Somebody (2022)

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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Yandere and a Serial Killer?

That is a mind-blowing combo. A young man who is going around and killing people through a dating app that was designed by the our FL. They meet and perhaps it is her unique disinterest or lack of fear of his presence -- he takes an immediate interest in her after they kill a cat that was hit by a car 'together'. It's a strange scene. It draws him to her immediately. I loved this so much (I'm a weird one, what can I say?) -- and I can't say much else without ruining it, aside from the fact that it's definitely got a mature rating for a reason. I am surprised by the lackluster reviews for it.

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a serial killer who entered the app "Somebody"

(WARNING, LONG REVIEW AHEAD!!)
so i'll really try my best to explain this drama so much since the overall story seems very interesting for me. from an dating app and love, to sexual assault and murder. I also read from an review that this drama has so much potential, most especially this drama was psychological one. But after all completing all the episodes from this drama, that how explains why this drama was complicated but at a same time, giving so much potential to viewers as well. I think this was too far from any kdramas I've watched, but this one feels like a western type of series as well.

Plot:
So it explains about a student from becoming a developer as she invented her called app AI social connecting app "Somebody" where anyone could talk and chat with each other. Well due to sum's communicating problems, she made her invention until Kim Sum was part of the team of the app. Until cases regarding the app was spreading and getting involved from a murderer slash serial killer, Yoon O. From murdering most women who get involved by the app (or like being matched). He has different identity to his personality, where he acts like what women likes, but he acts like his true self to Kim Sum, who was also a murderer. and Kim Sum as she was (kind of) responsible of the case, she get's to know Yun O untill she fell in love with a serial killer. She was so needy to love and sex and at the same time both of them were murderers to begin with. I kinda had a hard time explaining the story because it was pretty messy to begin with. Involving Yun O's story without the background story of his childhood days, and I was thinking maybe because of his trauma(?) or something bothers him that he turned to be a murderer. And with that, Kim Sum's friends got involved due to the dating app. And the problem of the story evolves the app overall that messes their lives from the beginning. So one of Kim Sum's friend who also got involved, Gi Eun as she was a detective, while Mok Won was a shaman as she senses spirits between her friend Kim Sum and her match from the app, Yun O.

And with that, the ending was hmmm very surpising for me. I really thought Kim Sum would ended up falling in love with benefits regarding love and sex with Yun O. But due to her decision making with her friends and for the safety of her colleagues as well, she killed him. And for me, I think it needs more background story of Yun O and Kim Sum and I think its not just me, but there is something really missing, that's why I rated it not a perfect rating but just a good one.

Characters and Cast:
HOOOOO this one was far exceeding so much with my expectations. I was thinking did they tried to be away from their characters because this one was far away from kdrama land haha. The characters from this story (while some of them) were hypocrite and desperate from what they like as well. I guess the characters were something that I was never expecting to be because from the plot itself, it was away from the overall story of the drama. Just the outside background of their lives. Now I'll go with the casts, especially I watched this drama because I was really interested of Kim Young Kwang's choice of drama projects after all this would be my second time watching his role from kdramas.

First of all, Kim Young Kwang acted this role FAR FAR from his previous roles especially my last kdrama that I watched with him was the secret life of my secretary. He made this role far from his career as well! but not to make myself look weird, but he really looks very attractive and all those *ehem* scenes from this drama. He need roles like this especially regarding murder or dark themed genre of kdramas to sum up everything. Kang Hae Lim, I never expected to see her change from her supporting role from Live On kdrama. She turned from her role from being a bully or a mean girl, to a desperate young adult women who seeks for love and sex. I was really surprised by her chosen projects and her acting career path as well. Both of the casts has something that gave chemistry in me. But I was thinking if they were comfortable filming "those scenes" and I saw that they were in touch on instagram since they followed each other as well. kinda sus haha. And also with the other cast, Kim Yong Ji as I a saw her from the last drama appearance of a kdrama I finished watching, The King: Eternal Monarch. But in short, she changed so much as well from this role. With the casts, the bts photos seems like they were happy with their roles and the bond they had with the production team and the actors and actresses who were involved. I'm rooting for the three of them actually.

