Red Swan: Episode 2 Recap
In episode 2 of Red Swan, we see Do-Yoon assigned as a bodyguard to Wan-Soo. As the party begins, we see a flashback of how Wan-Soo’s mother, a caddie, was mistreated by Park Mi-Ran. Wan-Soo’s mother uses her clubs to teach her daughter golf. Wan-Soo wins the championship, but her happiness is short-lived. It is so because her mother uses all the prize money to pay off a gambling debt.
Amidst the party, Wan-Soo’s friend takes Kim Yong-Kook into a private room and indulges in sexual activities. Suddenly, Wan-Soo walks in on them and is astonished to see her husband cheating. She has a confrontation with her mother-in-law about the same. Wan-Soo’s mother-in-law becomes infuriated when she finds out that Wan-Soo knows about the cheating. The reason behind this is a divorce can hinder power in her hands.
Following this, Wan-Soo tries to maintain her composure during the party. However, she ends up overdrinking at the bar later and isn’t able to even walk properly. Do-Yoon escorts her to her room, and on the way, she shows interest in sleeping with him.
The next day, Do-Yoon has a brief chat with Mr. Park about the security system in the palace. Following their meeting, Do-Yoon accidentally drops the photo of him and his brother and recalls his brother mentioning the photo before passing away. Do-Yoon finds a memory card loaded with clips of Kim Du-O being taken away on a stretcher.
Red Swan: Episode 2 Review
Episode 1 had been quite a disappointing start to the drama. That said, episode 2 of Red Swan picks up the pieces with some major improvements. To begin with, this episode executes adrenaline-pumping thrilling sequences like the scene in which Kim Yong-Kook is about to barge into Wan-Soo’s room.
Notably, episode 1 didn’t offer us much context on Wan-Soo’s life, so with episode 2, the drama goes all in. The series introduces Wan-Soo’s mother and even gets you to empathize with her for Park Mi-Ran’s treatment and appreciate her for making her daughter a world champion. Unfortunately, as soon as Wan-Soo wins the championship, it’s revealed that her mother gambled away all her prize money. This was truly quite disappointing.
The old hag Park Mi-Ran can have your blood boiling at times. That said, the series falls short in portraying her as a cunning, insolent, and evil mother-in-law. She’s just a screeching and howling buffoon, which takes away from the depth of her character. The drama could have portrayed her character in a much better way and added some depth to her, considering she is an important antagonist.
Episode 2 of Red Swan also dialed down on the premature attraction revelation. Of course, there is a scene where Wan-Soo expresses her intention to sleep with Do-Yoon. However, since she is drunk, we can excuse her actions. The scene is still quite tricky regarding what Do-Yoon decides to do. From what it looks like, Do-Yoon took a step back, knowing his responsibilities and goals and not intending to indulge in something that could get him into unnecessary trouble.
The overall acting is still something that’s not up to mark. The couple lacks chemistry for reasons we’re not able to put our finger on. If this continues for long, it’s going to be extremely painful to keep up with the series. Hopefully, the series steps things up just like Episode 2 did.
Conclusion
All in all, episode 2 did make major improvements from the first episode, but fails to deliver on the most crucial parts. The chemistry and romance are the entire base of the series, and with a weak base, dramas tend to crumble. We can only hope things get better from here, but the road does not look too promising. You can also read the Top 5 K-Dramas to watch in July.
What are your thoughts on Red Swan? Did you feel like the chemistry between the ML and FL struck a connection? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
