Farewell to ... IRIS2

IRIS2 is one of the crappiest shows I've ever seen and definitely the crappiest show I've ever watched from beginning to end without any fastforwarding. No, I am not a masochist. But I made a bet. I seriously don't remember what was at stake if I had stopped watching, but I'm sure it would have been something horrible. At least I hope so...

20+ hours later and at least 1000 tweets wiser, my co-sufferers and I barely have any sanity left to congratulate ourselves. But you know what? It was worth it. Yes, cause now, we have a galactic nebula named after ourselves! Wow, just WOW.
Oh, but not only that! There is also a weed. Probably one that can be smoked. Orijelika Persistica is its name. And it grows in many backyards. Be aware (you may click to enlarge).
That said, let's sit down and think about a proper farewell post. They are a tradition on this blog. Every show I master gets one. They are not proper review posts (others do them much better), but more of the acknowledging sort. Like: "Yeah, show, I've watched you, and now it's time to say goodbye, thanks for keeping me company".

So, what was good about IRIS2? 

Uhm ...
....
......

Yeah ... Well. See, that is kinda the problem with IRIS2. It was really, really bad. But nothing in this world is JUST bad. Not even Voldemort. Or is he?
  • The first two episodes were kinda alright. I think. Not that I want to go back and watch them again.
  • I also quite liked the idol boys, mainly Yoon Doo-Joon. So young, but such a sad, scowly, sexy face! Lee Joon did well too, even though we couldn't really see his face through his bangs. But: His are the ears that cannot lie and gave him away as a villain! That's an achievement. Not everybody could have pulled that off. 
  • I further liked all the fight scenes with Jang Hyuk. Man, he is so awesome (when he fights)!! There should have been more. Much more. In fact, IRIS2 should have been one big, long fight scene.
  • Lee Beom-Soo's (or rather Yoo Joong-Won's) North Korean accent was also very good. And I liked him in general. His character was messy, but others were much, much messier.
  • Choi Min's wardrobe was good, too. I wouldn't mind having it. And she is one beautiful woman. I'll have her, too!
  • The eye-sex moments between Choi Min and Yoo Joong-Won were quite promising. What a shame nothing else came out of it! Was it Ori that suggested a spin-off just with those two? I'm game. I'd even volunteer to write that.
  • In one of the episodes, where they show an exteeeeeeended visit to the National Archives, Jang Hyuk does this awesome one-handed push-up on top of the file cabinets. Can't get that out of my head. 
  • And here is my favorite scene, which has been shown many, many times in many, many flashbacks. This is a glimpse of a show that could have been, but wasn't (It probably also is the scene they spent half of their budget one, because the overall quality of the show went down fast from already low from here on):
  • Ray's death scene (and the fight before it) was also good - and I have missed Ray's terrible lines ever since his demise. This is to you, Ray! You tried, like everybody.
  • Not to forget Jang-Hyuk-climbing-things in skinny black jeans. That was more than just good, it was awesome. Including the crotch-shot. If IRIS2 had been one big, long fight in which Jang Hyuk climbed many things, IRIS2 would have been awesome (oh gawd, I just realize I could watch these gifs all day):
  • Last, but not least: the funny white bike. Awesome prop. Good PPL. I want one. Ride on, Kim Yeon-Hwa! (Another gif I could watch all day. Hell, you know what? I WILL watch it all day)

And what was bad about IRIS2?

