The Glory (2022)

Gripping, intense, a success all round

"The Glory" comes with a drum roll at the turn of the year 2022/23. With a high-end production team in every instance, "The Glory" cleverly intertwines the burning subject of bullying with the long-running topic ´revenge campaign´. The result is gripping, intense, a success all round. (However, one major criticism: Netflix cuts the story in half with a long break in between.)

In 2022, for the sad issue of bullying, streaming services cleared the stage several times with their own productions (e.g. "Weak Hero Class 1" and "Revenge of Others"). All of these stories are unbelievable in their brutality and cruelty - teenagers against teenagers! No mercy. Without pity. Without scruples. Without any feeling of guilt. For once, I don't want to blame the streaming providers for the shown cruelty, on the contrary. Maybe the topic is in better hands with them because they have no problem with such radical scenes (compared to TV stations). Isn´t it simply scandalous that such unbelievable violent abuse - and may it be only half as drastic - is part of everyday life in (i.e. South Korean) schools and among young people? Even more scandalous: parents and teachers tolerate it or actively support it and even act up themselves.

"The Glory" swings back and forth between past and present and thus draws a complex picture of the individual characters. Back then the perpetrators, they are becoming victims today. Back then the victim, she finally wants to get out of her role and also make life hell for her abusers. The painful past provides the moral framework, allowing the audience to nod off the plans for vigilantism. Eventually, the protagonist also gains helpers on her way.

Sad enough, in "The Glory" no one is truly happy with their life except for the perpetrator's (still) innocent little daughter.
The bullies of that time live bored and/or stoned and still trapped in their bullying role. Still tangled up in their clique from back then in uneasy ties. None of them found ´true´ friends. Trust and love are words without substance in their life, which rather appears as a shiny variation of Hell disguised with silk and glamourous accessories.
The victim of that time, on the other hand, has found meaning, direction and grounding in her life, no matter how sad the circumstances. Coincidentally, she even made trustworthy friends. Since she has experienced firsthand what hell is like, she can at least distinguish it, as other experiences of brief moments of happiness are also indicated in between. This experience (how happiness actually feels compared to suffering) puts her ahead of her opponents, who aren't even aware that they're living in a hell of emotional emptiness. They only suspect it when Moon-Dong-eun threatens to shake their house of cards and they have to face the illusions of their self-satisfied lives.

The story isn´t completely told yet - after 8 episodes. We will see, how things actually turn out for Moon Dong-eun, as she is indeed messing with someone, who is not willing to give in, whatsoever...

---------- EDIT after finishing the SECOND SEASON: -------------------
Well. Second season is definitely on the revenge-side. Some may say revenge is sweet. In any case it is drastic. And "the Glory" made sure, the mean-spirited deserved it... Among them is so much violence and exorbitant abuse. Almost too much to bear at times. A bit overdone maybe with unnecessary Netflix ruction here and there. Nevertheless suspenseful. Certainly with a coherent ending.
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PS.:
Actually, the screenwriter is herself mother of a high school student...)


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SIDE NOTE: ---- Fiction and reality are not that far apart ---

Some might say that the bullying brutality in "The Glory" - such as the curling wand scene - was exaggerated.
In fact, in South Korea in 2006, there was just such a case.

At a middle school in Cheongju, a student was bullied for money by three classmates. For not delivering, she was beaten with a baseball bat, tormented with a barrette, kicked, hit with fists, and burned on her arms with a hot curling wand. The burns didn't even have time to heal because the girls checked the temperature of the curling iron on the victim's arms again and again every few days. On the contrary, healing blisters were specifically removed by the bullies with their fingernails. The brutal beating also resulted in an injury to the tailbone, which resulted in a six-week hospital stay.

In fact, in this actual case in Cheongju, the perpetrators were apparently officially punished after the victim, despite threats, reported the perpetrators by name. And not only the perpetrators, but also the school administration and teachers were apparently sort of admonished. (However, with that the police report ends. We do not know how the victim, the perpetrators and the school dealt with each other afterwards).
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For revenge I sold my soul to the Demon

Song Hye Kyo is back. And she brought a wrath and Lucifer with her this time along. I personally hated her last drama 'Now we are breaking up'. But this time she has compensated for that miserable drama and made me fall in love with her again.
As one can guess from the synopsis, that this drama revolves around Song Hye Kyo's character's revenge towards those that made her life more miserable than hell. After waiting 18 years for the perfect timing to take her revenge. Nothing can budge her from her goal Im Ji Yeon (and others). She will use every card for her advantage.
Song Hye Kyo just stole the show here. One could feel the pain she felt and the anger that was hiding behind that beautiful face of her's.
A special shoutout to Jung Ji So and Shin Ye Eun's acting. Man they were too good in their display of emotions. And ofcourse Im Ji Yeon and other cast were just pinpoint perfect in there portrayal of their character.
The storyline and the production were also great. Loved each and every second of the show. And it kept me tied to my seat. I binge watched the drama in a sitting. This season had me waiting for the second season already.

