The series opens nearly 80 years after S1, with the mystery of a biotech company - Jeonseung Biotech, which it turns out is the Japanese continuing their horrific experiments from World War II, but to what end? There is a serial killer on the lose who is obviously human but kills like the GyeongSeong Creature, Chae-ok is alive but living somewhat in the shadows. TaeSang is still alive too but living with amnesia as Ho-Jae. All these stories quickly converge to make for an excellent setup to what should’ve been an intriguing new phase to this story.

Unfortunately, the story just as quickly started to go nowhere. It became all about TaeSang/Ho-Jae and Chae-ok’s love which was always the weakest part of the series. The actors have no romantic chemistry whatsoever. With this pivot to love, the story just became repetitive. Chae-ok would get mortally wounded and/or she and TaeSang/Ho-Jae would end up in a trap set by Jeonsueng Biotech, leading to a death match with the security forces of the former. They’d get through it. Surviving, but then it’d start all over again the next episode. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

I did like it being revealed how TaeSang and to a lesser degree Chae-ok ended up in the present. I also liked that almost everyone around TaeSang were descendants of his friends from the 40s or people he helped back then. There was so much potential with Seung Jo, the son of the pregnant mistress who got infected with the parasite in S1, but his storyline was all over the place. The writers really missed an opportunity in showing how he formed such a strong attachment toTaeSang, which would’ve made his complexity more tangible. Lady Maeda was back. Still mad and wrecking havoc because TaeSang wouldn’t f*** her 80 years earlier. SMH. She was a pathetic sociopath. I’m glad she finally met her end.

Like the first season there were many questions not answered. Too many to get into here but one of the biggest ones was Jeonsueng Biotech’s endgame. Was it really to poison all of Korea with the parasite? Or was that Seung Jo’s psychotic plan after taking over the company? I’m guessing it was more the latter than the former.

I did like the ending. Chae-ok had been through so much horror up until that point. I’m glad she was given the gift of forgetting and can live a happy life with a positive motherly figure and likely friends, not knowing the horrors she suffered…at least until things go bad again in the next season (if there is one). I was also fine with she and TaeSang not getting their HEA. He was alive but they were separated due to circumstances. Fine by me because they were never believable as a couple. As terrifying as the ending was with that parasite infected bottled water being distributed to all of Korea, it will make for a great set up for a third season. I just don’t know if it’ll be any better than what we’ve already seen.