Like .... everything?
  • Every single character was a mess sooner rather than later if it was not completely redundant to begin with. Want details? Okay:
    • Jung Yoo-Gun: What drives him? Nobody knows. He is a black-hole (aka phlegmatic) killing machine. He snaps people's necks like straw and never looks back. He has a bullet in his brain and temporary amnesia, in which he acts like a robot and wears a terrible hoody. The point of the amnesia? Uhm ... (kakashi, has amnesia ever needed a point in KDrama? Duh) After his mother get's killed, he seems to be driven by revenge, though it's not quite clear how that connects to everything else (i.e. nukes). Goes out with a bang. The end. Ah, and he is very, very boring.
    • Ji Soo-Yeo: Loves her "oppa" (Yoo-Gun), but we're not sure why. She actually loves him like CRAaaaaazy, she'd even give the bad guys all the nukes in the world in exchange for him. She is a tough-cookie-agent in leather clothing, but cries all the time and faints when talked to in a harsh way. She also only has one expression, which, I'm guessing here, should show us how tough she is. It's a half-scowl, half-bored expression. Nothing in her face ever moves. Could be totally awesome acting or could be plastic surgery. Who knows.
    • Yoo Joong-Won: The bad guy. But not really. Cause he has gone through hell and he wants revenge for it. That's legit. He sides with the bad guys because of it but is really not on their side, even though he sometimes is. He kills people, but then feels bad about it. He wants the nukes. To kill half of Seoul (or more) and bring about unification. Makes total sense! He may like Yeon-Hwa, but he himself is not quite sure about it, he calls her "family" at one stage. He has no sex. And he is often very orange. Miserable death. Poor sod.
    • Choi Min: Deputy Director of the completely and utterly useless NSS. Wears classy clothes and frowns a lot (but only with her eyes). Loves America, hates IRIS. That's it. When she has to step down nobody misses her for a second.
    • Seo Hyun-Woo: Very unfortunate character because he is in love with the dumbest woman eve. Otherwise, I liked him. Even though he doesn't have a purpose beyond being in a love triangle that never even was a love dyad.
    • Yoon Shi-Hyuk: The IRIS mole inside NSS. The character that made sense the most. No backstory needed, he is a mole and that's his purpose. 
    • Kim Yeon-Hwa: Badass North girl with IRIS, revenge driven (it all goes back to how they treated her and her family). That is until the show assassinates her character in the most brutal way by making her all soft and easy with Yoo-Gun for absolutely NO apparent reason. Hers is the character I feel most sad about.
    • Baek San: Former bad guy (unless you completely ignore IRIS, Season 1), now turned good (he regrets... yes, thank you show for telling us over and over and over and over ...). Daddy of Yoo-Gun. Why is that even relevant? Nobody knows. He has the nukes, everybody is after him. And did I mention he regrets? Also goes out with a bang. Runs in the family, I guess.
    • Park Cheol-Yeong: One of the best characters in the IRIS universe. Is killed early on. Shame (but I guess Kim Seung-Woo was the only one who saw the script and decided it was time to leave asap). 
    • Ray: Character with the worst lines in the history of KDrama - and the worst delivery in said history, too (though probably by the fault of the director, not the actor). As a character, he made sense. Just evil, no questions asked. Never mind that he died in IRIS. People in the IRIS universe sometimes come back from the dead. Sometimes, they even leak brain matter, but come back.
    • Kang Cheol-Hwan: The NSS Director. Not sure it was intentional, but among all the NSS people, he made the most sense and I liked him early on for his integrity and spunk. Bravo. Dispanding the NSS? Best idea in the history of ideas.
    • Many others: redundant, redundant, redundant...   
  • The story ... what story? If there ever was one, it definitely wasn't sufficient for 20 episodes. The short version of IRIS2 (in case you don't want to watch it): Bad guys want nukes that former bad guy has hidden in Seoul, good guys want to keep nukes, though some don't). This must be a rare case of an action drama in which almost nothing ever happens.
  • The absolute worst though was the so-called "romance". Not only should there be a law in Korea to make it punishable by death to pair Jang Hyuk with Lee Da-hae ever again - it was the least exciting type of romance I've ever seen. They get to spend a 5' sex scene with each other and then they don't see each other for the rest of the show. Romantic tension? ZERO - or even below that. I guess he really showed how he feels about her when he shot her. Don't you know honesty is the most important thing in a relationship, oppa?
  • Okay, wrong: The absolute worst was Ji Soo-Yeon. What a redundant, annoying woman (played by, I am sorry, one of the most untalented Korean actresses out there). I get the angry shakes when I see her face now. Thanks NOT for ruining Chuno for me forever. I really want to watch it again, but know I can't without endangering my health. Unless there is a version out there without Lee Da-hae? 
BOOOM!
Ahhhh. good riddance. I will not miss you, but I will probably remember you for quite a while. For how bad, bad, bad, BAD you were.