While the first episode of season 2 of Sweet Home provided a shift in perspective on who the monsters actually were, 2×02 kind of felt like an absolute bore. And I get it. It’s always hard to follow a banger of a season opener. There’s also the fact that the show is building towards something. But I do think that neglecting giving us Hyun-Su time and spending major time focusing on the other survivors and the military is a mistake. I personally fell in love with this show for the inner turmoil and conflict of Hyun-Su. And even without that personal love, he was the lead character. The second episode of season 2 seemed to forget that and faltered, giving us an hour that I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
It’s not like I hate the other survivors. Eun-Yu went back to Green Home apartments to find her brother. He said that he would be right back and he didn’t keep his promise. So amid all this craziness, and the fact that they have nowhere to go, I like that she is looking for some closure. I even like Ji-Su. She’s also alone but she is slowly but surely clawing her way towards survival. Everyone else though? I don’t care. I don’t care for the guy in glasses, who does nothing besides scurry around. The other lady with her dog just sits there and looks at other people suspiciously while doing nothing useful. And that lady takes care of the kids while the kids look cute. These other survivors add nothing to the chances of survival or narrative. At least in All of Us Are Dead, everyone was interesting or was at the beginning of an arc. These survivors have no arc in front of them besides having other people take care of them.
I think back to every great end of the world or survival TV show or movie that I’ve watched. From Lost to The Walking Dead and even something like The Hunger Games, there was always a group of survivors. And not everyone knew what they were doing. Who would know what to do at the end of the world or in the middle of some crazy life-changing games like those in The Hunger Games. But it didn’t matter that they were stuck on an island after a plane crash like on Lost, I feel like people always found a way to contribute to the narrative or the well-being of the community. And I’m talking about characters who get screen time and actual dialogue. In Sweet Home, we have multiple characters with dialogue that have done nothing besides slow down the group. Season 1 that might’ve been acceptable. Not in season 2.
The fact that it took half an hour to get to what happened to Hyun-Su in 2×08 is disappointing. And again, I’m trying to give them some grace because this is only the second episode of season 2. But I feel like Sweet Home could have shown Eun-Yu getting closure or the soldiers realizing that they’re being overpowered at every turn by these monsters without spending so much time on them. Because there’s a difference between plot development and viewers getting bored. And I was really bored and disappointed in 2×02. Even more so when you saw Ms. Im emerge from her baby cocoon and then immediately be shot when she didn’t do anything. It’s like this show forgot that it hit a rhythm in season 1 that worked for them.
But enough about all the things that bothered me with this episode of Sweet Home.
Hyun-Su gave himself over to a doctor who could help him find a cure for what is ailing everyone in the world. It’s noble but also kind of naive. But it’s also a journey that Hyun-Su is going to have to go through. Because while in season one he came to grips with being the sole survivor of his immediate family and surviving in this world in general, season 2 is allowing him to finally define what kind of human/monster/creature he wants to be in a world that without a doubt treats you like garbage. Or treat you like they did that poor monster who started to remember who they were before they were lit up. This gives perspective on the direction that the show is going in when it comes to what the monsters are feeling and if they should all be labeled creatures.
The thing is, I don’t trust that skivvy doctor at all. And I think that Yi-Kyung needs to shake things up to ensure that Hyun-Su doesn’t end up in a place where he is tearing himself apart as a means of saving the world. There’s always another way and I don’t think Yi-Kyung would give up on Hyun-Su. But the power of love must be added to the equation. We can’t discount the fact that Yi-Kyung might choose her husband if there’s a possibility that Hyun-Su can cure him or bring him out of the state he’s in. I’m hoping that Yi-Kyung is there to help Henry so they can get out of there and maybe find a home of their own at the end of the world. And even if she were to betray Hyun-Su, I think he’s at a point in his life where he would understand what Yi-Kyung had to do.
All of this ties back to the fact that Hyun-Su is very much coded as the main character. Keeping him away from the rest of the cast is an opportunity for growth for both him and the other survivors. But there must be a balance where Hyun-Su and his growth is given its due and the other survivors are given a chance to grow or see the error of their ways. And a part of me believes that Song Kang might be pulling double or triple duty because he has another Netflix show airing right now titled My Demon. But when the general viewer, aka me, recognizes that there’s an imbalance because the other characters are such a drain, then you have a problem. And episode 2×02 of Sweet Home has plenty of drains right now.
Sweet Home season 2 is now available on Netflix.
P.S. Want more Sweet Home? Read our review of 2×01.
