Sweet Home 2 (2023)

Shocks a plenty

Dec 2023
Well! I knew S2 would be very different to S1. For a start they'd left Green Home Apartments and there were fewer characters than when S1 started out.
I found ep1 of S2 to be quite shocking at times (especially the monster and then its baby scene ~ I found it really upsetting). I wondered whether they might be going for the shock factor over the plot/story.
However, it did not get any worst and the story was portrayed as well as in S1.
There is a time jump after several episodes, which was needed to move the story forward without exceeding the number of eps they appear to have decided on.
Why have they split it again, with a S3 scheduled for summer 2024?... ??‍♀️ Seeing as it was filmed at the same time, I just find it irritating, tbh. Spoils the flow too.

S2 introduces us to lots of new characters (we did lose a lot in S1), familiar faces and not a few surprises.
Song Kang's character, Hyun-soo, is not the focal character and missing from a number of episodes, but I think that fits (not to everyone's liking, I've read).
The human beings in this run, are worst overall, than in S1, to me. Some truly horrible characters and I more often than not, find myself on the side of the 'monsters' that have also retained some of their humanity.
As usual all are tarred with the same brush, which really is just like real life.
Many of the soldiers overreact and the levels of violence in their treatment of both people and monsters, is sickening.
There is no compassion or feelings that these were people once. Many seem almost gleeful in the act of stamping down on defenseless and weaker targets.
However, I thought it a captivating watch, even though it was emotionally hard going at times and could also be frustrating.
Left on a really surprising cliff hanger ~ again.
Is it as good as S1?.... it isn't far off, but I thought S1 was more atmospheric; it felt more claustrophobic and threatening, especially with the possibility of people turning at any moment. There was less of that this time around.
I liked most of the OST, but it didn't impact the same as in S1.
To really judge the story though, all the series needs watching, so...
Looking forward to S3!

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I just need to ask... who thought of making a mama monster and her BABY and then tormenting them for enjoyment before killing the mother in front of the baby as it cried??? because that literally made me sick to the stomach and I couldn't stop crying. Also why was that probably one of the most complex relationships this season... the season was entertaining still but I was left with so many questions. good thing I really don't care that much LOLL i think 8 episodes was maybe too short to get rid of everyone and rely on a whole new ensemble. I felt closer to the characters in season 1 by a milestone.

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Well....

The story is great and the cast is also did a great job. 2nd season is more emotional based that's a good point and the other point is it's all about fighting with monsters to survive. About the cast, there are like too much people and it feels a little bit messy somehow. Way more different than the 1st season.

In the previous sason people complained that the military isn't doing their job but in this season the story is all about military, monsters and survival. I must say that the ending was unexpected and I really loved Song Kang's acting here. About the others their skills are also developed alot than the previous season even the editing are also way more realistic than the previous season. Comparing this to the 1st season something's off in this and I still can't figure it out. At some point I feel like the variety of the monsters here is way too much because it's never ending. One after another so when we give a thought about it it's like they're repeating the same thing over and over. Anyways overall I like this.

Hope everything will end better. There will be a season 3 for this and I'm hopefully waiting for it.

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really bad

in short:
this was not a season 2 following up a very good season 1 of this show.

-they kept the original characters just as a strange framework on the edges, instead about 40 new characters were introduced, none of I cared for at all.

-it seemed like they writers sat together just making up ever new gruesome scenes ( oh oh, and let's do some kind of a zombi bride, we haven't done that, let's add to too!!)

-no real storyline, instead lots of torture porn (with what is going on in the real world? I really don't want to see little toddlers being hunted with bows and being shot in the back - just NO! Unnecessary for the story and just to show crass content for the sake of it)

-almost nothing of the actual main character Song Kang? He is not really in that show, oh except for these few porn-leaning scenes fighting bare'backed' and soaked in blood in slow motion.

-the only original character that had more screen time was Eun-yu. Character development: zero. She is just running around looking broody and cold and kind of like a knock-off tomb raider. I also didn't really get why so much of the storyline was hung up on her desperately wanting to find her brother- the same brother she actually hated through all season one and as they were siblings not even remotely close anyways. And now she suddenly risks her life and that of others to find him, or what is left of him. Didn't make much sense to me.

result: I'll stick with the brilliant season 1,and I certainly won't watch season 3, as there is no way to make a sensible storyline of the mess that was supposed to be a season 2.

