointless romance, boring male leads, or plots that pull back just when it should hit harder.
Best paired with: ☕ A black coffee, no sugar—just like Dong-eun’s personality and soul.
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Revenge is a dish best served COLD
I actually started this drama for Song Hye kyo and came to like Lee do Hyun more. And for some reason I liked Jung sung il character and Yoem Hye ran character too.The storyline of this drama starts off with severe violence and the burn marks and forced kiss made me sick really. If this kind of bullying actually happen somewhere, I think I am so lucky I am not there. Seriously, it's so complicated that the victim can't even fight back. The worst part is the teacher being abusive as well. When the teacher beat her, no one in the room stopped or questioned him. How in the name of God, did they become teachers- seriously. The body shaming done by the boys in latter episode was not physically abusive but is emotionally worse than abusive. The way they say that they change target after one falls is a bit scary.
Even among the five there are 2 underdogs and they bite severely on those below them making them the worst and deserving of all sorts of punishment. All of them are in their personal hell as well.
This drama is a little bit scary really. I am not a fragile person but I feel like this because this drama brings out the violence side of me. I actually didn't feel the lead's revenge, unwarranted. I think the bullies deserve it. Especially, The scene where dong-eun fears grilling meat and has panic attack and when she cries of fear and disgust after meeting jae-jin in bathroom explains why they deserve it.
The parts that deserve applause are:
1. When Yeon Jin fears if her daughter finds out about her being a bully
2. When dong-eun says jae-jin that she is a daughter of someone too and hands him the little girl's colourless drawing
3. When yeo-jeong says to dong-eun that he'll be her executioner
4. When dong-eun teases jae-jin that he doesn't know what colourful means
5. When dong-eun instructs her students not to bully others
6. When dong-eun uses sa-ra for money and says she is going to hell
7. When hye-jeong's mother-in-law adores dong-eun which makes her kneel
8. When the teacher confronts dong-eun infront of his son (but seriously as much as I hate this teacher, being killed by his own son for what he has done is ****)
There was this scene that made me think a lot and cry a bit. It was the confrontation scene between Yeon-Jin and dong-eun where she says "Don't apologise. You need to receive punishment. Criminal punishment if God is on your side and divine punishment if God is on my side. Let's slowly wilt and die together, Yeon-Jin". Why would dong-eun want to die with her, after revenge she may continue to live right. But somehow I felt that after her revenge, she would lose the purpose of her survival because Yeon-Jin is her dream. What kind of a twisted story is this.
Throughout this drama, there are many what if's came through my mind like What if she had good parents though poor! What if the teacher was a better person! What if the school nurse was braver! What if she had one good adult to listen to her!
The house-keeper character is one of the best character of the drama. From making a deal to kill her husband To trying to develop an honest friendship with dong-eun, she was one person who seemed like a normal person in this drama. (Dong-eun is definitely not normal, living solely for the purpose of revenge, however justified, is definitely not normal)
Yeo-jeong's story was not detailed in this season. But however it was one of the reason I continued watching this series in the start.
Ha do-yeong, the rich husband of the antagonist. I can't categorize him in either way. However, he realises how evil his wife is in the last episode and we don't know how he is going to respond to it. But his character built-up was special. So he is one of the reason I am waiting for the season 2.
I think every actor has given their best in this drama. No special mention to anyone. Although I loved Song Hye kyo's acting in this drama, at times my mind wondered about an irony (i.e.) how powerful she is in real life than others and how powerless she seem in the drama.
Why I recommend this drama?!:
1. It conquers emotions well
2. The actors have done their job quite well
3. It will make you cry at times
4. I don't know what more to say really
Why I won't recommend this drama?!:
1. It's so dark and has extreme violence ( using stapler and hair straightener iron on someone.... And the red marks...)
2. It will make you uncomfortable at times
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Overly authentic : the reason why it's good
I usually don't like dramas/movies about school bullying because to me, it always looks like they make it look "better" than what it actually is. The bullies end up begging the victim at the very first moves, etc. And it's all the same thing. We know that there's some bullies that don't regret their actions at all. And this drama we got to see the harsh reality of it.I started watching this drama because everybody around me were saying that this drama is what comes closest to how bullying actually is in South-Korea. So I was expecting for something that make me break, a drama that doesn't make me empathize for bullies one bit. And this drama was "The Glory".
The violence of some of these scenes was unbearable. Really. Sometimes I had to look away because it was just too much for me. I never gotten bullied but I was in pain, just watching those. The hot iron, the humiliation, the sexual assaults, everything was too much. Not negatively too much for this drama, but too much because I was thinking "I can't believe that somebody is probably experiencing the same thing or worse, right now as we speak". This is why I really liked this drama, it was harsh, it was real, it wasn't polished.
At first, I didn't really like how she got close to a guy that might be her love interest in the future. Because I thought he was going to try to convince her not to go about her revenge, but he followed through. Even Yeonjin's husband is about to follow through because he's the only one in his right mind.
I liked how we get to see inside the bullies clan and how they actually don't really like each other. How they would look down on their "friends" who have less money than them. How they would throw each other under the bus to save their own ass.
I like how in this drama no one is trying to stop her and tell to be the "bigger person", they ALL understand her, they understand her pain. And they know the people that made her went through it, need and deserve the worst punishment. No matter what is it is.
