The Glory

Presentation

For more…

Preview

Synopsis

Moon Dong Eun is a woman in her 40s, who was heavily bullied at school. Due to that, she had to drop out. Now an adult, she is ready to take revenge on all the people who mistreated, harassed and tortured her in her youth. 

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

There’s something about revenge dramas that really grab my attention. Yet, I was a bit scared at first because The Glory received a lot of very positive reviews. So, I feared I’d somehow be disappointed if the story couldn’t reach my expectations. But, I was entirely wrong. The drama is as great as people described it. Kim Eun Sook offers us an intriguing, smart and intense story, led by a breath-taking cast. From child actors to main leads, everyone made his/her character credible, especially Song Hye Kyo. Moon Dong Eun is a tenacious, resilient and vindictive woman, who’s spend years preparing her ‘elegant’ revenge (meaning that she doesn’t dirty her hands). Doctor Joo Yeo Jeong is a mysterious and tortured helper who knows how to play his cards well. As for the villain(s), you will certainly appreciate their performance as much as you enjoy their downfall. To me, The Glory is a must-watch drama that deserved the buzz and the hype around it.

Analysis

• Abuse, under all its forms
  School bullying
  Domestic abuse
  Psychological abuse
  Social abuse
• The revenge
  18-year-long preparation
  The right allies
  The strategy
  Above and beyond
• The Glory
  Park Yeon Jin’s glory
  Religious interpretations
• The romance
• The importance of details

Abuse, under all its forms: The Glory is a tale of revenge. It is the story of a tortured woman who decides to turn her executioners into victims. Like mentioned by Moon Dong Eun in the drama: ‘Eye for eye. Tooth for tooth. Fracture for fracture.’ Here, revenge stems from abuse and suffering inflicted on the main character. Yet, The Glory also showcases other types of suffering with one common point: It is caused by others.

School bullying: The drama starts with school bullying. Though this is a theme quite present in Dramaland, The Glory took it a step further. The kind of bullying Moon Dong Eun (Jung Ji So/Song Hye Kyo) undergoes is more similar to torture. Every day, the popular kids gang up on her. The leader named Park Yeon Jin (Shin Ye Eun/Im Ji Yeon) would burn her with a hair straightener, leaving behind forever lasting scars on her entire body. On top of that, the young adolescent would be slapped whenever one of her bullies would feel the need to, ripped off, humiliated in front of everyone, scorned and belittled whether at school or outside. Moon Dong Eun was living in Hell, while adults would turn a blind eye to her suffering. To make matters worse, Dong Eun is not the first student to be bullied by that group nor the last. Before her, Yoon So Hee (Lee So Yi) went through the same abuse and worse. She was also raped by Jeon Jae Joon (Song Byung Geun/Park Sung Hoon) and got pregnant thereafter. Her torment came to an end when Yeon Jin attacked her on the rooftop of an abandoned building and So Hee fell to her death. Following Dong Eun, Kim Gyeong Ran (Ahn So Yo) became the new prey. All of that to show that no matter the number of victims, the bullying kept on going; even after school.

Domestic abuse: Even if bullying occupies an omnipresent place in the drama, there are other types of abuse that need to be mentioned because they play a significant role in Moon Dong Eun’s revenge. Kang Hyeon Nam (Yeom Hye Ran) is an ordinary woman and mother of a teenager. But she’s married to an abusive man who would drink and gamble, using his wife and daughter as punching balls whenever he felt like it. Hyeon Nam is quite powerless against her husband, as she wants to protect her daughter first. She fears retaliation if she were to flee, and worries for her child’s future. Therefore, she doesn’t say a word and endures the beatings. Yet, she prays for her husband to disappear, better, to die. So, when Moon Dong Eun suggests she works for her and in exchange she would free her and her daughter from her husband, Hyeon Nam can only accept. I think the drama did a good job at portraying domestic abuse. It shows very well how insidious violent people can be, manipulating and threatening their victims. On top of that, the system is also quite problematic. You need plenty of proof against your executioner if you wish to get rid of him by legal means. Unfortunately, most cases never succeed and the consequences of denunciation are sometimes dire. Apart from Hyeon Nam’s case, Moon Dong Eun also suffers from domestic abuse. Her mother is an alcoholic only interested in money. She thinks her daughter is either a burden or a way to get quick money. In both cases, she’s also Dong Eun’s enemy. Her lack of protection and total betrayal scarred the young adolescent who felt like an orphan. Despite having a parent, she never received motherly love or attention. Instead, she was wounded over and over again by her.

