Tide Of Love:Season 2 (Korean Series)

By episode three, Tide of Love 2 has Han cuffing Kim and keeping him from going to class or meeting his professors, as though controlling his boyfriend were proof of love. That scene captures the sequel’s approach: it doubles down on the first season’s worst patterns instead of changing course. Han is still jealous and controlling, and the show treats behavior that belongs on an abusive-relationship red-flag checklist as romance.

The premise gives Kim, a struggling art student, and Han, a wealthy, controlling man, an established relationship. Kim is troubled by his fading artistic spark and falling behind in school; into the couple’s life steps Han’s childhood friend, a brooding, mysterious, handsome man who knows how Han became manipulative and obsessed with BDSM. Han doesn’t like him, but the two still meet for tea from time to time. The friend uses what he knows to stir up doubt in Kim and push him toward leaving Han. His aim is to break them up so his other friend Minwoo can have Kim. Minwoo, meanwhile, takes a job as a physiotherapist to get close to Han and repeatedly makes advances on him.

For all that effort to interfere, the relationship never actually ends. Kim and Han ultimately accept each other, flaws included. The show also tries to explain Han’s past, and its character work is a little stronger there. That small improvement doesn’t rescue the romance, which feels rotten and uncomfortable, with no chemistry between the couple. For a series so committed to sleaze, it’s also strange that it never shows anything explicit.

The supporting characters do little to help. Han’s childhood friend is nearly comical, perched beside the couch in an oversized green jacket while the room is covered in Christmas decorations. Minwoo, the fourth character, fares no better. And the old warning signs from season one remain firmly in place: the sequel is every bit as sleazy and shameless, with no meaningful change in its treatment of Han’s behavior.

The eight episodes run 30 to 35 minutes each, yet getting through them felt like torture. After season one was already a complete trainwreck, the prospect of a follow-up prompted one question: how could something this bad get another season? The answer is that the sequel manages to be just as terrible in every way. Nobody was asking for it. (1.5/10)