Teaser Decoded: K-drama The Glory, is of Revenge

The Glory is Netflix’s upcoming K-drama set to be released on December 30. It stars Song Hye-kyo and Lee Do Hyun. This is also Kim Eun-sook, South Korea’s most popular screenwriter’s return after two years. Here is an attempt to decode the teaser of The Glory which seems to be a gripping revenge story.

Kim Eun-sook has been unstoppable since her 2016 breakthrough drama, Goblin. She is also famous for other dramas like The Heirs, Descendends of the Sun and her last outing was The King: Eternal Monarch. She is a brand not only in South Korea but all over the world. Anything that is created by her is highly anticipated, so is The Glory.

Even though Kim Eun-sook has tried her hands on various genres like fantasy, sci-fi, history etc., the core idea in all her dramas is romance. No matter what genre she is in, it is always about a love story. But The Glory seems to be different here. The teaser gives out that we are in for a very intense revenge narrative which is not based on a love story.

We also have Song Hye-kyo in a never-seen-before avatar. The actor seems to be playing a very dark character here. She wears black throughout the teaser. And the teaser itself is very intriguing. It is intentionally dark and gives chills down your spine. There is so much going on and as usual of Kim Eun-sook’s writings, there are some catchy dialogues too.

The cinematography is very interesting and the creators have opted for a dark color palette. Another interesting aspect in the writing, as can be derived from the teaser is the interspersing of Christianity and its ideals. And the one line called The Holy Tragedy sums up the whole mood of the drama, because no tragedy is holy (except probably the crucifixion of Christ).

The title “The Glory” is very interesting. It is definitely not the Christian glory which you attain from forgiveness. Here, the main character could be striving for a glory through revenge. She might be trying to move on from an unforgettable past through revenge.

In short, we can expect a drama which is darker than the previous dramas of Kim Eun-sook. My favorite part of the teaser was the scene in the church where Song Hye-kyo stares at a woman in the choir when the rest of the communion bows down in prayer. It was intriguing.

The Glory will release internationally on Netflix on December 30.