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whole season felt like a prologue for season 3

I was waiting for season 2, finally watched it, I was disappointed bcoz compare to season 1 , season 2 was too dull, I know there are trying to make it like x men but whole season was prologue for season 3,
, there were too many characters like season 1 ,

but no meaningful, unlike season 1,

main hero arrive to late in story, there were no heroic moment like season 1 , guess all the heroes died or got turn,

experience of the people living underground felt like kind of boring, should be like in metro games, people. who didn't understand should play metro games,


hope season 3 is better

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Sweet Home 2; Is It A ‘ Sweet’ Sequel?

Like most drama fans and readers of Sweet Home, I was a little hesitant hearing about a sequel season to the original series. While the original series was interesting ( though a little flawed) in its own ways, deviation can often be a rocky road and has been proven especially in recent months with sequels to beloved shows .

However, Sweet Home 2 surprisingly took onboard someone of ite faults to create something which was very different from its original source. Is this a bad thing per say? No. In fact, director Lee Eung Bok really did seem to have fun with world-building outside of the apartment complex and introducing new and potentially compelling characters. Did it make the second season feel a bit like a filler before the finale season? Yes, it did a little. (For those who haven’t seen season one, I will try my best to keep this spoiler free but be warned in saying I will be comparing some characters and referencing general knowledge from both seasons. )

Season two picks up pretty much where season one left off. Now facing seperate threats, Hyun Su ( Song Kang) and the surviving Green Home Apartment residents
find that there are worst things than monsters outside of the apartment complex...

Season two is arguably a lot more action-orientated than the original season and source material which definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the series had a feeling of an adrenaline rush, while also being able to be engaging enough for audiences to see new characters introduced. However, while I do praise the series for showing us more versatility in fights and powers of some of the monsters and characters , it was noticeable that the sequel was lacking a little in something which made the series feel more rushed than in season one; suspense and tension.

Evidently with a new setting and place, it was apparent to see Lee Eung Bok trying to take a leaf out of dystopian works such as The Last of Us and Resident Evil in some of the more apparent world-building, disturbing creatures , combat and characters onscreen. However one thing which made both pretty successful in execution as horror-dystopian works came through a good balance between dreading suspense and action.

Sweet Home 2 often seems to struggle a little with attaining this balance. A creature would often come out, mass hysteria and fighting ensues then that’s pretty much it. ( Though praise in a few scenes in the show which allowed some more moral questions to come through .)

While it’s fun to have some action scenes, it’s fair to say most viewers probably were expecting a lot of what was going to happen before it did. When the series did try and surprise us, it rarely had a great impact as a result.

Ironically while season one often struggled with the opposite issue ( not enough adrenaline at times), it did attain one element right by creating tension. Alongside Hyun-Su, you were never entirely sure what was going to await your eyes when he turned a corner or opened a door and you found yourself on edge in a way season two could not quite replicate. Hopefully season three will be able to find a middle ground between both past seasons.

Going into one of the major topics of Sweet Home Season 2 comes through acting and character writing. On the acting front, Sweet Home 2 is fairly good. There are certainly a few wooden deliverances here and there, but there are some particularly outstanding performances by Jung Jin-Young as soldier Park Chan-young, Kim Si-a as the mysterious child, Go Min Si as Lee Eun Yoo and of course, Lee Jin Wook as Pyeon Sang wook.

Character writing was a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand there’s a lot of really interesting characters introduced in the series. However at the same time, it felt as though Sweet Home 2 overcommitted a little to introducing too many characters at once and not enough time to develop both original characters and newcomers alike.

Lee Hyun Su is a classic example in the series. As the actual protagonist and considering how much he went through in the first season, Hyun Su has very little screen time. On one hand, this does seem to be purposeful as the second season did seem more focused drawing upon external forces and how this will influence the later course of the plot. However at the same time when the writing tries to really make us feel or emphasise with his struggles, it didn’t really land as well because we had not really seen or explored how his character had grown onscreen and in the sudden time skip also.

Lee Eun Yoo and Sang Wook, familar faces from season one, go through quite a significant character change in season two which was an engaging part of the story. However similar to Hyun Su, they aren’t really given enough time to be developed onscreen. A lot of the original residents are often put on the back burner a little when it comes to some of the new characters.

Newcomer Park Chan-Young is a really engaging character who arguably had one of the most interesting motives in the series. While he did suffer from lack of screen time, hopefully season three will allow him more character development. Similarly, the mysterious child and Chief Ji (Kim Shin-rok), two of the show’s biggest potential plot points,were underdeveloped but could be explored more next season.


