The Glory

Good, but sending an odd message

The Glory is a gripping drama that kept me watching from episode to episode. I really liked the overall story and found myself hooked on how the plot unfolded. However, the show presents a very intense and somewhat unusual approach to dealing with bullying. While the protagonist’s journey for revenge is emotionally strong, it sometimes felt like she had help a little too easily, with several people supporting her despite not having a very convincing reason to do so.

The cast did a great job, and the acting felt genuine and impactful. The music wasn’t really my style, though it didn’t take away from the experience either. Overall, it’s a compelling drama with a strong storyline, even if some parts feel a bit stretched or dramatic. If you like emotional thrillers and revenge plots, this is definitely worth watching.

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Revenge but it's a slow burn

The foundation could've been written better. I get it's a revenge based story but there isn't much to the foundation. Why are the bullies, bullies? How do they get away with it?

I would've enjoyed the younger actors getting more details and story. Yes bullying is bad and it shouldn't be done. It just feels like they missed a chance to give us context. I have had friends that ended up being bullies and had to stop being their friend because they couldn't or wouldn't change. It's clear there's one main bully, why are the rest still that person's friend??? Context would've given this a 10.

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Revenge can be so Satisfying

In an era when school bullying remains a serious problem, The Glory feels particularly relevant. The drama is highly emotional, especially for someone like me with a strong sense of justice. The bullies are so vicious and cruel - almost psychopathic - that I absolutely hated them. Then there is Dong-eun's useless, drunken mother, who should protect her daughter but is more interested in money, and the teachers who turn a blind eye because the bullies come from wealthy and influential families. They are all equally infuriating.

This review covers the complete series — both Part 1 and Part 2 — rather than looking at them separately as they are streamed continuously.

Perhaps this is why the drama is so satisfying. Moon Dong-eun grows from a helpless victim into an intelligent and calculating woman capable of matching her wits against the people who destroyed her childhood and dashed her dream of becoming an architect. Of course, someone carrying that much pain is unlikely to emerge completely unscathed. Dong-eun is damaged, obsessive and consumed by revenge.

This is where The Glory becomes more than a simple revenge story. When a country's legal and policing systems fail to protect the innocent and deliver justice — especially when the perpetrators are too powerful to be held accountable — people may feel driven to seek justice through dark and personal revenge. Dong-eun's revenge is helped by others who have also experienced pain and suffering and can understand her.

The drama becomes a fascinating game of psychological warfare as the two sides counter each other's moves, while Dong-eun cleverly uses people on the fringes of her enemies' lives to get closer to her main target. There are morally questionable moments, and revenge sometimes takes dark and disturbing turns, but there is still an undeniable satisfaction in seeing the perpetrators finally face the consequences of their actions.

I did have a few minor quibbles about realism. Can someone really learn Go and become that proficient so quickly? And could a teacher realistically accumulate enough money to finance such an elaborate revenge plan, including a car and a separate apartment used mainly for surveillance? I also wondered whether chauffeurs and personal assistants would really go to such extraordinary lengths to cover up their employers' crimes rather than expose them.

These, however, are minor issues. The emotional tension kept me thoroughly invested — so much so that when Dong-eun appeared to be contemplating suicide towards the end, I was thinking, if she dies after everything she has been through, I am going to 'curse' the screenwriter and director!

The cast delivers excellent performances, with Im Ji-yeon particularly outstanding as the main villain. It is interesting to see her in such a different role from her leading role in Royal Nemesis.

Overall, I found The Glory highly entertaining, dark and immensely satisfying. The bullies will make your blood boil, but watching Dong-eun cunningly turn the tables on them makes the journey worthwhile. It is a gripping revenge drama about what happens when justice fails — and the victim decides to take matters into her own hands.

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The Glory- A game of Go

The Glory- A game of Go

From episode 1-8, I have been so hooked on the plot of this drama. I think it’s my first time seeing a school violence kdrama where the victim retaliates in such an interesting and well-planned way ad I’m enjoying this new take.

Although some of the line deliverance is slow (like most kdramas), the plot itself moves at a steady speed so it isn’t at all boring.