Psychological abuse: Through the character of Joo Yeo Jeong (Lee Do Hyun), the drama tackles psychological abuse. Yeo Jeong comes a family of doctors who run a successful hospital. His parents – both doctors – have always treated everyone equally no matter their status. One day, a dangerous criminal hurts himself and is sent to the hospital. The staff is on their toes and hesitant to treat him, as they fear they would be attacked by the handcuffed psychopath. Everyone but Yeo Jeong’s father. Instead, he takes the lead and starts taking care of Kang Yeong Cheon (Lee Mu Saeng). In the middle of the conversation, the doctor refers to his son. This small talk is a trigger in the criminal’s head. His ego is bruised, as he can’t accept that the doctor would talk about meaningless events while treating him. To avenge himself, he seizes a scalpel and stabs Yeo Jeong’s father who dies almost immediately. The abuse – aka the murder – could’ve stopped there. But Kang Yeong Cheon goes even beyond killing. He toys with the bereaved family’s feelings by sending letters in which he describes how good it felt to kill. And we’re not talking about one letter, but a plethora of them. That’w why, it’s psychological abuse. With each letter, the criminal forces the family to remember the trauma. They go back to that dreadful day when their beloved one died and all the negative emotions resurface.

Social abuse: Last but not least. Social abuse is deeply associated with the system that allows for criminals to be left unpunished. Indeed, Park Yeon Jin and her friends victimized several classmates, but never had to suffer the consequences thanks to their parents’ wealth, power and connections. As they were unscathed, this comforted them in the idea that they were above laws, above people. A good example would be that of Yeon Jin’s mother, Hong Yeong Ae (Yoon Da Kyung), who drives over Hyeon Nam’s husband because he’s been threatening her for a while. She takes advantage of the dark night and the pouring rain to hit him with her car and pretend it’s an accident. She then assumes her wife would settle with loads of money. She would not go to prison, and would be rid of the man. Unfortunately for her, nothing goes according to plan. It was a set-up brilliantly orchestrated by Moon Dong Eun and Yeong Ae fell head first into the trap. Nevertheless, this behavior proves that the rich and powerful manage to slip through the net and make new victims after.

The revenge: What makes The Glory such a pleasant drama to watch is that Moon Dong Eun’s revenge is element and classy. She’s fierce and ruthless against those who wronged her, yet she never directly dirties her hand nor leaves proof of what she’s done. By doing so, she protects herself from eventual retaliation, whether it’d be from people or the system. Moreover, she demonstrates her strength and kindness by helping other victims satisfy their own revenge.

18-year long preparation: Obviously, Moon Dong Eun never would’ve been able to avenge herself if she had not thoughtfully prepared a plan. That’s also the reason why it took so much time. First, she had to find a way to go to college. She worked endlessly at a factory, while studying on the side to get her GED. Then, she became a teacher, so that she would provoke the encounter with Ye Sol, Yeon Jin’s daughter. Then she applied to Ye Sol’s school. The path was long and painful. Yet, her determination kept her standing and going.

The right allies: Though Moon Dong Eun’s entourage is very restricted, she manages to join forces with the right people at the right time. Thanks to her persuasiveness, she made a few allies who turned the tables around. First, her personal hitman Kang Hyeon Nam. The newly-established sleuth was Dong Eun’s eyes and ears on field. She tracked down everyone and played a double game when Yeon Jin tried to use the housewife against Dong Eun. Unfortunately for Yeon Jin, Hyeon Nam is a symbol of integrity and never betrayed her partner. Her second most important ally is naturally Joo Yeo Jeong. Even if Dong Eun didn’t recruit him per se, he proved to be the perfect right-hand man. His position within the hospital, his job as a doctor and his connections made him a formidable ace to play against the rich and powerful who tried to use the system to protect themselves. Next are Moon Deung Eun’s former school nurse and Gu Seong Hee (Song Na Young), her friend from the factory she used to work at. These two women have been Dong Eun’s allies since the very beginning and act in the shadows for her revenge.

