Giving a brutal end to the casino legend, Big Bet Season 2 peeks at how the gambling world evolves.
Like flowers, legends have their highs, but they, too, will wither and come to an end. Facing trials while immersing himself in the world of illegalities, a casino legend crumbles and gets replaced by the same people who empowered him.
- Main Cast: Choi Min Sik | Son Suk Ku | Lee Dong Hwi
- Supporting Cast: Heo Sung Tae | Kim Joo Ryoung | Hong Ki Joon
- Streaming Site: Disney+
- Thrill/Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- Kdramas of Similar Vibe: Insider | Big Mouth | Defendant | Liar Game
Marcie Line watched Big Bet Season 2 on Disney+
Big Bet Recaps: 01 – 03 | 04 & 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 + Season 1 Review | Season 2 01 – 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | Finale + Review
Big Bet Season 2 Finale Recap
“One day, just maybe, I could have what you have, you know? Somebody who can be proud of me.”
Smashing cabinets in Moo-sik’s basement, Jung-pal hands So-jung’s and Philip’s passports along with the missing footage of their death. Sang-gu then hands these to Seung-hun.
In Korea, Moo-sik speaks to his wife about moving to Australia as a retirement. However, he meets Jang Jun who confidently asks him to transfer 60 billion won in cash to the Philippines. Despite agreeing on the commission and receiving a downpayment, Moo-sik remains doubtful of him.
Staking out to catch Young-hee, Mark asks Seung-hun why he was obsessed with catching Moo-sik. Rather than calling it an obsession, Seung-hun justifies his quest, which Mark then supports.
At the outskirts, Jang Jun brings Moo-sik apple boxes containing bundles of cash. However, Moo-sik discovers his scheme, and runs over to meet Ms. Ko who set him up.
He receives a call from Daniel who seeks him, but upon arriving in the Philippines, Moo-sik realizes that John got beaten badly. On the run from John and other men, Moo-sik runs to his house, but sees his basement empty.
“I’ve met a lot of different people who are in desperate situations looking for change. All I’m asking for is just that little bit of help.”
While Seung-hun successfully deports Young-hee, he also receives permission to arrest Moo-sik. Away from the casino, Moo-sik resides in a humble place by the ocean.
He receives a business proposal from Jang Jun, who now sincerely states his intentions of splitting half the profits of the system he will create. Trusting Jung-pal who emptied his basement, Moo-sik tasks him to bring money to his new address.
Sang-gu drives Jung-pal there, expecting Seung-hun and Mark to follow. With no backup, Seung-hun and Mark attempt to arrest Moo-sik, but this only leads to a tragic gunfight. Unharmed, Jung-pal denies his guilt.
Still trusting Jung-pal to escape with him, Moo-sik gets shot in the head while his subordinate flees with all the money. Six months later, Seung-hun refuses to speak about Cha Moo-sik while remembering Mark’s tragic end.
Sitting down at a discussion, Seung-hun hears about a new form of an online casino in the Philippines. With cryptocurrencies involved, the casino is revealed to be managed by Jang Jun. Receiving an esteemed guest that runs a casino in Las Vegas, Jun meets Jung-pal.
Big Bet Season 2 Series Quick Plot Recap
Framed for the murder of Mr. Min, Cha Moo-sik (Choi Min Sik) deals with the cases against him, and returns to the Philippines. Coming back to what he left, his subordinate Jung-pal (Lee Dong Hwi) who used to be loyal begins to pursue his own gains behind.
Meanwhile, Oh Seung-hun (Son Suk Ku) misses the chance to catch Moo-sik during his time at the Korean desk. Despite flying back to Korea, he continues to pursue the murder cases that happened during his period.
While pursuing the truth and seeking justice, he receives valuable leads from people tied with Moo-sik.
Big Bet Season 2 Series Highlights
Casinos and Its Related Crimes
Taking the world of gambling to new heights, the second season widens its scope, highlighting more crimes that can be connected to running casinos. Despite securing licenses to operate, there’s more than what consumers of the industry can see, which is money laundering, torture, and murder.
Moreover, Moo-sik’s interactions with Daniel glance at what the padrino system means. It essentially captures what gains a person can have for being well-connected. At the same time, it emphasizes what harsh consequences await for making a wrong move in a corrupted system.
Realistic Take on Seeking Justice
Unjust arrests and illegal investigations, the series has not only pointed out issues about gambling. It has also confronted issues of flawed justice systems and their effects on society in general.
How Seung-hun described Mark speaks a lot about the challenge of remaining honorable while being stuck in a desperate situation. Rather than merely criticizing all crookedness that exists, the series acknowledges the perspective of people on the lower ends of the command chain.
However, in the end, we see that Mark did his best to support Seung-hun, who has been a great partner in living up to their duty to the public. Recounting his end as well as Moo-sik’s, the series chooses a conclusion that is bitter but true, that not all righteous pursuits end well.
Big Bet Season 2 Series Musings
Tragic and realistic in its finale, the series produces a resonant message about pursuing justice. While viewers of the series enjoy the bond between Seung-hun and Mark (portrayed by actor Nico Antonio), the local cop gets shot on their last quest. Though regrettable, the outcome says a lot about the weight of honorably fulfilling duties in a desperate place.
Moreover, the quest to catch someone influential like Moo-sik would be intensely challenging. As a legend who made a wrong move on a powerful person, Moo-sik has gathered way too many people who’d wish to harm him. With that, his downfall was just at bay.
Even his own subordinates like Jung-pal and Sang-gu changed sides, perfectly showing the trajectory of his status this season. It wasn’t merely money that changed Jung-pal, Sang-gu, or Daniel’s mind, it was ‘family’ or people they were close to. Despite having said that, money still played a huge role, seeing how Jung-pal killed his own master and became a legend of his own.
Overall a good story to highlight, the two seasons complemented each other by clearly portraying the rise and fall of Moo-sik. Though confusing for continuously introducing new characters, the series redeems itself by widening the perspective of different nationalities on the talks of casinos and their related crimes. Indeed a relevant topic, this series is good in opening up a long discourse about politics and the justice system of both countries.
Balancing out the unfortunate ending of some characters, Lee Je Hoon‘s charming appearance as Jang Jun brings a refreshing view of what comes next. Like opening itself to a continuing story outside the traditional casino, Big Bet deserves merit for framing the afterlife of gambling in the online world.
Watch all seasons of Big Bet on Disney+.
Photos: Disney+
[wpedon id=”2271″ align=”center”]
