The Glory (2022)

The Glory (Korean: 더 글로리) is a South Korean revenge psychological thriller television series written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Ahn Gil-ho for Netflix. Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Sung-hoon, and Jung Sung-il round out the ensemble cast.

The series was divided into two parts: Part 1 was released on December 30, 2022, and Part 2 was released on March 10, 2023, both to critical acclaim and viewership success. It received eight nominations at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards, winning three: Best Drama, Best Actress for Song Hye-kyo, and Best Supporting Actress for Lim Ji-yeon.

Premise

Moon Dong-eun, a former victim of school violence, plans and seeks revenge on her bullies after taking up a job as a homeroom teacher at the elementary school of the bully leader's child (Ha Ye-sol). Some scenes are based on a true event in 2006 when a group of middle schoolers from Cheongju, South Korea, extorted money from their classmate for about a month, repeatedly beating and burning her using objects in the process.

Cast

Main

Song Hye-kyo as Moon Dong-eun

Jung Ji-so as young Dong-eun

A homeroom teacher at Semyeong Elementary School, Dong-eun was the victim of relentless bullying and physical abuse during high school at the hands of Yeon-jin and her group. Forced to drop out, she later devises an elaborate plan of revenge against those who tormented her. After resigning from her teaching position, she enrolls in an architecture program and becomes a chartered architect, fulfilling her dream from high school.

Lee Do-hyun as Joo Yeo-jeong

A plastic surgeon formerly employed at Seoul Joo General Hospital, of which his mother is director. Yeo-jeong taught Dong-eun the game Go and has developed romantic feelings for her since their university years. He ultimately assists in her revenge plan, driven by personal motives related to his own quest for justice after the murder of his father, a doctor killed by a patient he was trying to save.

Lim Ji-yeon as Park Yeon-jin

Shin Ye-eun as young Yeon-jin

A weather presenter who was the ringleader of the group that bullied Dong-eun in high school. Yeon-jin conceals the truth about her daughter's paternity, passing off Ye-sol as her wealthy husband's. Responsible for numerous cruel acts, including the death of another bullying victim, her crimes are eventually exposed. She is arrested and forced to endure consequences mirroring the suffering she once inflicted.

Yeom Hye-ran as Kang Hyeon-nam

A housekeeper formerly employed by the president of Semyeong Foundation. A victim of domestic abuse alongside her teenage daughter, Hyeon-nam agrees to assist Dong-eun in gathering intelligence for her revenge plan in exchange for help escaping her abusive household.

Park Sung-hoon as Jeon Jae-joon

Song Byeong-geun as young Jae-joon

The color-blind heir to a series of luxury businesses, including a country club, duty-free shop, boutique and resort. Jae-joon was part of the group that tormented Dong-eun in high school and is the biological father of Yeon-jin's daughter, Ye-sol, whose custody he later seeks.

Jung Sung-il as Ha Do-yeong

The CEO of Jaepyeong Construction and husband of Yeon-jin. Unaware of his wife's past, Do-yeong becomes entangled in Dong-eun's revenge scheme and gradually uncovers Yeon-jin's history of violence and deceit. Disillusioned by his wife's lack of remorse, he divorces her and relocates to the United Kingdom, enrolling Ye-sol in school there in hopes of giving her a better future.

Supporting

Sunghan High School (2004–2006)

Cha Joo-young as Choi Hye-jeong

Song Ji-woo as young Hye-jeong

A flight attendant whose parents operate a dry cleaning business. Though a member of the group that bullied Dong-eun during high school, Hye-jeong held the lowest status among them due to her comparatively modest background. Her involvement in the abuse was largely driven by a desire to maintain her place within the group's social hierarchy. She has unrequited feelings for Jae-joon.

Kim Hieora as Lee Sa-ra

Bae Gang-hee as young Sa-ra

A church choir member and the daughter of a wealthy pastor. Despite her religious upbringing, Sa-ra developed a serious drug addiction and later pursued a career as a well-known abstract artist. She actively participated in the abuse of Dong-eun during their school years.