Song Hyekyo: I haven’t seen her play such a calm yet devious character and I am definitely impressed. She’s done a great job so far. As for her character, Dongeun, I am highly impressed with how the writers developed her- she changed in an fascinating yet comprehensible way which I liked.

Lim Ji-Yeon: WOW WOW WOW. I first saw her in High Society years ago and thought, ‘Aw, they should give this cutie more roles!’ CUTIE?!! I hated her character so much that I can’t look at her without associating her to Yeonjin- what a fantastic job she’s done. I’m looking forward to more great acting from her. As for Yeonjin herself, I really don’t understand how she thought she’d get away with lying to her daughter. Sooner or later, the kid would grow up and ask questions so what was her plan..?

Shin Yeeun: Sometimes I feel like I hate young Yeonjin more than the older version. Her expressions send me into literal RAGE! I can’t believe how impactful her acting was even though he has very little screen time compared to older Yeonjin.

Park Sunghoon: I loved him in Squid Game S2; I hated him here. Brilliant acting, mister.

Lee Dohyun: I refuse to believe someone who looks like him waited for the same unresponsive girl for 8 years- it just didn’t work for me. However, the way he was a mere loser in the beginning but had a lot more to his personal story later on, was very surprising.

The casting is PERFECT.

There are so many things that really caught my eye and held great significance which added to the plot: the significance of Go, the green shoes (and its painting), the ‘mememto mori’ tattoo and the tape covering it, the garden of devil’s trumpets… Whoever came up with all of this: hats off for the little details because I’m someone who loves little details.

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Truly powerful and intense experience

in my opinion, it is an outstanding show, but it comes with a strong content warning: it features severe abuse scenes that are very difficult to watch.

Learning that parts of the bullying are based on a real-life incident makes the viewing experience even more harrowing.
At the same time, the series reflects trauma and violence in a raw, realistic, and unfiltered way—a refreshing and important departure from typical K-dramas.

Because the core subject touches upon real-world issues, it is very easy to empathize with the female lead, feel her pain, and support her meticulous, years-long revenge strategy.

Song Hye-kyo delivers a phenomenal performance—cold and calculated, yet deeply layered with emotion.

Beyond the personal revenge plot, the series raises profound questions about human nature, class privilege, and the way institutional systems often fail victims of severe violence.

It is a brilliant, gripping, and masterfully crafted drama, but it is definitely not recommended for viewers who are sensitive to heavy depictions of abuse

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Now THIS Is How You Start a Revenge Story

