Somebody (2022)

Aesthetically neat, the rest? Messy is the word

At first I thought that I wanted to give a good review simply because they’re displaying a type of autistic (“asperger” is no longer a term in the diagnostic manual since bout 2013 btw) that Korean media doesn’t usually share (ones who don’t stim and such, youknow, the typical representation)..

Anyway, as the story grows, I feel like the movie is trying to communicate that instead of her being an autistic, she’s more of a ‘psychopath’ (that scene with her mom when she was younger). I understand this but I feel like many people would misinterpret this as a part of her being autistic tho it has nothing to do with her autism..

Overall, I feel like they’re prioritizing their artistic aspects. Well, their lighting, filter, storyboard, and wardrobe choice are the ones that made me wanna stick around. Also, heyyy, not a fan of Kim Yong Ji, but this hair suit her really well, she looks gorgeous.

Well, anyway..
Many plots jump wayyyy too much. I can catch up yeah, but I’m scared that I’d decode the wrong message or something… this style of script… I feel like it’s becoming a little old-fashioned… I understand that the scriptwriters were trying to reveal certain information at a certain timing, but I personally wish that they have a nicer method for it…

Some scenes, btw, just don’t add up. Overall, the characters lack of depth. They’re pretty dumb too (despite knowing the crimes happening between people from the app, they couldn’t be a little bit more cautious, what?). Plus, you can still stir people’s emotion with less duration of sex scenes, no? (Unless if the sex scenes are the actual highlight of the drama, then ok).

Ah also, I thought that the “somebody” app will have the “someone” chatbot.. I mean that’s the thing that brought Sum and Samantha together, no? Well, anyway, why would Samantha made Sum the CTO is they’re simply selling a Tinder. “Somebody” is literally “Tinder”(!?)

Idk what to say about the ending. It traumatized me the way she did that to him, I really wish I can forget that.

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...They confused the Socio vs Psycho traits

Sorry NOT Sorry but Somebody was dumb af, frustrating and uncomfortable and I'm gonna tell you why:

1. I blame all this on the writing. The actors and actresses did the work and their job, they did it well but the writing is shoddy, confusing and was not thoroughly researched

2. It's either you're a sociopath or psychopath - you can't be both

3. Both traits are incapable of love or liking or holding a relationship or implying a relationship. It's distorted and not really love/like

4. They implied the police officer was more interested in d!k and not protecting herself and the situation around her by doing the most of nothing and nearly getting herself killed multiple times

5. He has been in these women faces time and time again and have not done anything - again it's either you're a sociopath or a psychopath you cannot be both

6. Nature vs Nurture hence Sociopaths are made and psychopaths are born And I was hella confused by this during the conversation he had with the little boy and the maze

7. They have confused mental illness with autism- she's autistic; on the asberger spectrum

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A waste of your time

turn around, don't ever look back, the writer might be on crack, story dumb weird af, i know it is fictional, but a lot of the stuff you thought supposed to occur in real life following some of their actions, like police and normal civilian responses to things and no logic, no common sense situations. Watched with a group and everyone agreed that NONE of the characters are likeable and horribly written. Was this the intention of the writer? Who knows. But a bad way to write character plots, it's a Netflix series too, but it felt so minimal budget and quality, I have watched more than 50 K-series by now and this is by far the worst. If anyone claiming that this show is awesome, it's abstract, it requires deep understanding, go, continue to stay in your defensive corner and talk for this trash of a series.

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Great Momentum...Poetic Ending

I utterly respect the acting, production value, and behind-the-scenes work that made this series possible. I would have to say that starting with the first episode, I was enthralled by this show. Up to Episode 5, the momentum was really great, but Episodes 6-7 were a bit rough pacing-wise. With Episode 8, I was a bit puzzled by the developments, but it was poetic in the end. All I have to say is that our main character Kim Sum takes the initiative, which makes for a sort of anti-climactic ending. It wasn't a battle and glory type of ending, but it fits right with the theme of this show. It resembles real life, with people that have strange personalities, troubled pasts, and capabilities to perform acts that strain the boundaries of nuance. It seems she's accepted that and closed the storybook on her own accord, poetically ending what was started at the beginning of the show. This may sound like sophistry, but for those that watched the show, this is the best way for me to express my feelings about the show without giving away any specific details. For those that are hesitating, it's a tough watch, but I found it compelling in the end.

