‘Sweet Home’ S1 & S2 Review: English Listening Practice
Hey there! 👋🏼 This blog post offers the full transcript to our YouTube video, ‘Sweet Home’ Season 1 and 2 Review | English Listening Practice | Advanced.
How to use this post to improve your listening skills:
Listen to the audio without reading the transcript
Listen again and read along using the transcript
Answer the comprehension questions to check for understanding
Review the vocabulary list to learn new terms
Important context before you get started:
This listening practice exercise is designed to help you learn natural ways of speaking. In conversation, people often repeat themselves, use filler words (like “um,” “so,” and “you know”), and switch between present and past tense without thinking about it. Spoken language focuses more on how you say something, like your tone, intonation, and the context, rather than always following grammar rules. To sound like a native speaker, you need to pay attention to these natural patterns and practice them regularly.
Video Transcript
Netflix’s ‘Sweet Home’ is a live-action adaptation of the Webtoon of the same name. Here is a quick season 1 synopsis without giving away any major spoilers: The story is set in a modern-day South Korean city on the brink of an apocalyptic catastrophe where people sporadically turn into monsters. We start off following a young man named Cha Hyun-su, who recently moved into his apartment building and is faced with several life-threatening situations before showing symptoms of “monsterization.” In the show, monsterization is the time between showing symptoms and fully becoming a monster. During his monsterization phase, the other apartment dwellers decide to let him stay in the apartment complex, so long as he runs errands for them and remains in isolation. As the season progresses, we start to see more and more of the other characters, and the show becomes a bit of an ensemble cast.
First of all, I’d seen this show pop up on my Netflix account countless times before I ever clicked on it, and even then, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. For me, the Webtoon version was very slow, and I wasn’t able to get past episode 24. Eventually, though, I decided to give it a chance, and I’m so glad I did.
As far as I could tell, season 1 stayed relatively true to the Webtoon. Many of the monsters were exact replicas of the Webtoon versions, and all the characters in the Webtoon seemed to be in the live-action version. So, all in all, I felt that the live-action adaptation did a good job of capturing the essence of the Webtoon in a way that translated well on screen.
Moving on to the plot, characters, and character development. Season 1 didn’t have much of a plot; it seemed to me that the entire season was setting us up for season 2, where the real story begins. Instead of the typical elements of a plot, like introduction, conflict, climax, resolution, etc., it felt like it was all an introduction. We were watching as society grappled with its own collapse, and it wasn’t until season 2, when everything settled down, that some semblance of a story started to take shape.
The characters, on the other hand, definitely did show some development over time. Actually, development might not be the right word here. I think we were gradually getting to know each character over time. They weren’t necessarily changing and growing, but with each episode, we got to know them a little better. It’s like when you make a new friend, and every time you hang out with them, you learn something new about them. Again, season 1 felt like a setup for season 2, where more of the story starts to unfold.
I just want to be clear here—this is not by any means a criticism of season 1; in fact, I quite enjoyed season 1 and getting to know all the characters. The way the writers took their time to flesh out most of the characters made me, as a viewer, empathize with each one and want to root for them.
In season 2, we jump forward to a year after the initial monster outbreak into a post-apocalyptic world. The remaining survivors from Hyun-su’s apartment building are surviving as best they can inside a crumbling stadium while the world outside is taken over by monsters and overgrown foliage.
The thing that struck me the most from season 2 is that the overall mood and tone is much grittier than season 1. Season 1 had plenty of heartwarming and lighthearted moments, despite the serious nature of the show. The monsters also seemed less scary and more cartoonish, if you will. In other words, the premise was horrific, but the presentation was less so. Season 2, on the other hand, was quite somber most of the time, and the situation seemed even more dire despite it being the new reality. I have nothing against the show doubling down on the premise, but it almost seemed like season 1 and season 2 were written by completely different writers. For me, the difference was too stark for it to feel consistent.
All that said, I did enjoy season 2. Again, I thought it had more of a story arc than season 1, and I felt like we were going somewhere definitive. I’m sure a lot goes into making a great show, but for me, the story is the show. If it’s a good story, it can overcome a lot of shortcomings, and if it’s a bad story, everything else can’t turn it into a good one. So I was quite pleased with the development of the story in season 2, and it made me want to keep watching. I will say, that Hyun-su, the main protagonist by all accounts, was barely in that season. There were multiple episodes in a row where he didn’t appear at all, and I think the writers were trying to use the element of surprise, but I just don’t know how useful that is when we are dealing with the main protagonist of the show. It’s pretty obvious that the person the entire story is centered around is not going to die in the middle of a season, so the fact that they tried to make that a cliffhanger seemed a bit out of whack to me. Am I the only one who felt that way? I mean, the show revolves around Hyun-su, so it’s weird that he’s barely in it, right?
