Greg

An Underwhelming Outcome

After rewatching the series a couple of times, I can acknowledge that the ending of Duty After School might come as a shock to many. That was certainly how I felt when I watched the ending myself. However, I feel like the finale of Duty after School wasn't a proper sendoff. I feel like they could have built up the Climax even more. The finale felt rushed and undeserved. Also, there are a bunch of plot lines that were never explained again.

The Good:
1. The Cast
The cast was amazing, I can definitely feel the Chemistry between the characters. When I am watching a Kdrama, I always pay attention to the Chemistry because I feel like I can resonate more with the characters if I can sense the Chemistry between the characters. I also love the family vibe between the characters.

2. The Story
The story was great, and was very intriguing, but I feel like the pacing was a bit off compared to Part 1. I feel like the finale was a bit rushed. We see Yeong Soo's descent into madness, but they don't go further and elaborate on it. Instead Yeong Soo gets trigger happy and starts shooting up his classmates without any real reason.

3. Alternate Universe
I love how they incorporated a what if scenario at the end. After watching that finale, it was nice to see the characters alive and well. That way the last time we see them is them laughing and having fun not them suffering. Which is a nice touch. They're rap at the end was also great, it seems like the cast had a blast filming.

The Bad:
1. Abandoned Plotlines:
What happened to Kim Won Bin? He's virtually non-existent in Part 2. His fate is left ambiguous and none of the characters even mention him. I feel like there was a missed opportunity here, he could have filled in the role left by Lieutenant Lee.

What happened to Lee Na Ra? No Ae Seol? and Yoo Ha Na? They never appear again after Yeong Soo's death. Definitely a missed opportunity here. What were their thoughts and feelings afterwards? Where are they? Why don't they show up again? These questions are basically left unknown, and their fates are left ambiguous.

What happened between Chi Yeol and Lee Na Ra? Like I said before Lee Na Ra never appears again after Yeong Soo's death. Again, another missed opportunity, the show hinted that Chi Yeol had feelings for Lee Na Ra, but they never show him confessing his feelings for Lee Na Ra. Their dynamic felt unfinished and unresolved.

So, like what was the point of the Spheres? If you're going kill off most of the cast, it would have better if they had died to the Spheres. The entire point of Duty after School are High Schoolers being drafted into the military to kill the Spheres for extra college points. It would have made more sense for them to die to Spheres because that's the entire point of the show, if they had died to the Spheres then their deaths would have meant something. Instead, their deaths are meaningless because in the end the South Korean Government develop a weapon that eradicates the Spheres. So, they died for nothing along with a bunch of other students.

3. Yeong Soo's Character Arc
Yeong Soo's character development felt very rushed. He descended into madness within one episode. I feel like they could have built up his character more. His entire madman arc was literally just one episode. I feel like if his madman arc was explained throughout a plethora of episodes then we could understand why he did what he did in the finale. Him literally shooting up his classmates was so out of place. I get that he's having a mental breakdown due to the CSAT being cancelled, but like it didn't feel right to send his character off like that. I also don't like how he was perceived in the last episode. The scene with the SA was not necessary.

The Ending
Personally, I think the ending is kind of hit or miss for me. When I was watching the finale, I was shocked and disappointed. When Yeong Soo started shooting up his classmates most of them were done dirty. To be fair, they were caught off guard by Yeong Soo's betrayal, but like you spent so much time developing the characters and showing their personalities, and I feel like all of that was a waste of time because most of them died within a span of a few seconds. I think it would have been better if they put up a fight. Most of them were just standing out in the open and didn't even duck for cover., they basically just let themselves be huge targets. Speaking of characters who were done dirty, Kwon Il Ha's death felt so undeserved. However, I get the meaning, Il Ha has always been a bully to Yeong Soo, and it feels almost right that Yeong Soo get his revenge, but like the way Il Ha died was so disappointing. Mostly because Il Ha isn't really a bully anymore, sure there are some instances here a there, but he has definitely progressed as a character and his sendoff was not deserved.

Despite the underwhelming outcome I enjoyed this series a lot. Definitely one of the best Kdramas out there, and I implore you to give it a watch if you haven't already.

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Homeschool Review

Personally I enjoyed this drama, I thought the story was good and the cast was fun.


Praiseworthy:

Cast/Characters: I thought the cast was great, all of the characters are interesting on some level. I liked the squad (Maki, White, Nai, and Tibet). I like how they acted as the mediators between all the other students. I also like how every character gets a background so that you can understand what they’re going through.

Fuji: I feel like she’s underrated, I really like her character and her background was interesting. I also like her attitude and the emotion that View puts into saying her lines. She really give: off the sassy vibe, but has a kind heart.

Mek and Mork: I thought they were a funny duo. I also like their background.
Kinda underused though.

