Revenge stories will often peek my interest and The Glory is no exception. I knew this was going to be watched at some point but I wanted to take my time because it was going to hit home and I was aware of many triggers in each episode.
Song Hye Kyo is Moon Dong-eun, out to get revenge on the bullies who ferociously tormented her in school that it made her drop out. However she has been planning this for more than a decade. She had been working and studying intensely to support herself after her mother abandons her once accepting money from the queen bully's mother to authorise her daughter's reason for leaving as 'maladjustment.' This comes as no surprise since her mother does not appear to have much care for her daughter but cannot resist money.
In a total of 16 episodes which were split into two parts, we follow Moon Dong-eun as she plans her revenge over the years, watching the actions of all the bullies from a distance until reappearing into their life at their old school for an awards ceremony. Park Yeonjin is the ringleader of the gang who made Dong-eun and other fellow school peers a nightmare, yet was able to get away from being caught or called out due to her wealth. Everyone seems to have moved on in life, succeeding (supposedly) in their dream jobs and forgetting their horrendous actions from the past. Also interesting how in a bullying gang, you often see who is the big boss and who is the weakest link.
I have never felt such satisfaction through each episode as I watched how Dong-eun outsmarted the bullies. There were indeed moments when I really panicked and was at the edge of my seat when I feared she or her friends would be caught. But seeing how Dong-eun scored a point in this fight on an occasional basis often made me feel some triumph and perhaps wish I was stronger in my school days against people who sneered and smirked at my presence for being different.
Dong-eun is calculating, far from perfect and has stumbled a few times during this fight yet still able to lay everything out and let the bullies suffer at their own hands. Despite her aloof, cautious demeanour there is kindness within Dong-eun when she helps people in need (the landlady, Kang Hyeon Nam etc) as well as being careful with how she treated Yeonjin's daughter Yesol and husband Ha Doyeong. You'd think those on a vengeful streak would just strike anyone who is connected to the main culprit but somehow here Dong-eun treads carefully.
The casting for the younger and older versions of the characters was spot on and The Glory's storytelling is absolutely gripping. It's the first time in a long while that I watched a Kdrama this quickly. Usually I take months to finish anything but The Glory made me want to keep watching over the weeks. Perhaps the storyline was relatable and the fact I wanted to see the revenge succeed and watch how it unfolded. Justice had to be served.
The detestable characters were portrayed so well that you almost hated them so much. Romance is not the main priority and while there is younger actor Lee Dohyun as charming but emotionally traumatised Joo Yeo Jeong to support Song Hye Kyo's Moon Dong-eun I can't help but think the latter deserves happiness and love once everything is over. We get there eventually but romance in this story can't be rushed. If I was in Dong-eun's situation where a handsome man was willing to help with my revenge I'd take him on board but save any potential relationship developing till everything is done and dusted and my heart was free.
The Glory highlights and reminds many of how physical and verbal bullying can affect people growing up but also showing how it is isn't taken seriously. How schools and police can't or won't do anything because there are minors involved, how the victims are blamed by both peers and adults, often by their actions in the past or how they brought the bullying onto themselves. It's complicated no matter what.
The Glory Trailer for part 1 can be seen below.