NOTE: Spoilers start in second half of review & noted.

Incredibly excited going in and knowing season 2 (S2 for short) was a fresh spin on a tried and true formula in season 1, came out disappointed and with more questions than answers. At the crux of it, the repetitiveness of plot beats in S2 made me constantly compare it to S1, and it just kept coming short every time.

Starting with the good:

– As usual, Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee are consistently strong actors and this season is no exception. Both are great at carrying scenes individually and have great chemistry when they're sharing a frame, but this season lacked the high highs and low lows that allowed them to really shine in season 1 (i.e. when HSH's character finds out the creature is her mother in season 1). The supporting cast did a fine job, but barring Bae Hyeon Seong's Seong Jo, didn't leave as strong of an impression as the House of Golden Treasure squad.

– High production value and special effects + CGI, creating a moody atmosphere and some pretty tense scenes. The only two downsides here were that 1) the 1940s setting of S1 had more charm than the modern of S2 (and personally, the prison / underground was creepier when old-timey than sleek & modernized); and 2) some action sequences were very lowly lit / have strobing lights, which while accurate, make them hard to follow

The bad:
– Tonally, the show was one dark grey slate throughout. There's no time for lightheartedness or camaraderie in this season – the shorter 7-episode length means there's room and only room for high-strung plot intrigue, interspersed by action sequences. Where PSJ and HSH separately and together had their cute / comedic moments in S1, S2 plunges you right into the thick of it and never lets you up for breath – and the leads are suitably broody until the end.

– The biggest disappointment, by far, was the plot. Without going into any spoilers, the show had me hooked with the dynamic between the two leads and many (many) questions that had me binging the episodes to learn more, only for plot threads to be left hanging. There's some interesting dynamics between the characters but the majority are left unexplored or touched on only at a surface level, which leaves characters' motivations flimsy at best.

** SPOILERS AHEAD **

At its core, the show has some straightforward messages: Humans should be treated with respect. Some acts are too terrible to forgive and can never be forgotten – and a fight isn't meaningless even if you're just one person against the system. Friendship isn't transactional, and trust – and love – aren't given, they just are.

Because of the modern setting though, none of these themes truly strike a clear and resounding chord the same way that PSJ and HSH's – and the larger Korean struggle – against Japanese Imperialist rule in the 1940s did in S1. The clear good vs. evil, the righteous fight for justice of the oppressed against the oppressor, the power of love and friendship – these are instead replaced by faux moral ambiguity that don't hold weight when peeled back.

Seung Jo had so much potential to be the core of that moral complexity but ended up as largely a one-note character. We know his cold upbringing with Lady Maeda is why he's so callous with murdering and doing what it takes to get what he wants, but we're never shown his relationship with Jang Tae Sung, which makes the absolute trust that JTS places with him seem ridiculous – especially because all we've seen up to that point is SJ murdering or absolutely beating the shit out of JTS, and for what? Just so he can have 'his version' of JTS back? Why would that inspire friendship, and why would JTS forgive him for both that and putting Chae Ok at harm? We're never shown how difficult of a choice it might have been for SJ to choose between his evil upbringing or the good that was extended towards him, and so his numerous choices up to his ultimate betrayal serve as one-dimensional villain decisions simply to move the plot along. Not only that, but the obvious betrayal also throws JTS' judgement into question.

More broadly, S2 leaves so many questions unsolved. What was the point of Chae Ok staying away (and not even keeping tabs on JTS) for 70 years if she only goes 'hungry' when she gets injured? Why does JTS' investigator buddy make a deal with Maeda to constantly protect JTS (and why was it something his grandpa asked him to do)? What was JTS doing in the 70-odd years after getting a Najin in the 1940s, and why does SJ keep going to meet him? What was the point of showing Captain Kuroko's disabled girlfriend / wife when he's said multiple times that all he cares about is that 'the company survives' (again, a try at moral complexity that doesn't add much to the story)? Speaking of Kuroko, wtf are the black-clad Kuroko armies? Did I miss where all the henchmen that can climb on walls came from? What was SJ's goal of releasing the grandson so he could kill people in public if SJ knew he was going to turn on JTS anyway? What even was the point of continuing development of the Najins – just for funsies (unlike S1, there was no General Gato and his 'next stage of human evolution' fanaticism to keep this convincing beyond a superficial 'we're just evil for evil's sake)?

Also, are you telling me that Maeda's entire, convoluted plot was to:
1. Force JTS to take back the Najin by 'threatening that he'd die in front of CO'
2. Allow JTS and CO to escape with SJ's help to gain their trust (and hope neither dies in the onslaught of Kuroko)
3. Hope CO and SJ ride in the same car and JTS is separate, so SJ can inject her to take away her powers
4. Subdue JTS via Kuroko to bring him back to the compound
5. Capture all of JTS' friends
6. Make JTS choose between the 3 friends and CO as what, some sort of test of 'people aren't all equal'? When Maeda had just killed all of JTS' House of Golden Treasure friends all in one go? I could even understand it if she was just blatantly holding a (LONG) grudge against JTS for rejecting / rising up against her, but they had to pull some moral question into the mix that felt out of left field

I don't believe it.

All that to say – don't regret the 7 hours, but that's not another 7 hours I'm going to be spending to rewatch this. Rewatch season 1 for the superior version.