Shocks a plenty
Dec 2023Well! I knew S2 would be very different to S1. For a start they'd left Green Home Apartments and there were fewer characters than when S1 started out.
I found ep1 of S2 to be quite shocking at times (especially the monster and then its baby scene ~ I found it really upsetting). I wondered whether they might be going for the shock factor over the plot/story.
However, it did not get any worst and the story was portrayed as well as in S1.
There is a time jump after several episodes, which was needed to move the story forward without exceeding the number of eps they appear to have decided on.
Why have they split it again, with a S3 scheduled for summer 2024?... 🤔🤷♀️ Seeing as it was filmed at the same time, I just find it irritating, tbh. Spoils the flow too.
S2 introduces us to lots of new characters (we did lose a lot in S1), familiar faces and not a few surprises.
Song Kang's character, Hyun-soo, is not the focal character and missing from a number of episodes, but I think that fits (not to everyone's liking, I've read).
The human beings in this run, are worst overall, than in S1, to me. Some truly horrible characters and I more often than not, find myself on the side of the 'monsters' that have also retained some of their humanity.
As usual all are tarred with the same brush, which really is just like real life.
Many of the soldiers overreact and the levels of violence in their treatment of both people and monsters, is sickening.
There is no compassion or feelings that these were people once. Many seem almost gleeful in the act of stamping down on defenseless and weaker targets.
However, I thought it a captivating watch, even though it was emotionally hard going at times and could also be frustrating.
Left on a really surprising cliff hanger ~ again.
Is it as good as S1?.... it isn't far off, but I thought S1 was more atmospheric; it felt more claustrophobic and threatening, especially with the possibility of people turning at any moment. There was less of that this time around.
I liked most of the OST, but it didn't impact the same as in S1.
To really judge the story though, all the series needs watching, so...
Looking forward to S3!
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Completely shat on the masterpiece that was season 1
Dropped it at episode 4, the first season was so much better it was about survival, sacrifice, relationships, and the astounding resilience of humanity, it was about tearing apart the human psyche and analysing it.This just feels like we're playing good cop bad cop.
The groundwork that season 1 laid for more exploration of the curse/disease was completely thrown out the window. We were told that nothing that was crucial in the development if season 1 really mattered anymore. All the positive character traits in our central cast that mattered were thrown out. hyunsu's resilience and resolve were boiled down to teenage anger like he was going thru puberty..
So fucking disappointing. I'm dropping this here so that I can keep my happy memories of season 1 safe.
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Not worthy
Comparing the pervious season and this season, I don't think it's a worth to watch. Season 1 has a different story and a curiosity while watching and it gave a clear understanding for the audience but this season wasn't that effective due to its boring zombie and the story wasn't linked to previous seasons it was dragged to different story line too much of graphic effects so I didn't liked it personally. May be they would have did this better that the previous season simply waste of money and time on directing this series.Was this review helpful to you?
Well....
The story is great and the cast is also did a great job. 2nd season is more emotional based that's a good point and the other point is it's all about fighting with monsters to survive. About the cast, there are like too much people and it feels a little bit messy somehow. Way more different than the 1st season.In the previous sason people complained that the military isn't doing their job but in this season the story is all about military, monsters and survival. I must say that the ending was unexpected and I really loved Song Kang's acting here. About the others their skills are also developed alot than the previous season even the editing are also way more realistic than the previous season. Comparing this to the 1st season something's off in this and I still can't figure it out. At some point I feel like the variety of the monsters here is way too much because it's never ending. One after another so when we give a thought about it it's like they're repeating the same thing over and over. Anyways overall I like this.
Hope everything will end better. There will be a season 3 for this and I'm hopefully waiting for it.
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whole season felt like a prologue for season 3
I was waiting for season 2, finally watched it, I was disappointed bcoz compare to season 1 , season 2 was too dull, I know there are trying to make it like x men but whole season was prologue for season 3,, there were too many characters like season 1 ,
but no meaningful, unlike season 1,
main hero arrive to late in story, there were no heroic moment like season 1 , guess all the heroes died or got turn,
experience of the people living underground felt like kind of boring, should be like in metro games, people. who didn't understand should play metro games,
hope season 3 is better
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Sweet Home 2; Is It A ‘ Sweet’ Sequel?
Like most drama fans and readers of Sweet Home, I was a little hesitant hearing about a sequel season to the original series. While the original series was interesting ( though a little flawed) in its own ways, deviation can often be a rocky road and has been proven especially in recent months with sequels to beloved shows .