Okay, before I wrap up, I want to quickly comment on the acting performances and the production quality. Actually, one of the reasons I watched this show to begin with was because I’ve seen the main actor, Song Kang, star in a bunch of romance shows, and I was really curious to see if he had more range. Thus far, I can’t really answer that question because, ironically, his character is the least developed, in my opinion. From what I’ve seen, though, he’s done a great job, but again, his character is quite flat, so it’s really hard to tell.
The production quality is very impressive for this show. I don’t know much about TV production, but everything looked really realistic to me. The monsters looked quite real, especially in season 2 and the world building with the overgrown foilage also looked very plausible, like when you see an abandoned building in real life and it’s covered in vines — it was like that. But I don’t know, what do you all think? Were you impressed with the effects?
I haven’t seen season 3, but so far, my personal opinion is that this show is highly entertaining, the characters are worth rooting for, and the world-building looks realistic. I know I complained about the limited screen time for the main protagonist, but I quite like an ensemble cast, as I said earlier in the video.
One thing I won’t have time to elaborate on, but I wanted to mention, is that I like the concept of season 1 introducing the story, season 2 introducing conflict, and season 3 rounding out the story with the climax and resolution. I’ve seen this formula in anime series, and I like this pacing strategy a lot. I really don’t like when a story goes on indefinitely, a la Grey’s Anatomy, because a story is made up of a beginning, middle, and end, hello?! I think this formula gives the writers multiple seasons to flesh out the story while also giving it a definite end.
And that is all for this video. I’d love to know what you thought of Sweet Home season 1 and 2. Also, have you seen season 3?
I’m personally really looking forward to it!
Thanks everyone for tuning in. If you enjoyed this type of content, please give it a thumbs up and hit that subscribe button. I will see you in the next one.
Listening Comprehension Questions
1. What does "monsterization" refer to in the context of the show 'Sweet Home'?
A) The time when people start showing symptoms of becoming monsters.
B) The final stage of turning into a monster.
C) The cure for becoming a monster.
2. How does the speaker feel about the Webtoon version of 'Sweet Home'?
A) They loved the Webtoon and watched all episodes.
B) They found it slow and didn’t finish it.
C) They thought the Webtoon was better than the live-action series.
3. What did the speaker notice about the overall structure of Season 1 of 'Sweet Home'?
A) It had a typical plot structure with introduction, conflict, climax, and resolution.
B) It felt like one long introduction setting up for Season 2.
C) Season 1 focused more on character development than the main plot.
4. How does the speaker describe the tone of Season 2 compared to Season 1?
A) Season 2 was more lighthearted than Season 1.
B) Season 2 was much darker and more somber than Season 1.
C) Season 2 had less action and focused on romance.
5. What is the speaker's opinion on the character development of the main protagonist, Hyun-su?
A) They believe his character is well-developed throughout the show.
B) They think his character is underdeveloped and has limited screen time in Season 2.
C) They found Hyun-su’s character arc to be the strongest aspect of the show.
Want to check your answers? View Answers
Key Vocabulary and Phrases
| Vocabulary/Phrase | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Live-action adaptation | A film or TV series that uses real actors instead of animation. | Netflix’s ‘Sweet Home’ is a live-action adaptation of the Webtoon of the same name. |
| Apocalyptic | Describing something related to the end of the world or a disaster. | The story is set in a modern-day South Korean city on the brink of an apocalyptic catastrophe. |
| Relatively true | Mostly accurate but with some small differences. | As far as I could tell, season 1 stayed relatively true to the Webtoon. |
| Essence | The most important or central part of something. | The live-action adaptation did a good job of capturing the essence of the Webtoon. |
| Cliffhanger | An ending that leaves the audience in suspense, waiting for more. | The fact that they tried to make that a cliffhanger seemed a bit out of whack to me. |
| Out of whack | Something that doesn’t work well or makes sense. | The fact that they tried to make that a cliffhanger seemed a bit out of whack to me. |
| Gritty | Serious, tough, and often unpleasant. | The overall mood and tone is much grittier than season 1. |
| World-building | The process of creating an imaginary world with its own rules and features. | The production quality is very impressive, especially the world-building with the overgrown foliage. |
| Flesh out | To add more detail or information to make something more complete. | The way the writers took their time to flesh out most of the characters made me, as a viewer, empathize with each one. |
| On the brink | Very close to doing something or experiencing something. | The story is set in a modern-day South Korean city on the brink of an apocalyptic catastrophe. |
| Replica | An exact copy or model of something. | Many of the monsters were exact replicas of the Webtoon versions. |
| By any means | In any way possible, at any cost. | I just want to be clear here—this is not by any means a criticism of season 1. |
| Doubling down | To become more committed to something, especially a particular idea or strategy. | I have nothing against the show doubling down on the premise, but it almost seemed like season 1 and season 2 were written by different writers. |
Answers: Listening Comprehension Questions
A 2. B 3. B 4. B 5. B
