xiaxia

This drama started with a BANG and ended with a BANG. 😂💥 And honestly, what a ride.

I really enjoyed Season 2. It had everything I loved about the first season like the action, the crazy survival situations, the morally questionable characters, and of course, people getting themselves into situations where I’m just sitting there yelling at the screen. 😂

That being said… 8 episodes and I STILL felt like it dragged for about 2 episodes. 😭 There were moments where I felt like the story was moving a little too slowly considering how short the season was. I kept thinking, we only have 8 episodes, why are we taking our sweet time?! 😂 Thankfully, once things started moving again, they REALLY moved.

And the cast? Chef’s kiss. Lee Dong Wook absolutely outdid himself as Jung Jin Man. I swear, I love seeing this man in action roles. He just has the face for it. 😂 Give him a gun, put him in a dark room, have him stare at someone like he’s about to ruin their entire bloodline, and I’m sold. He makes these roles look so natural. Jin Man continues to be such an interesting character because there’s always this question of what he knows, what he’s planning, and just how far ahead of everyone else he actually is. Hye Jun was also fantastic as Jung Jian. I really enjoyed watching Jian grow this season. She had to become so much more capable and confident, and you could really feel the difference between the Jian we met before and the Jian we got this time around. She’s been thrown into this absolutely insane world, and instead of just surviving, she’s slowly learning how to play the game. I loved that for her.

And can we PLEASE talk about the supporting cast?! Brother and So Min Hye were two of my favorites. They brought so much personality to the story, and I genuinely loved whenever they were on screen. They’re the kind of supporting characters that make the world feel bigger because you actually care about what happens to them. Which, unfortunately, also means this season had me suffering. 😭

And then Okada Masaki just casually graced my screen?! HELLO?! 😂 As J, he was cruelly handsome. Like, unnecessarily handsome. And then they killed him off way too early! 😭😭 I know, I know, it was for the plot and his death had a purpose, but I still wanted MORE. I barely had time to enjoy looking at him before the show was like, okay, bye! 😂

And Hyunri as Q? CHEF'S KISS. 👏 Q was such a good character. I loved how intelligent, composed, and dangerous she was. She had this presence where you knew she was not someone to mess with, and yet she was also so fascinating to watch. The fact that she was coming after Jin Man and Jian's blood made her a legitimate threat, but I couldn't even completely hate her because she was just THAT good. 😂

Honestly, some of these supporting characters were more interesting to me than the actual villain. Because Kusanagi Jin… girl. 😭 This is probably my biggest criticism of the season. I really wanted to love her as the big villain, but she fell flat for me. I felt like the character was trying a little too hard to be dramatic, and Jung Yun Ha's performance came across as overly dramatic at times. There were moments where I could see what they were going for with the character, but instead of feeling intimidating, it sometimes felt like she was performing villainy. And that's a shame because the story gave her so much potential. With everything surrounding Jin Man and Jian, I wanted a villain who could really match them—not just someone who was obviously evil, but someone who could make me think, Oh… they're actually in trouble. Still, despite that, I had such a good time watching this season.

But damn… this season took PEOPLE from us. 😭💔 We lost some really good characters, and every time I started getting attached to someone, I was reminded that this is A Shop for Killers and nobody is safe. Sigh.

Lee Dong Wook with a gun will apparently continue to have me seated every single time. 😂

Now… Season 3, please. I need to know what happens next.