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Murthehelp VS Babylon
Season 1 of A Shop for Killers worked thanks to a subtle balance between a gripping, claustrophobic thriller and inventive action that managed to surprise at every turn. We followed Ji-An through a believable progression, we worried about her, and we anxiously watched her make one risky choice after another. The tension was constant, with twists in every episode. It was pretty difficult to figure out where the story was going because information was revealed little by little. Season 2 completely changes direction, and yet the first episode really whetted my appetite because it was clever and offered another great idea to bring both returning viewers and newcomers into the story. Unfortunately, I was immediately less convinced by what followed. Sure, the drama is as addictive as a good pack of Kopiko candies, but it completely abandons the novel in order to exploit the 100% action angle.
The first episode starts with a rather original idea: it takes place during the final episode of Season 1, but from Jin-Man's point of view. We get to see what was happening behind the scenes, while also discovering his connection to Babylon's Japanese branch more than fifteen years earlier, before he founded Murthehelp. If Season 1 was a faithful adaptation of the first chapter of Kang Ji-Young's book, this sequel is a very loose adaptation that no longer follows the original trilogy's storyline at all. I'll be honest: I could have stopped right there at the end of this introductory episode. Why? Because what follows completely abandons the intelligent thriller side of the story and dives headfirst into much more generic action spectacle. I felt like I was watching a mix of Counter-Strike and Splinter Cell (the video games), with a bit of The Expendables thrown in. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it still needs to live up to the stakes. Unfortunately, this feels more like fan service than anything else. Overall, it's enjoyable, but nothing more. I'm a little disappointed because the narrative downgrade compared with Season 1 isn't merely a matter of degree.
After Season 1, we were expecting the return of Bale (Jo Han-Sun), the iconic antagonist, the psychopath, the unstoppable killing machine. He is indeed here, but unfortunately, he's little more than a guest appearance before giving way to the Sino-Korean Jin Kusanagi (Jung Yun-Ha), the head of Babylon's Japanese branch. She has about as much charisma as an oyster, and her best agent, Agent Q (Hyunri), is barely any better. I'm not against women being used as badass characters—quite the opposite—but seriously, was there really nothing better available? They simply lack presence, and more importantly, they never feel dangerous in any way. The Murthehelp team is still around, but many of them no longer have the same impact. They mostly seem to be there to make an appearance, before several of them are eventually taken out toward the end. We could have hoped for stronger bonds between Jin-Man and Ji-An. Nope. Everything feels artificial and predictable. I don't get the same hype as before, especially that wonderfully chaotic feeling that things were almost being improvised on the spot. The plot is so basic that Episode 2 is almost the complete opposite of the first. I genuinely thought it was some kind of elaborate joke. The rest isn't exactly brilliant either, and by the final episode, you can pretty much read the whole thing like an open book.
The story creates a stylistic clash between two rival organizations fighting for the parallel-market arms trade, supplying Third World governments, rebels, and private militias. Whereas Murthehelp was originally presented almost like a local business catering to the "killers in the neighborhood," it has now received a massive upgrade and is suddenly capable of almost going toe-to-toe with Babylon. The arrival of a whole army of "clowns" makes the series more spectacular and bloodier, with sound design that can sometimes be excessive (the knife impacts sound downright cartoonish). The violence is therefore turned up a notch, and the visual spectacle improves, while realism and atmosphere take a hit. Some characters we had grown attached to in the past aren't treated with much respect. A minimum amount of empathy, please—is that really too much to ask? Meaningful relationships disappear in favor of predictable and pointless behavior. Thankfully, the fight sequences are well choreographed, because it would have been something if they'd messed those up too. Special mention to Ji-An, who apparently read How to Become G.I. Joe in 10 Easy Lessons to make up for her previous combat deficiencies.
Technically, it's solid, no complaints there: the direction lives up to its ambitions. And if you're looking for fights, massacres, explosions, and mass dismemberment, you're going to be well served. It's a shame we don't get to see the uncle and niece together more often; they seem to spend most of their time avoiding each other. I wasn't convinced by the supposed-but-not-really passing of the torch: Kim Hye-Jun was better and more convincing in Season 1 than she is here. Apparently, somewhere between a stray bullet and a punch to the face, she somehow found time to get her hair done and her makeup touched up... Yeah, between a full-blown brawl and a beauty salon, priorities matter. Lee Dong-Wook does the job; it's clean and solid without being outstanding. As for Jin-Man's team, it's nice to see the old faces returning, but since I don't want to spoil anything, prepare to be disappointed and disgusted. The drama is short, just like Season 1, but the density is noticeably lower. That's undeniable. It feels like they spend several episodes circling each other before finally making an appointment for the big final fight. What a surprise!
In the end, Season 2 isn't bad, far from it, but it has lost what made the first season so appealing. Where Season 1 was constantly trying to surprise us, this one is mostly trying to blow us away. It works fairly well if you approach it as pure, unapologetically over-the-top entertainment, but much less so if you were hoping for the tense and clever thriller that made the first season such an addictive watch. We still have the characters, the weapons, the fights, and gallons of blood, but we've lost a large part of what made the first season so compelling: the tension, the uncertainty, and that feeling that everything could go completely off the rails at any moment. It's spectacular and occasionally exhilarating, but considerably more predictable. The entertainment factor is still there, but if the steak is bloodier, it doesn't taste as good. The conclusion is bafflingly predictable, but the good news is that the ending seems fairly definitive... Which, in my opinion, won't stop them from making one final installment anyway.
