This review may contain spoilers
My two passions : Jesus Christ and fighting.
S01 : 3,5/5
S02 : 2,5/5
S01 : Super funny, although a bit old-fashioned in its staging, which is too functional. This collection of zany characters never misses a beat, they are all prodigiously silly. The villains' henchmen behave like bored children waiting for the school bus. I love this kind of Conan O'Brien humour. (I'll try to forget all the diarrhoea jokes, though)
Kim Nam-gil is so cool. He fights really well, the action isn't neglected at all, and he's so funny ! I didn't know he had this comedic side to his acting. "God gave me the gift of dealing with scum like you, not forgiving them." What a man!
But what about the role of the fat guy who eats all the time ? The answer is clear : no, don't. And actor Ahn Chang-hwan, playing a Thai migrant with an exaggerated, grotesque accent and a high-pitched voice, is perfectly Korean from Korea. It's on a par with Apu in The Simpsons... I've seen enough Thai films and series to know that people don't talk like that over there.
On the other hand, Kim Nam-gil dresses up as a woman (episode 11. And he'll do it again next season) and it's not a comic or demeaning device, he acts 'normally'. He wears a suit in the colours of the transgender flag, by the way. This is probably not a random choice, given that Korean Catholics are particularly reactionary and fight with all their might against LGBT+ rights. We want more Father Kims in the clergy and fewer transphobes.
In episode 15, the prosecutor plays golf and wears a badge that says "bon coup" in French. It doesn't mean what you might think.
And then, at the beginning, we are introduced to a psychiatrist, who later reappears shrouded in mystery, only to never be mentioned again. This character was introduced for no reason. Strange.
S02 : Dear K-drama writers, can you spare us these endless eating scenes ? Please. For God's sake. Or at least make an effort with the sound. You don't talk with your mouth full ! Bad manners. Literally, every other scene involves copious swallowing !
This season follows the same formula of action and humour, with much more slapstick and gesticulation. And shouting, unfortunately. Not really my thing. It gets on my nerves at times. A show that was rather silly has now become downright mind-numbing.
In addition, the lore expands and proves to be more coherent than that of John Wick. The production, meanwhile, follows the evolution of Korean series and their standards, with much more polished staging than the first season. We are even treated to a single-take sequence shot in episode 1 where the heroes fight on several floors of a building. Well done, Father Kim. You're kicking ass like Jesus drove the merchants out of the Temple. What's more, episode 3 has a scene shot from a subjective point of view. They're trying new things.
That said... this season struggles to match the first in terms of pace and humour. It's a bit boring with all these pointless conversations between the antagonists. Twelve episodes in, and in the sixth one we're still being told how bad we are ? Great, I don't care, guys. Nine episodes before anything really happens in terms of the plot. After a while, we couldn't care less about your stories.
I like Bibi, she rocks, she sings, she acts, okay, okay, but where's Keum Sae-Rok ? Where is she ? Free Keum Sae-Rok.
Given the radical change in cinematography and acting, I don't think I'll be watching any more of this director's productions because he's clearly just putting his name on other people's work.
S01 : 3,5/5
S02 : 2,5/5
S01 : Super funny, although a bit old-fashioned in its staging, which is too functional. This collection of zany characters never misses a beat, they are all prodigiously silly. The villains' henchmen behave like bored children waiting for the school bus. I love this kind of Conan O'Brien humour. (I'll try to forget all the diarrhoea jokes, though)
Kim Nam-gil is so cool. He fights really well, the action isn't neglected at all, and he's so funny ! I didn't know he had this comedic side to his acting. "God gave me the gift of dealing with scum like you, not forgiving them." What a man!
But what about the role of the fat guy who eats all the time ? The answer is clear : no, don't. And actor Ahn Chang-hwan, playing a Thai migrant with an exaggerated, grotesque accent and a high-pitched voice, is perfectly Korean from Korea. It's on a par with Apu in The Simpsons... I've seen enough Thai films and series to know that people don't talk like that over there.
On the other hand, Kim Nam-gil dresses up as a woman (episode 11. And he'll do it again next season) and it's not a comic or demeaning device, he acts 'normally'. He wears a suit in the colours of the transgender flag, by the way. This is probably not a random choice, given that Korean Catholics are particularly reactionary and fight with all their might against LGBT+ rights. We want more Father Kims in the clergy and fewer transphobes.
In episode 15, the prosecutor plays golf and wears a badge that says "bon coup" in French. It doesn't mean what you might think.
And then, at the beginning, we are introduced to a psychiatrist, who later reappears shrouded in mystery, only to never be mentioned again. This character was introduced for no reason. Strange.
S02 : Dear K-drama writers, can you spare us these endless eating scenes ? Please. For God's sake. Or at least make an effort with the sound. You don't talk with your mouth full ! Bad manners. Literally, every other scene involves copious swallowing !
This season follows the same formula of action and humour, with much more slapstick and gesticulation. And shouting, unfortunately. Not really my thing. It gets on my nerves at times. A show that was rather silly has now become downright mind-numbing.
In addition, the lore expands and proves to be more coherent than that of John Wick. The production, meanwhile, follows the evolution of Korean series and their standards, with much more polished staging than the first season. We are even treated to a single-take sequence shot in episode 1 where the heroes fight on several floors of a building. Well done, Father Kim. You're kicking ass like Jesus drove the merchants out of the Temple. What's more, episode 3 has a scene shot from a subjective point of view. They're trying new things.
That said... this season struggles to match the first in terms of pace and humour. It's a bit boring with all these pointless conversations between the antagonists. Twelve episodes in, and in the sixth one we're still being told how bad we are ? Great, I don't care, guys. Nine episodes before anything really happens in terms of the plot. After a while, we couldn't care less about your stories.
I like Bibi, she rocks, she sings, she acts, okay, okay, but where's Keum Sae-Rok ? Where is she ? Free Keum Sae-Rok.
Given the radical change in cinematography and acting, I don't think I'll be watching any more of this director's productions because he's clearly just putting his name on other people's work.
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