The Fiery Priest Season 2 Review – A quick, goofy sequel to the iconic K-drama

Episode Guide

Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 9 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 10 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 11 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 12 -| Review Score – 3/5

The Fiery Priest is a hilarious K-drama that returns after a whopping 5 years following the explosive reaction to Season 1. Said to be a comedy crime thriller like its iconic prequel, Season 2 retains similar tones with messy investigations and corruption, found family, amateur vigilantes, religious undertones and a whole lot of comedy packed into 12 episodes.

And this time, SBS has teamed up with Disney+ Korea to take over the final weeks of 2024 with the release of The Fiery Priest Season 2. To make the festive season even more special, most of the old cast returns along with a couple of new faces such as Kim Nam-gil, Honey Lee, Kim Sung-kyun, Sung Joon, Seo Hyun-woo, BIBI, Kim Won-hae, Go Gyu-pil, Ahn Chang-hwan and Yang Hyun-min.

And if you were worried courtesy of recent disappointing sequels (cough, Squid Game 2), The Fiery Priest Season 2 is in good hands as it is helmed by Season 1’s writer Park Jae-bum who is also known for comedic hits like Vincenzo and Good Manager. 

The K-drama picks up 5 years later with our Gudam crew reuniting once again when Kim Hae-il aka Father Michael disappears. Our fiery priest has set his sights on a new drug scandal in Busan after little Sang-yeon becomes a target. But he refuses help since it is dangerous and involves rival cartels warring with each other. 

Of course, that is not going to stop his group as they decide to join him in taking down the Busan drug trafficking ring once and for all. And this time, a new face joins them – the no-nonsense and brash Gu Ja-yeong. Meanwhile, Prosecutor Nam Du-heon and Kim Hong-sik are the mysterious bad guys who decide to unite the small cartels and create a drug empire in Busan.

But what stands out from recent comedies and even The Fiery Priest Season 1 is that this one does its best to stay true to its genre. There is no dragged-out plot or dull, melodramatic moments which, in fact, peppered Season 1 on many accounts. Season 2 is crisp, to the point and utilises every member of the ensemble cast to give us entertaining misadventures as the Gudam crew works on taking out the bad guys.

From random musical moments to quirky animation, the production pulls out all the stops to give viewers the best comedy possible. It gets ambitious as The Fiery Priest Season 2 also branches out to Busan and makes the most of its locale including a mysterious ship that is pivotal to the plot.

Even more pleasantly surprising is that the Gudam crew is even more unhinged if that was even possible. Kim Hae-il matches the chaotic energy of his friends and so do they match his fiery temper. Kim Nam-gil as Hae-il is a national treasure and must continue to use his tsundere visuals to take on more comic roles.

He and Honey Lee constantly toy with the romantic subtext of their characters but end up successfully portraying a platonic relationship between a priest and his comes. The rest of the cast seems to enjoy themselves as their characters are found in the most absurd and ridiculous situations the writers can churn up.

But we have to give a special shoutout to BIBI who so far has only taken on gritty, serious roles in the crime genre. She is finally allowed to show her range and is a welcome addition to the roster of comics in K-dramaland should she want to do more comedies.

The show is so fun that we loathe to find faults, but alas there are some. In its bid to constantly keep the show light-hearted and fast-paced so it doesn’t lose viewers, it quickly wraps up one of the bad guys’ storylines in the finale. Some viewers might even find the over-the-top acting and absurd plot twists a little too random and hammy.

However, for that last bit, we believe, it is what makes the show a standout comedy. If you are looking for a subtle, witty show or a convoluted mystery with a ton of high stakes, this isn’t the place for it. The Fiery Priest Season 2 is a goofy, in-your-face absurd comedy that does exactly what it sets out to do. It is not to be taken seriously. So, if you are in the mood for a mini binge-watch session with mindless laughter and antics, skip Season 1 and tune into this sequel.

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