JingJai and Hugo: I thought their relationship was cute and that their actors had cute chemistry.

Biw: Nothing much to say about Biw. Good character development and her friendship with Phleng is cute.

Acting: The acting was on point. I mean yeah some actors fell short, but to be honest when I was watching I didn’t notice anything unusual or anything that felt off. Jane,Gun, and Chimon spot on as per usual.

Romance: I thought the romance was fine and couples seem to have good chemistry with each other.


Critiques:

The Story: I thought the story was fine. I wish they’d dived deeper into the mystery and eerie aspect of Home School. Other than that I thought the story was fine.

Biw and Jean: Personally I thought their chemistry was hit or miss. They didn’t really interact with each other that much other than that one time where they sat together. I would have preferred if Fuji and Jean got to together because I’m a sucker for “From Enemies to Lovers”.

Jean: I think Jean’s character was underused. He was kinda just there in the background, but I did like him and Fuji’s dynamic. Especially during the Snake game when Fuji and Jean got into an argument.

Phleng and Pennhung: I thought their dynamic was cute however I would have preferred if they weren’t a couple, but rather just platonic friends.

Tibet: I thought Tibet’s character was good, but sometimes he’s just too monotone and quiet. Kind of felt like a npc (no hate towards the actor).

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Underwhelming, but has potential in the future

After watching the season a few times and reading reviews online, I can acknowledge that the second season of Squid Game could be underwhelming and disappointing to many, however that doesn't mean the show doesn't deliver. I believe the third season of squid game is worth the hype and it will all be worth it in the end.

The Good:
1. Expands upon the world building/lore
We get to know a little bit about the Salesman (Gong Yoo) and give us some background on the Guards (Park Gyu Young) and how they play into the story. We also get to see how Sae Byeok's brother is doing after her death in season 1.

2. The Cast
As much as I love the old cast, and how iconic they are, the new cast should not be overlooked either. The new cast gives us new perspectives. For example, Cho Hyeon Ju (Park Sung Hoon) who is a man transitioning, but can't afford to pay their debt, which is a very interesting point of view. There's also Kim Jun Hui (Jo Yu RI) who is going through relationship problems, financial problems, and on top of all that she's also pregnant. Another very interesting point of view. Although the new set of characters might not have the same spark as the original cast, they are still worth appreciating and worth recognizing.

Thanos was funny. Wish he stayed around longer so that could participate in the night fight.

The Bad:
Underutilized Characters:
There were a lot of characters introduced in season 2; however some outshine the rest, and they are not properly developed and are basically filler characters (most of them die). However, the characters that survive have potential to develop as the story continues into season 3.

Plot Holes:
Guard 11 (Park Gyu Young), what is her plan? Does she have a secret agenda in mind? Why did she take the job to be a guard? Why was she offered a job? Is she just trying to make a quick buck? These questions weren't really answered in this season but will probably be explored in season 3.

What will be the fate of the father (Lee Jin Wook)? It can be assumed that the guard who shot him was Guard 11, and that she didn't kill him, rather she just wounded him by shooting him in the stomach. If the father did die, then what will become of the daughter?

Personally, I believe Gi-Hun should have warned a few players on the "X" side that an attack from the "O" side was imminent. I understand that some players on the "X" side had to die in order to draw out the guards, but he could have at least given them a heads up so that they could at least defend themselves.

It was pretty obvious that Gi-Hun was being monitored because he was a previous winner. I think he should have had a second tracking implant (perhaps an injected implant) just in case the first one was discovered and removed.

Last but not least, it was pretty obvious the Front Man was going to betray Gi Hun or screw him over somehow. I mean, come on he is basically the person running the games, ain't no way he was going to let Gi Hun get away with stopping the games.

Filler Sequences:
The scenes with Jun Ho (Wi Ha Joon) and his team trying to find Gi Hun (Lee Jung Jae) were kind of meh for me. I know they're trying to find Gi Hun, but like it just felt like filler. However, these sequences with Jun Ho and his team trying to find Gi Hun do lead to an interesting plot-twist which could lead to a greater plot in season 3, so there is some potential in that regard.

What's the deal with the organ selling? This was first introduced in season 1, but not properly explained. When it's introduced in season 2 again it's still not explained in detail. It's basically just a bunch of people taking advantage of the games to harvest the organs of decease players. Are these people just trying to make a quick buck by selling organs on the black market? Or is there a hidden agenda that hasn't been explained yet? Or is this just a common occurrence that happens in South Korea, because in season 1 there are some hints that insist that organ selling is common in South Korea? If that's true, then that's pretty dark. But hey, I still don't know how the organ selling ties into the plot of Squid Game.

Overall, the second season of squid game was a good watch, and was definitely worth the wait. It may be underwhelming to some, but it had me on the edge of my seat regardless if the beginning was mild or not. I can't wait what is in store next in season 3.

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