Somebody (2022)

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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DAMAGING PORTRAYAL OF AUTISM

While the actors deliver strong performances, this drama really misses the mark in its portrayal of autism. The suspenseful plot keeps you hooked, but the way it depicts the autistic female lead is problematic; it paints her as a psychopath with no empathy. On top of that, the implication that she’s drawn to the serial killer because he’s "just like her" (possibly on the spectrum) just reinforces harmful stereotypes.

It’s frustrating to see a 2022 drama use these outdated and damaging tropes instead of offering a more nuanced representation of autism. South Korea, do better!

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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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I'm in love with Yun-O

I liked this, because it let the viewer get to know the serial killer and his lover from a different point of view. I found myself hoping that the building would collapse on the lady cop, so they could continue their relationship and so it wouldn't have to be him that directly kills her friend.

Kim Young Kwang played the hell out of this role. Overall, this drama was brilliant, and I am left feeling connected to the main characters. I do wish it could have ended differently, as I really started to feel for Yun-O, even though he was a serial killer. The series made me see how alone and vulnerable he was and Sum was the one light in his life. At the very least, I would have wished to see them die together, both having finally found the one who understands them.

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Love it or hate it

I'll start off by saying I really like this drama, especially with how they used the soundtracks. I'm also a fan of the psychopath/serial killer genre and I like how the "cat and mouse" portions were executed. I just felt letdown by the pacing issues that resulted in some early episodes being a bit of a drag and the last episode a rush to tie up loose ends. Some of the writing wasn't great too, with characters (looking at you, Gi-Eun) making the world's dumbest decisions and putting themselves in harm's way repeatedly. Mok-Won's character also felt really random and underutilized, with the show taking pains to carefully carve out her backstory as a shaman, show her meeting girls in the club etc etc and all that just for her to basically not have an impact on the conclusion at all. Instead, I wished they would have tried to flesh out Fingers and Samantha more, as they had close to 0 screentime yet had a serious part to play in affecting the ending.

The acting was amazing, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the female leads are actually rookies. Kim Young Kwang was also excellent and he really embodied the character perfectly. The cinematography was next level and I really liked the arthouse vibe of it. Too often Kdramas devolve into the cliche "slow-mo" while staring at each other type scenes with the cheesy OSTs blaring in the background and I would say this drama stands out among the rest with its cinematography. The creative use of the soundtrack was also fantastic and I'm so glad to be introduced to Schumann's Vogel Als Prophet lol.

This is an extremely polarizing show and you will either love it or hate it. I can see why many have dropped it - plot that meanders aimlessly in the beginning, characters making horribly stupid decisions, excessive sex/nudity scenes, but I would still encourage thriller fans to give this a chance.

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Somebody With Vision, Nobody With a Plan

Disclaimer: This was my second viewing of Somebody. When it first aired, I found it chaotic, abstract, and overly dependent on shock value. Watching it again now, it’s less frightening — but the plot holes stand out more clearly. At the same time, I appreciate its artistic intentions far more than before.

Acting / Cast
The ensemble cast elevates the drama beyond its narrative flaws. Kim Young Kwang, as architect/serial killer Seong Yun O, delivers a chilling, magnetic performance — elegant, predatory, and unsettlingly calm. He embodies the kind of villain who is terrifying precisely because he is controlled. Kim Yong Ji is equally captivating as Im Mok Won, a lesbian shaman whose enigmatic presence adds a supernatural texture to the series. She brings nuance into a world otherwise dominated by cold digital logic. Other characters vary in effectiveness, with Yeong Gi Eun’s illogical and reckless behavior pulling the story down more often than it should.

Score: 8/10

Writing
This is where my feelings remain conflicted. Conceptually, the drama is fascinating: digital intimacy, AI-mediated desire, and the difficulty of distinguishing authenticity from manipulation in the era of dating apps. The story also hides a clever linguistic play — a kind of internal title pun: 썸바디 (Somebody) uses 썸, a Korean slang meaning flirtation or almost dating > the main character is Kim Sum (김섬) — pronounced almost identically > her AI creation is named “Someone”, which visually plays like “Sum-one” or 섬1, as if the machine is her first and closest companion. This layering of 썸 / Sum / Someone is one of the more intelligent and playful aspects of the story, reflecting how blurred the line becomes between human connection and artificial simulation.

