After a grueling wait of almost three years, the much-awaited release of Bloodhounds Season 2 finally happened, and fans got the delight of watching Kim Gun-woo and Hong Woo-jin’s dynamic duo return to the small screen.
But despite the excitement, there was a substantial amount of concern from the fans regarding this new season, which stemmed from skepticism about TV shows’ second seasons often missing the mark. Thus, despite a good amount of skepticism, we are happy to announce that this Netflix series has delivered on all the positive expectations fans had from it.
Spoiler Alert !!!The Following Information Contains Spoilers For Bloodhounds Season 2. Readers’ Discretion Is Advised.
What Is Bloodhounds Season 2 About?
A still from Bloodhounds Season 2 | Credits: Studio N
After the events of the first season, our protagonists Kim Gun-woo and Hong Woo-jin had set their sights on claiming the boxing world championship gold. But unfortunately, the happiness of becoming the super middleweight world champion didn’t last long, as an even more evil presence came knocking on their door in the form of Baek-jeong.
Being the creator of the illegal underground fight league called the International Knockout Fighting Championship (IKFC), Baek-jeong needed a star to make his successful promotion even bigger, for which he wanted Gun-woo on board. But when the protagonist flat-out denies his offer, Baek-jeong makes his life a living hell by targeting him and his loved ones, until Gun-woo gives him what he wants, or dies trying to stop him.
Bloodhounds Season 2: The Show That We Loved Got Even More Intense
Right from the get-go, Bloodhounds Season 2 bears its new fangs, which consist of high production value and extremely amazing fight choreography, evident from the Adik Belov Vs. Kim Gun-woo’s match for the WBC super middleweight championship.
In all honesty, if you show this fight to someone who doesn’t watch boxing with a pretense that this was a real match, you may convince 90% of them, a feat of fight production that is rarely seen in any form of visual media in the past. And the excellence doesn’t stop there, as this time, there are more fights, and they are even more intense and visceral than before. Thus, action buffs who loved the first season for its combat will be extremely satisfied this time as well.
At the same time, the bromance that started in the last season turned into a full-on family melodrama, as both our protagonists now live and train together, all under the care of Gun-woo’s mother, Yun So-yeon. These emotions are only heightened when the ones they love and swore to protect start being targeted by Baek-jeong; their mettle is tested, which leads to even stronger bonds being forged under the flames, making every scene that much more intense.
Moreover, the performances by the lead stars, Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi, exceeded their performances from the first season, as this time, they were even more emotionally charged and spot-on with their dialogue deliveries. On the flipside, the performance by Rain, who plays the antagonist, was also on par with the leads. delivering on the menace, brutality, and grit that it was aiming for. Even the returning and new supporting cast made their presence felt exceptionally well.
Bringing this all together was a well-laid-out narrative, which had just the right amount of complexity, cohesiveness, and a natural flow to it. This led to the series exploring genres like high-octane action media, psychological thriller, and surprisingly, even a bit of crime-noir, especially in Episode 4, without feeling out of place. This led to Bloodhounds Season 2 being more adrenaline-pumping than before, while still staying grounded and gritty to the end.
Is Bloodhounds Season 2 Worth Watching?
A still from Bloodhounds Season 2 | Credits: Studio N
The simple answer to this is a solid yes. Bloodhounds Season 2 delivered on everything fans were hoping for in spades, and didn’t try to change the formula too much from what made Season 1 so memorable and amazing. It even improved on its finale, which was one of the most glaring misses of Season 1, by keeping it extremely hard-hitting and action-packed through the finale showdown between Baek-jeong and Gun-woo.
Although, despite being minor, this season still had its flaws, like certain topics and mini-narratives feeling either rushed, brushed past, or straight up forgotten, like the emotional development of Woo-jin’s doubts about himself as a boxer. And, the story of Baek-jeong, which sometimes feels like it becomes too convenient for him to achieve his objective, feels lazy, especially when compared to the grounded nature of the rest of the narrative.
But at the end, if you can look past those minor issues, Bloodhounds Season 2 is an extremely spectacular addition to the series, which will not let you down.
All seven episodes of Bloodhounds Season 2 are now streaming on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
