The Glory Part II (2023) Netflix: Recap, Ending Explained & Themes Analysed: Part II of Netflix’s “The Glory” has arrived and serves the well-cooked revenge dish that Part I took all the time preparing for. Director Ahn Gil-Ho and writer Kim Eun-Sook did not hold back here. With an impressive cast, which is led by an excellent Song Hye-Kyo, Pary II of “The Glory” completes its classic revenge story (in the mold of “The Count of Monte Cristo”) with a little garnishing of K-Drama melodrama.
The Glory Part II (2023) Recap
Quick Recap of Part I
Moon Dong-Eun (Song Hye-Kyo) was tortured to the brink of suicide in her school days. Her tormentors were a gang of five teenagers: Son Myeong-O (Kim Gun-Woo), Choi Hye-Jeong (Cha Joo-Young), Lee Sa-Ra (Kim Hieora), Jeon Jae-Jun (Park Sung-Hoon), and the leader of the pack, Park Yeon-Jin (Lim Ji-Yeon). These infamous five tortured Dong-Eun (and other girls, as we would see) and got away with it due to their parents’ superior societal status. Myeong-O and Hye-Jeong did not belong to society’s upper echelon but enjoyed privileges due to their association with the other three.
Eighteen years later, Dong-Eun returned to the place with a semi-formed plan and a heart full of revenge. She made some friends and associates while forging her path of revenge. But, Part I mostly focused on Dong-Eun strategically putting her pieces on board. The take-downs were reserved for Part II.
Revenge on Yeon-Jin
Part II immediately confirmed what was hinted at in Part I. Myeong-O was indeed killed by Yeon-Jin. Dong-Eun had already incorporated the seeds of doubt into the mind of Do-Yeong (Jung Sung-Il), Yeon-Jin’s influential husband. Their marriage had been the first target of Dong-Eun. The primary reason for her to learn the ‘Go’ game was so that she could use that skill to connect with Do-Yeong.
However, Yeon-Jin outsmarted Dong-Eun to find Dong-Eun’s primary helping hand, Hyeon-Nam (a fantastic Yum Hye-Ran), at the beginning of Part II. Yeon-Jin tried to get Hyeon-Nam to work for her with her usual threats. Hyeon-Nam agreed to some extent (out of fear for her daughter’s safety) but never truly betrayed Dong-Eun. Yeon-Jin also successfully used Dong-Eun’s estranged mother to derail Dong-Eun from her plan. Temporarily.
Dong-Eun, in return, isolated Yeon-Jin from all her family members and friends, one by one. The information about Jae-Jun being the real father of Yeon-Jin’s daughter, Ye-Sol, makes both Jae-Jun and Do-Yeong averse to Yeon-Jin. Hye-Jeong was already cross with Yeon-Jin, even without Dong-Eun’s nudges. Sa-Ra finally became the last one to hit at Yeon-Jin, leaking Yeon-Jin’s old videos of bullying.
Also, Read – Revenge [2017]: A Roaring Rampage of Retribution
Dong-Eun’s final move was to hit Yeon-Jin with parental neglect angle. She showed Yeon-Jin how less her influential mother cared for her. All the protection she gave to Yeon-Jin from childhood was just to save her status in society. And then there was Yeo-Jeong (Lee Do-Hyun), Dong-Eun’s paramour and executioner. Yeo-Jeong successfully planted the skin cells under Myeong-O’s deceased nails. That and the DNA match of the lighter found in So-Hee’s murder spot ensured Yeon-Jin’s arrest and incarceration.
Revenge on Others
Dong-Eun did not have to take many steps to take revenge on the remaining gang members. Once her influence hovered over them as the storm cloud, they took care of other. Dong-Eun drugged the junkie Sa-Ra, which in turn created a viral video of Sa-Ra masturbating in the church. She uses Hye-Jeong to manipulate Sa-Ra against Yeon-Jin. At Myeong-O’s funeral, Hye-Jeong goaded Sa-Ra with a video of Myeong-O getting Sa-Ra to give him a blow-job.