Kim Gun-woo as Son Myeong-oh

Seo Woo-hyuk young Myeong-oh

A former classmate who participated in the abuse of Dong-eun. Lacking the wealth and connections of his peers, Myeong-oh finds work as an errand runner for Jae-joon and as a drug supplier to Sa-ra. His loyalty to the group stems more from opportunism than influence.

Lee So-ee as Yoon So-hee

A student at Sunghan High School who suffered persistent bullying and abuse at the hands of Yeon-jin's group before Dong-eun became their next target.

Jeon Soo-ah as Ahn Jung-mi

The school nurse at Sunghan High School and the only adult who showed support for Dong-eun during her time at the school. Her concern for Dong-eun contrasts with the inaction of other faculty members.

Park Yoon-hee as Kim Jong-moon

Dong-eun's former homeroom teacher at Sunghan High School. He showed clear favoritism toward Yeon-jin's group and mistreated Dong-eun, having accepted bribes from the bullies' parents to overlook their misconduct.

Ahn So-yo as Kim Kyeong-ran

Lee Seo-young as young Kyeong-ran

A shop assistant at a boutique owned by Jae-joon and Dong-eun's former friend. Following Dong-eun's departure from school, she became the group's next primary target of bullying.

People around Park Yeon-jin

Oh Ji-yul as Ha Ye-sol

The daughter of Yeon-jin and Ha Do-yeong, though her biological father is later revealed to be Jae-joon. Ye-sol is colorblind like her father and attends Semyeong Elementary School. Following the events of the series, Ye-sol is enrolled in a public school in the United Kingdom.

Yoon Da-gyeong as Hong Young-ae

Yeon-jin's mother who is a devout believer in Korean shamanism. Young-ae is complicit in her daughter's behavior and uses her wealth and connections to cover them.

Lee Hae-young as Shin Young-joon

A corrupt superintendent and longtime associate of Young-ae. Young-joon assists in concealing Yeon-jin's criminal activities.

People around Moon Dong-eun

Park Ji-a as Jung Mi-hee

Dong-eun's mother, who worked as a barber. Mi-hee abandoned Dong-eun in exchange for bribes and has a long history of alcohol dependency. Her neglect and betrayal contribute significantly to Dong-eun's emotional trauma.

Heo Dong-won as Chu Jeong-ho

A teacher at Semyeong Elementary School who feels threatened by Dong-eun's hire. He is later exposed as a child predator.

Kang Gil-woo as Kim Soo-han

Dong-eun's senior and the son of Kim Jong-moon, Dong-eun's former homeroom teacher.

Son Sook as Old Lady (Pan-Geum)

An elderly woman who manages an estate office and owns Eden Villa in Semyeong. She rents an apartment to Dong-eun.

Son Na-young as Goo Sung-hee

A travel agency employee who previously worked at the same factory as Dong-eun.

People around Kang Hyeon-nam

Choi Soo-in as Lee Seon-ah

Hyeon-nam's teenage daughter, who endures physical abuse alongside her mother at the hands of her father. With Dong-eun's help, she is eventually able to escape the abusive environment and pursue her education abroad in the United States.

Ryu Seong-hyun as Lee Seok-jae

Hyeon-nam's husband, who is physically abusive toward his wife and daughter. He struggles with gambling addiction and alcoholism, being the sole cause of the family's suffering.

People around Joo Yeo-jeong

Kim Jung-young as Park Sang-im

Yeo-jeong's mother and the current director of Seoul Joo General Hospital.

Cho Min-wook as Kim Jong-heon

Yeo-jeong's senior during his time at the hospital.

Choi Kwang-il as Joo Sung-hak

Yeo-jeong's father, formerly the chief director of Seoul Joo General Hospital and a surgeon by profession. Sung-hak was murdered by Yeong-cheon, a former patient, which deeply impacts Yeo-jeong and influences his involvement in Dong-eun's revenge plan.

Others

Lee Byung-joon as Lee Gil-sung

A pastor and Sa-ra's father.

Son Kang-kuk as Choi Dong-kyu

A Detective Constable.