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I don’t need a prince to save me, I need an executioner to join the hunt.

Delicious, compelling, manic, obsessive, infuriating and sensual- this drama gives you all the thrill and more. This is Song Hye Ko like you’ve never seen her before.

Yes, her robotic frozen in time acting is still there but this time it suits the role. Gone is the fluffy Mary Sue rom com female lead she always plays and in its place is a revenge driven, blood thirsty anti-heroine who’s taking no prisoners. I think she did a pretty solid job here- equal parts graceful with just enough madness to make her the right kinda crazy.

Throughout the drama, she has this internal monologue going on where she talks so very affectionately with her worst enemy as if it were a dear friend. Her voice is a mix between poetry and a pretty song if they contained thinly veiled promises of retribution and vengeance.

The acting over all is pretty smooth aside from Lee Do Hyun who is just one of those trendy actors that are cast cause of their looks/hype and nothing more. He is a glorified support role so his lack of talent stings less.

The antagonists are an absolute delight to watch. They are gorgeous on the outside and plain rot on the inside and the actors have done a great job showcasing that.

The bullying is visceral and the heroine’s revenge is 100% believable. You want every single one of these muffuckers to pay with their lives.

The best thing is that the drama doesn’t shy away from gore, sex and profanity which gives it the maturity and darkness that it needs to be convincing, all the while balancing it with a blooming sismance that warms the soul.

Beautifully shot, with incredible OST and an excellent take on your typical revenge story, “The Glory” is equal parts compelling and binge able.

Oh and we have a hot daddy in the house as well. I have one solid ship and I’ll sink with it if I have to. ⛴⛴⛴

Overall, it’s definitely Jeana approved.
I am biting my gorgeous fake nails for season 2~

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Good idea, boring execution

To be honest, I was bored. So the question I’m asking myself is, why?

Well, this is a thriller, but there were precious little thrills for most of it. I did think that the idea behind the plot was good—triggering self-destruct mechanisms, light the fuse and then step back. It offers great opportunities for building tension but I don’t think that the overall production capitalised on the potential.

The pace was a constant plod. It needed some speed variations, some light and shade, some better twists and turns and a great deal more tension. This is really a problem across the board from the writer, through the director to the editing suite. The only thing that had any zing was the cinematography, which was beautifully realised.

The characters, including the protagonist, were universally unlikeable. Song Hye Kyo had a stone-face throughout and I was not impressed by her performance. The main problem for me was that the characters were not presented in any depth and for the most part had one mode of operation. For a plot built on the premise of self-destruction, the characters have to be much more carefully realised. Also, with so many antagonists, their inter-relationships did not have enough time to develop to the point where I was engaged. Maybe if Lee Sa Ra and even Son Myeong Oh were omitted that would have made room for more character breadth and detailed interactions.

As it was, I was totally unmoved by any of them and fairly disinterested in what happened to them. The most interesting character for me was Ha Do Young, played by Jung Sung Il, who brought more subtlety to the realisation of his part than any of the others. So when you’ve got nothing much going on in the plot and you don’t feel any interest or attachment to any of the characters, what is there to keep your attention?

One thing that always hacks me off is when the psychology is wrong and it is here. Dong Eun can be triggered into horrendous flashbacks which completely cripple her, but shows no hesitation in confronting and challenging her torturers face to face in isolated places without a tremor or a drop sweat breaking out. This type of dichotomy is simply not credible. Her character relies on words for her safety, but it is emotions that provoke damage and they are much quicker off the mark. So her interactions with the emotion driven antagonists are undermined. It is even more unbelievable because no explanation is offered regarding any of the psychological processes that turned her from fearful victim to controlled aggressor.

What my rating means: 6+ Some aspects of it were OK but it had serious flaws. It will pass the time but you can find something better.

Leggi di Più

A season that gives you `nothing`

Watch if you want an extremely slow-burn drama about revenge. There's almost no back story on how she plans her revenge but rather more about how the relationship of the characters develops.

My mistake was watching the entirety of season 1 and expecting it to at least progress halfway before season 2. The first few episodes were good and provided sufficient backstory within a timely manner which didn't feel rushed. However, the show slowed down halfway and focused on the dynamics of the characters within adulthood. The seething felt a bit dragged as the vengeful emotions were already portrayed early in the drama so it was a letdown that there was not much progress with her revenge plot this season. There are many plot holes that arrived early in the season and are still to be filled in season 2.

