3
2
Review of the first 6 episodes to date
I know many do not like seeing reviews of unfinished dramas, but I have so much to say that I fear I will forget by the time this drama wraps up, so I want to put pen to paper after watching the first 6 episodes and will update once the season wraps up.
So, to date, my overall reaction is that this second season is bigger, denser, and more overtly political than Season 1, but still manages to capture one's full attention; I know it does mine. I feel like I am transported to a different world when I am watching the two-drop episodes each week. I am in awe at how much work has been put into this drama, be it the actors, the writers, the director, or the producers. Just in awe. The one thing I've noticed so far is that the show has traded some of the relentless survival-thriller energy of Ji-an defending the shopping mall for a broader war against Babylon and a deeper exploration of Jin-man's past.
So what is Season 2 doing differently, some of you may ask? To answer this question, I must first say that Season 1 was essentially built around a fantastic hook: a young woman discovers her dead uncle was running a covert arms-and-assassination network. Everything was filtered through Ji-an's confusion and terror. Season 2 shifts the perspective. Instead of asking: what is happening, the question becomes: how do we destroy Babylon? The narrative fills in gaps from the first season and runs parallel stories involving Jin-man's survival, Babylon's internal politics, and the broader network of killers. I find this expansion exciting because the world suddenly feels much larger. I have seen reviews where others say the show has lost some of the claustrophobic intensity that made its first season so addictive. I disagree, but that is why differing perspectives matter.
A new season brings with it new characters, but the characters that matter most are the returning ones, such as Ji-an, Jin-man, Pasin, So Min Hye, Brother, and others. Ji-an remains the emotional center of the series. The biggest development is that she is no longer merely reacting. In Season 1 she was being hunted; in Season 2 she's increasingly making choices and asserting herself within a world she once barely understood. The show is gradually turning her from survivor into player.
As for Jeong Jin-man, he remains the focus, and Lee Dong-wook continues to carry the show. I think one of the clever aspects of Season 2 is showing what Jin-man was doing behind the scenes while Season 1 events unfolded. Rather than undoing Season 1, it reframes it. We learn that many events were part of a much larger operation against Babylon. Jin-man remains fascinating because he genuinely loves Ji-an but routinely manipulates information "for her own good." That contradiction is one of the strongest themes of the season.
As for Pasin and the old crew, they continue to provide continuity with the first season and help expand the mythology of Babylon and the mercenary world. They're arguably more important now because the conflict has moved from a personal siege into something resembling a covert war.
And, of course, there is Bale. He has always been one of the most memorable characters because he's pure chaos. I think what I found fascinating about him is that he is, in more ways than one, Jin-man's dark mirror. Both are lethal operators, with the biggest distinction being that Bale kills because he enjoys it, while Jin-man does only when he has to. I know I am not the only one who kept thinking throughout Season 1, and especially at the end, how did Bale survive? Well, Season 2 finally addresses that. The explanation is that Babylon pulled him out and protected him, tying his survival directly to the organization's power and influence. To me, he is almost mythic; everything Jin-man isn't and yet somehow just as magnetic. He is the villain one loves to hate. In a way, I feel that Babylon uses him to exacerbate situations involving Jin-man, his family, and his friends. He is a tool to be discarded once it becomes obsolete. He is the symptom rather than the cause.
The new characters, however, are where Season 2 really starts to broaden its world. To me, it feels like the new additions are generally there to flesh out Babylon itself. One improvement over Season 1 is that Babylon no longer feels like a vague shadow organization. The show spends more time showing its structure, hierarchy, security systems, rivalries, and internal power struggles. The downside is that not every new character gets enough development. One of them is Okada Masaki. I love him as an actor and was so excited to see him join this season.
That said, two of the new additions who immediately captured my attention are J and Q. Part of that comes down to the performances themselves, but it is also because both characters bring a very different energy into the series. In a drama filled with professional killers, mercenaries, and operatives who often project competence through silence and restraint, J and Q somehow manage to stand out while still feeling completely at home in this world. What I particularly enjoy is the chemistry between them. Whether they are exchanging looks, trading barbs, or working together, they inject a sense of unpredictability into every scene they appear in. They feel dangerous, but also strangely entertaining to watch. Their presence adds another layer to the expanding world of Babylon and helps prevent the growing cast from feeling too similar.
