The Frog (2024)

It's one of those series that keeps you hooked from beginning to end

It's one of those series that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. The villain's performance is impressive, a character without any empathy. From the beginning to the middle of the series it is difficult to understand the connection between the two stories in different times and spaces. But then everything falls into place.


It's one of those series that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. The villain's performance is impressive, a character without any empathy. From the beginning to the middle of the series it is difficult to understand the connection between the two stories in different times and spaces. But then everything falls into place.

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If a Kdrama is a Netflix suggestion, and has polarizing reviews on MDL, do you click play...

I started watching "The Frog" without knowing anything about it, not even the genre. I finished watching it not sure how much I liked it or not. It certainly turned out to be an interesting ride. Sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes ridiculously frustrating, but the suspense kept me watching the entire time. This thriller/mystery follows two separate yet related not quite linear stories that explore awful luck, questionable choices, and unapologetic evil. The two male leads each run remote vacation rentals and both learn the dangers of hosting the wrong guest.

What kept me engaged more than the story were the characters. Yes, I wanted to know what was happening and why but I was more interested in why the characters reacted the way they did. Many of the characters had me yelling at my screen over how they could do what they did or how they didn't do what I thought they should do. The fact that many of the characters are morally gray left me unable to guess what would happen next. Even characters I empathized with would often make decisions that I would consider to be problematic, but I think this show explores the idea that poor choices made as a response to horrible circumstances beyond your control don't make you less of a victim. Each episode starts with the famous "If a Tree falls and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound" question while simultaneously making us question if characters who choose to look the other way and not get involved when they suspect something is wrong are also guilty or complicit.

The characters being so essential to this story means the performances are crucial and every cast member delivers. Kim Yoon Seok as the passive protagonist Jeon Yeong Ha is perfectly cast. He is the epitome of plausible deniability. He is both easy to empathize with and irritating for that reason as we watch him slowly and reluctantly get pushed into action by escalating events. Yoon Kye Sang as Koo Sang Jun acts as a mirror to Yoon Seok and in my opinion, is the most heartbreaking character as we watch his positive and helpful nature become broken. He is the quintessential nice guy, which is said ominously by another character, and that mentality can't spare him from despair. Lee Jung Eun and Ha Yoon Kyung as cold and observant Yun Bo Min in many ways is the glue that connects these two main characters but I found her to be the least interesting character. I don't fault the actors for this, who I think did a decent job, I just think with so many interesting characters her storyline often slowed down the pace without adding much more to the suspense until the later episodes. There was an opportunity to make a very memorable detective character which I think was missed by choosing to make her blank-faced and seemingly detached.

The rest of the cast is great, and even some minor characters were surprisingly hard to read or to predict their actions. The cast's grounded performances helped as the story became more and more extreme and borderline unrealistic. Speaking of extreme, the clear breakout performance in this drama is Go Min Si as Yoo Seong A. It was so much fun to watch how unhinged she could get, to wonder if she was really that evil or misunderstood, and to watch how far her performance could go. I hope it's not too much of a spoiler to say that if you love an antagonist you can openly hate - she over-delivers! She seemed to be in her element as a manipulative and irrational villain. The crazier she got the more I was entertained. Her performance reminded me a bit of Christian Bale in American Psycho. She is without a doubt the biggest highlight in this drama for me. She deserves some extra praise for her performance.

Would I watch it again? Definitely. Even though the story was initially confusing to follow and dragged in some places I was always intrigued, even rewinding when I thought I missed something important. A 2nd viewing without that confusion, and understanding the characters better, would be fun to watch with a revised perspective. I could spend less time focussing on guessing what will happen and instead enjoy watching the dynamics of the characters. Plus the cinematography and soundtrack are great too. The use of the popular Bobby Blue Bland song "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" in a sinister way was geniusly done, like one would expect from a Jordan Peele movie. Some people may think this drama relies too much on atmosphere and too little on story, but it made even the locations feel like an important character. I have no complaints about the director's choices, and was often impressed by how certain highlighted images set the tone, or how they leaned into the overall theme of not trusting everything you see.

Overall, this is an ambitious 8 episode drama that has a lingering quality I really appreciate. It was easy to binge and kept me too curious to be bored. I don't think it was overly philosophical or deep but it did leave me still thinking about the various characters long after it was all over. The ending was decent, not necessarily predictable or wildly original but tied up the story neatly. I was not profoundly moved, even during the saddest scenes, but I was disturbed in an oddly fun way throughout. I'm not surprised that the reviews so far are on the extreme ends of low or high ratings. It has a polarizing style that won't appeal to everyone, even if you're a fan of the genre or the actors. I can't say it's a favorite of mine, but I think watching it without expectations made me appreciate the journey this drama took me on.

Maybe it also helps that remote woodsy areas are automatically creepy to me, and I won't be planning a vacation in a rural area any time soon, even if there's a nice view! o.O

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Hat and spirit level

After watching many of the Netflix original K-dramas, I was skeptical going into this one. Oh boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. It's been a while since I watched something that keeps you guessing all the time. Even if you really think you know what's coming next, this gives a little doubt that doesn't go away. I have to applaud the writers for creating a rare masterpiece. Everything about this is art - the cinematography, the production design, the timing, the music, the motive. One thing that I would emphasize is how, at the start, you can't understand the actions of the pension owners, but with time, everything starts to make more sense. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' The Frog '' is a thriller being told through a dual narrative of two different time periods.

The drama has its moments, with the cinematography being solid and beautifully haunting at times, but, more often than not, the drama becomes a classic case of looks over substance.

The two timelines, moreover, did not blend together smoothly, especially since the one of the past was often put aside and hardly developed.

