This review may contain spoilers
Review may contain spoilers!!!!This drama is about saving a village from the religious cult. There is an amazing plot and screenplay.
It is a slow paced screenplay in the first half of the drama.Then when comes to second half each episode was fantastic.
Acting : Everyone of them acted so well in this drama. i can't see as main protagonist/antagonist in this drama. Each one of them plays an important role. The relationship between the villagers was well portrayed by the characters. Especially i liked the voice of the actor.
Plot:The screenplay for the plot of religious cult formation in the village is too good. The screenplay of the final episode was fantastic. What happens to the people after they get scammed was depicted beautifully in the whole episode. How it changed their lives and how they are living in their life thereafter because of that incident.
Music: The background music was nice.
Message delivered by this drama:
1. People believed the words from the person who seems to be good as true even though it is a lie.
2. People thought the words from the arrogant person as lie even though it is true .
3. Some people they cannot believe what is right or wrong as they chose believe themselves ( pastor character)
Viewers do not expect romantic and fluffiness in this drama. Those who want to watch religious cult and dark drama will enjoy it.
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This review may contain spoilers
the drama starts off very slow. there are tons of themes throughout the story but ultimately it's about community. i tuned in to it real time, so i won't know what it's like to binge it. but looking back...story: a con-man setting up in a small town before they are to be flooded for reconstruction of their land. not only speaks to displacement but also of seizing land and not caring about people. it's sad. they don't have much money and hope and each other is all they have. their community is beautiful but vulnerable. so that means someone can take it.
acting/cast: good. never seen uhm tae gu ever. a) he's hot (LOL) b) he's incredible. kim young min was fantastic. elder choi. jin sook. esom has gotten better. there's nothing to distract you
music: i literally never paid attn i know music and sound are important but i just....for certain stories they aren't integral. this is one of them.
rewatch value: i don't know. it's subjective, i don't think that makes our breaks the drama. plenty of things i'd never watch ever again. i think what mdl means is it entertaining enough for you to re-watch and not get bored. i don't think i'd rewatch it but it's up to you.'
overall: ok so it's like........a slice of a life drama. but what if in this life you were poor and in-and-out of jail and basically everyone hated you because they don't know the real you. and people are unsure of themselves. and....if a con-man tries to set up shop in your city to exploit its inhabitants. the drama takes us through it.
i know people say that maybe they shouldn't have named this 'save me 2' but they should have. they're two sides of the same coin. it questions reality and our beliefs and shows a society where poor people bear the brunt of change with no say. it's interesting. nothing about this could not happen in real life honestly. like there are crazier stories and it's plausible. and that's the sad part.
imo, it's a happy ending. because we have to continue. i think it's a much more emotionally responsive peace to the previous season and i think we all get to feel like woolchori is in us....
and to reiterate....uhm tae gu did. what. he. had. to. do.
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Season 2 is all about how the cult gets started, quite different from season1 where the cult was already established.
The plot is so refined and realistic that it climbs up on you slow and steady.
Phenomenal acting by everyone.
Stunning direction.
Although the dialogues weren't as strong as season 1.
It still does the job.
The primary reason is that the characters didn't have the same depth as they had in season 1 , it was more horrifying mentally .
Same with the dialogues. I'm not complaining but actually pointing out the difference b/w the seasons .That's about it pretty much .
Season 1 was epic, season 2 is in the same line but a bit behind. :)
PS: This dram is not for those, you don't have patience and want fake thrill. The thrill comes eventually, as the plot continues to build momentarily.
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A very unique and interesting experience
The story was very unique for me. It was not like other dramas at all. In some scenes based on music and experience as a drama watcher you expect something huge to happen but nothing special happens, and there are scenes that something important happens out of the blue, which by the way, were very lacking in music.The story was consistent and slow, but fulfilling for me. some characters behaved a little illogical sometimes, however in my opinion it was interesting because it made the show more realistic.
In total the series was very interesting for me and had many unexpected happenings, The story surprises you and is sometimes irrational and some scenes don' have any apparent lesson or guidance to offer and are seemingly redundant, which is very refreshing for me. I believe this is a unique flavor that I only encountered in some Korean movies and for the first time in a drama here.