The actors deserve a great deal of credit for this. New characters in a second season often struggle to establish themselves because audiences are already invested in the returning cast. Yet both performers make an immediate impression and feel as though they belong in this world. Even when they are not driving the story forward, they are the kind of characters who naturally draw your attention whenever they appear on screen. More importantly, they represent one of Season 2's greatest strengths: its ability to continually introduce new players while making the world feel larger, more interconnected, and alive. I still hope the series spends more time developing some of its newer characters, but J and Q are among the few who already feel like more than just pieces on the board. A few others, however, feel more like pieces on a chessboard than fully realized people, which I guess makes Babylon and those who continue to do its dirty work the real monsters.
The biggest strengths of the first 6 episodes -- Lee Dong-wook. He is as fantastic as ever. He remains effortlessly charismatic and believable as a strategist, fighter, and reluctant guardian. The world-building is much richer. Babylon finally feels like an institution rather than a mysterious plot device. And the fact that we get to see actors from Japan and other countries makes it that much more impactful. This season also has incredibly strong action sequences. I mean, the first one did as well, but this time around, the fluidity, efficiency, and speed that the Japanese affiliation brings is just a pleasure to watch. The action remains among the best in recent K-drama thrillers. The show understands geography and tension better than many action series.
I think what I like most is that the second season is not just a continuation of the first, but that it provides us with a better understanding of Season 1. Many scenes from the first season gain new meaning once the additional context is revealed. But like any drama that expands its storytelling, especially one that is as fast-paced as this one, it becomes less suspenseful. Not that this means it is any less good, just that it can occasionally feel a bit more predictable, though I am only speaking about the first 6 episodes. Season 1 had a simple, almost perfect premise: survive the night. Season 2 is more complicated but sometimes less gripping because of it. The pacing can feel uneven at times, especially when the drama pauses its momentum for exposition about Babylon's operations and internal politics. The expanding cast means some characters receive less attention than they deserve, while others perhaps receive more than they need. But there is still so much more story to tell, so who knows where it will all lead.
No doubt Season 1 was tighter and arguably more original. Season 2 is more ambitious and expansive. Whether it's better ultimately depends on where it goes from here. This said, I love this season, and I find myself at my wits' end having to wait week to week for new episodes. If you watched Season 1 primarily for Ji-an's desperate fight for survival, Season 2 may feel less focused. If you were fascinated by Jin-man, Babylon, Bale, and the hidden world around the shopping mall, Season 2 is probably giving you exactly what you wanted. I know it is for me.
For me, this season seems to be less about the inconceivable acts some of these people commit and more about the machine that created them in the first place. And I am completely here for that. The rating is based on the first 6 episodes only!
So, to date, my overall reaction is that this second season is bigger, denser, and more overtly political than Season 1, but still manages to capture one's full attention; I know it does mine. I feel like I am transported to a different world when I am watching the two-drop episodes each week. I am in awe at how much work has been put into this drama, be it the actors, the writers, the director, or the producers. Just in awe. The one thing I've noticed so far is that the show has traded some of the relentless survival-thriller energy of Ji-an defending the shopping mall for a broader war against Babylon and a deeper exploration of Jin-man's past.
So what is Season 2 doing differently, some of you may ask? To answer this question, I must first say that Season 1 was essentially built around a fantastic hook: a young woman discovers her dead uncle was running a covert arms-and-assassination network. Everything was filtered through Ji-an's confusion and terror. Season 2 shifts the perspective. Instead of asking: what is happening, the question becomes: how do we destroy Babylon? The narrative fills in gaps from the first season and runs parallel stories involving Jin-man's survival, Babylon's internal politics, and the broader network of killers. I find this expansion exciting because the world suddenly feels much larger. I have seen reviews where others say the show has lost some of the claustrophobic intensity that made its first season so addictive. I disagree, but that is why differing perspectives matter.
A new season brings with it new characters, but the characters that matter most are the returning ones, such as Ji-an, Jin-man, Pasin, So Min Hye, Brother, and others. Ji-an remains the emotional center of the series. The biggest development is that she is no longer merely reacting. In Season 1 she was being hunted; in Season 2 she's increasingly making choices and asserting herself within a world she once barely understood. The show is gradually turning her from survivor into player.
As for Jeong Jin-man, he remains the focus, and Lee Dong-wook continues to carry the show. I think one of the clever aspects of Season 2 is showing what Jin-man was doing behind the scenes while Season 1 events unfolded. Rather than undoing Season 1, it reframes it. We learn that many events were part of a much larger operation against Babylon. Jin-man remains fascinating because he genuinely loves Ji-an but routinely manipulates information "for her own good." That contradiction is one of the strongest themes of the season.
As for Pasin and the old crew, they continue to provide continuity with the first season and help expand the mythology of Babylon and the mercenary world. They're arguably more important now because the conflict has moved from a personal siege into something resembling a covert war.
