Review | Netflix K-drama review: Sweet Home season 2 – Song Kang leads overblown follow-up to hit monster series that forgets what seduced us in the first place

The second installment of the Netflix K-drama, Sweet Home, has unfortunately not lived up to the expectations set by its predecessor. The series, starring Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Go Min-si, Lee Si-young, and Jung Jin-young, seems to have misinterpreted the elements that made the first season a success. The phrase 'bigger is not always better' aptly describes the situation.

Sweet Home, three years ago, was one of the first South Korean shows on Netflix to gain global recognition. Despite its imperfections, the series was captivating due to its compact and thrilling narrative about neighbors banding together in the dilapidated Green Home Apartments at the onset of a monster apocalypse. The characters were distinctive and contributed to the rising fame of actors like Song Kang, Park Gyu-young, Go Min-si, and Lee Do-hyun. The monsters, with their vibrant, gooey, and bizarre appearances, were equally memorable, thanks to the tactile special effects.

In the second season, the survivors from Green Home are thrust into the open world, accompanied by dozens of nondescript new characters. They are now up against hordes of unattractive digital rock monsters that resemble each other. The narrative picks up from the first season with Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang) in custody and being transported to an army base for experimentation. However, he manages to escape with the help of Pyeon Sang-wook (Lee Jin-wook). The other survivors are taken to a refugee camp where they encounter trigger-happy soldiers. They are rescued by Park Chan-young (Jung Jin-young), a soldier with a conscience, and together they relocate to a new camp at a baseball stadium. The second season also introduces new characters, including the brave members of the Crow Platoon and a pregnant woman searching for her fiancé.