Oof, this drama is brutal. Netflix’s latest original certainly doesn’t pull any punches, and neither did the bullies who gleefully tormented our protagonist in the past. They had better watch out, though, because she’s about to set a revenge scheme in motion — one that she’s been meticulously planning for years.
Editor’s note: This is an Episodes 1-2 review only. Please refrain from spoilers. For a place to chat about the entire drama with rampant spoilers, visit the Drama Hangout!
EPISODES 1-2 FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I came to The Glory expecting Netflix’s usual brand of graphic violence, but my stomach still dropped at how vicious the bullying scenes were. So if you’re squeamish about flesh wounds and ruthless humiliation, this is your chance to turn back.
Our drama begins like any other high school bullying story — poverty-stricken MOON DONG-EUN (Jung Ji-so) finds herself the target of the school’s top dogs. Ringleader PARK YEON-JIN (Shin Ye-eun) takes delight in tormenting Dong-eun, for no apparent reason other than the fact she’s a convenient target.
Yeon-jin’s flanked by a whole group of minions, which means Dong-eun has no hope of escape. We’re forced to watch as Yeon-jin and her gang press a curling iron to Dong-eun’s limbs, leaving red welts that make Dong-eun scream from the excruciating pain. The school isn’t willing to back Dong-eun up, either, not when Yeon-jin and her friends hail from wealth. Unable to bear the torture any longer, Dong-eun ends up dropping out from school and working menial jobs to make ends meet.
We’re given a montage of them practicing together through the seasons, and by the end of it, Dong-eun can hold her own as a baduk player. Abruptly, though, she cuts her lessons short. Yeo-jung points out that she hasn’t defeated him yet, but Dong-eun has no need to — he isn’t her true opponent, after all.
It’s clear that Yeo-jung is affected by her sudden departure, but Dong-eun doesn’t have the time to feel the same. Having passed the national teacher certification exam, she’s ready to move on to the next part of her plan. She’s thought long and hard about the best way to hurt Yeon-jin, and the answer is clear — her precious daughter Ye-sol.
Given that I started watching this drama entirely for Kim Hieora and Lee Do-hyun, I’m surprisingly invested in the story. The Glory did a good job of introducing an interestingly diverse mix of characters and building suspense, elevated by its atmospheric cinematography — count on PD Ahn Gil-ho to never let us down!
As much as I can sympathize with Dong-eun’s bone-deep desire to mutilate Yeon-jin’s face with an industrial stapler, though, I don’t know if I can sit through even more of the show’s explicitly gruesome violence. Still, I’m intrigued by our central cast, and I’m curious as to how deep our protagonist’s revenge ploy runs.