Hellbound: How [SPOILER] Can Return In S2 (Despite Their Death Decree)

Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Hellbound.

Hellbound season 2 could see the return of one key hell-bound character. As the Hellbound season 1 finale reveals, Park Jeong-ja (Kim Shin-Rock) has been resurrected at the site of her execution/demonstration. This implies that others who were similarly executed and dragged to Hell could return as well.

Park Jeong-ja was the woman whose demonic execution was made public via national TV by The New Truth Society founder Chairman Jung Jin-soo (Yoo Ah-in). The site of the demonstration was later turned into a sacred site by the new age cult, venerating what they claim to be an act of God. Although it was Jin-soo who convinced Jeong-ja to allow The New Truth Society to broadcast her execution live in Hellbound season 1 episode 3, Jin-soo wasn’t there to witness the event in person. This is because, unlike most of the people who saw Jeong-ja’s execution live, Jin-soo didn’t need to see it to confirm that the deaths are real. In fact, the same episode later reveals that The New Truth Society founder Chairman Jung Jin-soo received his own decree for death in 2002, which was enacted near the end of Hellbound season 1 episode 3.

Hellbound’s resurrection of Jeong-ja could mean that Jin-soo was resurrected as well and will return for Hellbound season 2. Chairman Jin-soo’s return would be an extremely compelling direction to take because of its many possibilities. As a student of mythology, Jin-soo could interpret the resurrection of the hell-bound as being akin to the cycles of rebirth of the mythical Phoenix – a sign of forgiveness from God. This could allow Jin-soo to retake the reins of The New Truth Society from Pastor Kim Jeong-chil (Lee Dong-hee). Jin-soo might even choose to found a new and more dangerous religious sect, based on what he experienced in wherever the hell-bound are taken. On the other hand, being resurrected could turn Jin-soo around and prompt him to expose his own lies about Hellbound’s demons and decrees, which would essentially take down both The New Truth Society and The Arrowhead. It would also be interesting to hear Jin-soo’s interpretation of why baby Toughie survived, and why the baby’s parents were burned by the demons instead. Out of everyone who received a decree, Chairman Jin-soo is the most compelling character to resurrect for Hellbound season 2.

That being said, as Jin-soo’s return makes narrative sense for the series, Hellbound director Yeon Sang-ho could deliberately take the opposite direction in order to keep season 2 unpredictable. After all, one of Hellbound’s core strengths is the unpredictability of its twists. And Jin-soo’s resurrection, considering the character’s potential impact, is somewhat of an obvious choice.

Moreover, Hellbound doesn’t really need to bring back Jin-soo in order to further expand on its examination of fanaticism. The unresolved story arcs of the remaining cast of characters in Hellbound are more than enough for Hellbound season 2 to stay on course as a political allegory wrapped in fantasy. Besides, even if Jin-soo doesn’t physically return, the memory of the messiah could potentially have an even stronger and more sinister impact on the world than if Jin-soo was resurrected. Whether or not Jung Jin-soo gets resurrected in a flurry of hellfire like Park Jeong-ja, Jin-soo’s messianic presence is bound to return for Hellbound season 2.

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