And, of course, there is Bale. He has always been one of the most memorable characters because he's pure chaos. I think what I found fascinating about him is that he is, in more ways than one, Jin-man's dark mirror. Both are lethal operators, with the biggest distinction being that Bale kills because he enjoys it, while Jin-man does only when he has to. I know I am not the only one who kept thinking throughout Season 1, and especially at the end, how did Bale survive? Well, Season 2 finally addresses that. The explanation is that Babylon pulled him out and protected him, tying his survival directly to the organization's power and influence. To me, he is almost mythic; everything Jin-man isn't and yet somehow just as magnetic. He is the villain one loves to hate. In a way, I feel that Babylon uses him to exacerbate situations involving Jin-man, his family, and his friends. He is a tool to be discarded once it becomes obsolete. He is the symptom rather than the cause.
The new characters, however, are where Season 2 really starts to broaden its world. To me, it feels like the new additions are generally there to flesh out Babylon itself. One improvement over Season 1 is that Babylon no longer feels like a vague shadow organization. The show spends more time showing its structure, hierarchy, security systems, rivalries, and internal power struggles. The downside is that not every new character gets enough development. One of them is Okada Masaki. I love him as an actor and was so excited to see him join this season.
That said, two of the new additions who immediately captured my attention are J and Q. Part of that comes down to the performances themselves, but it is also because both characters bring a very different energy into the series. In a drama filled with professional killers, mercenaries, and operatives who often project competence through silence and restraint, J and Q somehow manage to stand out while still feeling completely at home in this world. What I particularly enjoy is the chemistry between them. Whether they are exchanging looks, trading barbs, or working together, they inject a sense of unpredictability into every scene they appear in. They feel dangerous, but also strangely entertaining to watch. Their presence adds another layer to the expanding world of Babylon and helps prevent the growing cast from feeling too similar.
The actors deserve a great deal of credit for this. New characters in a second season often struggle to establish themselves because audiences are already invested in the returning cast. Yet both performers make an immediate impression and feel as though they belong in this world. Even when they are not driving the story forward, they are the kind of characters who naturally draw your attention whenever they appear on screen. More importantly, they represent one of Season 2's greatest strengths: its ability to continually introduce new players while making the world feel larger, more interconnected, and alive. I still hope the series spends more time developing some of its newer characters, but J and Q are among the few who already feel like more than just pieces on the board. A few others, however, feel more like pieces on a chessboard than fully realized people, which I guess makes Babylon and those who continue to do its dirty work the real monsters.
The biggest strengths of the first 6 episodes -- Lee Dong-wook. He is as fantastic as ever. He remains effortlessly charismatic and believable as a strategist, fighter, and reluctant guardian. The world-building is much richer. Babylon finally feels like an institution rather than a mysterious plot device. And the fact that we get to see actors from Japan and other countries makes it that much more impactful. This season also has incredibly strong action sequences. I mean, the first one did as well, but this time around, the fluidity, efficiency, and speed that the Japanese affiliation brings is just a pleasure to watch. The action remains among the best in recent K-drama thrillers. The show understands geography and tension better than many action series.
I think what I like most is that the second season is not just a continuation of the first, but that it provides us with a better understanding of Season 1. Many scenes from the first season gain new meaning once the additional context is revealed. But like any drama that expands its storytelling, especially one that is as fast-paced as this one, it becomes less suspenseful. Not that this means it is any less good, just that it can occasionally feel a bit more predictable, though I am only speaking about the first 6 episodes. Season 1 had a simple, almost perfect premise: survive the night. Season 2 is more complicated but sometimes less gripping because of it. The pacing can feel uneven at times, especially when the drama pauses its momentum for exposition about Babylon's operations and internal politics. The expanding cast means some characters receive less attention than they deserve, while others perhaps receive more than they need. But there is still so much more story to tell, so who knows where it will all lead.
No doubt Season 1 was tighter and arguably more original. Season 2 is more ambitious and expansive. Whether it's better ultimately depends on where it goes from here. This said, I love this season, and I find myself at my wits' end having to wait week to week for new episodes. If you watched Season 1 primarily for Ji-an's desperate fight for survival, Season 2 may feel less focused. If you were fascinated by Jin-man, Babylon, Bale, and the hidden world around the shopping mall, Season 2 is probably giving you exactly what you wanted. I know it is for me.
For me, this season seems to be less about the inconceivable acts some of these people commit and more about the machine that created them in the first place. And I am completely here for that. The rating is based on the first 6 episodes only!
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