“If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Or is there nothing but silence?” This question signals the start of every episode in Netflix’s latest limited crime thriller series The Frog. Life passes us by without perturbing our peace, but when certain elements decide to create ripples, life takes the reins. Sometimes, we would be going on in the day with our chores and there comes a curveball that just cannot be dodged. In a moment of panic, we might end up taking steps without thinking about the future. The aftermath of said events is not a joyland either. What happens when you are at the wrong time, at the wrong place? What happens when there is no one to witness the tornado coming your way? Who is to blame for the destruction that is caused? You? Someone else? The answers to these questions lie in Netflix’s latest The Frog. This drama premiered on August 23, with eight episodes. Go Min Si, Yoo Yeon Seok, Yoon Kye Sang and Lee Jung Eun lead the show.
The Frog Ending Explained: Go Min Si and Kim Yoon Seok starrer twisted thriller gets you hooked in second half; leaves questions Yeong-ha and Gi-ho
The Frog takes its time to settle in. The first two episodes set the stage for what is to come ahead. We are introduced to two stories – one in the past, and the other in the present – both of which conjunct in the present eventually. Initially, the stories do not make much sense as they only show the events as they spiral out of control. But soon, the morality of the characters set in. We are taken closer to each character and are made familiar with their mentality.
The question that starts each episode is nothing but a moral and philosophical dilemma. In the Lake View Motel story, the metaphorical tree falls and makes the loudest noise. The act of Ji Hyang Cheol murdering the Lake View Motel leaves scars on the Koo family until the day he dies. The reputation of the motel, the Koo family dynamics, the prospect of a happy life – everything is shattered leaving an irreparable mess in its wake. The tragedy in the Koo family leads to the mother taking her life, the father losing his mental balance and the son planning a murder.
In Yeong Ha’s pension house story, that tree falls with just the lightest of thud. Seong A commits a murder at the location and leaves without as much as a trace, spare a few towels and a bloodied vinyl. Yeong Ha decides to clean the remaining mess and carry on as if nothing happened. Seong A’s return to the scene creates a greater problem than it was before. The two engage in a deadly mind game that would not have a peaceful end.
Police Captain Yoon Bo Min’s character holds potential but it does not develop fully. In the end, she ends up being a just police officer who goes after the perpetrators by risking herself and her job on the line. She is nicknamed ‘It’ because she goes after every assailant as if she is tagged to go next in a game of tag. She has exceptional observation skills that help her see the truth behind Yeong Ha’s cryptic behaviour. But that is more or less all about her character. There was scope for development but it was left unexplored.
Min Si’s portrayal of Yoo Seong A is a masterclass in subtlety and nuance. From the moment she steps into the pension house, her calmness is unsettlingly incongruous with the chaos brewing within her. Her arrival with Si Hyeon, a young boy whose innocence is starkly juxtaposed with her darkness, creates a palpable tension.
Each episode runs over an hour and shows a painstakingly slow progression. For a show with not much to tell, apart from the exhaustive narratives, the episodes could have been much crisper. In some places, one cannot help but feel displaced by the narrative. While each character takes turns to present their point of view of the story, it does not add much value because as an audience, we are already seeing it unfold. The story has a somewhat predictable end, for these types of stories always leave the viewers shaken and feeling disconnected. The Frog begins and ends with an air of uncertainty. The stories exist in that bubble of eight episodes leaving no room for the narrative to move anymore.
There was an attempt to draw a parallel between both stories. But the only common point we end up having is police captain Yoon Bo Min working on both cases. Yeong Ha investigates Lake View Motel only after feeling that his answer to drive Seong A out can be found in their story. Otherwise, nothing was connecting them. Yeong Ha and Gi Ho find solace in each other because they feel wronged by people who instigated trouble for them.
In the final episode of The Frog, we see that Go Min Si’s character Yoo Seong A is released by the police after her lawyers stepped in. She goes out to the laundromat and sets it on fire. Then she heads to the pension house to gather her belongings and flee the country. But we see that Si Hyeon’s father is waiting for her there with a rifle in his hand. She stalls a little and Yeong Ha arrives. Si Hyeon’s father shoots Yeong Ha and Seong Ah escapes again. She doesn’t go far before Si Hyeon’s father shoots her dead.
Captain Yoon Bo Min eventually wraps up the case. She understands that Gi Ho was helped by Yeong Ha but she lets him go for the time being. After some time, Yeong Ha, his daughter, and her fiance return to the pension house and start a new life there. Yeong Ha’s pension rental does not meet the same fate as the Lake View Motel, but it carries its scars. Because of the pension house’s limited online presence and almost no press coverage, the news of Seong A’s murder does not leave the room.
Yeong A continues his life as usual. One can assume that Gi Ho does too. But who can say if such an incident won’t happen again? People are unpredictable. Who is to blame if such things happen?
While The Frog offers a visually stunning and atmospheric experience and gets better in the second half, its narrative structure and character motivations sometimes feel convoluted and unsatisfying. Despite strong performances and a promising premise, the show’s potential for a gripping mystery is ultimately overshadowed by its meandering plot and lack of a truly compelling connection between the past and present timelines. While it’s a visually engaging series, The Frog may leave viewers feeling a sense of disappointment and a missed opportunity.
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