Somebody (2022)

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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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " Somebody " is a thriller with a mature content.

As an idea, Somebody doesn't stray far from the beaten track and keeps things predictable and, overall, simple. The criminal is known from the start and his crimes are pretty basic textbook, even though he appears to have no pattern as to whom he kills and whom he lets go.

The drama also gets unnecasserily gory and adds some extra scenes more to provoke than to enhance the entertainment value, or, at least, get deeper into the characters' mind.

In the end, along with some other extra plotlines that didn't add up, the drama wraps up everything the way it started things in the first place.

On the other hand, the performances were the best part of the drama.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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Kim Young Kwang’s butt

It is weird. Yes, in a negative way. At first, I kind of feel amazed at how creepy they tried to showcase the storyline, Yet, as it went on, I kind of feel icky about most of the scenes and tend to feel bored from time to time.

The only entertaining thing that the drama has to offer to me is seeing Kim Young Kwang giving his best in nailing a daring role. Full nude scenes are too good for such a popular actor like him. He is indeed a professional. Those intimidates scenes are actually the sole reason why the show is not perfectly bad. They nailed every sex scene with no too much work in camera angles and show us how thirsty the characters are in terms of sex.

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a hit and a miss

somebody (2022) instantly intrigued me the minute i read its synopsis. personally, i love crime thrillers, especially when done correctly, however, i felt like somebody was not in that case, to me it felt rushed, confusing and disappointing as a viewer.

the general storyline is very hooking, the concept we are introduced to is one about a creepy yet charming serial killer that uses an app to find his victims. similar to a concept i've seen in webtoons like 'killstagram' for example which is about a killer that uses social media. we are also introduced early on to the character dynamics between our female lead and the killer, her friends, and her enemies as one could say. this story though doesn't really follow very easily, as there are loose ends left and parts unexplained to the audience. it also moves very quickly during the start but slowly during the middle, making it harder to complete. the ending was well-- boring and expected. also the app aspect?? what happened to it?? our fl leads passions??? idkkk

my main grief is probably the characters, specifically our main female lead kim sum. for one, it's rare for a character to be both female and on the spectrum, which as someone on the spectrum myself, i was happy to see it, but in the case of somebody, i found it to be super lazy writing. obviously yes, autistic people can be killers but with the little to no rep in sk, and the rep there usually being stereotypes and very ableist representation i found it be a letdown because it did nothing to outstand those stereotypes. there was absolutely no reason to make her autistic, especially to 'make' her a psychopath.
the other characters were just okay, the male lead was obviously disturbing but nothing outstanding to be nor shocking. i expected him to be the way he ended up being at the end. the side characters were probably my favorite, i love seeing other reps for disabilities and wlw reps as well. i love that they showed those with those impediments can still have love and desire it just like anyone else.

visually though, somebody is a hit. as someone who studied video composition, wow, these shots are amazing, and it sent chills through my spine during some scenes just by visuals alone. the lighting is cool as well, with blue lighting for distress and more warm for comfort which I enjoyed. the acting was also a hit, it was greattt, ml was so creepy and made me very uncomfortable, but the facial expressions were always on point and the fl also did a good job with what she was assigned.

one thing i will note is on it's portrayal of sexuality. it's uncommon for shows in south korea to show skin so graphically and i was shocked by it's portrayal here, also rarely do you see women talking about this stuff! somebody did do a good job of making it uncomfortable.

so in the end, this show is a hit in an artistic standpoint, the creative directors, set designers and cameramen did well. but god, i could not get over the poor directing and writing, stop making autistic people villains as a way out and goddd find a way to keep the hook going throughout the story, don't ditch it immediately.

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