In 'The Glory' Part 2, bully and victim pull no punches

Television

Published: 27 Feb. 2023, 18:30 Updated: 28 Feb. 2023, 11:04

In 'The Glory' Part 2, bully and victim pull no punches

Actor Song Hye-kyo as Moon Dong-eun in ″The Glory″ Part 2 [NETFLIX]

The second and final part of Netflix’s “The Glory” will be released on the streaming service on March 10, and the first two episodes of Part 2 deliver a quiet punch — but how strong the school bullying revenge saga will finish remains to be seen.

The first two episodes of Part 2 of “The Glory” were shown to the Korean and international press as a sneak peek on Monday.

The first episode of “The Glory” Part 2 — or the ninth episode overall of the sixteen-episode series — begins with Dong-eun, played by actor Song Hye-kyo, asking the bully during her school days whether she is willing to atone for her wrongdoings. The perpetrator, Yeon-jin, played by actor Lim Ji-yeon, scoffs at Dong-eun and says she will get back at her for “daring” to seek justice.

“Why do people like you ever think there could be such a thing as bringing justice?” Yeon-jin asks as she smiles cruelly at Dong-eun’s face. “I did nothing wrong to you. Your life was hell to begin with.”

Viewers can expect to be infuriated and appalled by the unflinchingly vicious and unapologetic manner of the main antagonist Yeon-jin and the shameless selfishness of the supporting characters who had also taken part in the bullying of Dong-eun and the attempt at sweeping every act of school violence under the rug.

The acting chops of the main cast of “The Glory” add more fuel to the fire in Part 2, with Lim showing that she can pull off playing one of the most ruthless antagonists yet in recent Korean dramas.

Lim Ji-yeon as Yeon-jin in ″The Glory″ Part 2 [NETFLIX]

The weak link in Part 2 of “The Glory” may be the script itself, however, as Kim Eun-sook’s signature style of writing pithy and impact-driven one-liners starts losing its charm as the repetition in dialogue snags the plotline. There is still a large chance this weakness can be improved upon in the later episodes of the drama series, however, as the story of “The Glory” itself starts escalating with the 10th episode.

The ultimate goal that Dong-eun set out to complete when she first embarked on her journey for revenge starts to become clearer, and the perpetrators and their accomplices also make their moves to try and put a stop to Dong-eun’s plans. Who will win in the end, and what that triumph will mean for the bigger theme of justice and atonement, has yet to be seen.

“The Glory” is continuing to gain attention both domestically and abroad, with the #TheGloryThai movement calling out perpetrators of school bullying and violence spreading in Thailand, and a resulting social discourse about the matter gaining steam in Korea and more. Most recently, National Office of Investigation chief appointee Chung Sun-sin resigned almost immediately after being appointed due to allegations that Chung’s son was a perpetrator of school violence some years ago.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]