Big Bet Season 2 (2023)

To Roll a Dice Without Pulling Right Cards

First and foremost, I might get canceled for giving my final perspective on this drama, which I literally understood where it all comes from (mayhaps the guys who watched this know the story better than mine), so I give some cons aside from good acting performances and great choices of music as OST tracks. (I include the overall, which also includes S1 as well that I didn't make a review of)

Plotwise... is what scarred me. This drama really focuses on the protagonist and his surroundings (connections between him and side roles). It loses some of the narratives with the little basic thing: how (origin on some side roles)? There's one scene (back from S1) that pretty much cringes, but basically the beginning of this trajectory of his journey that led into the climax. Speaking of the climax... leaves me a scar that I'd rather not disclose (see for yourself)

Since this pretty much summarises how to build a casino empire and the fall of his lifetime journey, feels that it's missing something (thus, should be shortened to either 12eps or 8eps). Also, the director should build up some developments of roles that are essential (but cutting midway that I'm speechless). I agree with some viewers, it's lacking story, more action-packed ones; which of course, again, the enjoyment of guys

I appreciate the realistic sentiment that has been invested in this, however, to me, it would be alright to turn back in time just to fix things altogether. In other words: the analogy of gambling is almost right in this story, but a little adjustment will bring exactly what viewers want

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Great acting and cast BUT....

The synopsis looked great. It tells the story of a casino owner from youth till present day. We have seen many other dramas on mafia and gangsters, but none about a casino owner so that's a fresh angle. Are there mafia, gambling, prostitution, drinking. and crooked cops? Of course, it's inevitable that such vices would be entangled with the casino scene. These unsavoury elements become the backdrop for the drama but are not the main plot. Interestingly, the main character (Hoon) only appears around episode 5 or 6. That's very late in the show.

The production value was also very high as it's set (and filmed) in the Philippines with local actors. The Korean cast too are top notch stalwarts. Honestly, this show seemed to have everything going for it.

So where did it all go wrong? The first mistake was creating two parts, which seems to be the new trend in cable TV Kdramaland. That only works if the story is so enticing (like Glory) that you'd want to wait for the next instalment. Firstly, if this show wasn't on Disney, which I'm already subscribed to, and secondly, both parts had already dropped by the time I decided to watch it, I would NEVER have bothered. It seemed like the only reason why it had 16 episodes was to make its Philippine sojourn worthwhile. There was a lot of exposition and side characters, but I wonder if they really added to the plot. In fact, a faster-paced 8 to 12 episodes would probably have been enough.

At the end of the day, he was a likeable rogue. So the main question was - did he really commit all those crimes? Should we sympathise with him? I don't think I had a clear answer at the end.

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Big Bet 2? Big Yes 2!

Big Bet carries the greatness of the first season over to this second season. Big Bet Season 2 has a fantastic story which was structured almost perfectly (a few complex points which were a little difficult to understand), an amazing unpredictably story that kept this thick mystery in every episode, some great acting performances alongside editing, cinematography and directing. Again, with the first season, every episode felt like a blockbuster. The one glaring downside I think for this season was the repetitive dialogue, especially with the first half of episodes. The SFX was very hit-or-miss, too.

Even though I loved all the episodes, I feel like the second half of episodes were stronger than the first. The bromance between certain characters was a joy to see, and it was also nice to see, in my opinion, a phenomenal final episode, which I think was a perfect ending.

I suggest everyone to watch Big Bet Season 2. Of course you should watch the first season before this one, just in case anyone asks that!

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Excellent Conclusion!

I've read that many viewers did not like the ending, but this is what a good story ending is supposed to be like.

- All loose ends are tied up
- Not everyone deserves their "end" the way it ends
- Very realistic portrayal of the human condition

What else I liked:
- respectful portrayal of non-Korean characters
- NKC's were not portrayed as dimwits to make the Korean characters appear more appealing
- story was focused and maintained a level of complexity that kept me guessing
- no excessive and meaningless sexual content (in fact there was very little at all)

What would have made it better:
- a good soundtrack with more instrumental music
- at least one likeable and strong female character (secretary had potential, but was neglected by the director)
- understand that that line of work and the times would have made this challenging
- good storytelling dictates that there should be a foil for Kim So-Jung & Ko Young-Hee

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A Geezer's Bet

I really hate what streaming services do with dropping projects in batches. Either drop the entire thing or make it serializing. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment after a decent first season (more like the first half of a 16-episodes drama!). The plot ended up being all over the place, with twists that felt more like they were forcing us into paying attention than actually adding anything interesting to the story. Some side plots were only there to buy time. I wasn't a fan of the ending either, they should've just ended it in a normal fashion. The characters were fine but I wish there were more interactions between Moo Sik and Seung Hoon. I'm not sure why the drama had 18+ rating considering it wasn't that violent, although it had one tiny quick intimate scene and some smoking? The opening theme was cool.

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