The harsh reality of the military that made viewers suffer stress after watching “D.P. Season 1” has faded away, leaving only fantasies. Rising to stardom after the first season, Son Seok Gu made a significant transformation into a leading character in Season 2, which is considered as important as Koo Kyo Hwan’s role. However, viewers’ enjoyment and immersion have somehow decreased as the drama changed the focus of its story from “deserters” to “military organization”.
Netflix’s original series “D.P.”, which highlights the harsh and absurd reality in the military and the group dedicated to catching deserters, has returned with Season 2 after two years. Starting with the shooting incident of Kim Ru Ri (Moon Sang Hoon) hinted in Season 1’s epilogue, “D.P. 2” deals with the story of huge military organizations trying to cover up and manipulate such events. If Season 1 raised the question “What can we do?”, Season 2 centers around people who are “trying to do anything”.
The biggest change in Season 2 is the increased proportion of Son Seok Gu’s character. Compared to Son Seok Gu’s presence in “D.P. 1”, in which he starred before receiving huge love for “The Roundup” and “My Liberation Notes”, his role has become more important to the main story. As a result, episode 4, which revolves around “GP landmine explosion incident” and has nothing to do with deserters, gives off a feeling that it was forced to be made and put into the series. The sudden thriller atmosphere and Son Seok Gu’s sudden increased screen time makes viewers find it hard to recognize the unique realistic storytelling style of “D.P.”.
In addition, Seo Eun (Kim Ji Hyun), the ex-wife of Son Seok Gu’s character, becomes a mere tool for the plot. Her appearance and transformation into a villain was said to be out of the blue. Seo Eun seems to be a character created solely to emphasize how Son Seok Gu, who has always stayed neutral, tries to raise his voice and grows.
Due to the excessive focus on Son Seok Gu, Koo Kyo Hwan’s charm, which was one of the most interesting things about Season 1, has gradually disappeared. The unrealistic portrayal of Jung Hae In’s character, who risks everything and runs away from the military because of a USB, is somewhat disappointing. “D.P.” was highly praised for its fresh realism in the first season, however, Season 2 looks like it was forcibly produced to deliver messages about military injustice.
Despite the disappointing point in the overall story, the actors’ acting performances are as good as in Season 1. In particular, actors, such as Moon Sang Hoon, Bae Na Ri as Jang Seong Min, and Choi Hyun Wook as Shin Ah Hwi, stood out as scene-stealers in this season and impressed many drama fans. The presence of Jung Hae In, Koo Kyo Hwan, and Kim Sung Kyun remained strong. However, opinions are divided over Lee Seol’s portrayal of Shin Hye Yeon, the older sister of deserter Shin Woo Seok (Park Jung Woo) in Season 1, and General Goo Ja Woon (Jin Ji Hee).
The latter normally cannot surpass the former. The drama’s intention to convey the need for realistic changes in the military environment, unfortunately, led to a frustrating ending. Starting with reality but ending with fantasy, “D.P. 2” received applause for taking meaningful challenges, but it is regrettable that the series lost its unique charm and ended up as an ordinary “military drama”.
Source: Daum