Yet despite this sophistication, the narrative execution is unfocused. The plot wanders, suspense drags too long without reward, and by the time the finale arrives, everything feels both abrupt and oddly tidy. Kim Sum’s portrayal as having “Asperger’s” — already an outdated term — feels inconsistent and poorly researched. She is presented as someone who cannot interpret basic emotions yet is somehow capable of engineering complex AI systems and a full-scale dating platform. Instead of nuanced representation, it leans into contradiction for convenience. Meanwhile, the police officer Gi Eun repeatedly endangers herself with absolute disregard for logic, even after barely surviving a violent encounter.

Score: 4/10

Direction / SFX / Music
The direction remains the drama’s anchor. Every frame is stylized yet minimalistic. The quiet emptiness of the settings, the sterile architecture, the eerie ritual scenes — all create a visual environment that’s both hypnotic and suffocating. The soundtrack complements this atmosphere: pulsing, cold, and detached, yet effective in building tension. The cinematography and SFX feel deliberate and controlled, offering a polished backdrop that often outshines the script.

Score: 7/10

Entertainment Value
My viewing experience changed substantially on rewatch. The shock value is far less potent, and without that layer, the cracks in the storytelling become more visible. The suspense is stretched too thin, the narrative loses direction, and the explicit 21+ scenes — while beautifully shot — sometimes overshadow the plot rather than deepen it. Some viewers joke that the drama’s main selling point is the explicit content, and I can partially agree. Those scenes are unusually graphic for Korean TV and end up drawing disproportionate focus. Still, the atmosphere, performances, and stylistic confidence kept me engaged, even when the story failed to support them.

Score: 6/10

Somebody is a series I appreciate more for its artistic intentions than for its storytelling. It is visually striking, thematically ambitious, and supported by magnetic performances. But the writing lacks consistency, character logic falters, and the emotional core never fully materializes. Even so, the layered title pun and the exploration of digital-era intimacy give it a distinct identity.

If you enjoy atmospheric, stylish psychological dramas and can overlook narrative imperfections, Somebody is worth watching at least once. Just don’t expect a tightly constructed thriller — because that’s not what it is.

Overall score: 7/10

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Have you ever met someone charismatic, hot and interesting, got to talking with them and first minutes of the conversation are great? And you're excited, you're like Yes, All This. All these things are such great points, lets dive deep! Then, the longer the conversation goes on, the more you realize that this person, for as articulate and charming as they are, has nothing to say? That their understanding of certain topics is juvenile at best.

That's Somebody.

Which is an incredible shame. Somebody has real presence. Cinematography, sound design, sets and locations, acting, there is a lot of skill here. From Kim Sum's antiseptic, concrete surroundings, to Seong Yon O's half-destroyed, abandoned buildings, and Mok-Wan's neon purple lighting, there is a strong visual language. For the first few episodes I was absolutely hooked. This is a slow-paced show, but I wasn't initially bored by it. It's the sort of show which makes you sit with people's emotions in real time, that lingers.

Yet, as it wore on I realized that, much like the conversationalist above, Somebody brings up a lot of interesting topics, but fails to use them effectively or say anything about them. Or, often, fundamentally misunderstands them entirely. Autism, communication, empathy, sexuality, relationships with mothers, emotional connections, female desires, female sexual experiences, female friendship, disability, psychopathy, concerns about social media, ennui. All make appearances, but have no narrative through lines, thematic weight or pay-off. Yet, it also fails to simply be a meditation on any of those topics, which would require exploration. It feels like they had a checklist, and that's all they had to do. Mark it off, not explain it or understand it.

Nowhere is there hesitance and lack of understanding clearer than with Kim Sum. She is our POV character for the first half in the show, and she did initially make a compelling figure. She identifies as having Aspergers, though to me her behavior could read as Antisocial Personality Disorder, OCD or Autism. You always need to be careful when portraying a specific, named disorder, and care was not taken. Kang Hai Lim is beautiful, but all she's being called to do here is not emote. It works for a time, but when it comes time for her to start being proactive, or showing her thought processes beyond pure reaction the show chickens out and switches to two other POV characters. It obfuscates Kim Sum, it decides not to look into her complicated interior. I would rather have stuck with her for her entire journey. She's the character we've invested the most time in, so it seems strange not to let us follow her on her journey, however dark it is.