The devil's flower look up in the sky and the angel's flower look down on the ground. No matter how you interpreted, this saying of that old lady in the first episode is important to retain in all our minds.
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I’m afraid I’ll forget what I should be doing if I start laughing. – Moon Dong Eun
okay, so this would be one of 2023's top tier kdrama ever since the first quarter of the year. Seems the story has not yet ended for dong-eun's revenge, I guess the ending seems to getting clearer and brigher... but at the same time, the grey areas are coming in. With the never-expected plot and based on real-life events especially the school-student's system in sk, i guess this was too brutal for a student to be bullied. And it's not the same as what other wester dramas or movie portrays, but the drama was too realistic that even viewers could say that this was too violent. It's far from fantasy, turns to a deep fact check reality for everyone. So, I'll go with the note, from its cinematography, ost, casts and characters, including the story/plot.STORY AND/OR PLOT
so the story started to get into when it discovered about how Moon Dong-eun escaped from the pain she has. A student who was the second bystander/victim from a bullying scandal, involving the other student who transferred and went missing. Moon Dong-eun, who started from getting hate and no one cares about what she feels and how she escaped and plans to get revenge to the kids who messed her badly. As she was dreaming to be an architect, but due to her situations with the kids bullying her physically, mentally and emotionally, she worked at a factory at a young age in her late 20's, until she continued studying in college in an late age then turned to be a homeroom teacher of Park Yeon-jin's first daughter. And with that the kids who bullied he,r such as Park Yeon-jin, who married a wealthy man and has a biological daughter and works as a news broadcaster, while Jeon Jae-joon, who was yeo-jin's biological father who owns a luxury business. Lee Sa-ra who was an addict and owns an art-cafe, Choi Hye-jeong who works as a flight attendant and constantly regrets a little of what she did to Dong-eun, Son Myeong-oh who was an ass and the one who harrassed Dong-eun in high school. And lastly, Yeon-jin's husband, Ha Do-Young who slowly gets involved with his wife's case. But then, Dong-eun slowly gets to meet Joo Yeo Jung, a plastic surgery doctor from his mother's big owned hospital, and Kang Hyun-nam, who she discovered to give revenge and asked for justice and needs from Dong-eun from his husband who was an abuser. As the two of them discovered Dong-eun's secrets and situations that she won't ever forget, until the were all together to be with dong-eun and give revenge and justice as one.
Well this was a long note, but the story seems to be very VERY interesting tbh. With the bullies who had their successful careers and dreams, while Moon Dong-eun still suffers inside. I guess her life was pretty tough and she doesn't event believe in faith. What she wants and craves for more justice is the revenge that she would badly want.
CINEMATOGRAPHY AND OST
in this part, I guess i'm neutral with the ost. Nothing to be so special about it but then I like the every ending of the episode, get me hooked with it. The cinematography was better, blending with the atmosphere of each and every scene.
CASTS AND CHARACTERS
So, here I am getting excited to type what I was expecting with the casts. Especially most of them were very new to me. Starting with one of my fav hallyu kdrama star, Song Hye-Kyo. After her divorce controversy with Song Joong-Ki, she really changed so much. From her facial expression and feelings that I couldn't see her smiling so much specifically her role in the glory. She discovered this drama that gives me excitement that I have never expected her to be part of this type of brutal roles. Tbh, she has soooo much potential. The second time I saw her is this drama from the descendants of the sun. Now with her character, Moon Dong-eun was a relatable character that every victims has. As what I have heared, SK has the most cases of bullying that even administrators or teachers doesn't mind about it. Again, I was pretty proud for her and rooting for her next role, she is so unstoppable. Next, Im-Ji Yeon. woahhh she was far from her character, and she fits so well with this role. As she was a villain, I guess she was very lucky to shine with this drama and the first time I saw here with this drama. Her character was so much annoying like I wanna punch her. Not to hate the actress, but she really fits with her role. I love her so much but Park Yeon-jin was heading too far from what she did to Dong-eun. Rooting for her as well! Next up, Lee Do-hyun. From what his roles are from, I guess this one I was pretty neutral with his role. So far, I can't get over to his role from 18 again, but I guess since he doesn't have that time scene much yet, hope he would give most of the time to show the background story of his character, Joo Yeo-Jung, up to the end of the season 1 I wondered why he was joining with Dong-eun except falling in love with her? But yea, also rooting for him! Yom Hye-ran was also on another level, the first time I saw her + her character was very promising, hoping that she would not betray Dong-eun. Kang Hyun Nam, her character was a softie to her. What I mean is that she gives everything Dong-eun wants to give revenge as well as Dong-eun knows her story of being abused by her husband. And with the other casts, I know this part of the note was very long, I really appreciated their roles and characters, way too promising. hoping that there would be a good ending for season 2!
Overall, rating it a 10 out of 10, how I wish that the episodes of season2 would came out faster. The story was way too interesting especially the last episode, hoping that Dong-eun deserve a good ending for her justice.
A good watch, great for time kill, not quite beginner friendly since it was too "violent" and "brutal" :'))
Oh, and even my mom liked this drama haha.
Looking forward to the casts :333
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