Overall, this drama was giving me that feeling of darkness and feeling of emptiness in me, But it gave me a creepy vibe on the end haha. I was really surprised as well, but Hoping that these casts would have a greater recognition as well.
I would say this drama was only good for time kill. since I skipped some unnecessary scenes to it, but overall, it was a pretty good one. BUT not for beginners as well since it needs more patience and understanding.

but in a positive side, looking forward to the casts other projects! especially to kim young kwang <33

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Should've been either a movie or a 16-ep season

Just finished this show, first I need to note that I watched the entire series with noise cancelling headphones and 10/10 would recommend, I LOVED the soundtrack and felt it completely enhanced my entire viewing of this series. The suspense scenes especially.

It is kind of a confusing show, but that's why I give it a higher rewatch value, I feel like it deserves 2 watches to grasp the story a lot better.

Now for the title of my review; I think that they could've cut out a lot of scenes/made a lot of scenes shorter (the space 39 scene especially) and it would've done well as a movie, albeit probably a little bit more confusing. But I also believe they could've fleshed everything out so much more to stretch it to a 12 if not 16 ep series as I'm left with so many (basic) questions about the main characters. The scar on Yun O's back? What his mom actually did to him? The accident that left Gi Eun in this state, and more about her past as an officer, how she met Mok-Won, more about Sum's parents & upbringing. I could go on and on.

Anyways, still think it's worth the watch and will hopefully rewatch it in the future!

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why am I conflicted in wanting a killer to find love?

Finished watching this, yes I know I'm so late to the party but I honestly am so glad I gave this show a shot.
JUST WoOoow. Ok.. I'm not 100% wanting them to have a happy ending but that was a tragic & sort of a sweet twist of a love-story/horror. on one hand...i felt like I wanted them to find happiness together even though yes he is a serial killer.

add to that a cast of badass women,who definitely didn't ask permission. each of the women in this cast had their own strengths and were unapologetic in using their power to get what they set their sights on.

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A Disjointed and Slow-Paced K-Drama

I do not know how many people enjoyed it, but personally I found myself skipping through so numerous parts of this show. It felt like two separate K-dramas were awkwardly mashed together: one centered on the girl's story and another on the guy's. Instead of a cohesive story, it came off as disconnected and befuddling.

I started watching this kdrama because of a few parts I saw on TikTok. In the beguining I was confused because, It kinda made me think of start-up with the story of the app and all.
One major issue of this show was the pacing — so numerous scenes were agonizingly slow, like the one where she keeps gazing at the cat for a few minutes.

Overall, I didn't truly appreciate it and wouldn't suggest it if you're looking for a seamless and engaging drama experience.

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This is a Strange Drama

Disclaimer: This is a subjective review that is not intended to offend anyone. It reflects my personal perception of the drama, which may differ from yours. Whether to watch it or not is your choice.

This is probably the type of drama that some will call a masterpiece, while others will say, "What kind of nonsense is this?" I, however, remain somewhere in the middle because this drama felt rather strange to me.

I was intrigued by the main character because, as we know, she has Asperger’s syndrome, which I’m encountering for the first time. I was interested in learning more about people with this condition outside of watching the drama, but I felt that the main character wasn’t explored deeply enough within the series itself.

Since this is a psychological thriller, I expected it to be more intense, but instead, there were many unnecessary dialogues that I ended up skipping. I felt that this aspect was lacking.

As for the serial killer, I would have liked to learn more about him, but he was still quite well done, as he managed to evoke a feeling of hatred in me.

The supporting characters were rather shallow. I wish there had been more interactions between them.

Overall, the atmosphere felt strange to me. I enjoy slow-paced dramas, but in this one, everything unfolded in a somewhat unusual way. These slow scenes gave me mixed feelings—as if they irritated me, yet at the same time, they kept me intrigued.

However, I want to note that this drama gave me something new to think about. I found themes here that piqued my interest. This drama will definitely stay in my memory for a long time because of how unusual it felt to me.

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Should've watched this on 1.5 speed.

I'm gonna be honest, first episode was great; I had high expectations. But it all went downhill. The pacing was terrible, probably just not my type of pacing but I literally had to skip some parts because it was just a 2 minute long shot of someone's face. The story could've been pretty good, but it wasn't. At some point I didn't know what was going on anymore. Especially the last two episodes, what was going on man. I was so lost and confused but atleast the ending made some sense.

Besides all that, I loved the acting and cast, they did great! I just didn't like most of the characters.

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