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Interesting plot but lost potential

I decided to give this show a try simply because of the plot description, although the pacing was quite slow for my liking, I decided to give it a chance. But unfortunately, I lost interest fast. The plot started to stray away from the original idea that was provided. The idea of the shaman was quite random and had no influence on the story, nor did the random sex scenes, or the person who only showed their hands on video call.

Even though the show is about a serial killer, there weren't many killings. I wish we had more insight into his background and possibly more interactions between him and the MC. They are supposed to be each other's love interests, but there weren't many interactions to account for that, so it just seemed unusual.

The three friends were supposed to band together to find the serial killer, and although they did (sort of) it was really underwhelming in terms of how they went about it. The ending doesn't make it any better either.

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So much potential but meh

As many others I was super excited after watching the teaser but,,,
First 2 episodes were really interesting, good pacing and everything but it went downhill so fast.
Overall the pacing was very odd - some parts were brushed over way too quickly and others were unneccessarly slow. I found myself doing other things every now and then cause it was pretty boring at times.

I would have loved to get more backstory for most of the characters - I watched 8 episodes of this and know literally nothing about the male lead. The cop was annoying as hell cause none of her actions made sense; the shaman was kinda random but could have been super interesting with some more background infos. The lovestory was also kinda annoying imo cause it felt like it was just brushed over and from one moment to the next they were basically obsessed with each other?

Acting was great! Music and cinematography were good as well.
The teaser was the best thing about this drama tbh.

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Asperger's Ignorance

The whole team that worked on this show should be ashamed.

They had the FL constantly lying, manipulating, enjoying killing - all contradictions.

Her killing the cat was way out of place and again, a complete contradiction.

Killing the man in self defense I could see - the 'euphoria in her heart' afterward, no.

And then the gruesome way she sliced the ML up at the end .. really?

Individuals with ASD have an increased risk of being the victim rather than the perpetrator of violence.

It's almost like they've never met or interacted with anyone who has this.

The app that was initially introduced in episode 1 was not the appt the show was based on.

The app presented at first seemed like an awesome way for non social people to be more social in chat.

The finished product was nothing more than a cheap knock off of Tinder - swipe left or right for a booty call.

The wheelchair bound detective was one of the most foolish characters ever written.

I was hoping she would get trapped in rubble the second time she rolled somewhere deserted alone. to meet up with the ML

And what was with the comments she kept making about him being a eunuch?

They clearly had sex, he was carrying her for most of it.

That was so off putting too - the whole scenario was not normal.

She (detective) shows up to go 'swim' in an isolated area and there's an empty pool.

ML is clearly not wheelchair bound yet she stays and even lets him remove her from the chair.

Then she is so overcome with passion she wants him t 'eat her'.

None of it made sense - none.

The gang rape set up was ludicrous.

The fact that this man kept going around screwing and killing without any sort of police work being done was laughable.

His DNA and fingerprints were everywhere.

Nothing made sense with his victims (other than the 2 that insulted his work and called him amateur).

We get NO backstory on the ML.

No reason for why he is the way he is, no story on who his first kill was or why he killed, no explanation as to why he 'loved' the FL (which he only proclaims seconds before she slices him up).

And then as if this hot dumpster fire was not already burning out of control, they add a lesbian shaman who drinks, smokes, and parties.

Yeah .. okay.

Netflix needs to have their Kdrama pass revoked.

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An uncomfortable PLEASURE.

"Somebody" is gonna be a work that will remain in my memory for quite a long time for it's way of storytelling. Some disturbing scenes but yet so artistic for the cinematography.
It might get a bit boring for those who don't prefer dark and slow paced thrillers. Few scenes were too long and few just ended abruptly which should've been stretched a bit longer. I did feel there loopholes here and there in the story which could;ve been a little more explained.
However, a real nice one! Something absolutely new in the industry. Cinematography...boom! Acting...top-notch! All should really give it a shot I believe... not for the story, but for the amazing performance delivered by each cast!
Kim Young Kwang, Kang Hae Lim, Kim Demi did an absolute wonderful job. KYK is seen mostly in rom-coms, son to rich family and all. But he really showed his A-Class performance by coming out of that zone...hats off to him!
Also, the BGMs all sat so perfectly. If anyone knows the songs that played in the BG, please lemme know TT

OVERALL, I did enjoy the series.

