3 Years Ago, Netflix Released One Of The Best Revenge Thrillers Of All Time

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As a total movie and TV buff, I have to say that The Glory is seriously gripping – it’s a really dark show, but also one of the best revenge thrillers I’ve seen in ages, and I feel like it doesn’t get nearly enough attention. It’s inspired by some awful true stories about bullying in South Korea, but also by the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo, and the 2022 series is just incredibly tense and well-made.

Critics loved the series, and The Glory received excellent reviews, but it didn’t become as popular with a wide audience as Squid Game or Netflix’s zombie series, All of Us Are Dead. This could be because The Glory is a crime thriller, while the other two shows fall into the science fiction and horror genres.

Beyond the story itself, The Glory’s intense darkness may have prevented it from reaching a wider audience. The show doesn’t shy away from disturbing themes, and includes genuinely frightening and shockingly violent moments.

What Is The Glory About?

The drama The Glory centers around Moon Dong-eun, played by Song Hye-kyo, a teacher in South Korea. The series reveals she endured brutal and ongoing bullying in school, leaving deep emotional and physical scars. For years, she’s meticulously planned a complex revenge against those who tormented her as a child.

After being bullied and forced to leave school, Moon Dong-eun dedicated her life to seeking revenge. She became a teacher to get close to the daughter of her main tormentor, Park Yeon-jin, who is now a successful and arrogant weather presenter. Yeon-jin believes she’s gotten away with everything she’s done.

While many K-dramas explore similar themes to The Glory, few are as impactful. The show’s depiction of bullying is intensely disturbing – one scene involving a curling iron is particularly difficult to watch. The story of Moon Dong-eun is especially heartbreaking, following her through a deeply tragic life.

The Glory Is Not An Easy Watch

Similar to the main character in The Count of Monte Cristo, Moon Dong-eun dedicates herself to carefully planning revenge against those who have wronged her. It can be stressful to watch her plans almost fall apart time and again. But the tension in The Glory works so well because the audience is really hoping she succeeds.

Many people know the saying that revenge often harms the person seeking it as much as the target. But while watching this show, a different thought comes to mind – specifically, a line from the rapper Pusha-T’s famous 2018 diss track aimed at Drake, ‘The Story of Adidon.’

The famous rapper once said, “Even if it means facing the consequences, it’ll all be worth it,” and that’s exactly how many viewers feel while watching Moon Dong-eun carry out her plan. Each time it looks like she might be discovered or things could fall apart, audiences find themselves even more invested in her success.

Despite its often grim tone, The Glory ultimately delivers a rewarding ending. Similar to The Count of Monte Cristo, the show carefully unfolds Moon Dong-eun’s plan for revenge, and this deliberate pacing makes the final outcome all the more impactful.

The story of Moon Dong-eun’s revenge in The Glory is captivating, frightening, and deeply sad. The show’s unpredictable storyline goes beyond simple heartbreak and revenge, but all the twists wouldn’t matter without a strong lead performance. Fortunately, Song Hye-kyo delivers a career-defining performance as Moon Dong-eun.

Song Hye-kyo’s Performance Makes The Glory Even Better

I’d seen Song Hye-kyo in things like The Grandmaster and My Brilliant Life before, but for me, The Glory is really where she shines. I was hooked when Part 1 came out in December 2022, and I was so glad Part 2 arrived in March 2023 to finally finish the story and see Moon Dong-eun get her well-deserved revenge.

A less skilled actor might have played Moon Dong-eun as a simple, one-dimensional character, potentially ruining the whole series. What makes The Glory so compellingly dark is that the main character believes she doesn’t deserve happiness. It was crucial that Song Hye-kyo showed us moments of the pain and emptiness that drive her actions.

While driven by a strong need for revenge, Moon Dong-eun is a complex person with her own dreams and aspirations beyond simply getting back at those who wronged her in high school. She feels she can’t move forward until she gets her revenge, but Song Hye-kyo’s performance shows us that she also deeply wants to let go of this painful past and find peace.

What really grabbed me about the show is how its story isn’t just about simple revenge. It’s much more complex than that. Song Hye-kyo delivers an incredible performance in The Glory, and it makes Moon Dong-eun’s journey feel less like getting even and more like a powerful, healing process. It’s like she’s finally releasing all the pain from her past and becoming a truly strong, new version of herself, and it’s incredibly moving to watch.

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2025-12-17 23:41