However, Sweet Home 2 surprisingly took onboard someone of ite faults to create something which was very different from its original source. Is this a bad thing per say? No. In fact, director Lee Eung Bok really did seem to have fun with world-building outside of the apartment complex and introducing new and potentially compelling characters. Did it make the second season feel a bit like a filler before the finale season? Yes, it did a little. (For those who haven’t seen season one, I will try my best to keep this spoiler free but be warned in saying I will be comparing some characters and referencing general knowledge from both seasons. )
Season two picks up pretty much where season one left off. Now facing seperate threats, Hyun Su ( Song Kang) and the surviving Green Home Apartment residents
find that there are worst things than monsters outside of the apartment complex...
Season two is arguably a lot more action-orientated than the original season and source material which definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the series had a feeling of an adrenaline rush, while also being able to be engaging enough for audiences to see new characters introduced. However, while I do praise the series for showing us more versatility in fights and powers of some of the monsters and characters , it was noticeable that the sequel was lacking a little in something which made the series feel more rushed than in season one; suspense and tension.
Evidently with a new setting and place, it was apparent to see Lee Eung Bok trying to take a leaf out of dystopian works such as The Last of Us and Resident Evil in some of the more apparent world-building, disturbing creatures , combat and characters onscreen. However one thing which made both pretty successful in execution as horror-dystopian works came through a good balance between dreading suspense and action.
Sweet Home 2 often seems to struggle a little with attaining this balance. A creature would often come out, mass hysteria and fighting ensues then that’s pretty much it. ( Though praise in a few scenes in the show which allowed some more moral questions to come through .)
While it’s fun to have some action scenes, it’s fair to say most viewers probably were expecting a lot of what was going to happen before it did. When the series did try and surprise us, it rarely had a great impact as a result.
Ironically while season one often struggled with the opposite issue ( not enough adrenaline at times), it did attain one element right by creating tension. Alongside Hyun-Su, you were never entirely sure what was going to await your eyes when he turned a corner or opened a door and you found yourself on edge in a way season two could not quite replicate. Hopefully season three will be able to find a middle ground between both past seasons.
Going into one of the major topics of Sweet Home Season 2 comes through acting and character writing. On the acting front, Sweet Home 2 is fairly good. There are certainly a few wooden deliverances here and there, but there are some particularly outstanding performances by Jung Jin-Young as soldier Park Chan-young, Kim Si-a as the mysterious child, Go Min Si as Lee Eun Yoo and of course, Lee Jin Wook as Pyeon Sang wook.
Character writing was a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand there’s a lot of really interesting characters introduced in the series. However at the same time, it felt as though Sweet Home 2 overcommitted a little to introducing too many characters at once and not enough time to develop both original characters and newcomers alike.
Lee Hyun Su is a classic example in the series. As the actual protagonist and considering how much he went through in the first season, Hyun Su has very little screen time. On one hand, this does seem to be purposeful as the second season did seem more focused drawing upon external forces and how this will influence the later course of the plot. However at the same time when the writing tries to really make us feel or emphasise with his struggles, it didn’t really land as well because we had not really seen or explored how his character had grown onscreen and in the sudden time skip also.
Lee Eun Yoo and Sang Wook, familar faces from season one, go through quite a significant character change in season two which was an engaging part of the story. However similar to Hyun Su, they aren’t really given enough time to be developed onscreen. A lot of the original residents are often put on the back burner a little when it comes to some of the new characters.
Newcomer Park Chan-Young is a really engaging character who arguably had one of the most interesting motives in the series. While he did suffer from lack of screen time, hopefully season three will allow him more character development. Similarly, the mysterious child and Chief Ji (Kim Shin-rok), two of the show’s biggest potential plot points,were underdeveloped but could be explored more next season.
While there are definitely some interesting new characters, there are some very debatable ones introduced such as Hani (Chae Won-bin), Ho-sang (Hyun Bong-sik) and Ye-seul (Yang Hye-ji). Ye-Seul isn’t particularly a bad character per say and is used mainly in the show for some laughs. However, she is never really given anything beyond being the comic character despite being quite heavily featured in some scenes and shown to have a significant character relationship. On the other hand Hani and Ho-Sang are a little more convoluted. They are meant to be more antihero figures in the series, but rather than having more morally ambiguous roles or counteracting what characters think of them, they often play into being downright problems for the plot. In addition to this, anything to do with their relationship or even backstory is pretty much brushed over completely.
