REVIEW: ‘Made In Korea’ Season 2 Episodes 1-2

Season 1 of the Disney+ original Made in Korea (Meideu in Koria) first introduced audiences to a series that uses fiction to explore the real-life seedy underbelly of 1970s South Korean politics. In Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2, director Woo Min-Ho continues that exploration, albeit from a different angle. Made in Korea Season 2 is on track to be an even more insane ride than the first season.

Set in 1979, 9 years after the Season 1 finale, Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2 see Baek Gi-tae (Hyun Bin) no longer working at the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) office in Busan. Instead, he’s become the Deputy Director of the agency. Now that he works in Seoul, Gi-tae has greater access to important government officials, including the President.

Meanwhile, more rural places in South Korea, such as Busan, are experiencing heightened tensions and civil unrest. People are growing tired of the President’s long tenure in office, but the President doesn’t appear interested in stepping down.

In Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2, Baek Gi-tae is no longer working at the KCIA office in Busan.

In Japan, Choi Yoo-ji (Won Ji-an) learns that her father is going to step down as the head of the Ikeda Clan. Yoo-ji, who is part Korean, knows that her Korean blood will make becoming the next Kumicho incredibly difficult, so she enlists the help of her partner in meth, Gi-tae, to scratch the back of another Yakuza.

Gi-tae knows that the best way to keep the President in power in Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2 is to get more money. That all falls apart if the new Kumicho of the Ikeda Clan were to exile Yoo-ji. Gi-tae releases a family member of the Yakuza to scratch his back. The vote still fails, but with the help of Gi-tae and the KCIA, Yoo-ji takes the Kumicho position by force.

Just as Gi-tae is returning to South Korea, the KCIA director, Director Cho (Jung Hye-kyun), assassinates the South Korean President just as it happened in real life back in 1979. This creates the entire premise of the second season of Made in Korea.

Despite pacing issues, Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2 are off to a great start.

While the first season established Gi-tae’s rise through the ranks of both the KCIA and the state-sanctioned meth trade, Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2 seem to be more interested in the power imbalance when high-level officials are suddenly gone. On one side is the KCIA, with Gi-tae as its new director, and on the other is the military, which seems to want to seize the power vacuum for itself.

The newly minted Director Baek Gi-tae and his military counterparts are playing a high-stakes game of political chess. The impressive House of Cards-like writing shows that no matter what you may think you know about what’s next, it’s probably wrong.

Caught in the middle are Gi-tae’s siblings. Baek Gi Hyeon (Woo Do-Hwan) is a high-ranking military officer. His meteoric rise through the ranks is possible because Gi-tae pulled just the right strings. Baek So Young (Cha Hee) is now a mother but is still very much involved in Gi-tae’s meth business.

Won Ji-An steps up her game and shines in Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2.

Gi-tae is just as clever in Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2 as he was 9 years ago. He knows how to press all of his brother’s buttons. Gi-tae also benefits from getting the best writing of any character in the series so far. He repeatedly establishes that he is willing to sell out his brother and exploit his sister.

Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2 are off to a great start. Despite pacing issues, where a few scenes just feel like they go on for far too long, the political intrigue is phenomenal. Mixing a premise that requires the audience to pay attention and think with lots of action is a perfect choice for Made in Korea.

Just as in the first season, Hyun Bin is nothing short of legendary as Baek Gi-tae. He’s the kind of underhanded villain that wins audiences over and has them eating out of the palm of his hands. He’s arrogant, aggressive, smug, and charming all in one convenient package. Hyun Bin does an awesome job of making a person believe he’s truly void of any moral compass.

Likewise, Won Ji-An steps up her game in Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2. Won Ji-An appears cold, calculating, and downright brutal. It’s a pleasant surprise because her character didn’t have quite this much to do in Season 1, but suddenly Yoo-ji has real teeth, and so far, Won Ji-An shines.

It’s too early to tell how the narrative will shake out, but the intriguing premise, the incredible performances, and the historically accurate backdrop make Made in Korea Season 2 Episodes 1-2 worth checking out for anyone interested in historical fiction. With a third of Made in Korea Season 2 already out, the next two weeks are likely to be an intense trip to 1979.

Made in Korea Episodes 1-2 are streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, with new episodes releasing on Wednesdays.

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