I went into The Glory because I was craving something darker, more mature and serious, and somewhere around episode three or four I realised:
Oh. I'm IN.
By the time I reached episode eight, I basically couldn't stop watching.
The premise itself is horrifying. Moon Dong-eun is brutally bullied as a teenager, failed by practically every adult who should have protected her, and spends the next 18 years preparing to take revenge on the people who destroyed her life.
And I LOVE a good revenge story.
What immediately hooked me was the feeling that Dong-eun was moving pieces around a chessboard while everyone else was still living their lives completely unaware that the game had already started.
She isn't running around screaming about revenge.
She's quiet.
Watching.
Learning.
Positioning herself.
And Song Hye-kyo is actually perfect for this role.
I've never personally rated her as one of my favourite actresses because I often find her performances very restrained—almost expressionless at times. But with Dong-eun?
That quality WORKS.
This is a woman who seems to have shut down parts of herself just to survive. Nothing appears to move her much anymore, which makes those occasional moments when something cracks through that exterior even more effective.
But LIM JI-YEON?!
Good God.
She is acting the HELL out of Park Yeon-jin.
Beautiful, polished, wealthy, successful—and absolutely demented.
Both Lim Ji-yeon and Shin Ye-eun, who plays the younger Yeon-jin, completely sell this character as someone who doesn't simply do horrible things but genuinely seems to enjoy the power she has over other people.
And Park Sung-hoon apparently specialises in making me hate him. 😂
After seeing him in Queen of Tears, here he is AGAIN being an absolute douchebag. He has this arrogant, slightly suave energy that works ridiculously well for these characters.
Then there are the two men who increasingly fascinated me.
Ha Do-yeong, Yeon-jin's husband, starts playing Go with Dong-eun and gradually becomes intrigued by this strange woman who has deliberately entered his orbit.
And I kept wondering:
Why is this man thinking about her so much?
Is he attracted to her?
Suspicious of her?
Fascinated by her?
Does he simply enjoy finally meeting someone who challenges him?
I genuinely couldn't tell—and I liked that.
Then there's Yeo-jeong.
At first I thought we had the sweet doctor who was going to provide a little softness in this otherwise very dark story.
NOPE.
😂
Once he understands what happened to Dong-eun, this man is basically like:
Oh, you're destroying people? Wonderful. How can I assist?
And then we discover that our sweet doctor has some darkness of his OWN.
Suddenly I'm looking at that little smile very differently.
My one criticism of Part 1 is actually about the revenge structure itself.
I almost wish the series had hidden more of Dong-eun's preparation from us.
For example, rather than watching her recruit Hyeon-nam and then seeing Hyeon-nam gather information for her, I would have loved to see this seemingly random woman taking photographs and only discover later:
WAIT. SHE'S WORKING FOR DONG-EUN?!
I wanted more of those massive reveal moments where we discover that something seemingly unrelated was actually part of Dong-eun's plan all along.
Almost like a heist movie.
Show me the result first.
Make me wonder how the hell it happened.
Then pull back the curtain and show me that Dong-eun positioned that piece six months ago.
Because the idea that this woman has spent 18 years preparing for revenge made me want to believe that she had accounted for EVERYTHING.
Still, after eight episodes, I was completely invested.
The acting is fantastic. The villains are genuinely horrible. The story is dark without becoming difficult for me to watch, and despite the deliberate pacing, something is always moving.
Most importantly, I NEED to know what Dong-eun has planned for these people.
9/10.
Part 1 built the chessboard beautifully.
Now I need to see whether Part 2 can actually land all those pieces.

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Great revenge drama!

I really liked this drama especially the twists and turns it takes which keep you engaged in the plot. It never wavers or drags. There were few light moments, so keep in mind that you will be watching a lot of intense violence and cruelty in these episodes. Song Kye Hyo shines in this drama in a very understated way as the adult victim of high school bullying who sets out to take revenge on her sold classmates.

The drama depicts a society in which victims are terrorized by the rich and powerful who get away with crimes by buying off the right people. In this case, Moon Dong Sun (Kyo) is a student who is targeted by the worst bullies in her high school. Her torment is exacerbated by the fact that her cry for help falls on deaf ears and, with money, anything can be swept under the rug. The sense of hopelessness this creates propels our FL into action as she wills herself to live for revenge.

Kyo, and actress Jung Ji Soo, play the older and younger Moon Dong Sun respectively. They masterfully bring the tormented teen and steel-willed adult together to birth an avenging angel, ready to mete out punishment on her perps, while discovering the humanity she thought lost thanks to the help of caring adults she meets along the way

The perps are unfortunately depthless caricatures of how school bullies behave. Their cruelty is so over-the-top that it transcends the line between standard bullying and criminal deviancy. There is no backstory on any of these perps. You only get a glimpse of their family lives and the subtle hints of the superficiality and lack of genuine care to explain their deviancy. In the end, there is more to these teenagers than just normal teenage aggression, and this is done for the sake of dramatic purpose. The drama could not be as compelling were it just a case of high school bullying, as that kind of behavior is often forgotten with time and maturity. So, making them straight up criminals makes for a stronger plot and justifies our heroine's need for revenge.

The surprising thing is that these perps have not lost touch with each other. They are all tied together by their criminal secrets, love affairs, and selfish intentions. There is no camaraderie or love lost among these five bastards, and you wonder why they still suffer each other? At least it makes it easier for Moon Dong Sun to plot her revenge.

The romance angle is the weakest part of the plot. There wasn't any chemistry between the female and male leads. I wish they could have thought of a better way to keep them in each other's lives without resorting to that tired old story. Perhaps that was the respite to the heavier plot points.

It was still a better written drama than I was expecting, so I am pleased with the results. It also had a nice soundtrack and I would recommend this to audiences that like revenge plots.