The execution of the series is definitely very fast in parts, and slower in others for introducing characters or some exposition, but does struggle with feeling very rushed. This is odd conserving how much time the series could have spent building on its two main plot lines. Although it’s apparent the series was trying to get through as much plot as possible, this was none so more apparent than in the time skip in the final few episodes. Is it bad to have a jump forward? No. Did it mean the series thought it was a solution for not seeing some plot holes and relationship growth? Yes, very much so.
The cinematography has definitely improved since season one with more varied palettes and sets. The CGI does still seem a little awkward in parts, but has improved also since the original season.
Overall Sweet Home 2 finds itself is definitely a slightly odd position . It has improved a lot of the graphics and world building as well as setup an engaging plot and characters, but still struggled with some writing and pacing issues which could have been easily fixed. Overall a fairly engaging watch as well as enticing for setting up the final season.
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Absolutely Disapointed in the Second Season, Lacks Plot
I was so excited for the second season, but wow I'm just frustrated now and won't be finishing the show. The first three episodes are so slow and lack all the good traits that made the first season amazing.What made the first season so amazing was the nuance they put into character development, each episode usually added or progressed a character so that by the end we loved every single one. In this second season it really feels like, instead of continuing to develop the characters, they just bangwagged off of the writing in the first season and slacked off in the second. Even the new characters introduced lack any connection to us as the audience.
The deaths feel so forced and random too, in the first season although it was difficult each death made sense, whereas in the second season, it felt like they just killed characters willy-nilly and it's annoying. What was the point of developing them in the first season just to kill them off in the second??
The series lacks a plot, things happen without explanation, which was fine in the first season because the story was character-driven, and had a clear end goal (to stay alive until help came), but now in the second season, it just feels like each episode is the characters walking around from place to place and then a random fight, that has no real tension, occurs.
They have such a cool theme: monsters aren't the enemy its humans, yet they only try to 'progress' this element by saying half-hearted lines like "I'm human", "I'm a monster", "I'm not the enemy". Why not have made the first three episodes all about understanding the monsters and seeing in depth how they're not as harmful as they may seem. They should've gone more into that, instead of the random filler they have.
I'm glad I watched season one last month, and wasn't unfortunate enough to wait the years for this second season, because I only waited a month and I'm this furious, I can't imagine how other people feel having waited so long. Such wasted potential in my opinion.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you like a plot that expands and progresses and escalates, S02 is for you...
...but if you're watching this because you just wanted to see the main actor on screen 98% of the time being a boss, or just because you want to fangirl/boy over the attractive actors you liked in S01, you should tap out.As someone who has no particular affinity to anyone in this show (except for Lee Si young because the actress is amazing and so is her character), as I usually do, I wanna' cover the good, bad and ugly of this season's offering;
ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ꜱʏꜱᴛᴇᴍ: 10 = [ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ, ɴᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴀɪɴᴛꜱ, ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ 'ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ', ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴄ ɪᴛ]
THE GOOD:
- High action and developing horror and drama right out the gate, and it stayed that way for at least 80% of the season, no holds barred, humanity at their best and worse, chaos and entropy and monsters abound. S01 covered the basics, which, great, it let us get attached to the respective characters as one must in order to continue watching something, but would I want to watch a whole other season of the same characters doing the same shit? No thank you. S02 brought the broader scale of shit hitting the fan and escalating, we saw the reality of a dystopian world crawling with monsters really impact everyone. The fact that so many people are complaining about S02 baffles me. To viewers griping about deaths of MC's; come on! People would DIE, whether they are popular, good, bad, kids, attractive or ugly. So many shows from other countries based in violent, supernatural horror worlds, cling to their full set of MC's (*coughs* The Walking Dead) to the point where it's eye rolling. I don't want ALL the main characters to survive and be besties, that's BS, because it wouldn't happen that way. Sweet Home was merciless on this front, I loved it (PS: I would have been super mad if Yi Kyung died tbh but I would've gotten over it and still watched S03)
- The story unfolded on a bigger scale, which gripped my interest immediately. They did a good job of showing the peak of escalation and loss the beginning and then the time skip was just long enough to show the bare minimum of what was salvageable, and how unstable it all was.
- They introduced many new characters living in the stadium, most of which I assume will come in handy in S03 for deaths and monsterization. Useful trick to stop killing off your entire main cast in your final seasons. They also set up old characters and some new characters to really shake things up in S03 with gruesome comebacks and they highlighted them well too.
- The acting is ON POINT for everyone. Seriously, everyone brought their A game.