The strategy: Moon Dong Eun’s revenge is like the Game of Go she likes to play (also called Baduk). Each opponent leads a silent war against the other, insidiously placing their pawns on the board, slowly oppressing the other’s maneuvers until victory arises. It took 18 long years for Moon Dong Eun to prepare. Yet, this time was beneficial as it allowed her to come up with many scenarios tackling all possible variables. This strategy enables her to always be one step ahead of everyone. Even better, Moon Dong Eun adapts very well to circumstances. No matter what new card the enemy is playing, she always has a joker up her sleeve. Through the years, Moon Dong Eun studied her ‘preys’, their habits, their likes and dislikes, as well as the interactions between members of the group. This gave her a solid advantage when she needed to make the group of ‘friends’ implode from the inside. Considering that each is selfish and self-centered, it was only a matter of time before they would turn on each other to protect their own skin. Son Myeong Oh (Kim Gun Woo) suffers from an inferiority complex. He’s considered as the weak stupid link. He’s also attracted to Choi Hye Jeong (Cha Joo Young), but never managed to have her. His greed sent him straight to the tomb. Indeed, he threatened Yeon Jin to reveal the truth regarding Yoon So Hee’s death and ended up paying the price. On an impulse she hit him with a bottle. Choi Hye Jeong is a gossip who likes to spread rumors. As a result, she is stabbed in the neck and loses her voice. Lee Se Ra (Kim Hieora) is a drug addict whose father is a pastor. Behind her faith and religious endeavor, she’s a poisonous snake. Her debauchery and her excesses are exposed on camera in front of the entire community who once respected her. Jeong Jae Joon is obsessed with Park Yeon Jin and wishes to get the custody of his daughter. However, Moon Dong Eun damages his eyes (the only link he had with his daughter), while Ye Sol’s adoptive father and Yeon Jin’s husband, Ha Do Yeong (Jung Sung Il) kills him and buries him in a building in construction. Jae Joon paid the price for insulting and humiliating Do Yeong, and for trying to steal his daughter away. Finally, Park Yeon Jin lost it all. Her precious family, her job, her reputation, and probably her mind. At the end of the drama, Moon Dong Eun flouts her by saying there’s something she doesn’t know about Myeong Oh’s murder and that she will probably never know. Indeed, turns out Yeon Jin didn’t deliver the final blow that caused his death. Moon Dong Eun’s final enemy is her own mother. Though her kin, the latter never treated her as a human being. She was used whenever she needed money. This poisonous mother-daughter relationship did a disservice to Dong Eun all her life until she was able to use it as a weapon. At the end of the drama, she signs a consent form to send her mother to the psychiatric ward, a place from which she could not do any damage to her anymore. All in all, Moon Dong Eun best showcased the saying: ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’.

Above and beyond: At the end of the drama, Moon Dong Eun has appeased her revenge. She’s gotten rid of her 5 bullies for good. Now that her life mission is over, she believes that she has no other purpose in life. So, she goes on the rooftop where So Hee died – the same rooftop where she thought about ending her life on a snowy day when she was a teenager. That day, only her revenge prevented her from committing suicide. But 18 years later, there’s nothing left to do for Dong Eun. Fortunately, the heroine is hindered by Yeo Jeong’s mother. The latter had silently watched over her son’s relationship with Dong Eun. She realized that her child’s feelings for this woman were the only thread keeping him from crumbling down after his father’s brutal murder. In an attempt to save her son, Doctor Park Sang Im (Kim Jung Young) begs Dong Eun to stay alive. This scene is a pivotal moment for the female lead. By reaching out to her, Sang Im gave her a new purpose in life. She finds a new reason to live in helping others get their revenge. Though it was an underlying narrative, Moon Dong Eun has indeed supported those in need throughout the entire drama. She lent a helping hand to Hyeon Nam against her violent husband and to Gyeong Ran against her bullies. Now it’s time for her to return the favor to Yeo Jeong. Though she disappears for a while from his life, she eventually comes back with a plan on how to torture the criminal who did him wrong. The ending could not be more satisfying, as we witness both characters enter the prison where Kang Yeong Cheon is kept. He thinks himself untouchable behind bars. Little did he know that a doctor and a teacher could enter the prison that easily and torment him within the prison walls.

The Glory: The title of the drama holds for me a series of meanings that are worth mentioning. Combined with the plot and characters’ actions, the screenwriter weaved a complex narrative web made of several layers of interpretations.

Park Yeon Jin’s glory: Moon Dong Eun’s main goal from the beginning is to destroy Park Yeon Jin. To do so, the heroine needs to strip her enemy from what she cherishes the most. For Yeon Jin, that’s her family. She’s always been sheltered by her obnoxious mother, she got married to a great man, and she has a cute daughter. At the beginning of the drama, Yeon Jin is at her peak of happiness. Her own personal glory is to have achieved her life-long dream (her family). For 18 years, she has also been praised for her professional career and personal ‘perfect’ life. But all of that comes to an end when Moon Dong Eun re-enters her life. Her strategy is simple – and she voices it to Yeon Jin’s husband – she wants to take Yeon Jin’s glory. She wants to crush her dream and show everyone her real face; the one she hides behind her mask. The ending is the story of a fall for Yeon Jin. Her mother betrays her to save herself, her husband divorces her and leaves with their daughter, she loses her job, her reputation and even her freedom. Park Yeon Jin who used to shine bright has been confined to the shadows, and Dong Eun intends on keeping it as such.

