This review may contain spoilers
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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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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This review may contain spoilers
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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Great Show
Cleared from S2 in 1 sit and just AmazingNever knew that revenge can be this pleasurable. Great work by the whole team.
Watched Song hye kyo in DOTS last time and now in glory what an actress she is just amazing.
Even the characters playing negative roles also played brilliantly they truly made me hate the character as well kudos!!
The age gap doesn't matter for me and their chemistry looks good for revenge Genre.
..................
Song He Kyo and Lee Do Hyun never disappoints.
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This review may contain spoilers
it’s okay but it’s kinda iffy
as someone who’s barely watches kdrama (i can count them with my 10 fingers), i liked the story and the beginning of this show! i really did! the premise was nice, the characters were interesting and i loved the way FL wanted to get revenge by being successful and infiltrating her 5 bullies’ lives. however i did not like the romance part. i felt like it was squished in the middle for no reason. not that i’m saying the FL doesn’t deserve love, it just felt forced and it felt like the romance part and the revenge part clashed with each other? maybe i’m just not used to kdrama’s style of romance/revenge story lol.i also didn’t like how sometimes they dragged the story a little bit too much when things could’ve just ended a bit quicker. it’s the vibes overall because tbh i probably couldn’t write any better than that lol
i do like certain scenes and i like how the bullies got their revenge. it was very nice - esp park yeonjin reading the news at the prison.
i have to say my fav character is mrs. kang. she deserves the world.
i probably would recommend this show but with a grain of salt lol. the show ended with me going, that’s it? they’re trying to “kill” the killer now? to what extent theyre gonna go? saying i love you at the prison?? T-T thats so weird to me.
i get that the actors age are inevitable but fl and ml just looked like mom and son instead of a couple and having only a few years age gap.
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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.Was this review helpful to you?
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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Satisfying ending
It's a satisfying ending and the loose ends are tied up. It's fun to see how things that were set up in Season 1 run their course in Season 2 like dominos. Although the characters all deserve it and I'm glad everything turned out the way it did, I am also glad to see that revenge can have consequences, big or small.The acting was great, even better than Season 1. After the leads, my favorite would probably be Yeom Hye Ran. Kim Jung Young was also another who did not show up a lot but stole the scene every time she did - I just loved her and her son's interactions.
The music add well to the vibe, as does the tone and color gradations. Overall, this was my intro back to dramas after a long slump and it gets the bar pretty high.
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Lives up to its expectations
In the second installment, it becomes clear why the show is titled “Glory”. Everyone chases glory in their own way and all the characters are led down a path of destruction in their pursuit of it.There’s no judgement on whether particular interpretations of ‘glory’ are good or bad – the point that this show makes is that all glories must come at a cost.
Here's the thing: If you thought part 1 had absurd moments and events that were timed almost too conveniently, part 2 is the same. It's unclear how some parts of the revenge plot unfolded the way it did because there was a huge element of luck and coincidence in so many events.
If you're looking for an elaborate, heist-style revenge scheme, this doesn't really scratch the itch. But the colourful characters and constant drama is enough to compel.
I also wish more time (or a new season?!?!?!) was devoted to Dong-eun helping Yeojong with his revenge.
Overall, this was a good revenge story with decent pacing and interesting characters.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/04/20/the-glory-s2-2023-review/
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I would do anything for revenge until the end
This drama is a reflection of a big problem in our society, bullying., it shows the cruelty behind the issues of bullying in Korea. This is the second Song Hye Kyo drama I watched, it made me fall in love with her again. Everything is perfect, the drama is very interesting from the first episode. It made me feel the pain and anger she felt when her classmates tortured her to hell. It also made me feel very good when she was slowly reaching her glory. Here she shows that she is a master of interpretation.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A satisfying and great end, which is quite rare for revenge dramas usually.
Honestly I didn't know what to expect for this drama to be concluded, but I'm quite enjoying the ride Part one let us witness Dong-eun planting her seed of vengeance all around and preparing her ultimate revenge. So part two is when we're finally able to see how Dong-eun utilize everything that she have planned!Have to say that I really was so excited here, since part one had been leading us to the climax and the climax in part two managed to keep the momentum going without faltering. And something that is worth to note in this part two was, that so far as much as she have been planning this revenge for so long... her side hadn't really taken any active aggressive actions against her enemies and instead use her opponents weaknesses and arrogance to cause them to lead themselves to fall to ruin. If that wasn't brilliant, I had nothing else to say. But seriously I'm enjoying the mind games. It's nice to see that as much as Dong-eun barely committed any illegal acts aside from stalking people, instigating and manipulating people's actions to suit her plan; she still managed to get her revenge plan going. It was pretty clever, like I know revenge is bad and all that jazz, but dang... technically it'll be hard to prove that she have committed any wrongdoing (cos ultimately the ones who ended up doing the deeds of destroying her enemies was not her.) Real world moralities aside, who would not enjoy a story where people who do bad things be punished and getting their just desserts? And in this story, we're seeing stuff like victims of violent abuse taking charge of their lives and taking back their honor and selfworth.
And as much as there's no glory in doing bad deeds or even of committing acts of revenge, I'm really glad that this drama had a happy ending for Dong-eun. I mean, in the past, for revenge dramas that aren't daydramas, we usually don't often get a real happy end... and the MC tends to get sad endings after their revenge was completed. But this trope didn’t happen to Dong-eun. And as much as this part 2, still have some loose ends left wide open... it's still a pretty good conclusion to the story. Got to say that the whole cast and production team really did well to make this drama so engaging.
While some might say that it's dissapointing that Dong-eun's revenge didn't end up becoming more violent, I really like this outcome since despite the fact that the original five bullies did bad things deserving of violent punishments, there are still innocent people like Yesol and Doyeong. And I'm just happy that Dong-eun's revenge did not end up consuming her and allowed her a chance of a happy end (to which many other MCs of past revenge dramas didn't get. )
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