While there are definitely some interesting new characters, there are some very debatable ones introduced such as Hani (Chae Won-bin), Ho-sang (Hyun Bong-sik) and Ye-seul (Yang Hye-ji). Ye-Seul isn’t particularly a bad character per say and is used mainly in the show for some laughs. However, she is never really given anything beyond being the comic character despite being quite heavily featured in some scenes and shown to have a significant character relationship. On the other hand Hani and Ho-Sang are a little more convoluted. They are meant to be more antihero figures in the series, but rather than having more morally ambiguous roles or counteracting what characters think of them, they often play into being downright problems for the plot. In addition to this, anything to do with their relationship or even backstory is pretty much brushed over completely.


The execution of the series is definitely very fast in parts, and slower in others for introducing characters or some exposition, but does struggle with feeling very rushed. This is odd conserving how much time the series could have spent building on its two main plot lines. Although it’s apparent the series was trying to get through as much plot as possible, this was none so more apparent than in the time skip in the final few episodes. Is it bad to have a jump forward? No. Did it mean the series thought it was a solution for not seeing some plot holes and relationship growth? Yes, very much so.

The cinematography has definitely improved since season one with more varied palettes and sets. The CGI does still seem a little awkward in parts, but has improved also since the original season.

Overall Sweet Home 2 finds itself is definitely a slightly odd position . It has improved a lot of the graphics and world building as well as setup an engaging plot and characters, but still struggled with some writing and pacing issues which could have been easily fixed. Overall a fairly engaging watch as well as enticing for setting up the final season.

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Absolutely Disapointed in the Second Season, Lacks Plot

I was so excited for the second season, but wow I'm just frustrated now and won't be finishing the show. The first three episodes are so slow and lack all the good traits that made the first season amazing.

What made the first season so amazing was the nuance they put into character development, each episode usually added or progressed a character so that by the end we loved every single one. In this second season it really feels like, instead of continuing to develop the characters, they just bangwagged off of the writing in the first season and slacked off in the second. Even the new characters introduced lack any connection to us as the audience.

The deaths feel so forced and random too, in the first season although it was difficult each death made sense, whereas in the second season, it felt like they just killed characters willy-nilly and it's annoying. What was the point of developing them in the first season just to kill them off in the second??

The series lacks a plot, things happen without explanation, which was fine in the first season because the story was character-driven, and had a clear end goal (to stay alive until help came), but now in the second season, it just feels like each episode is the characters walking around from place to place and then a random fight, that has no real tension, occurs.

They have such a cool theme: monsters aren't the enemy its humans, yet they only try to 'progress' this element by saying half-hearted lines like "I'm human", "I'm a monster", "I'm not the enemy". Why not have made the first three episodes all about understanding the monsters and seeing in depth how they're not as harmful as they may seem. They should've gone more into that, instead of the random filler they have.

I'm glad I watched season one last month, and wasn't unfortunate enough to wait the years for this second season, because I only waited a month and I'm this furious, I can't imagine how other people feel having waited so long. Such wasted potential in my opinion.

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Excellent world building and character development

Despite what I've seen a lot of people saying, I found this of sweet home quite interesting.
Personally I feel as though they're laying the groundworks for season 3, as they're diverging from the source material it's quite important for them to do this.
There are points where it kinda drags on a bit and you just ask if it was really necessary but overall looking back I can see how important some of these scenes are, in terms of world building and character development.
Honestly I feel like a lot of people these days seem to be complaining about necessary scenes of world building in favour of fast-paced action, so I'm quite grateful that Sweet Home season has got that vital bit of world building otherwise I'd be completely lost.

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Half-Monster

The story is a continuation of the 1st season where the world is filled with monsters and humanity is in danger. Several people can be mutants where they are becoming half monsters while others become fully monsters after getting infected. It's interesting to see a lot of plot twists and backstories in this 2nd season. The effects they use to make this series are very cool and the same as the 1st season where it's eye-catching for every scene (Mostly battle scene).

It's recommended to those who love monster, blood, and action vibes. But not recommended to those who can't stand against violence.

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If you liked season 1 this does continue the story

8/10 is my rating. This the second season of a popular South Korean Horror, Action Fantasy series with Apocalyptic overtones. It was released in 2023 and has eight 62-85 minute episodes

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review

Synopsis

The remaining residents of the apartment complex had to move when the military arrived. Cha Hyun Soo (Song Kang) originally travels with another monster human hybrid but is voluntarily taken by the military. The rest of the group, are originally destined for a shelter that is supposedly ran for the survivors. They quickly realize the military and others mean to exterminate everyone for fear they have been infected. On their journey to find a new place for themselves, they battle monsters, the hybrids, the military as well as other survivors. This is a journey through their epic struggle for survival.