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There will be neither forgiveness nor glory.

"There will be neither forgiveness nor glory."

Forgiveness can mean many things. And it is telling that the Pie Jesu Domine from Fauré's Requiem is the last thing we hear in the final episode, as the two protagonists enter the prison. From a Christian perspective, it means entrusting oneself to God and choosing to accept things as they are. "Lord, forgive those who have offended us." Mortal justice would serve no purpose. That kind of forgiveness does not grant absolution. A loophole that can sometimes save lives… Or impose silence and impunity, depending on who offers it. The heroine chooses neither option. She will take her revenge. They will pay for it, just like in that first scene at the motorway checkpoint.

It's exhausting to stay angry. A destructive emotion. It feeds on itself and needs to be fed. You mustn't lose focus and must keep in mind the source of that inner rage. But at times we allow ourselves joy because we're entitled to it ; those moments prove that we're alive... How many days does that add up to in total ? Not many, no doubt. Revenge doesn't change the past and we have a lot to lose, of course, but what about someone who has already lost everything ? The truth is that harassment seeps into the flesh and revenge destroys everything. The two are completely unrelated.
Not understanding it means you're in luck.

An ideal role for Song Hye-kyo, who had just learnt of her divorce from the press whilst she was in China. Her cowardly husband is forcing her to make this choice in public. A rather disgraceful attitude.

"I am not looking for a prince, but for an executioner who will join me in my dance of sacrifice"

I've read that the bullying aspect was exaggerated and too violent. But the (talented) screenwriter drew on a true story. Those wealthy young people who brutalised, confined, burned and SAed a disadvantaged pupil at their school : it really did happen, as the first episode shows. The school, the doctors and the police failed to defend the victim and instead protected the perpetrators.
(Seeing Shin Ye-eun as a sadistic villain wasn't something I expected at all, and her cruel smile is truly cold-blooded)

"Why do poor people believe that good always triumphs ?"

The mere mention of Kim Eun-Sook's name in the credits usually suffices to make you want to watch it. The story unfolds brilliantly, with each element falling into place according to its own logic. And the plot builds tension skillfully, knowing exactly how to show rather than tell, and then confirm without imposing. Exceptional.

I absolutely love the way the protagonist doesn't even try to make these privileged pieces of [redacted] feel guilty. They don't understand what she wants. Simply unthinkable to these people that anyone wouldn't want to make them confess their crimes or squeeze money out of them. And they feel no guilt whatsoever, so it becomes unbearable in their minds. Their "enemy" doesn't think like them ; that is the worst torture they could face. "When one has the intelligence to understand, one has the sense not to ask", wrote Balzac. They will ask, take offence, drive themselves mad, turn on one another, but they will never have the intelligence to understand. Too used to seeing things work out for them. How could it be otherwise ?

These wealthy families inflict violence on others and on themselves. That is simply what Dong-eun, their victim, exploits. Their world is violent ; to survive, they must be violent, to stay at the top of the hill of wealth. People underestimate the violence of the rich. Consequently, revenge isn't even particularly satisfying ; it is simply a continuation of this oppressive logic. Dong-eun derives no satisfaction from it. A clever narrative choice. Very clever. No doubt the reason why some people find the series disappointing or boring ? I, for one, find it fascinating.

The music remains understated for the most part. Bowed strings, violin harmonics, a shift from one chord to another with a pad added. At times it becomes lyrical, with strings and a piano taking centre stage. Kim Joon-seok and Jeong Se-rin do a fine job.

_Sa-ra, the painter, her paintings are reminiscent of Olivier Debré’s. Clearly beautiful.
_The alcoholic mother sent to a psychiatric hospital... I’m not a fan.
_A fine performance by Lim Ji-Yeon ! you almost feel sorry for her character whilst hating her.
_Yum Hye-ran, always in roles as mothers having a rough time on this earth.

