Somebody is a new Korean thriller series about a lonely app developer who falls in love with a possible serial killer.
Directed by Jung Ji-woo, and written by Han Ji-wan, Somebody is more than the sum of its parts, as it manages to transcend its borderline ridiculous premise.
Sum (Kang Hae-Lim) is the CTO and main developer for the social connecting app Somebody. However, she has trouble communicating with people in real life. The fact that she has Asperger may have something to do with that, although it is clear that Sum is much more than that.
Sum does has a few friends, even though she isn’t always in touch with them. There is Ki-Eun (Kim Soo-Yeon), who works as a detective, but who is also in a wheelchair after an accident (which leads to a very disturbing scene near an empty swimming pool).
Ki-Eun is best friends with Mok-Won (Kim Yong-Ji), who is a lesbian shaman (which is a great combination, as far as I’m concerned).
Then a serial killer starts using Somebody to make new connections. Around the same time Sum connects with architectural designer Yoon-O (Kim Young-Kwang). Sum feels attracted to him, even though he seems to be hiding something.
But what can you do if you’ve finally met your equal? Yoon-O makes Sum feel alive, even though she knows he may be bad for her.
The loneliness of modern life is an important theme in this series, a existential dread that is only enhanced by modern dating apps.
And also by a detached visual style, that the filmmakers use to capture the characters in carefully framed singles. Which fits with the slow but deliberate pacing of the episodes and the even-handed performances by the actors.
In a way, it is pretty clear from the outset how things stand in this romantic thriller, as Ki-Eun investigates the murder case, with the help of Mok-Won.
Sum may have some kind of romantic death wish, so the question is: can her friends save her from herself or will Sum rise to the occasion (or not)?
If this all sounds a little far-fetched, you are not wrong, and there are times when you have to suspend your disbelief. But if you can, then Somebody makes it work.
I got hooked in the beginning, but the series just got weirder and weirder towards the end.