Not that I didn't like that Kim Sun had friends. Women so rarely get to have friends in K-Drama. But, these are such clumsy characters that all they ultimately end up doing is padding the run time. I could see, thematically, why Mok Won was there. She was spiritual and holistic grounding and an empathetic foil to Kim Sum and Yun-o. Gi-Eun was our connection to law enforcement, managing to be both a joke of a cop and a disabled character.

Because they've done the same thing with the characters; Oh, She's Disabled/has Asperger's/is a Gay Shaman, and then that's it. Absolutely no effort has gone into giving them cohesive thoughts, motivations or interior worlds. To the detriment of the plot; they're our main characters, we need to know why they're doing things and what they feel about them. Why does Gi-Eun keep taking her ass into situations that are so obviously stupidly dangerous even for the able-bodied? What exactly is her reasoning for her relationship wit Kim Sum? Where and why did Gi-Eun meet Mok-Won and why is Mok-won helping Kim Sum? Hell, why does Mok-Won keep not telling people things that she should? What exactly are Kim Sum's thoughts on her own life that make Yun-o so appealing? Does Kim Sum really value any of her external relationships? Why does she make most of her choices in the latter half? Yet, this is so compellingly filmed, I kept getting drawn in and I wanted to know more, I wanted to dig into the characters, I wanted to understand them. It's very frustrating to have appealing bits and pieces dangled in front of you.

I'd be remiss not to talk about the sex scenes because female sexuality is a huge undercurrent here. They were less pandering than you'd think... BUT. Number A, most of the sex scenes are with a murderer, so despite how much the women lead a sex scene, the power ultimately resides with the dude who may or may not kill them, and Number B that lack of understanding often undercuts the sensuality.

For example [and overt spoilers]; in a late scene Kim Sum is looking at a shirt-less Kim Young Kwan ( Look, he was naked in this a lot, and I was kind of here for it. Grade A simulated thrusting. 10 out of 10. I would watch him dry-hump a couch) . ANYWAY. She starts rubbing one out fully clothed. It's actually a really well shot scene-most of the sex scenes are- but...why? We've been so divorced from Kim Sum's thought processes that it makes what should be an erotic scene puzzling. I liked that he just sort of sat there and let her get on with it, him as the subject of her sexual desires, but I wanted to know what her sexual desires were. Was she turned on by the fact that they hadn't had sex and enjoyed a more domestic intimacy? Did she just think he was hot? Was she enjoying knowing who and what he was? Did she think she might not be in his presence again, so she stole that moment? Was she looking at him, vulnerable in her space knowing she was going to kill him? That last one might link back to her earlier masturbation scene, BUT...you have to, like, say that. Or be clear in that first masturbation scene what was doing it for her; the killing of the cat? The connection with the man? Her actions being filtered through Somebody? GIVE ME SOMETHING.

Things like this made the viewing experience frustrating. There isn't nearly enough connective tissue, but tons of ideas. It's rather fitting that we're beginning to liken AI Chatbots as mirrors. That 'relationships' with Chatbots are little more than onanism. Somebody is little more than that hollow reflection looking back, when we should be looking at the original.

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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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"Somebody" follows the story of a programmer named Sum, who is introverted and has a hard time interacting with other people. She spends most of her time chatting with strangers online through her AI program. She starts chatting with a man named Yun Oh, unaware that he is a serial killer.

Their relationship is quite strange, but that's exactly what I expected, since both characters are like that. Yun Oh is clearly a psychopath, but Sum isn't far behind. She had all the traits of a psychopath, she just never acted on them. At first, I thought she was with him knowing he was a murderer, but later it was implied that Sum thought he was innocent, especially when Mok Won started questioning her.

I enjoyed seeing Kim Young Kwang playing a role like this, he is the biggest reason to watch, since the drama ends up being quite disappointing. There was no depth to Yun Oh's past, his motivations and I think this was essential to understanding the character.

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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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