Twelve Episodes 1-2 Review
Director: Kang Dae-gyu
Date Created: 2025-08-25 00:12
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Twelve Episodes 1-2 Review: This Disney+ kdrama kicks off with a compelling mix of mythology, action, and human drama. It is helmed by Kang Dae-gyu, 트웰브, which introduces itself as a dark fantasy that is grounded in emotional storytelling from the very beginning. Ma Dong-seok plays Tiger/Tae-san, Park Hyung-sik plays Crow/O-gwi, Seo In-guk plays Monkey/Won-seung, Lee Joo-bin plays Dragon/Mir, and Sung Dong-il plays Manager/Ma-rok. Supporting them is a robust cast that includes Go Gyu-pil (Pig), Kang Mi-na (Dog), Ahn Ji-hye (Horse), Sung Yoo-bin (Rat), Regina Lei (Snake), and more. With just eight episodes, the series threatens to deliver a breakneck, multi-layered tale that considers each minute.
Kdrama Twelve Episode 1 Recap
Episode 1 of Twelve begins with a grand narration of the creation. Twelve angels descended from heaven after Light created the world using the powers of an animal belonging to the order of the zodiac. The guardians used their powers to protect humankind and keep the world in balance. But when Darkness unleashed evil spirits to bring disorder, the angels had no choice but to combat. Their sacrifice kept the spirits trapped in the Hellmouth, but the angels lost their heavenly abilities in the process and became mortals.
Centuries later, Tae-san, the angel leader, now operates a dominant but unorthodox business—Angel Capital Group. Unlike traditional financial institutions, it lends to gangsters, criminals, and convicts, but with stringent conditions. Such out-of-the-ordinary cooperation not only speaks to Tae-san’s supremacy but also to his moral elasticity, as he positions himself in the middle ground between saviour and bully.
When a stubborn debtor, Jo Yang-su, doesn’t pay up, Tae-san is strategic and menacing, warning him about what will occur to him if he doesn’t. But when Yang-su is released from prison and tries to ambush Tae-san and his henchmen, the situation is turned around. The henchmen are quickly beaten by Tae-san, and Yang-su is so intimidated that he later pays back his loans.
The other angels then lead their own lives. Mir, Tae-san’s previous lover, now works for a museum and teaches children about the history of the twelve. Stoic herself, she is also alienated from Tae-san, as well as afflicted by inexplicable prophetic nightmares which foretell other burdens she still has to carry. Meanwhile, Mal-sook, Won-seung, and Kang-ji are all still hardworking debt collectors with ruthless efficiency, reminding the audience that even in their human shapes, the angels still carry with them some of their former strength and fraternity.
The episode also lightens up with some humorous moments by Do-ni and Bang-wool, who run a small clinic. Although Do-ni fails to draw in customers, Bang-wool’s bossy attitude drives them away, creating tiny but effective pieces of humour between the serious plotline. The side-plots provide substance to the cast ensemble so that all angels are defined and not merely background figures.
As evening approaches, the tale grows darker. A mysterious ritual done far in the woods has sinister consequences. A cultlike sect bleeds on ancient stones, directly tracing the position of O-gwi, a former banished monstrosity of gruesome power. The ritualist leader’s repeated tries at last succeed in bringing about a spine-tingling resurrection. A green glow fills the sky, the ground shakes, and at last, O-gwi reappears—his shiny red eyes and terror-stricken wings signalling the arrival of darkness. The Twelve kdrama episode 1 closes on this dramatic revelation, expertly establishing the greater conflict of the series.
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Twelve Episode 2 Recap
Episode 2 of Twelve kdrama is a divergence from the previous episode in the sense that it gives us a flashback of Tae-san’s beginnings as a guardian. In one scene, he saves villagers from a raid with the help of Mir’s magical powers in the bargain. Her powers do scare villagers, though, and they turn against her in fear, calling her a demon.
In a cold-blooded act of betrayal, they bind her and plan to burn her alive. Tae-san saves her just in time from being burned at the stake and drives the kidnappers away. This traumatic event puts Tae-san on his course of disillusionment with human beings, and he vows never again to intervene directly in human affairs in the interests of angels. It’s a good sequence that explains much of his stoic, reserved personality in the existing timeline.
On the other end of the story, O-gwi is finally released. Free from centuries of captivity, he gazes over his fall and unrelenting torments between life and death. His return to Samin indicates an expanded mythos: soul stones related to Haetae’s dominance. If O-gwi can command them through the Dragon Soul, he can reclaim dominion of destruction. This subplot lays the groundwork for the main conflict, as angels begin to sense that their arch-nemesis has returned.
In the external world again, Tae-san’s own life is one of contradiction. While he maintains Angel Capital afloat, we see vulnerability—his medication, his visits to a doctor, and the loneliness behind his business mask. Mir, on the other hand, is haunted by the spectres of O-gwi. In a suspenseful confrontation in a bar, she dispatches two thugs with efficiency, recalling her violence, yet her haunted faces conceal an inner terror which she is powerless to conceal.
The angels see evil as their lockets glow as tension rises. The sign is transmitted from one to another, until Mir sees it too, discovering the truth she had always suspected. The demons arrive, attacking her as part of O-gwi’s scheme. There is a battle, and the angels demonstrate a lot of brotherhood as they combat each other against their paranormal enemies. The battle is brief but fierce, proving that even though modern humans now, their warrior consciousness remains.
Twelve kdrama ep 2 concludes with Tae-san returning home tired to find his own locket shining. It is a subdued but efficient conclusion, an indication that the age of peace is over and that the angels have to return once more. The cliffhanger leaves us in suspense, anticipating the grand battle between the twelve and O-gwi.
Twelve Episodes 1-2 Review
The first two episodes of K-drama Twelve are successful at mixing in-depth mythology and tight character work. The show does not rush in getting the ratio of dense lore-narrative explanation to actual modern-day storytelling correct. Episode 1 lays down the foundation—the origin mythos, the purpose of the angels, and the impending darkness—before Episode 2 delves into the character psyches, Tae-san’s suspicious tendencies and Mir’s fearful end-of-days worldview, for instance.
Visually, the show is stunning with sweeping action sequences and ominous shadows. The reappearance of O-gwi, with its foreboding green glow and tension, is one of the most frightening villain returns in recent kdramas. Meanwhile, the angels’ ordinary lives of collecting debts and setting up a clinic are some of the engaging layers that also make them divine and human.
The performances of the cast make the most of the story. Ma Dong-seok’s commanding presence is perfect for Tae-san’s fine balance of weakness and strength. Park Hyung-sik as O-gwi is a smooth, brooding menace in every look. Seo In-guk and Lee Joo-bin bring charm and emotional depth and assist in filling out the top-billed cast. Chemistry is such that none of them is wasted, even in the first few episodes.
As a starting point, episodes 1 and 2 of Twelve are successful in establishing both epic scale and individual repercussions. The angel myth, O-gwi’s resurrection, and the promise of the battles that follow are a good starting point. In comparison to that, the cliffhangers—Mir’s visions, Tae-san’s glowing locket, and the demons’ attack—turn up the ante. It is proof that this is only the beginning. And if the early chapters are anything to judge from, the series is in for a ride of epic proportions, involving betrayal, redemption, and battles of light versus dark.