Characters (Main Cast)

ChaHyunSoo (Song Kang) Teenager who wound up living in the apartment complex after losing his family in a tragic car accident. He was infected but was able to resist losing his humanity and saved the humans multiple times in the First season.

Seo Yi Kyun (Lee Si young) She is a former special forces in the military and most recently was a firefighter. Her fiancé was one of the lead scientists on the monsterization experiments but was declared dead by the military.

LeeEunWoo (Go Min Si) A teenager with a chip on her shoulder. She is one of the few that do not see Hyun Soo as primarily a monster.

Pyeon Sang Wook (Lee Jin Wook) originally a thuggish gangster who they discovered was not as bad as he at first seemed. He had reasons. He is taken over by one of the hybrid monsters and now is host to multiple human and monster presences.

Park Chan Young (Jung Jin Young) A soldier who does not agree with some of his superiors and counterparts’ treatment of civilians.

Dr. Lim (Oh Jung Se) An unethical scientist willing to sacrifice “subjects” to create the ultimate human monster hybrids.

Kim Young Soo (Choi Go) They youngest of the group of survivors. The adults took him in when his father tragically fell to his death while trying to save his children.

Kim Soo Young (HeoYool) The second to youngest of the survivor group. She is Young Soo’s older sister.

Yoon Ji Su (Park Gyu Young) An edgy young woman who plays the guitar and tragically lost her boyfriend to suicide. She was depressed and people mistook that for being a loaner.

Review

The first season focused on an introduction to the monsterization concept and a group of people in one apartment complex as a set of them went from strangers to a family like group. It was surviving in a world turned upside down but in a very succinct environment. This season all of the residents from the complex before are out in the larger area but wind up settled in a stadium with a bunch of new people and are kept safe by an elite group of soldiers who journey out to secure resources and guard the survivors living in the stadium. The lines between good and evil and monster and human are very blurry. Some of the questions from the first season are answered but a whole new set of questions are revealed. As expected it ends on yet another cliff hanger. Which is typical Netflix they always want to leave it open so they can maximize profit. It ruins one thing I really liked about Korean shows, they were, for the most part, concluded in one season. Even if additional seasons were on the horizon, they would still end the first season wrapped up, in most of them. But you let United States based streaming platforms get ahold of them and all of a sudden we have these series that could go on for a long time. I heard there is a 3rd season. And will that be it? It’s like the “song that never ends.” I could deal with multiple seasons if it was known exactly how many seasons they plan. But, since they don‘t even know, it’s all about whether or not they make profit, it is frustrating that you don’t know how long it will run.

Overall it’s a compelling and interesting story, and you do learn more about monsterization. But don’t expect it to end neatly wrapped up or necessarily happy. It is very “Game of Thrones” in that, just because a character is popular, doesn’t necessarily mean they will survive. It is a great addition to a genre that doesn’t have a lot of offerings. I would recommend it to science fiction fans.

Spoilers

I ended this one with even less hope for humanity. So many characters are lost in this it seems everyone will either be turned monster or be killed by monsters. Characters are slowly picked off one by one.

Even after two seasons I still do not fully understand why there is some much variety in monsters. Why are there whole sets of the same type of monster? Why is this one hideous and that one looks more human? I know it has something to do with human desire and emotions but it is never fully explained.

It has some romantic hints but no real romantic elements so anyone looking for that should look elsewhere. Which is good if you want to watch something with someone who is allergic to romance. I think if there was some romance in it then there would be a sense of hope for humanity. As it is, it sees very hopeless and that becomes a bit of a downer.

My main complaint is just the way Netflix leaves things hanging with no guarantee of additional seasons. At the end of this you have the firefighter and former special services character who just got monsterized and is some kind of half human and half monster manifestation who seems to have an interesting duality of hating all monsters and yet embracing them at the same time. There are the soldiers that went to the old military research facility to rescue their brother in arms and are now trapped or at least in the process of being turned into something else. The former leader of the complex and angsty teenager turned angry young woman’s brother has finally emerged and you want to know if he has retained his humanity. What about Hyunsoo? His monster side is fully in control and he is not at all acting like himself after discovering in a vision that all the monsters are happy.