A deranged Sa-Ra stabbed Hye-Jeong with a pencil (A nod toward John Wick?). Sa-Ra got a jail term on an attempted murder charge and her usual drug charge. Hye-Jeong lost the ability to speak. Dong-Eun incepted the idea in Hye-Jeong’s mind that Jae-Jun should not remain unpunished after he left Hye-Jeong to fend for herself. As a result, Hye-Jeong ensured Jae-Jun went blind.
Hyeon-Nam’s Revenge
In a subplot, Hyeon-Nam tricked her fiendish husband into blackmailing Yeon-Jin’s mother. She knew her husband would gladly blackmail a woman, thinking they were easy to milk money off. Little did her husband know that Yeon-Jin’s mother was no stranger to killing off potential problems. So, of course, the husband died. And Hyeon-Nam became free. Free to meet her daughter, whom she had already sent to America, with help from Dong-Eun.
The Glory Part II (2023) Ending Explained and Themes Analysed
Who Killed Jae-Jun?
The blinded Jae-Jun crashed into a construction site. A faceless assailant confronted him. This guy threw Jae-Jin into a cement ditch, and Jae-Jun was cemented alive. This killer was none other than Yeon-Jin’s husband, Do-Yeong. The tie was a dead giveaway. Do-Yeong took Ye-Sol to the UK for a better life.
Go Game and Dong-Eun’s Evolution as Revenge Consultant
Dong-Eun’s revenge style reminds one of the Count of Monte Cristo tale. She does not necessarily gets her own hands dirty. Instead, much like the strategy of the ‘Go’ game, she tries to engulf her enemies’ territories. And then her enemies tear each other off. Her full repertoire at this game gets displayed in part II. As I said in the analysis of Part I, Dong-Eun’s revenge is a lot reactive with some amount of proactiveness. Which you overlook immediately. This is acknowledged in Eun-Sook’s script, as Do-Yeong once tells Dong-Eun about her plan lacking proactiveness.
But, this is quite like the game of ‘Go.’ You place your pieces there, opening up a plethora of possibilities. This adaptability was Dong-Eun’s strength. Although it was never in the question how emotionally invested she was in the revenge plan, Dong-Eun showed an extraordinary detachment in executing her plans. This is how she sort of becomes a revenge consultant by the end—helping Hyeon-Nam and Yeo-Jeong in their respective acts of revenge.
The Two Sides of Parenthood
“The Glory” shows the two sides of parenthood. On the one hand, we see the respective mothers of Dong-Eun and Yeon-Jin. Despite a gulf of difference in their societal statuses, both of them were horrible mothers to their daughters. None of them cared enough, which poses the question of what an unwanted child would go through with a reluctant parent. On the other hand, Hyeon-Nam goes to every possible length to give her daughter the best life possible.
A similar dichotomy can be seen in fatherhood as well. The husband of Hyeon-Nam is the absolute worst possible father. Whereas, Do-Yeong and even Jae-Jun, to some extent and to his credit, show great paternal instincts.
Will there be any other parts or seasons?
Yeo-Jeong’s revenge on the serial killer who killed his father is one outlet the makers might explore. However, it is not exactly needed. All the loose ends are tied perfectly with just a mere possibility of further development. “The Glory” primarily focused on Dong-Eun’s story. And the Dong-Eun arc completes quite satisfactorily.
So, although it is possible, the chances of further parts are slim.
Related Read: The Glory (2022) Part 1: Recap, Ending Explained and Themes Analysed – The Importance of “Go” Game in the Revenge Plot
The Glory Part II (2023) Links: IMDb
The Glory II (2023) Cast: Song Hye-Kyo, Lee Do-Hyun, Ji-Yeon Lim
Where to watch The Glory Part II
