The K2: Ji Chang-Wook—That’s All You Need to Know
“A fugitive soldier gets swept up in personal and political intrigue when he’s hired as a bodyguard for the family of a presidential candidate.”
The K2 (Netflix)
Ji Chang-Wook. Now I get it. Prior to watching The K2 I’d seen the name Ji Chang-Wook mentioned on TikTok and Instagram along with video clips and pics but honestly didn’t really understand why people were so enamored. I had also seen The K2 on the list of Korean dramas on Netflix but the description didn’t do anything to make me actually want to watch it. This has taught me one thing—don’t just go by Netflix descriptions because this isn’t the first time their description didn’t inspire me to watch. In fact, I have a friend who avoided Itaewon Class based on the Netflix description for over a year. When she finally watched it, she loved it—and she was not happy with Netflix for having misled her. Ugh. I keep asking her when she’s just going to trust me—she’s never NOT liked a K-drama I’ve recommended!
This K-drama has nothing to do with Mt. Everest, skiing, or snowboarding but the first thing I noticed and enjoyed about The K2 was all the action. A quick internet search confirmed my suspicions—Ji Chang-Wook does his own stunts. That alone might be enough reason to watch The K2 but it was a slow start for me. And unfortunately, other than Chang-Wook’s character, Kim Je-Ha, I wasn’t really feeling all the other characters. There wasn’t much to like about anyone else. That may be my biggest criticism of K-dramas—when many of the characters are just meh—or downright unlikeable.
To be clear, this doesn’t mean everyone needs to be good. Just because someone is less than stellar, bad, or even evil—a writer can sway you and sometimes even cause you to root for someone with questionable characteristics if they show us how or why they became the way they are. I didn’t see enough character development in The K2 with anyone other than Kim Je-Ha. I found Ko An-Na’s helplessness to be annoying and I question if they would’ve done the same had it been a male character. To me, what they showed us in her backstory just wasn’t enough reason for her to not have used her time and intelligence to be able to fend better for herself. If she was smart enough to be able to “escape” numerous times it makes no sense she would be barefoot, in a nightgown, or have not made a plan other than running from those tasked with keeping her hidden. Women are not helpless and I’m not a fan when they’re portrayed as such unless there’s a good reason. IMHO that reason was not provided in The K2.
Despite the lack of more likable characters, if you’re into intrigue and mystery The K2 provides plenty of that. Enough for me that I didn’t even consider bailing on this series. I’m always curious how much is based on fact and what is artistic license when it comes to K-dramas since I’m not familiar enough with Korean culture. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Korea’s political system and politicians portrayed in a positive manner. The politicians are greedy, jaded and corrupt—not a whole lot different than how U.S. politicians and the political system are portrayed in our movies and on TV. One need look no further than Scandal to understand what I’m saying. In both countries, the role wealth plays in politics is so disheartening—all that greed and lust for power. Sigh… So yeah—the main reason I kept watching was Ji Chang-Wook. His character seemed to have the most integrity and he kills those action scenes (no pun intended).
I’m curious, what others thought of The K2? Am I being too harsh? Let me know in the comments below. Meanwhile, how well do you know the cast of The K2?
What actor is a member of K-Pop group Girls Generation?
What actor from The King: Eternal Monarch was a central character in The K2?
What actor had a photo cameo in Secret Garden?
Released: September 2016, Episodes: 16
Cast: Ji Chang-Wook Kim Je-Ha, Lim Yoon-A Ko An-Na, Song Yoon-A Choi Yoo-Jin, Cho Seong-Ha Jang Se-Joon, FULL CAST
