The perfect ending The Glory’s bitter aftertaste
The solidarity of the victims was stronger than that of the perpetrators. There were also many moments of crisis. No matter how meticulous a plan is, there are always variables. In addition, I felt uneasy when Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon), who is vicious, laughed, saying, “Why do you think that there are only good and bad luck and cause and effect in the world?” However, he supported Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) and her assistants with a consistent mind from the beginning to the end.
The revenge of Netflix’s original ‘The Glory’ was different from that of the movie ‘Taken’. “You have to step on the back, too. You have to make money, too. It was a busy and tiring job like Dong-eun’s line, “I have to move schools.” It was a revenge that did not directly put blood on their hands, that is, a revenge that made them fight and self-destruct in it if they made a precise plate. It reminded me of ‘Go Go’, which was mentioned several times as a metaphor.
The meticulous plan drawn up by Dong-eun caused cracks in the solidarity of the perpetrators. Once the crack broke, it collapsed in an instant. In the end, they fought among themselves and ended up in ruin. Dong-eun’s revenge was perfect. Each perpetrator has fallen in the most disastrous way. In fact, it may be their misguided desire that drove them into the abyss. The ghost of The Glory was thrilling and exhilarating.
“I once thought that. Who or what would it have been if you had helped me? Eighteen spring years have passed and I realize it now. That I had good adults, too. Friends, weather, divine intervention. And the word “die in the spring” was “pizza in the spring.” Thank you so much for saving me. I didn’t grow up well. But one spring, it will bloom. Stay healthy for a long time.” (Dong-eun)
Revenge was the most important theme in “The Glory,” but it was also “the solidarity of the victims” that was as important as revenge. The victims living in their respective hell discovered each other’s existence, understood each other’s pain, respected each other’s revenge, and cheered and assisted more than anyone else. Thankfully, “The Glory” strongly showed that the solidity of the solidarity can eventually destroy power and money.
Writer Kim Eun-sook wanted to talk about the lives of the victims who had to live even after revenge. The eyes were not focused only on Dong-eun, the victim of school violence, but also on Hyun-nam (Yeom Hye-ran) and Sun-ah (Choi Soo-in), the victims of domestic violence, and Jang-young (Lee Do-hyun), who lost her father to the killer. “The Glory” constantly tells the victims that revenge is not the end, but the beginning, and that it is important to regain glory in their lives.
“The Glory: Part 2” continued to become a hot topic of Part 1 by ranking first in 26 countries around the world (based on the weekly ranking of “Flix Patrol”). It dominated all of Asia, including Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and is also gaining popularity in South America and the Middle East. It also ranked second in France, Turkey, and Brazil, third in the United States, and fourth in the United Kingdom and Germany. As of the 11th, it is equivalent to Netflix’s top three TV shows worldwide.
Meanwhile, at a time when the popularity of “The Glory” was hot, suspicions of the production team’s school violence were raised, which was soon confirmed to be true. On the 10th, a school violence disclosure was posted on the Korean community site Hey Korean in the U.S. about producer Ahn Gil-ho, who directed The Glory. The author wrote that while studying in the Philippines in 1996, he was assaulted and verbally abused by 10 people, including producer Ahn Gil-ho, who was a senior in high school. The author was then in the second year of middle school.
In response to the allegations, producer Ahn Gil-ho said, “I don’t remember that,” and replied, “I tried to convey a message that the perpetrators don’t remember but the victim remembers in the drama I made, but now I have to tell you that I don’t remember.” However, when a more specific statement was reported through the media, he admitted to school violence and apologized.
It is desirable that producer Ahn Gil-ho admitted his mistake and apologized, but it is regrettable that the process was not smooth. In addition, the irony that the perpetrator of school violence made a drama that alerted school violence has tarnished the popularity and workmanship of “The Glory,” one of the best dramas of the year.
The aftertaste of “The Glory,” which completed the perfect ending, is bitter. Maybe it’s the most perfect ending in real life.