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watch it

i really enjoyed watching this, it shows her getting her revenge the way she had planned to. The acting was truly amazing and really wowed me, everyone played their role amazingly and for how much of a sensitive and dark topic it is there is nothing i can criticise them on. The whole time i definitely felt on edge and felt very sympathetic for the main character, the reason why i gave emotion 7 is just because yes i did feel a lot of things but not what i thought i was going to feel. The plot twists were so on point and jaw dropping like you definitely did not expect it to happen! I think it is kinda a slow burn but not at the same time ykwim? like it goes into DEPTH about everything and i feel like the proper proper revenge only takes place in the last few episodes but i didn’t find one episode boring and it always left you on the edge of your seat for sure!!!

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Revenge is a dish best served COLD

I actually started this drama for Song Hye kyo and came to like Lee do Hyun more. And for some reason I liked Jung sung il character and Yoem Hye ran character too.

The storyline of this drama starts off with severe violence and the burn marks and forced kiss made me sick really. If this kind of bullying actually happen somewhere, I think I am so lucky I am not there. Seriously, it's so complicated that the victim can't even fight back. The worst part is the teacher being abusive as well. When the teacher beat her, no one in the room stopped or questioned him. How in the name of God, did they become teachers- seriously. The body shaming done by the boys in latter episode was not physically abusive but is emotionally worse than abusive. The way they say that they change target after one falls is a bit scary.

Even among the five there are 2 underdogs and they bite severely on those below them making them the worst and deserving of all sorts of punishment. All of them are in their personal hell as well.
This drama is a little bit scary really. I am not a fragile person but I feel like this because this drama brings out the violence side of me. I actually didn't feel the lead's revenge, unwarranted. I think the bullies deserve it. Especially, The scene where dong-eun fears grilling meat and has panic attack and when she cries of fear and disgust after meeting jae-jin in bathroom explains why they deserve it.

The parts that deserve applause are:
1. When Yeon Jin fears if her daughter finds out about her being a bully
2. When dong-eun says jae-jin that she is a daughter of someone too and hands him the little girl's colourless drawing
3. When yeo-jeong says to dong-eun that he'll be her executioner
4. When dong-eun teases jae-jin that he doesn't know what colourful means
5. When dong-eun instructs her students not to bully others
6. When dong-eun uses sa-ra for money and says she is going to hell
7. When hye-jeong's mother-in-law adores dong-eun which makes her kneel
8. When the teacher confronts dong-eun infront of his son (but seriously as much as I hate this teacher, being killed by his own son for what he has done is ****)

There was this scene that made me think a lot and cry a bit. It was the confrontation scene between Yeon-Jin and dong-eun where she says "Don't apologise. You need to receive punishment. Criminal punishment if God is on your side and divine punishment if God is on my side. Let's slowly wilt and die together, Yeon-Jin". Why would dong-eun want to die with her, after revenge she may continue to live right. But somehow I felt that after her revenge, she would lose the purpose of her survival because Yeon-Jin is her dream. What kind of a twisted story is this.

Throughout this drama, there are many what if's came through my mind like What if she had good parents though poor! What if the teacher was a better person! What if the school nurse was braver! What if she had one good adult to listen to her!

The house-keeper character is one of the best character of the drama. From making a deal to kill her husband To trying to develop an honest friendship with dong-eun, she was one person who seemed like a normal person in this drama. (Dong-eun is definitely not normal, living solely for the purpose of revenge, however justified, is definitely not normal)

Yeo-jeong's story was not detailed in this season. But however it was one of the reason I continued watching this series in the start.

Ha do-yeong, the rich husband of the antagonist. I can't categorize him in either way. However, he realises how evil his wife is in the last episode and we don't know how he is going to respond to it. But his character built-up was special. So he is one of the reason I am waiting for the season 2.

I think every actor has given their best in this drama. No special mention to anyone. Although I loved Song Hye kyo's acting in this drama, at times my mind wondered about an irony (i.e.) how powerful she is in real life than others and how powerless she seem in the drama.

Why I recommend this drama?!:
1. It conquers emotions well
2. The actors have done their job quite well
3. It will make you cry at times
4. I don't know what more to say really

Why I won't recommend this drama?!:
1. It's so dark and has extreme violence ( using stapler and hair straightener iron on someone.... And the red marks...)
2. It will make you uncomfortable at times

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