MuchWowRebeccaMack

So, the one on Netflix titled Weak Hero is actually just Weak Hero Class One? Here, I got all excited thinking they dropped season 2 all at once.

I was thinking that might be the case for some, and that they watch this genre more than me. That's why it seemed more original to me. It's kind of the way I feel about saeguks. If I have to watch the left state minister or counselor plot with the queen/queen dowager/brother of the king one more time, I think I might pull my hair out. lol

This is so well written and I agree with everything, only I gave it a 9.5. I thought it was excellently executed. I'm curious about your rating. Your review is glowing, but the rating doesn't seem to match it. Was there something in particular that knocked it down for you?

Here is what I wrote in my personal notes:

SPOILER ALERT!

This was pretty intense, right from the beginning with the sex offender following the young girl to the church and then the pastor's son going missing after a man picked him up from day care and the series of events that followed. My stomach was tied up in knots the whole time.

Ryu Jun Yeol played his part flawlessly as the overzealous pastor who was crossing over into the realm of insanity. Shin Hyun Bin as well. I especially liked when she received redemption after being able to save A Yeong, bringing her full circle from her sister's tragedy.

At the very end, in the prison, was kind of creepy. If I was seeing it correctly, the pastor saw an image of Jesus on the wall, but when he tried to wipe it, the devil was revealed beneath it. I took this as symbolism of evil masquerading as good. Or, at least that he thought what he was doing was just, but his actions were being controlled by the demon inside of him. What did you think of that part?

There is nothing official yet, but it's definitely set up for a potential season 2. Fingers crossed.

When I see her listed as a cast member, I immediately want to skip the drama. She is just way too extra, always screaming (and making those weird faces. I think she's trying to make her dimples show more or something, but it's not working.

So well deserved. His acting was stellar!

This was so eloquently written and I agree with most of what you have written. I was also blown away by Park Jihoon's performance. I jotted this down sometime during the middle of the drama:

I really liked the whole dual personality aspect of this drama, and Park Ji Hoon played both parts excellently. When acting as Ak Hee, he did not put on a typically evil persona and was even a bit awkward when it came to Keyara. This allowed the viewer to consider the possibility of him not being an evil spirit, but a fractured facet of Sajo Hyun's personality and, thus, we were able to feel for him as well as Sajo Hyun.

This brings me to the ending. I had held out hope that this was classic Dissociative identity disorder and that Ak Hee's identity would merge with that of Sajo Hyun and the two would love Keyara/Yoon Wol as one. I still think the producers might have been meaning to portray this in the ending scenes as Sajo Hyun realizes that he had let this fractured side of his personality in to help him deal with his fear. Plus, there was that inner dialogue during the wedding ceremony between the two personalities that made me feel that Sajo Hyun had integrated that facet of his psyche into his own being.

I just watched it for the first time and it is now my #1 among J and K dramas. Now, I'm looking for more Meguro Ren dramas. What an amazing actor and story.

Good catch. I never would have picked up on this.

For everyone complaining about the split season, here is the creator's explanation and some additional information.

Warning: Potential spoilers here

https://winteriscoming.net/squid-game-creator-reveals-why-season-2-ended-how-it-did-and-when-to-expect-season-3#:~:text=%22When%20I%20first%20wrote%20the,contain%20in%20a%20single%20season

Agreed. I find that people will down vote a drama where cheating is involved, just because they feel strongly about the act of cheating, even if they have not seen the drama. They are not rating the actual story at all. In these cases, I usually Google and check the reviews there, as well, to get a better idea of the ratings. I might have missed some really good dramas had I relied only on MDL.

And, this might be an unpopular opinion, but why do people always ask if there is a happy ending? Some of the best dramas I've seen end in tragedy. I even like some dramas with open endings that allow the viewer to draw their own conclusions. These are the ones that keep me thinking about them long after they've ended (Burning is one example). I would be bored if every story was wrapped up in neat, little packages.

I was just getting ready to post the same thing. I knew it was a partial season going into it, so I didn't experience the disappointment that others have.

Agreed. I was SMH over the same thing.

Agreed. I think she is trying to end the games as well, especially her superiors.

I knew about the split season before watching this. There were articles about it. There was an explanation as to why, but I dont remember what it is. Maybe something about doing justice to the final season. Also, it's already been in production and it's expected to come out in 2025.

Or, that he's gradually turning to the dark side in a Breaking Bad sort of way and that's what the organization is trying to achieve. I noticed how he looked more grim and he even spoke with a deeper voice, possibly to illustrate this change.

I agree. I don't understand what all the complaints are about. I thought it was very good. Of course, it didn't have the impact of season one, because we already know about the game. The one thing I found peculiar was when 001 joined. I mean, wouldn't that number throw up any red flags for Gi-Hun?

I saw something about the boy doll being able to watch from another position, thus foiling Gi-Hun's tactics. Also, the people approaching Young Hee from behind almost looks to me like they finally broke through and were able to freely go where they want.

After the credits, they show a boy doll coming in.

It's on Tubi in the US. Where are you?