- A developer builds a dating app, hoping for connection. Soon, she gets caught in the web of a serial killer who uses the platform to lure victims.
- With no context to fall back on, viewers can’t be expected to extend the characters the courtesy of caring about their dynamics and motivations.
SOMEBODY on Netflix is a new thriller series from South Korea. It is a story about serial killers that is incredibly character-driven. The season contains eight shorter-than-one-hour-long episodes. Read our complete season 1 review of Somebody here!
New Netflix thriller series SOMEBODY features a serial murderer premise. This is a South Korean production, which you will recognize as a sign of production and narrative excellence. Well, you already know this if you’ve ever watched a South Korean production.
This latest Netflix series from South Korea is about serial killers. You may anticipate a plot that focuses on the characters, since it contains all the hallmarks of South Korean productions. In addition, the characters are flawed and believable, and despite the slow pace, the plot is never boring.
Continue reading our season 1 review of Somebody below. Find all eight episodes on Netflix beginning 18 November 2022.
A different kind of serial killer
By the end of the first episode of Somebody, you will have identified the serial killer. Beginning with the second episode, we will also follow this character for a time. Now, I recognize that revealing the serial killer’s identify is not a particularly novel concept (The Fall did the same thing).
Nonetheless, this South Korean Netflix thriller seems distinct. Because of the nature of the serial killer and the large number of other characters, we are able to follow the story. During the first two episodes, a large number of people are presented, but episode three is where everything comes together.
This was also the case with 1899, despite the fact that the central plots of these two series are vastly different. 1899 is a sci-fi horror thriller mystery combination, whereas Somebody is about a serial killer. Nonetheless, the two have a great deal in common in terms of being character-driven and set in unidentifiable settings.
Don’t worry, I’ll maintain my current emphasis on Somebody. In the first episode of this new series, we follow a young lady who creates the fundamental code for a very popular dating app. The serial murderer uses this dating app to communicate with his victims.
A straightforward plot made exciting by the presence of numerous intriguing people!
Authentic South Korean Netflix content
Netflix has an abundance of South Korean productions, of which Heaven of Horror is a huge fan. Still, there is (typically) a significant distinction between Netflix productions and South Korean television shows that are ultimately aired abroad on Netflix.
The latter tend to have very long seasons with episodes that are over an hour long, and a soap opera-like vibe at times. Netflix-produced films, on the other hand, tend to resemble (finally!) internationally popular South Korean films in terms of production style.
Somebody is a Netflix production in the same vein as the wildly hit Kingdom and Squid Game series, and it shows. There are numerous plot twists in Somebody, but – at least in my opinion – the storytelling is superior to that of 1899. A new series with a large number of characters.
Watch the first season of Somebody now on Netflix.
The director of this new Netflix series is Jung Ji-Woo. Prior to this, Jung Ji-Woo primarily worked on feature films. Choi Min-sik starred in his 2017 murder film Heart Blackened, which he directed and co-wrote. He has appeared in films such as Oldboy and I Saw the Devil, so you’ve probably seen him before.
Han Ji-Wan, who previously penned the horror-thriller series The Ghost Detective, is the author of this series (but not a Netflix production).
There are eight episodes in this season, and each one is approximately 50 minutes long, so you can easily binge-watch it if you choose. I must admit that I find this story quite binge-worthy. Especially considering the first two episodes are primarily establishing the environment and the subsequent episodes are devoted to tracking down the serial killer.
Season 1 of Somebody will be available on Netflix on November 18, 2022.
- Director of specifics: Jung Ji-Woo
- Writer: Han Ji-Wan
- Stars: Kim Young-Kwang, Kang Hae-Lim, Kim Yong-Ji, Kim Soo-Yeon