- Lots of foreshadowing, probably the groundwork for S03 plot twists.
- The clever broadness of monster capabilities being based on their desires and hates also really leaves a lot to be explored.
- Hyun Su going dark under his monster because of pain is the PERFECT precursor to when he breaks out of that lapse. I am keen to see him take back control and throw down.
THE BAD:
- The thirstiness of the female characters in Asian shows. I don't think this is a Sweet Home problem, I'm not sure if it's a culture thing, but characters like the chief's daughter and that loopy chick with the old man, that borderline stalker sexual harassment vibe they give off is ick, I could really do without that. What's wrong with them just being flirtatious instead of obsessed with the singlemindedness of a small brained creature in need of love and marriage? Hard no.
- I think the writers are trying to make Eun Yoo likeable, which, PFFFFFT 😂😂😂😂😂 no. just no. They already made her the most dislikeable wench possible in S01, uh, what do they think changed? Nothing, she could have died in S01 and I would have forgotten her, like I forgot her brother.
- The monster CGI is...passable-ish. But I wasn't expecting it to blow my mind so it's whatever.
- The survivors looked pretty healthy despite living underground and eating minimal rations and barely going out (if at all for some of them). So that was a ball dropped, but it was small ball.
The UGLY:
- If S03 involves any romance, it's gonna be a gross joke. There is no reason for it and zero sexual chemistry with literally anyone in the show so far. Even Uen Yoo and the nice soldier guy don't bring those vibes enough for it to come to fruition. So, that would be ugly. I hope they skip right over that shit idea. I want nothing less than to see any of these characters kiss or touch each other, ever. Not only because it's unnecessary story wise, but also because everything is unhygienic and filthy and it would be high key disgusting to see any physical sexual contact of even the barest kind when I could barely stop thinking of how badly everyone must stink in every way.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
None in particular, the show had too many moving parts for any big, standalone moments, but I'd say the acting was for sure a really great thing for this season.
Overall, I enjoyed it just as much as S01, I have no complaints and I am keen for S03.
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Mostly my cast list rants tbh
Honestly, I'm not gonna compare it with the first season cause it's been so long I don't even remember. But I truly enjoyed this one nonetheless.But I'll say truly, Song Kang is not even a main cast here, for most of the drama I even forgot he was there. The soldiers carried the season for me.
I don't even know why Sangwook is listed as a main character if he doesn't even have ten minutes of screen time, similarly having Min Seojin as a guest role is unfair, he was on screen for longer than Cha Hyunsoo, Like, even Kang Seokchan has more lines. And Jisu dies in like episode three...
Anyway, cast list rant aside, I truly enjoyed the season.
As I said, the soldiers did it for me, their story was the most interesting, especially when, in the last two episodes, they go looking for their missing friend I was so invested in it, when Jonghyun and Seokchan were killed ( I still have hopes for them) I was devastated. Amazing job from Kim Muyol (Sergeant Kim) and Yoo Ohsung (Sergeant Tak)
What more to say? Eunyoo, amazing as expected.
Hyunsoo, forgot about him, and how does he un-stone himself or whatever? Idk And now, he's a full monster I guess
Eunhyuk is king of monsters now, interesting character setting for next season.
Lastly, I have to appreciate Kim Shiah's job here, I just saw See You in my 19th life, and comparing both her works I can see she has a promising future ahead, nailed both.
Choi Go as Youngsoo also did amazing, truly felt his rage.
This season fulfilled my expectations and set a good precedent for the next one, I'm so looking forward next summer.
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Excellent world building and character development
Despite what I've seen a lot of people saying, I found this of sweet home quite interesting.Personally I feel as though they're laying the groundworks for season 3, as they're diverging from the source material it's quite important for them to do this.
There are points where it kinda drags on a bit and you just ask if it was really necessary but overall looking back I can see how important some of these scenes are, in terms of world building and character development.
Honestly I feel like a lot of people these days seem to be complaining about necessary scenes of world building in favour of fast-paced action, so I'm quite grateful that Sweet Home season has got that vital bit of world building otherwise I'd be completely lost.
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Half-Monster
The story is a continuation of the 1st season where the world is filled with monsters and humanity is in danger. Several people can be mutants where they are becoming half monsters while others become fully monsters after getting infected. It's interesting to see a lot of plot twists and backstories in this 2nd season. The effects they use to make this series are very cool and the same as the 1st season where it's eye-catching for every scene (Mostly battle scene).It's recommended to those who love monster, blood, and action vibes. But not recommended to those who can't stand against violence.
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