I might drop it in season 2 if the first few episodes do not progress the plot. Do not watch if you're looking for a thriller.

Leggi di Più

Okay to watch if you have free time; not a lot happens, but hey...something to watch!

I watched "The Glory" for Song Hye Kyo and Lee Dong Hyun. After reading other reviews, I agree that LDH's character seems a bit misplaced in this drama, though I enjoy seeing him and think he did the best he could with his role.

With the whole revenge for bullying premise, there are unsurprisingly a lot of triggering violent scenes. This is not something I particularly enjoy seeing, and we are gifted with a cycle of violent memories throughout the eight episodes. The story itself is pretty sad as the victim (who continues to suffer in the present day) devotes her whole life and being to getting revenge.

While it was interesting to see the relationships between all the characters develop in the present day, not a whole lot happens and nothing is resolved. Of course, there's a second season, but even in the first season there should be some sort of catalyzing action. I watched and thought to myself, "Oh man, is it just going to end here after nothing really happened?" The "cliffhanger" was weak and I'm not sure if I can even call it that.

I do want to give an honorable mention to Lee Moo Saeng. That man knows how to act. I gave Thirty-Nine a poor rating, but I feel he had a standout performance there. And even here in his few minutes of screen time, he impresses in a totally different way.

I most likely will watch the second season but this drama is far from a masterpiece.

Leggi di Più

Glorious Revenge served Cold

This caught my attention when I found out the screen writer of Mr. Sunshine was also the writer for this Drama. After seeing a few other dramas with themes of bullying and revenge, it can be an emotionally turbulent ride for the viewer due to the intensity of those topics. For those with power and/or wealth who think they can get away with it without any consequences, this show tries to turn the tables with the poor and powerless drawing on their inner strength and hatred to execute their war path towards retribution.

The FL comes from a dysfunctional family with a mother who doesn't give a crap about her and sells her out in the end. She carries scars physically and emotionally from the intense sociopathic bullying she deals with from a group of emotionally stunted kids with the kingpin being a pretty rich girl who knows she will remain untouchable no matter how far she goes with the bullying. The FL carefully over the years plots out her revenge and dedicates her life to it while the bully kingpin rich girl continues to thrive in her superficial life with her weathercaster job and bagging a rich guy as her husband.

This is a dark adult drama (Netflix style), as a warning there are some adult scenes (no full on nudity). Its quite bleak at times, the FL as a teen has no where to turn with almost everyone turning their back on her. The FL suffers from bouts of PTSD and lasting psychological damage in adulthood. The actresses and actors do an amazing job playing their parts. The FL is a popular actress, this is my first time seeing her in a KDrama; she does a really good job with her role as a smart somber scarred individual who simmers in her hatred against her bullies. The ML is a talented underrated actor, so far he carries all his parts pretty well in the dramas I've seen.

It's a very good psychological revenge drama with good pacing, looking forward to S2.

Leggi di Più

Nothing new....

The high school bullying trope is definitely not new. The difference would probably be the extent of the bullying.

Coming on the heels of Revenge of Others, I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch The Glory. But since this was one of the anticipated dramas last Dec., I decided to give it a go (secretly hoping to see different facial expressions from SHK)

In this drama, SHK's one dimensional expression worked in her favor. It matched the personality of the character she was portraying. Wonder if she can do better in rom-coms????

I also wanted to see more of Lee Do Hyun since I last watched him in Sweet Home. Was a bit disappointed in his character though. Yes, he had a crush on SHK, but to go all out and offer to aid her in extracting revenge was a bit far fetched

Surprisingly, the only character I am looking forward to in part 2 is Jung Sung Il. He has a classical face like a matinee idol :) and I love his deep voice. It would be more believable if he and SHK's character end up together rather than Lee Do Hyun.

Overall, wouldn't say that this is soooooo Good. Just so-so for me. All episodes should have been released at once because what is the use of splitting it in the first place? Are the producers just gauging SHK's saleability after all the criticisms on her bland expression?

Leggi di Più

It was a okay watch!

It was a slow-burn revenge story. The plot is excellent; it's thrilling and mysterious. I have nothing else to add about this other than that! It can be prolonged in some parts, but I was shocked at the plot twists and turns. It's filmed well, and it shows the cruelty behind the issues of bullying in Korea. Some might say that it's "too much" or "unrealistic," but it's ordinary for such severe bullying to occur in Korea. It's heartbreaking, but that's the reality.

Moreover, this is a thriller, but there were scant thrills throughout most of it. The plot's central concept was intriguing: activating self-destruction mechanisms, lighting the fuse, and stepping back. It offers numerous opportunities for tension-building, but the overall production didn't make the most of them. Overall, it's an okay watch.

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