Noh Kyung (Part 2)

Oh Min-ae as Do-yeong's mother

Kim Seon-hwa as Lee Sa-ra's mother

Jeon Jin-oh as Young-joon's subordinate

Special appearance

Hwang Kwang-hee as radio show host

Lee Moo-saeng as Kang Yeong-cheon

A patient who murdered Yeo-jeong's father.

Lee Joong-ok as Tae-wook

Hye-jeong's lover.

Kim Seung-hwa as Hye-jeong's junior

Episodes

Production

Development

Preparation for the series began in January 2021. Entirely pre-produced by Hwa&Dam Pictures and its parent company Studio Dragon, it is a Netflix original series. It is said that the series will be produced in two seasons, 8 episodes per season for a total of 16 episodes.

On December 20, 2022, the director announced at the drama's press conference that Part 2 will be released in March 2023.

Casting

In July 2022, The Glory confirmed production with ensemble casting of Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Sung-hoon, and Jung Sung-il.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 112 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10.

Writing for Forbes, Joan MacDonald praised Song Hye-kyo for her "nuanced portrayal of Dong-eun" as well as Jung Ji-so who played teen Dong-eun, and wrote "The Glory features a fair share of unexpected plot twists, veering the story from almost horror to melodrama to murder mystery." Lakshana N. Palat, in his review for The Indian Express, praised the series' cinematography, music, and Song Hye-kyo's performance, stating, "It is one of her finest performances, if not her best." Chris Vognar of San Francisco Chronicle called the series "visually arresting", "carefully constructed" and "delights in every step".

Pierce Conran of South China Morning Post graded the series with 4 out of 5, appreciating its storyline. The Hindu's S. Poorvaja wrote, "Part 2 of The Glory, goes above and beyond, with its razor-sharp writing, compelling narrative, and impressive performances. And this is no easy feat, given that the story here has its focus trained on a rather complicated plan of revenge coming to fruition."

Viewership

Two days after the release of The Glory Part 1 on December 30, 2022, it ranked ninth globally on Netflix's TV shows category. On its third day, it reached fifth place on the most watched shows on Netflix worldwide. Two days after the release of The Glory Part 2 on March 10, 2023, it ranked second worldwide and became top one worldwide on its third day The series debuted at number three on the Netflix's Weekly Global Top 10 in non-English TV show category for the week December 26 – January 1, with 25.41 million hours viewed and subsequently ranked number one of the same list in the following week, January 2–8, accumulating 82.48 million viewing hours.

The series now ranked among the top 10 all-time Non-English TV series at #5 with 436.90 million hours watched in the first 28 days of release.

Media Play News, citing PlumResearch data, reported that The Glory attracted 2.2 million unique viewers on Netflix in the United States during the week ending April 2, 2023, with an average time spent of 216 minutes.

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Listicle

Spotlighting school bullying

The series has been criticized for its graphic portrayal of violence, but it has also been praised for shedding a light on the ongoing abuses among students in South Korean schools. The violent scenes reminded the country's viewers of a 2006 incident where a middle schooler was beaten and burned by her classmates over the course of 20 days, not allowing her wounds to heal. She ended up being hospitalized for six weeks. One of the perpetrators was arrested afterward, while the school and its staff faced "administrative measures". Kim Eun-sook, the writer of the series, was initially inspired by her teenage daughter asking her which scenario she would find more distraught, that her daughter abuses someone else or that her daughter ends up as a victim of abuse. Since the show was aired, former employees in the South Korean school system have said that its depiction is realistic.

In March 2023, an anonymous online post accused the director of the series Ahn Gil-ho of physically assaulting a classmate when he studied in the Philippines in 1996. Ahn initially denied the allegation but ultimately admitted to it in a statement through his law firm. It said that Ahn and his friends confronted another group of students after hearing that the latter had made fun of Ahn's girlfriend at the time. Ahn wanted to seek forgiveness from those he had hurt and offered to make apologies in person.

Notes

References

External links

The Glory on Netflix

The Glory at IMDb

The Glory at HanCinema