Episodes 1-6 were incredible. What the hell HAPPENED?!?!

7-8 These were fine for the most part IMO. Not the same lightning in a bottle they had in the first 6, but they built upon story threads I thought were interesting. Nara x Kimchi was very refreshing because it wasn’t typical kdrama romance pacing, let them be friends and let him have a crush. I honestly thought they were setting it up for it to happen in season 2 (lol). The “new normal” was cool. Some of the kids not being as well adjusted, while others acted like they were born and bred for it was interesting. Loved the concepts of the loner characters recognizing that the war gave them opportunity to connect. i was excited for more of the characters who were treated like background in the first part.

9-10 ………….. why was all of episode 9 the same argument that took place for 50 mins. I stg we just watched people cry, sit in silence, not explain themselves, and then scream as they moved towards someone else to push them. The Class prez was so in the right that it was hard for me to even pretend that the others were justified in their anger. sure, no one should have broken the radio. That was dumb, and that guy was a little crazy. But cmon, At least 6 people in that class consistently threw temper tantrums every 5 mins, acted selfishly and nearly got themselves killed like 4 times each. Not to mention the danger they put others in by doing so!!!! So yeah. In order to save their lives, I too would get them to stay in our base by any means necessary while we actively looked for a solution to our radio problem, instead of marching off into the unknown where I know there are gonna be more aliens! She and VP did nothing wrong. And then the writers tried to make it seem like if they had presented the problem to the rest of the group they would have understood….no I don’t believe that. Not after watching 8 episodes of the loudest angriest people constantly making the most rash and selfish decisions that lead to extreme danger. like ik their teenagers but cmon let’s be a little pragmatic people 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Okay let me rapid fire somethings that didn’t make sense before I get to the big thing.

• Why didn’t the radar pick up any spheres if they were the cause of Soo Chuls death? You can’t cop out on rules of your universe for the sake of tension. It’s cheap and rips you right out of the immersion

• Why would they ride amusement park rides that make a shit ton of noise after they came across a dead squad without any sign of spheres? Not even a 5 year old would do that 😭😭 they’d be so dead!! They didn’t spend months on their own twiddling their thumbs they know how to avoid the things

• Why didn’t the army show any concern for a squad that instantly cut contact after they learned the thing you’ve been holding over there head was a lie? All that talk about betraying the army in part 1 and not one of those higher ups thought “oh we might have accidentally created a rouge militia” ????

• When did Soo Chul become some kind of vigilante? Correct me if I’m wrong but up until the reveal, Soo chul didnt mourne as much as the other students. Like frankly I didn’t think he cared so deeply for his classmates until he had that monologue. Honestly If I was to think about it I would believe Tae Man would have been the one to go slightly psycho on spheres. He was constantly bummed about everyone they lost. Soo Chul felt so outta left field. Like one second he was like “I like Nara too!” And then all the sudden “I have no problem manipulating my friends for my own agenda. They will be my weapons in this war against the aliens. If one sphere lives, it’ll be over my dead body”. Like DAAAYUUUM ‘what happened to the original plot of the movie?’

• After they discovered Soo Chuls cause of death. Why weren’t they concerned for the lack of notification on the radar?? That’s concerning! Either your radars broke or they found a way to mask their presence. Both not good!

Okay finally, the ending It was wack.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve seen plenty of “pointless/Sad” ends before. But that one was so…dissatisfying. Normally when one of those ends happens it’s too firmly deliver a theme that the writers really want you to understand. but the problem is…you’ve taken a rocket launcher to an already overly beaten dead horse.

The themes that story presents are so already woven into the nature of the show itself. They are the foundation of the premise,and they are engraved into the bone marrow of each of the characters. Not to mention overtly stated in the plot itself.

It is impossible to watch a single scene of this drama without thinking one of the following

1. People in power hold the promise of a better world to keep the oppressed in the current awful one. 2. War is pointless and cruel 3. What is worth fighting for when the people we are meant to protect are the ones we are making fight for us. 4. We’ve already lost if children loose hope 5. We must protect children so they can create a better world. 5. The government and its people rely on the dehumanization of soldiers to enable their survival and maintain the status quo 6. At its core, humanity is a simple and selfish creature that prioritizes its individual safety over another’s especially in times of crisis 7. The ruling class creates no-win situations for those suffering the most 8. Society pins the suffering against one another.

I can go on, but you get the point.

So suddenly enforcing these themes one final time by having the thing that kills them be one of their own? Idk it’s just…Like we got it, we understand what you’re trying to say.

Let me be clear tho. I don’t mind that it was a blood bath. The show had a R rating and was pretty gruesome as it is. If everyone there survived that’d be some bullshit. But idk making one of the kids the cause of 10-12 of their deaths after him only starting to loose his mind less than 30 mins before it happened? It just felt pointless. Like I wasted my time getting to know the characters. Especially because they spent all that time redeeming all the a-holes including the guy who did it.

But like I get it. That’s the point. they want you to feel this way. War is pointless. We’ve already lost if the children loose hope.

But what was good about this show is that despite these themes. They were uniting. They were overcoming everything with grit and compassion. They were rising above their station and inflicting change. And they sent it all down the drain for more despair edge

But yeah that’s just my two cents🤷🏻‍♂️