Also, the twists and turns of the plot got tiring after a while, though there were some substantial suspenseful moments.

Finally, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Does It Make a Sound, or Is There Only Silence?

The Frog is one of those rare, mind-bending shows that lingers with you. It’s complex, layered, and constantly challenges your perceptions. From the start, I had no idea what to expect—even after reading the synopsis! Frequent time skips shift the plot between past and present, creating a puzzle that keeps you questioning until you piece it all together.

The show is built on a fascinating metaphor: it challenges viewers to imagine themselves as a frog struck randomly by a stone at the side of the road. Here, the serial killer represents that sudden, unpredictable “stone,” while the vacation house owner is the “frog,” forced to endure the consequences of something utterly out of their control. Through this setup, The Frog explores humanity’s instinct to rationalize why things happen. We’re conditioned to believe, “This happened to me because of something I did,” but the randomness in this story dismantles that logic. The unsettling truth becomes clear: some things just happen, regardless of our actions, and sometimes even the smallest bit of control is just an illusion.

The background music played a crucial role, adding suspense to every scene and amplifying the tension. The cast truly brought their characters to life. Go MinSi is unforgettable as the psychopath killer; she balances fragility and toughness in a way that sends chills down your spine. It was my first time seeing Kim Yoon Seok, and he brought a compelling mix of kindness, mystery, and a protective edge—he’s the type of character who seems okay with being messed with, but don’t even think about going near his friends and family. Lee Jung Eun stepped away from her usual warm-hearted mother roles, shining as a cool, badass cop. Although I wished she had more screen time, she made every moment count.

I ended up binge-watching the entire series in one day—it’s that gripping. This type of drama is definitely best experienced the first time, and while I may not re-watch it, the entire series was truly an intense journey worth taking and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

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Bom, mas faltou conexão

No começo achei meio chato e confuso mas os 3 últimos episódios foram incríveis, só achei que os dois casos não tiveram uma grande relação, faltou ligação. Não vi a necessidade de colocar dois casos que não estavam realmente conectados um com o outro, sendo que dava muito bem pra entender a história atual sem narrar a do passado. Se tivessem focado somente na casa de temporada, talvez conseguissem explorar mais a história.
A fotografia é linda e as atuações são muito boas também, em especial a da Minsi, ela realmente deu o nome nesse drama.
Queria a história da psicopata tivesse sido mais explorada, pra mim foi o que mais faltou. Mas em geral eu gostei, é um bom suspense.

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The equivalent of a summer thriller novel.

It's summer, it's hot, you are on holidays on the beach, you got a cheap book at the kiosk, it's a thriller you sit down and read it. You know it's not high literature, but damn is it a page turner? This is exactly what the Frog was to me.

As a short thriller it works, it very well filmed, the locations are beautiful, it keeps the tension and the acting is excellent.

It has its own flaws and some parts of the plot don't work out well, but in general it's very enjoyable. And since it's so short, it's free of filler content that would have maybe dragged the plot too much.

My favorite story was in fact the 2000s murder case, I feel it was better set, the story was darker, and the delivery of the revenge was better. Episode 6 stands as my favorite episode, it's pure action, like almost a spy movie and the build-up, learning that Giho did see HyangCheol, and pay-out, when he calls himself the ghost and Hyangcheol recognizes him, to that small smile on Giho's lips, it's great. That and the conclusion of Giho crying, finally or somehow free of that burden. I don't know, to me, it worked better than the main storyline.

But the main storyline was also great, specially because of the acting between Go Min Si and Kim Yoon Seok,.

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Nice watch.

I'm not usually one to fall for the psycho-killer character, but I guess I do when it's Go MinSi. I initially clicked on this show because she was on the cover, but I was happy to find out Roh YoonSeo was in it too.

Aside from the actresses I like, this show was pretty good. I liked so many things about it. First of all, the score really enhanced each scene and was very thrilling. Most scores aren't memorable to me, but for some reason, the score in this show was. I also loved the acting; Go MinSi played her character very well. All of the other actors/actresses did as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists in this drama, too.

The one flaw this show has is that there were two episodes in the middle that felt a bit slow and long, so if you don't have much patience with dramas, this one isn't for you.

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Really makes you think...

This is my first completed k-drama and first review so here's my short take on it. Contains spoilers.

The show has some really great actors whose acting drags you into the story especially Go Min-Si (plays Yoo Seong-A). She really managed to nail Yoo Seong-A's psyochopathic nature, not only through the emotional indifference and creepyness which she portrays. But most of all through the moments when things don't go her way and she shows her emotions, for example when realizing that she might be put in jail by the evidence that Jeon Yeong-Ha had or the times when she was face to face with her ex husband.

Even though the acting was great, you can't make a good story without great writing, and it delivered. I believe that the writing was particularly good at illustrating the consequences caused by different ways of reacting to an event, which in this case was the murder at the motell and then at the vacational home. At the motell murder, the case had a very speedy conclusion and the murderer got caught rather quickly. The consequence of the killer getting caught was that the motell then got associated to the killing and who would want to sleep at a motell which people have died at? This further on leads to the ruin of the family owning the motell. The other side is the one that Jeon Yeong-Ha chose to take, which was to look the other way and try to forget the incident. This in turn allowed him to keep having customers visiting the vacational, but also allowed a killer to roam free, which put his loved ones in harms way.

The conclusion that I drew from the different incidents was that no matter which way you react, if you're the frog that gets hit by the stone, there is no easy way to recover.

Anyway pretty good show for my first completed k-drama, it left some loose ends and the switch between timelines was sometimes a bit odd so I'll give it an 9/10.

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