3
6
1
LiN
in your basement
This review may contain spoilers
Somebody: "You mind saying that to me again?"
This Netflix series is definitely not easy to swallow but can become very intimidating if you pay attention to how it unfolds. So basically, I will say this series is a really nice piece of cake for those who love observing how good, complex, and CONSISTENT vicious characters can be written, without getting boring. The consistency in character is what I really liked about this series. This is what makes "Somebody" quite an interesting show for me, who loves dedicating their free time to analyzing the beauty in human grim. You don´t have this evil scumbag who suddenly changes for the Female Lead. You don´t need a detailed background to show that sometimes evil scumbags are just evil scumbags with no remorse. Sometimes there is nothing that anybody can do to prevent these "natural killers" from being born. They exist like hunters in the wild. Yuno´s life consisted of this side of him that just felt alive from hunting and IT. STAYED. CONSTANT. UNTIL. THE. ALMOST. VERY. END.
For those who are not invested in villainous characters like Yuno, 6.9 stars is a solid average. I can totally understand that a majority will not like or enjoy this piece of art. Even for me, a hunter for series like this, it´s hard to explain. On whatever thread I am on, I always try to analyze behavior that is seen as vicious, grim, weird, and unlogical. The point is, humans are led by emotions, these, however, are often perceived as irrational, while often they aren't. They are a direct response to a certain trigger, for a reason!! What makes arguments f.e. irrational, is when the base facts are not able to be proven right. And Yuno was most certainly led by his uncontrollable impulses, which would not stop, even if he met Kim Sum. Even if he "loved" her. He didn´t manage to control these impulses before, maybe never wanted to. So I don´t think that the series necessarily lacked logic in the world they created, but maybe it lacked context and depth.
I also really want to highlight the variety of this series in terms of characters: A disabled police officer, a shaman, and a main character with Asperger Syndrome. In a thriller/horror/suspense series! Really loved to see this. LGBTQ+ representation in K-dramas, especially in suspense dramas, is not common.
YUNO (Yun O/ Yun-O)
He doesn´t really change throughout the entire series, however, Kim Sum does have an impact on his behavior. As she was not harmed in their first meeting because he might have either grown interested or thought of a better way to torture her before death by using her vulnerability, always being excluded because of Aspergers, against her. Or BOTH? He is not the most strategic killer you´ll see in a drama, but one of the most active and creative ones. Using the app, pretending to be nice, doing background research (not shown), trying hard to set the right fake Ambiente, and killing depending on the situation. He always adapted his torture to the victim, sometimes didn´t even kill at all - aiming for the highest of emotional damage. So, to point this out, his killing itself is not the consistent part, as he not always kills his victims (right away?).
And this consistency made the ending so interesting. The viewer could not tell what he was planning on. Did he really want to live with her? Did he really love her, like how he said when he was choking on his own blood? Even if he did, did he still plan to kill her (and him?)? Building such an architecture for her, was the clue that he did indeed like her the most. I think that all this emotional insecurity makes the ending so intense to watch. I had to fight this weird urge to feel bad for him because his situation and ending were so pathetic. And kind of sad... and kind of righteous. The crew and editors really dedicated themselves to showing us a twisted scene where they confront the viewers with a serial-killers last vulnerability, his mortality, and exceptionally and almost unexpected fast death. (What I mean is, he had no unrealistic luck in surviving, he just died) LIKE ANY OTHER HUMAN BEING. No exception.
KIM SUM
She definitely took her part as the main character and also stayed somewhat consistent. The interest in murder was in her, from the start. She also did not become more vicious. She just behaved and stayed consistent. JUST that she initiated the kill was something that we could not get a hold of entirely. It made sense, it matched the series. But not quite predictable, as she really liked him. Just her outsmarting him was somewhat predictable. I loved how they managed to include SOME ONE :) in the dynamic, without making it awkward or weird to watch.
What I really found the most interesting, is that she was aroused by his behavior. Because these dark fantasies had built up inside of her and he was the personalization of what she always wanted to do to the people who treated her like a monster? This series has really overwhelmed me in some points, like no other. It also made me self-reflect about why I like what I like.
IM MOK WON
She/ They were a bit of a confusing variable. I really liked her character, just that I could not quite understand her role in this scenario. Was she like a medium between evil and good? Or a medium between chaotic evil and chaotic neutral? Or just the messenger between all the characters? Then she was basically just being used for communication. Her romance faded into nothingness. Her character depth was a bit unfulfilling.
YEONG GI EUN
She is a cop, but still managed to get into deadly situations in the same pattern. One time not knowing she will meet somebody with ill intentions and one time EXACTLY knowing what evil person she is dealing with. Both times she gets outplayed in a similar and cruel way. But why would she do it in the first place? Curiosity is not worth your death. She could have gone back once she noticed her wheelchair was not made for the place she was at. He was revealed as a killer by then. So she basically reached nothing but to risk her life and, which to be fair IS important, revealed the location of another victim of his.