The first episode starts with a rather original idea: it takes place during the final episode of Season 1, but from Jin-Man's point of view. We get to see what was happening behind the scenes, while also discovering his connection to Babylon's Japanese branch more than fifteen years earlier, before he founded Murthehelp. If Season 1 was a faithful adaptation of the first chapter of Kang Ji-Young's book, this sequel is a very loose adaptation that no longer follows the original trilogy's storyline at all. I'll be honest: I could have stopped right there at the end of this introductory episode. Why? Because what follows completely abandons the intelligent thriller side of the story and dives headfirst into much more generic action spectacle. I felt like I was watching a mix of Counter-Strike and Splinter Cell (the video games), with a bit of The Expendables thrown in. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it still needs to live up to the stakes. Unfortunately, this feels more like fan service than anything else. Overall, it's enjoyable, but nothing more. I'm a little disappointed because the narrative downgrade compared with Season 1 isn't merely a matter of degree.
After Season 1, we were expecting the return of Bale (Jo Han-Sun), the iconic antagonist, the psychopath, the unstoppable killing machine. He is indeed here, but unfortunately, he's little more than a guest appearance before giving way to the Sino-Korean Jin Kusanagi (Jung Yun-Ha), the head of Babylon's Japanese branch. She has about as much charisma as an oyster, and her best agent, Agent Q (Hyunri), is barely any better. I'm not against women being used as badass characters—quite the opposite—but seriously, was there really nothing better available? They simply lack presence, and more importantly, they never feel dangerous in any way. The Murthehelp team is still around, but many of them no longer have the same impact. They mostly seem to be there to make an appearance, before several of them are eventually taken out toward the end. We could have hoped for stronger bonds between Jin-Man and Ji-An. Nope. Everything feels artificial and predictable. I don't get the same hype as before, especially that wonderfully chaotic feeling that things were almost being improvised on the spot. The plot is so basic that Episode 2 is almost the complete opposite of the first. I genuinely thought it was some kind of elaborate joke. The rest isn't exactly brilliant either, and by the final episode, you can pretty much read the whole thing like an open book.
The story creates a stylistic clash between two rival organizations fighting for the parallel-market arms trade, supplying Third World governments, rebels, and private militias. Whereas Murthehelp was originally presented almost like a local business catering to the "killers in the neighborhood," it has now received a massive upgrade and is suddenly capable of almost going toe-to-toe with Babylon. The arrival of a whole army of "clowns" makes the series more spectacular and bloodier, with sound design that can sometimes be excessive (the knife impacts sound downright cartoonish). The violence is therefore turned up a notch, and the visual spectacle improves, while realism and atmosphere take a hit. Some characters we had grown attached to in the past aren't treated with much respect. A minimum amount of empathy, please—is that really too much to ask? Meaningful relationships disappear in favor of predictable and pointless behavior. Thankfully, the fight sequences are well choreographed, because it would have been something if they'd messed those up too. Special mention to Ji-An, who apparently read How to Become G.I. Joe in 10 Easy Lessons to make up for her previous combat deficiencies.
Technically, it's solid, no complaints there: the direction lives up to its ambitions. And if you're looking for fights, massacres, explosions, and mass dismemberment, you're going to be well served. It's a shame we don't get to see the uncle and niece together more often; they seem to spend most of their time avoiding each other. I wasn't convinced by the supposed-but-not-really passing of the torch: Kim Hye-Jun was better and more convincing in Season 1 than she is here. Apparently, somewhere between a stray bullet and a punch to the face, she somehow found time to get her hair done and her makeup touched up... Yeah, between a full-blown brawl and a beauty salon, priorities matter. Lee Dong-Wook does the job; it's clean and solid without being outstanding. As for Jin-Man's team, it's nice to see the old faces returning, but since I don't want to spoil anything, prepare to be disappointed and disgusted. The drama is short, just like Season 1, but the density is noticeably lower. That's undeniable. It feels like they spend several episodes circling each other before finally making an appointment for the big final fight. What a surprise!
In the end, Season 2 isn't bad, far from it, but it has lost what made the first season so appealing. Where Season 1 was constantly trying to surprise us, this one is mostly trying to blow us away. It works fairly well if you approach it as pure, unapologetically over-the-top entertainment, but much less so if you were hoping for the tense and clever thriller that made the first season such an addictive watch. We still have the characters, the weapons, the fights, and gallons of blood, but we've lost a large part of what made the first season so compelling: the tension, the uncertainty, and that feeling that everything could go completely off the rails at any moment. It's spectacular and occasionally exhilarating, but considerably more predictable. The entertainment factor is still there, but if the steak is bloodier, it doesn't taste as good. The conclusion is bafflingly predictable, but the good news is that the ending seems fairly definitive... Which, in my opinion, won't stop them from making one final installment anyway.
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