K-Drama 
An extreme disappointment
Season 1 was fantastic. I originally thought I would fall off given the amount of flashbacks, yet somehow it managed to keep a sense of momentum going where the past was intertwined with the present (which all took place in one day) and it just never let up. It was engaging, the characters were interesting, and there were multiple angles of the same situation shown, always giving everything a fresh spin.
Season 2 abandons everything that made Season 1 unique. We already know the characters so there's nothing to discover. This turns into a traditional chronological narrative with a few flashbacks to set the stage but nothing more.
The characters are now caricatures. The script is full of plot holes and implausible scenarios (not that the first season didn't have them, but at least they felt more grounded). But the worst part is that they took the driving force behind Season 1, discarded it, and replaced everything with new antagonists that have absolutely nothing to offer. There's no backstory, no interaction between them, no evolving relationships. You have the "good guys" in their weapons warehouse pretending to be busy all looking at two monitors, while the "bad guys" are just acting like cartoon villains in their headquarters, laughing and pretending to be orchestrating a master plan on a chess set. It's honestly insulting.
The show basically went from being about one very particular event, to being about battling a global organization as if it were a spy movie. It's just not what any of this was about.
There's one episode at the midway point that is stellar and where it looks like things have turned around and are now going to look up, but that's where everything is immediately discarded again, and from that point to the end, it's like someone just showing up at work only to cash the check, waiting for the imminent layoffs.
Also, there is an extreme lack of interaction between Jian and Jeong. Jeong barely even features this time. Most of the screentime is focused on the main antagonist just acting ridiculous for the sake of "comedy." I really hated all of it.
I could rant for hours but I don't want to spoil anything in the process. Just pretend only the first season exists, and you'll be better off.
Season 2 abandons everything that made Season 1 unique. We already know the characters so there's nothing to discover. This turns into a traditional chronological narrative with a few flashbacks to set the stage but nothing more.
The characters are now caricatures. The script is full of plot holes and implausible scenarios (not that the first season didn't have them, but at least they felt more grounded). But the worst part is that they took the driving force behind Season 1, discarded it, and replaced everything with new antagonists that have absolutely nothing to offer. There's no backstory, no interaction between them, no evolving relationships. You have the "good guys" in their weapons warehouse pretending to be busy all looking at two monitors, while the "bad guys" are just acting like cartoon villains in their headquarters, laughing and pretending to be orchestrating a master plan on a chess set. It's honestly insulting.
The show basically went from being about one very particular event, to being about battling a global organization as if it were a spy movie. It's just not what any of this was about.
There's one episode at the midway point that is stellar and where it looks like things have turned around and are now going to look up, but that's where everything is immediately discarded again, and from that point to the end, it's like someone just showing up at work only to cash the check, waiting for the imminent layoffs.
Also, there is an extreme lack of interaction between Jian and Jeong. Jeong barely even features this time. Most of the screentime is focused on the main antagonist just acting ridiculous for the sake of "comedy." I really hated all of it.
I could rant for hours but I don't want to spoil anything in the process. Just pretend only the first season exists, and you'll be better off.
Was this review helpful to you?
