English Title: The Fiery Priest II
Korean Title: 열혈사제II [lit. hot-blooded priest II]
Director(s): Lee Myung-woo
Screenwriter(s): Park Jae-bum
Studio: Studio S, Big Ocean ENM, Red Nine Pictures, Gilstory ENT
Released: 2024
Runtime: 12 episodes, min. 1h 8m – max. 1h 28m
Starring: Kim Nam-gil, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Ha-nee, Seo Hyun-woo, Sung Joon, Kim Hyung-seo, Jeon Sung-woo, Ahn Chang-hwan, Baek Ji-won, Seo Bum-jun
My Verdict: Premise ups the threat by involving a drug cartel. Comedy tries too hard. It is as if the creators have forgotten what makes season 1 good.
● Season 2 is set about five years after the first season. The premise this time involves a drug cartel from Laos.
● Lee Sang-yeon (Moon Woo-jin) is a young parishioner and altar boy who got exposed to the latest drug that is going around. He collapses during mass and falls into a coma. This obviously sets off Father Kim Hae-il (Kim Nam-gil) so he and the gang go after the drug cartel.
● The opening episode, generally and in terms of the comedy, tries too hard. The supposedly dramatic opening sequence has Hae-il going undercover dressed up as a buddhist monk to help a bunch of monks bullied by gangsters. Helping people and even dressing up as a buddhist monk is one thing—after all, the circumstances arguably demand it and the guy was a NIS operative, such tactics are the norm for him—but the scene has that humanistic “respect for all religions because all religions are equal” tone to it even if that is not how Hae-il thinks.
● Also, SWAT attempting to apprehend a perp at a restaurant whilst he is having dinner with Park Kyung-sun (Lee Ha-nee) is beyond stupid even for this type of comedy. They shoot up the place with no concern for an innocent and wooden tables somehow act as hard cover.
● The main characters constantly overreact by shouting and screaming. Although that may be a Korean thing (in K-dramas anyway), this is just cheap. What makes season 1 funny is that the characters, particularly the religious, try to be serious or half-serious, only to lose it occasionally. In season 2, set five years later, they have reverted to being four-year-olds instead of being more mature.
● By the way, Hae-il has to go to Busan to fight the cartel, taking advantage of an opening at the seminary. There, he influences the seminarians although one of them, Chae Do-u (Seo Bum-jun), is already a hothead. Thankfully, the series is not about Hae-il trying to drastically change how the seminary works, although what little there is is still cheesy. At least Hae-il does take priestly authority and duty seriously.
● Thankfully, it settles a bit as the season progresses but the comedy is just not that clever.
● With the involvement of a drug cartel from Laos led by Kim Hong-sik (Sung Joon), this season ups the threat from the first season’s local organized crime. Or at least it is supposed to. Whilst Sung Joon looks the part and plays him well enough—he’s the stereotypically dangerous but seemingly urbane drug dealer—his minions are severely incompetent and stupid. This is obviously part of the comedy and it is fine up to a point but is rather convenient as Hong-sik is simply too tolerant of their stupidity.
● Nam Du-heon is the corrupt prosecutor who works with Hong-sik and Seo Hyun-woo does a wonderful job playing the slimy, scheming bastard. It’s as if he enjoys playing the role. Kyung-sun earning his trust too quickly is the main problem but that does not take away Seo Hyun-woo’s performance.
● The “zealous young cop” this season is Koo Ja-yeong played by Kim Hyung-seo. She doesn’t look convincing as a cop and initially tries too hard but, to be fair, she does settle into the role after a few episodes.
● At 12 episodes, the pacing throughout the season is steady and tight enough although each individual episode at over one hour long can be tighter.
● The themes are the same as season 1: injustices due to those in positions of authority who are not merely negligent but willfully conspire with evil.
● As expected from the genre, the ending is nice and neat which is not a problem if the plot is a little more complicated. It is shot and edited quite conventionally, although the product placements can be subtler or incorporated into the comedy. Ultimately, the main problem is that the attempt at comedy is too forced. It is as if the creators have forgotten what makes season 1 good.
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