Religious interpretation: The drama is punctuated by a series of religious references that serve the plot. Even the title has a connection with religion, as ‘Glory’ comes from ‘gloria’ in Latin and is often used to describe God in religious scriptures. God’s glory is His main quality. It’s the symbol of His omnipotence. By getting her revenge, it is as if Dong Eun was manifesting God’s will to punish criminals. Even the trumpet flower has a role to play in the story. I don’t think the screenwriter chose that flower by chance. First, the trumpet flowers that appear in the drama are called Brugmansia, also known as Angel’s Trumpet. Not only the name, but also their meaning are thus important to the story. Indeed, the trumpet flower is generally linked with angels and celestial powers. And guess who’s constantly holding that flower? Yes, Moon Dong Eun! It’s like Dong Eun is an angel who’s been missioned by God to punish those who sinned. On top of that, the female lead’s flowers are always white – another symbol of innocence and purity indicating that her actions are good compared to the evil she received.

Another religious reference has to do with one of Dong Eun’s bullies named Lee Se Ra. Her father is a pastor and she often goes to church, despite being an obvious sinner (despises others, abuses drugs, lives a life of debauchery). Her punishment is almost divine. Indeed, Moon Dong Eun tempts her with a syringe, like Eve did Adam with the forbidden fruit. Plagued by hallucinations, Se Ra sees the snake from the Garden of Eden and commits the irreparable in a church. She masturbates herself in front of the congregation. This scene combines good and evil, while implicating a number of religious references. All of that punctuated by Dong Eun’s ‘Amen’.

Finally, the last scenes of the drama are a clear innuendo that the divine played a role, even minor, in characters’ revenge. Upon their arrival at the prison where Yang Yeong Cheon is detained, the sky turns black above Dong Eun and Yeo Jeong. Then suddenly, light pierces through the dark clouds, as if it were a sign from God blessing their newly-found purpose: Avenging Yeo Jeong’s father.

The romance: The Glory doesn’t showcase a romance per se. It is above all a partnership where trust and devotion make it possible for love to bloom later on. Over the course of their lives, Yeo Jeong and Dong Eun have crossed paths several times. Though the female lead makes the first step towards the doctor, it is revealed after that he knew she was using him for her revenge. Only difference is that Yeo Jeong fell hard for Dong Eun. So, he accepted to be played and to become her hitman. He never judged nor criticized her actions. Instead, he supported her quest wholeheartedly. He helped her overcome her past trauma, and embraced her scars with all his might. Their kiss is a beautiful symbol, as it demonstrates that Dong Eun has moved on and started opening up to others. Now it’s her turn to become Yeo Jeong’s hitman. Many viewers criticized their romance saying it was unnecessary or that Dong Eun would’ve been better with Yeon Jin’s husband. However, I think they miss an important point here. Moon Dong Eun has been eaten away by her pain and her anger towards her bullies. She’s been stuck in the past for 18 long years. Once liberated, there’s no reason for her to hold on to life. Only Joo Yeo Jeong is a ray of hope that she can have a future. He represents her future. In that sense, I believe that the romance was a valuable asset in Dong Eun’s life. She needed someone who would love her unconditionally after everything she’s suffered – because in the end, even her own mother never really loved her. Moreover, she’s only able to start anew thanks to Yeo Jeong. He gives her a new purpose in life. Hence, her dedication at university and in the temple she works at to collect precious information on the prison. Joo Yeo Jeong is Moon Dong Eun’s salvation. And the reverse is also true. Yeo Jeong would have gone mad, if he had not met Dong Eun who kept him grounded and focused on one goal: Her revenge.

The importance of details: Kim Eun Sook (the screenwriter) and Ahn Gil Ho (the director) told Dong Eun’s story with strength and subtlety. Her revenge is imprinted in every detail of the drama, just like her pain and suffering. Here are a few examples of details that marked me in the drama:
– Baduk is the best game to play in terms of strategy. Each move she makes on the board, she makes it also in real life. This hobby is also what connects her to Yeo Jeong and Do Young.
– The green shoes she wears are the same as Yeon Jin’s. They enable her to approach Yeon Jin’s daughter easily. They also indirectly symbolize their link.
– Moon Dong Eun’s scars are a reminder of her trauma, but also her greatest asset against Park Yeon Jin. Her suffering is written all over her body, what Ha Do Young remarks immediately.
– The trumpet flower may be associated with God and revenge, but they are also linked with Dong Eun’s healing. At the end, we can see that she tattooed the flower on her forearm, covering her scars. Indeed, the trumpet flower are also a sign of transformation, new start and rebirth which perfectly connect with Dong Eun’s evolution in the drama.