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Creepy Thriller Potential Ruined By Bad Writing

LIKES:
Cinematography, colour palate, location selection and music all well done. [But too many very dark scenes/no lighting.]
Interesting view of how a disabled person can live; apartment and driving. I liked seeing all the tech to make a wheelchair bound person live independently.
The concept of the AI chatbot, was what drew me into the drama in the first place.
I liked the shaman ceremony, but I wished they gave more backstory to her supernatural abilities. The costumes were well done for this too.
The ML was nude frequently, not just all the females. That was a little more balanced than what other dramas have shown in the past.
ML acting was on point and did the creepy killer justice.
Everyone was well chosen for their roles and the acting was pretty good, considering the crappy writing.
For a k-drama the production wasn’t too bad (shaky camera moments kept to a minimum).
FX: The blood and gore were well done, even though the method of killing sometimes was far-fetched.

DISLIKES:
Writing:
Sloppy writing, plot holes, limited back story and character development. No character growth for any of the main characters. Backstory of Male Lead non-existent, and what we did get seemed like an after thought. Overuse of Love at First Message/chat going on, but because there was no substance, the impact was lacklustre and failed. Believability non-existent. Some very stupid moments: a cop going to a very secluded area, without researching the location before going or telling anyone where she’s going. Her cop senses should’ve been screaming at her, long before she got to the final location. She does the same stupid behaviour towards the end of the show too. Make her a weather reporter or something that doesn’t use investigative skills, that would’ve at least made it more believable! Side stories that didn’t add anything to the story, for example the Boss Samantha, was underused. Also for a thriller, a lot of it was so muddled. I figured it out, but I’m sure other viewers were confused.
Directing:
Many times the reaction of characters was way too delayed. Also pacing was a huge issue after the first two episodes.
Production:
Lighting issues and many too dark moments, that felt like lazy camera work or editing.

OVERVIEW: I never read the book, my observations are purely based on the show. I’m glad it was only 8 episodes, although maybe writing would’ve been better if it had more episodes. It’s an okay watch, but I’ve seen a lot better from K-dramas in this genre. I’m on the fence about recommending it, as I won’t watch it again.

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TLDR; great cinematography but deeply problematic

if there's one thing this show does brilliantly, it's messing with your mind. there are so many subtle things that put you on edge, for example the odd pacing between scenes; some scenes literally seem like they've been sped up (i still don't know if they actually are or not) and in others the pauses in dialogue are painfully long. of course there's stuff that's obviously unnerving like the dead cat and well everything the ML does but the characters act like it's totally normal and it rlly messes with your mind. so, in that aspect, they perfectly nailed the concept of a psychological thriller.

HOWEVER, as the episodes went on, it got more and more problematic until i eventually gave up after episode 5. and i don't mean the characters, because well obviously a serial killer is problematic -- i'm talking about the stereotypes it perpetuates, especially about autism, that go WAY beyond typical autism stigma. giving the only autistic character violent tendencies and making it out as though it's because she doesn't have emotions? and then, when she finds out ML was the one who led her into an abandoned building to get r*ped and FILMED IT she's not at all upset, instead she gets more interested in him and says "i've finally found someone who's just like me" ??? on top of detrimentally worsening autism stigma, this is grossly offensive to survivors of sexual assault and all women, and teaches men that stuff like this is okay because some women are into it.

while i would like to hope the remaining episodes that i didn't watch would clear this up, from the other reviews i've read it seems like it just gets worse. what a waste of such chilling cinematography.

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Just so very boring

But you know, at first it actually wasn't. Got to give full credit to those amazing Korean production values and the acting chops of literally everybody on screen because all of that propelled me through to about episode 3 before I realised I had no idea what was happening and the whole thing didn't make much sense.

Plot points seemed to repeat endlessly to no purpose and characters did inexplicable things for vague reasons (although rank stupidity did seem to be a factor).

The male lead seems to be able to sign up to a dating app with his own image, lure women in and kill them with nobody noticing or caring - let alone the police. I've seen the whole thing and still have no idea what motivated our female lead, Sum, at any point. The writer seemed to think her being autistic was sufficient motivation and I don't even know where to start on how offensive that is.

Somebody and the titular app, Someone, seem to represent an intense desire for connection between people who leave themselves open and vulnerable in trying to find it and thus end up hurt. But the show's limp, oppressed storytelling left us with nothing but a lot of scrabbling around in the dark and, admittedly, healthy doses of Kim Young-kwang being in equal parts creepy and sexy as fuck.

What should have been menacing ended up being undercut by the serial killer's sheer overwhelming omniscience and everybody's vague motivations. Don't get me started on the drama's annoying detours into mysticism and mentions of 'evil spirits' and 'exorcisms'.

By the end, I was hoping I too could be strangled mid-coitus because that would be a hell of a lot more interesting than this show and I'd still end up stupefied to the same extent.

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