I really like the one youngest soldier and he has a thing it seems for the angsty ballet dancing teenage girl turned angry young woman looking for her brother. He never reveals his feelings for her though and leaves her to go back to the stadium. She, on the other hand, seems to have feelings for Hyunsoo which creates a weird love triangle. Will they dig into that in the 3rd season or just keep dancing around all the potential relationships? Usually in end of the world type scenarios more people couple up. So, it would make sense. But these survivors do not seem at all interested in continuing the species.

I am very interested to see where things will go just frustrated that Netflix is able to hold the audience hostage with no commitment to finish the series. I would be happier if each season would wrap up with all the current questions. The concept could still be extended in the next season as there is so much to expand on. But I don’t like a cliff hanger at the end of every season with no assurance they will continue as unfinished stories feel like a waste of time.

#ParkGyuYoung

#SongKang

#LeeSiYoung

#GoMinSi

#LeeJinWook

#YooOhSung

#OhJungSe

#JungJinYoung

#ParkGyuYoung

#KimMuYeol

#SweetHome2

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You either love it or hate it, I'm both.

I was wondering while reading all of the comments how they could make something people either love to death or hate to death, no inbetween, but now I understand.

It's a weird season.
Half I liked, half bored me to death.

There were so many storylines jampacked into 8 episodes, and half were boring.

The good points :

- Lee Jin Wook is having the fun of his life with his new character, whose storyline I like.
- Song Kang not-bad acting
- Yi Kyung, Ji Soo, and Eun Yoo were as good as in the first season, and I liked their storyline.
- Hyun Soo's story was good, too. I liked they didn't make him go all dark and broody, though he is understandably tired.
- The new soldier (JinYoung), the mad scientist, and the old man are good additions to the cast, nothing bad to say about them, they were fun to watch each for their own reasons.
- The bigger scale of the story.
- The ending (Hyun Soo's monster being all calm, just curious & the brother revival because I love the actor)

The bad points :

- The time spent on characters we had no time nor reasons to care about (the soldiers, and the survivors from the second part of the story). Why do we see them sooooooooooooo much? Yes, you took famous actors to play them, but I had no reason to get attached to them or care, they are all terrible people who take way too much screen time)
- That jump at the middle of the season, what happened? HyunSoo is out of his prison, a makeup town is suddenly here, and the soldiers are all a mess... Wtf?
- JiSu's death, is so random. It's obvious she's going to come back for season 3 as a monster or something but that was so fast and random. She was one of my favs, and I didn't even have time to process her death and didn't feel sad.
- WAY TOO MUCH STORYLINES. WAY TOO MUCH SCREENTIME SPENT ON SECONDARY CHARACTERS.
- The season was a mess visually, as well as in pacing and script writing.
- The way they made the brother come back. I didn't want him to be a monster. I wanted him to keep his humanity but still be able to be better than everybody human and monster. Still keeps his fragility, but always ends up being on top. Now he's just going to be a (smart) killing machine and it's boring.

What I would love to see in season 3:

- More groups being made. I was annoyed everybody wanted to flock together. I understand at the beginning, but when you keep getting betrayed again and again, just take the people you trust and get the hell out. That's what HyunSoo did, by creating his little family of three, I liked it. Now, more of this.
- More screentime for the main characters, there's already a lot, no need to add others.
- Hyun Soo's monster not being all monstrous and sadistic. We already saw that some monsters still have their original self personalities, I would love to see people understand that even the monsters keep their original personalities and that as HyunSoo was a cinnamon roll, his monster isn't very interested in murdering everybody. HyunSoo IS interested in EunYoo, so it's understandable that the first thing the monster does is be curious about her.
- I really don't want to see a Hyun Soo VS Eun Hyuk. I hope they keep their dynamic of hound & owner, that was really fun in season one, ethically and psychologically speaking. i don't want to see them going all alpha males on each other, we already have SangWook VS Hyun Woo for that.

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‘You should be scared of humans not monsters’ is always a good plot

I have seen a few reviews and I am once again surprised at how different can people view one show. I am writing this right after finishing the series. It took me some time, not because the story wasn't captivating, even tho there were some cliches (which was expected like c’mon) but because I wasn’t in the right mood for this type of show. Also, I thought that Instagram spoiled the whole thing for me so I was like ‘What's the point now’. Guys, I couldn't be more wrong. Like the ending just blows my mind. I am a big fan of monstrous things in literature or dramas so you can't kinda go wrong with me but this was a really nice execution. I loved the cast. I love the overall vibe. The mi, itary bromance. Oh c'mon, give me more. I hope we will get much more in the next season. I know there are probably many things that can be pointed out as bad but for me, it was perfect. I love it. I wanna forget it and watch both seasons again.

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