Finally I believe the story is trying to convey just one important message, and that is:
"Don't doubtlessly believe in something"
And it is very in sync with my personal belief. Unfortunately we see the opposite point of view in most of the people around the world, which is the main cause of many conflicts globally, despite the modern era. My favorite quotation which describes this message perfectly is:
"Before having faith be a servant of doubt"
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Better than season 1
Regarding season 1:I found it to be very flawed from all angles and it only served as a learning experience for those who carried on with the second season. Its portrayal of a cult lacked a compelling thematic foundation, opting instead to draw inspiration from cheap rip-off D-grade movies themed around cults. Where cults are extremely over-dramatized to the point of crossing the supernatural territory. The cult apparently possessed super powers of hypnosis with only a few words spoken, even towards people who weren't perceptible to religious and spiritual beliefs. Everything surrounded the cult came off as cartoonish even within the context of a 'drama'. The narrative itself struggled to carry its own weight, particularly as it primarily focused on the perspectives of the outsiders. It always felt as if it was building up towards something bigger but it never got there. For a 16-episodes run, it needed a proper world building and foundation for the cult. Establishing a distinct "character" for the cult would have provided a stronger identity. Back to the outsiders, having the drama led by teenage characters was another weak aspect of it. Bland and cardboard characters. The mystery element was a crucial part of the drama yet it was lacking and under-delivering. The first season would have fared better as a standalone one-off movie rather than a drama. It doesn't make any sense why the drama was rated this high, according to MDL standards, especially when season 2 effectively addressed most of the issues with the cult and delivered an overall better package!
Regarding Season 2:
It managed to deliver a much more compelling package than season 1. The most important part is that it handled the cult theme properly. The characters and the cast were a lot more appealing than season 1. Having a more adult leading characters rather than teenager was a plus. Uhm Tae Goo was a perfect casting choice for his character. The story had a better and more natural progression than season 1. However, it got sloppier the closer it got to the ending. Speaking of the ending, it was a bit underwhelming and not as grandiose as I hoped it would be. Second season should have been a stand alone drama unrelated to the first one, not even in the name. If you don't feel like watching two seasons then you can ignore the first one and just watch the second.
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"Ready for a Save Me 3, even 4 LOL (DON'T LET THE RATING FOOL YOU)"
I loved Save Me 1 & Save Me 2 even more. Save Me 1 was more fast paced which I am more into but because I loved Save Me 1 I gave Save Me 2 a go. It's a slow start & slower pace at 1st but you are introduced to the characters & they unfold in a way that they didn't in Save Me 1. They also grow on you despite their huge mistakes/baffled but this storyline actually happens in real life. If I had to choose between the 1st or 2nd Save Me supporting cast, Save Me 2 had the best character development of the supporting cast members. Save Me 2's ending was also much better & satisfying in my opinion. The 2 series do correlate, Save Me 2 is the beginning/intro/backstory of Save Me 1. You could honestly watch Save Me 2 1st or Save Me 1 1st, starting with either one doesn't ruin/spoil the other one. OMG the main character, UHM TAE GOO......that voice, that face structure, best troubled/bad boy/explosive character I've seen so far & his character development was good/I had hope for his development & it was fulfilled. Following his work for sure (1st saw him in Age of Shadows, movie)!!! The sister was annoying at times but loved her in "Because This Is My First Life" another reason to watch Save Me 2. I also saw "Crash Landing On You" before Save Me 2 which has the actor, Kim Young Min (Sung Cheol Woo [Pastor]), his acting performance has grown on me also. I watched the series in 2 days, sleep can wait HAHA.Was this review helpful to you?
Believe the rating, it's not great
I watched this because I enjoyed season 1, contrary to the other reviewers. The acting in the previous season was much better in my opinion. I agree that there were points in the drama that were exact stereotypes of cult behaviours but I still feel like the whole drama was executed way better than this. Please believe in the rating of this drama omg... The rating given the number of viewers says a lot about it already.Cast
Sorry, but I've never been a fan of Esom because I feel like she's unable to portray emotions well and this drama proves my point once again. The side characters did a better job in my opinion LOL. This was my first time watching the explosive male lead but I think he's not bad. It's difficult to like anyone in the drama in my opinion...
Plot
As most of the reviewers mentioned, this drama has a slow start. I listened to their advice and tried to push through but I still think it's slow at episode 11. When I read their reviews, I end up doubting myself... Are we even watching the same drama? Some character development is there but feels abrupt.
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