REVIEW: ‘Wonderful World’ Episodes 1-2

Grief and revenge go hand in hand, often leading to devastating, life-altering consequences. Starring Kim Nam-Joo as Eun Soo-Hyun and Cha Eun-Woo as Gwon Seon-Yul, Hulu’s latest KDrama, Wonderful World, is written by Kim Ji-Eun and directed by Lee Seung-Young. In Wonderful World Episodes 1-2, we see the staggering circular impact of grief’s transformation into revenge from the perspective of a vengeful mother. Through it all, Soo-Hyun experiences a drastic fall from grace that evokes empathy and understanding—even if her actions are ultimately immoral.

Wonderful World Episode 1 starts with a dramatic faceoff between Soo-Hyun and Seon-Yul without context. Before fully understanding the situation, the story takes us back to when Soo-Yun is at her happiest. She is at the height of her career. Soo-Yun is the first Korean recipient of the Rosaline Award and is a renowned psychologist in her field. She has a son, Geun-Woo (Lee Joon), a miracle baby in her eyes, and a devoted husband, Kang Soo-Ho (Kim Kang-Woo). Everything seems to be going well until a negligent driver brutally kills her son.

Wonderful World Episode 1 is emotionally stirring partly due to key storytelling decisions and Kim Nam-Joo’s performance. Soo-Hyun is both a victim and aggressor. From the moment she discovers her son is missing, it’s an emotional rollercoaster. Everything Soo-Hyun is feeling flickers on her face, and her plight, grief, and pain radiate off the screen. Even when her mother (Won Mi-Kyung) tells her the harsh truth in the hospital, there’s not a moment where Soo-Hyun’s experience feels unrelatable. This is a mother watching her world fall apart before her eyes.

Wonderful World Episode 1 highlights the sheer weight of a mother’s grief. It also focuses on how the justice system fails its citizens. Rightfully, Soo-Hyun and Soo-Ho go after the driver who ruined their lives. The defense prefers to focus on Soo-Hyun and her actions on the day of her son’s accident. This casts enough doubt to sway the judge’s decision. The driver’s conviction is suspended, and justice is fleeting. In this moment of Episode 1, actor Kim Kang-Woo shows the depths of Soo-Ho’s rage. Soo-Hyun is the focus of Wonderful World, but this moment offers us a glimpse into Soo-Ho’s internal world as it spills over.

Wonderful World Episode 1 ends dramatically. A public encounter between Soo-Hyun and the driver reveals the driver’s lack of remorse. He offers to buy her off, making light of her pain and anguish in the process. The scene further escalates, and we see when a switch clicks off in Soo-Hyun’s head. By the episode’s end, she makes a devastating decision. But, because of the usage of flashbacks, the acting leading up to this climactic point, and the driver’s lack of remorse, this is an earned moment of revenge. We may not agree with the morality of it, but there’s no denying that viewers will understand how Soo-Hyun reaches this point.

Wonderful World Episode 2 starts not long after the end of Episode 1. It also marks Soo-Hyun at her arguable lowest point. In this episode, she faces the consequences of her actions but also opens her eyes to the possibility of rehabilitation and redemption. While she tries to isolate herself during her sentence, some people are still in her corner. Primarily, her husband, Soo-Ho, who taps into his investigative journalism roots to try to uncover the reasons why their son’s murderer got away with no punishment, but Soo-Hyun was given a maximum sentence.

Through Soo-Ho’s investigation, Wonderful World Episode 2 reveals the probable villain of the series: the career politician Kim Joon (Park Hyuk-Kwon). His investigation attracts Joon’s attention enough to summon Soo-Ho to his office, where he subsequently threatens the journalist. Soo-Ho does everything to protect Soo-Hyun, but she doesn’t register his efforts. Instead, she keeps pushing him away. Her anguish and grief are her partners now. Not him. Ultimately, Soo-Hyun tells him to stop visiting her in her attempts to free him from the responsibility and loyalty he feels towards her.

Her emotional state leads to self-harm, triggering major concern in her mother. But, it also facilitates empathy with one of her cellmates, Jang Hyung-Ja (Kang Ae-Shim). Through Hyung-Ja’s kindness throughout Soo-Ho’s sentence, she can heal. But her new companion also gives her the task of bringing Soo-Ho into the mysterious Seon-Yul’s life. The goal of this task? To help her friend find some redemption after death. Eventually, Soo-Ho is released with no one to greet her. Now, completely alone, she does the only thing she can do. Visit her son’s grave.

Before cutting to her visit to her son’s grave, Wonderful World Episode 2 pivots to the mysterious Seon-Yul. There had already been glimpses of him volunteering in the prison, but there was no other concrete information provided about him. It is hinted that he is the survivor of a great tragedy, but no official confirmation is given in Episode 2. The biggest piece of information delivered is that he works within the employ of Kim Joon, who is now looking to become Korea’s president. Seon-Yul is one of the many ways he hopes to secure this position.

Wonderful World Episode 2 ends with Seon-Yul and Soo-Ho meeting at the cemetery housing their loved ones. Soo-Ho is overcome by grief as she finally sees her son’s resting place. She slips into a nap on his gravestone and is numb to the rain that pours on her. Seon-Yul’s umbrella, shielding her from the rain, finally stirs her awake. She tries to leave without it, but he invokes her son’s name to get her to take it. At an impasse, this is where the episode wraps.

Wonderful World Episodes 1-2 introduce us to Soo-Ho at the moment of her downfall. Both episodes are emotionally impactful and devastating in their separate ways. But there’s no denying that everything hinges on Kim Nam-Joo’s performance. A less convincing or genuine portrayal of the oscillating complexities of grief would have made certain key moments read as disingenuous. Nam-Joo taps into the raw pain necessary to portray a grieving mother. It’s why the audience can understand and forgive the impulsive judgment even when Soo-Ho commits a horrendous sin.

Wonderful World Episodes 1-2 delivers emotional gut punches early on in its run, but leaves room for more. Nam-Joo’s performance will immediately capture and devastate viewers, so hydrate before viewing. The tears will flow.

Wonderful World Episodes 1-2 are now available on Disney+ and Hulu, with new episodes premiering on Fridays and Saturdays.