THE GLORY is a new Netflix revenge series from South Korea. You can watch the first 8 episodes which make up Part 1 of the series. Part 2 will be released on Netflix in March 2023, so you won’t have to wait long for the continuation.
While this is a revenge story, you must prepare yourself for one hell of a tough ride first. After all, no revenge story is complete without first showing the deeds that need avenging. In the case of this series that means sitting through scenes of brutal bullying. A constant belittling that results in both emotional and deep physical scars!
The Glory is about the teacher Moon Dong-eun, who desperately wants vengeance against the bullies who ruined her childhood. To be fair, they ruined much more than just her childhood, since the scars they left have only faded slightly. We’re talking literal burn scars that itch whenever she even thinks about her bullies.
Since the bullies come from important and rich families, she had no way of fighting back. In fact, when we see how she tried, she is punished further. It’s a dark story that hits hard and deep when watching it. And it should. Bullying is ugly and cruel.
In the case of this South Korean Netflix series, the scars left behind by bullying include both visible scars and those deep in the soul of Moon Dong-eun.
While Dong-eun carefully plots her revenge against all who watched her suffer, you can’t help but wonder if she isn’t also hurting herself. Don’t get me wrong; I understand her need for vengeance. After watching just episode 1, you will too.
However, she struggles and succeeds in so many ways, that you can’t help but think if she would be better off fighting for her own happiness. Even the good people in her life must take a backseat to her plans of revenge. This is perhaps even sadder because now Moon Dong-eun herself is letting them continue to have power over her.
Then again, I do love a good revenge story and Moon Dong-eun knows what she’s doing. Her plans begin to unfold when she becomes the homeroom teacher to the child of one of her childhood bullies.
Nothing is left to chance, so this is all part of her lifelong plan.
The all-important cast of The Glory on Netflix
If you’re familiar with South Korean genre productions (movies and series) you’ll see actors you recognize. This includes cast members from the amazing Netflix series Hellbound, the Netflix serial killer series Beyond Evil, and the Netflix horror-fantasy series Sweet Home.
Still, I have to highlight Song Hye-kyo who plays the main protagonist and revenge-seeking woman, Dong-eun. In The Glory, Song Hye-kyo plays the adult version who seeks revenge.
Obviously, I also have to highlight the amazing actor playing the young – and brutally bullied – version of Moon Dong-eun. Her name is Jung Ji-so and she was in the Academy Award-winning South Korean movie Parasite and the Hellbound series on Netflix.
Watch Part 1 of The Glory on Netflix now!
An Gil-ho is the director of The Glory with Kim Eun-sook as the writer. Despite not having watched anything either has worked on in the past, they have worked on several megahits. And, from what I’ve experienced with watching The Glory, I am in awe of their joint creation.
The Glory has 8 episodes in the first part of the series. Each episode is around one hour long, but time flies by when you’re watching it. This is (as it’s usually the case with South Korean genre stories) very character-driven and the characters are fascinating. Both due to their willpower and their flaws – yes, everyone has both!
This South Korean Netflix series is one of the most brutal psychological thriller series, I have ever witnessed. I found myself squirming and wanting to look away, but that also felt wrong. You have to confront and acknowledge bullying and The Glory (or rather Dong-eun) does just this.
An intense and fascinating story that I cannot wait to continue watching when Part 2 lands in March 2023.
The Glory Part 1 was released on Netflix on December 30, 2022. Part 2 will be released in March of 2023.
