Gyeongseong Creature Season 2 (2024)

The back-up story would have been there, but the willingness to actually tell it was limited

So here it is, the second season. The historical coat is stripped away and the story transforms into a modern thriller, the theme of which revolves around a horror that only humans are capable of.

Pleasing and pithy: Some script scenes from the first season were hinted at and entertainingly mirrored in the present day mise-en-scene. That´s fun to watch. The confrontation with the longing for power and immortality also has its moments and insights. Additionally: the leads give their all, again.

On the other hand, someone in production probably didn't really feel like it anymore... There is only minimalist suggestion of what may have happened during the past 80 years. This could actually be a substantial story, yet they are not going to tell us. This serves merely for shaping a coarse (albeit promising) framework, unfortunately remaining pretty lean. Thus it is raising more questions than it feels like answering, its only mission being turning the two leads though the mill of horror once more. Accordingly, the story almost constantly takes place in gloomy night, dark rooms or sinister underground.

For season 1, the dramaturgical technique of hinting at historically shaped, individual fates may have had an effect, enhancing identification with characters. For the second season, continuing with this method only works to a limited extent, because by now we are already closely identified with them.

All in all, the second season comes across somewhat indecisive. The back-up story would have been there, but the willingness to actually tell it was limited. On the other hand, it is still fast-paced and emotionally dense. Nevertheless (at least for me) it is somehow unsatisfying, almost unnecessary. Second seasons for Netflix-KDramas haven´t really convinced me yet. Neither does this one.

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Not quite as good as the first season, but still enjoyable

First off, are they expecting to make another season? Because if it's not planned for sure, then WHAT was up with that little bonus scene (plus all the unanswered questions).
That aside, I really really enjoyed this season. It scratched a very specific itch I have for superhuman/experimented on heroes, giving me almost exactly what I wanted. However, I do think that the first season had better emotional arcs for the characters and more overall heart throughout.
I think this season could've given us what the first season did if they had a few more episodes. Usually I'm in favor of less episodes because some dramas take way too long to get to the point, but in this case, I would've liked to spend more time with these versions of the characters and to see the different relationships between everyone.
I also think that Lady Maeda should've been introduced sooner. We should've seen more of her with Seungjo so that when he kills her the impact would've been greater. I also think her twisted relationship with Taesang was a missed opportunity. It would've been interesting to see more of them throughout the years and actually see what kind of games she was playing with him. I think this would've given us more of an idea of why she had set up such an elaborate scheme to make Taesang kill Chaeok.
All of that to say, I really liked this season and if another season does happen, I'll be eagerly waiting for it.

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