Overall I really had an intense watching. It made me think and reflect and even shed a few tears. But I agree and acknowledge that this series is a special case and surely confusing and unenjoyable for people not obsessed with twisted characters and villains on a daily basis. They made the best they could and shared the story of a colorful trio in a small series consisting of only 8 episodes. "SOMEBODY" doesn´t have much left to offer but observation of a FOR ONCE almost entirely consistent serial killer in a K-Drama. Also, his visions, fast adaption, and grim creativity made YUNO an interesting persona to watch.
For those who are not invested in villainous characters like Yuno, 6.9 stars is a solid average. I can totally understand that a majority will not like or enjoy this piece of art. Even for me, a hunter for series like this, it´s hard to explain. On whatever thread I am on, I always try to analyze behavior that is seen as vicious, grim, weird, and unlogical. The point is, humans are led by emotions, these, however, are often perceived as irrational, while often they aren't. They are a direct response to a certain trigger, for a reason!! What makes arguments f.e. irrational, is when the base facts are not able to be proven right. And Yuno was most certainly led by his uncontrollable impulses, which would not stop, even if he met Kim Sum. Even if he "loved" her. He didn´t manage to control these impulses before, maybe never wanted to. So I don´t think that the series necessarily lacked logic in the world they created, but maybe it lacked context and depth.
I also really want to highlight the variety of this series in terms of characters: A disabled police officer, a shaman, and a main character with Asperger Syndrome. In a thriller/horror/suspense series! Really loved to see this. LGBTQ+ representation in K-dramas, especially in suspense dramas, is not common.
YUNO (Yun O/ Yun-O)
He doesn´t really change throughout the entire series, however, Kim Sum does have an impact on his behavior. As she was not harmed in their first meeting because he might have either grown interested or thought of a better way to torture her before death by using her vulnerability, always being excluded because of Aspergers, against her. Or BOTH? He is not the most strategic killer you´ll see in a drama, but one of the most active and creative ones. Using the app, pretending to be nice, doing background research (not shown), trying hard to set the right fake Ambiente, and killing depending on the situation. He always adapted his torture to the victim, sometimes didn´t even kill at all - aiming for the highest of emotional damage. So, to point this out, his killing itself is not the consistent part, as he not always kills his victims (right away?).
And this consistency made the ending so interesting. The viewer could not tell what he was planning on. Did he really want to live with her? Did he really love her, like how he said when he was choking on his own blood? Even if he did, did he still plan to kill her (and him?)? Building such an architecture for her, was the clue that he did indeed like her the most. I think that all this emotional insecurity makes the ending so intense to watch. I had to fight this weird urge to feel bad for him because his situation and ending were so pathetic. And kind of sad... and kind of righteous. The crew and editors really dedicated themselves to showing us a twisted scene where they confront the viewers with a serial-killers last vulnerability, his mortality, and exceptionally and almost unexpected fast death. (What I mean is, he had no unrealistic luck in surviving, he just died) LIKE ANY OTHER HUMAN BEING. No exception.
KIM SUM
She definitely took her part as the main character and also stayed somewhat consistent. The interest in murder was in her, from the start. She also did not become more vicious. She just behaved and stayed consistent. JUST that she initiated the kill was something that we could not get a hold of entirely. It made sense, it matched the series. But not quite predictable, as she really liked him. Just her outsmarting him was somewhat predictable. I loved how they managed to include SOME ONE :) in the dynamic, without making it awkward or weird to watch.
What I really found the most interesting, is that she was aroused by his behavior. Because these dark fantasies had built up inside of her and he was the personalization of what she always wanted to do to the people who treated her like a monster? This series has really overwhelmed me in some points, like no other. It also made me self-reflect about why I like what I like.
IM MOK WON
She/ They were a bit of a confusing variable. I really liked her character, just that I could not quite understand her role in this scenario. Was she like a medium between evil and good? Or a medium between chaotic evil and chaotic neutral? Or just the messenger between all the characters? Then she was basically just being used for communication. Her romance faded into nothingness. Her character depth was a bit unfulfilling.
YEONG GI EUN
She is a cop, but still managed to get into deadly situations in the same pattern. One time not knowing she will meet somebody with ill intentions and one time EXACTLY knowing what evil person she is dealing with. Both times she gets outplayed in a similar and cruel way. But why would she do it in the first place? Curiosity is not worth your death. She could have gone back once she noticed her wheelchair was not made for the place she was at. He was revealed as a killer by then. So she basically reached nothing but to risk her life and, which to be fair IS important, revealed the location of another victim of his.
Overall I really had an intense watching. It made me think and reflect and even shed a few tears. But I agree and acknowledge that this series is a special case and surely confusing and unenjoyable for people not obsessed with twisted characters and villains on a daily basis. They made the best they could and shared the story of a colorful trio in a small series consisting of only 8 episodes. "SOMEBODY" doesn´t have much left to offer but observation of a FOR ONCE almost entirely consistent serial killer in a K-Drama. Also, his visions, fast adaption, and grim creativity made YUNO an interesting persona to watch.
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