The Frog

If you're expecting a high-paced thriller that leaps from one plot twist to another, "The Frog" might have you croaking in frustration. This miniseries is more of a slow, deliberate hop through murky waters, and you'll need the patience of a saint (or a snail) to fully appreciate it. The acting is solid, especially the lead with her psychotic charm, but boy, does this series take its sweet time.

The first half feels like you're in a fog, trying to connect timelines and wondering if the writers are as lost as you are. Characters chew loudly (yes, really) and the show drags in parts-enough to make you consider speed-watching, if only Netflix allowed it. But stick with it, and the pieces start to come together in a weirdly satisfying way.

It's not perfect, and it sure isn't for everyone, but if you like your mysteries with a side of confusion and a dash of "what-the-heck-was-that," then "The Frog" is worth a watch-just keep some snacks handy for those slow moments, because you'll need them.

Sigh! These negative comments for a show that is far from being "garbage".

Unfortunately, in recent years especially, IMDB has become a cesspool of negativity and hate just like other sites.

Not only it seems some of the viewers didn't possibly give the show enough time but also if you have been more into Hollywood productions that mostly follow certain safe storylines then this can be too confusing, boring and slow. I am always amazed at the countless number of times I have seen comments about slowness of a show even from film critics as if that's a bad thing! Quite the opposite. Slow burn is usually what makes a show good because it takes its time to tell a story and build its characters.

As for the show, a slow burn, I found it to be more of a philosophical art-house type thriller/mystery because from the beginning we get to know one of the culprits and strongly suspect the other who committed the crimes. What slowly develops is how those crimes and the choices and actions or inaction of one can have severe physical, emotional and financial consequences that can even ripple effect through generations. This is told through two parallel unrelated stories at two different times that eventually converge towards the end because of shared themes of justice, shame, guilt, pain, looking the other way, etc. In the beginning episodes, it can be hard to connect all the dots because of the two timeframes and the constant sudden jumps between these two time frames and the unrelated stories but it will eventually all fall into place as the series goes on.

The acting, music score (especially the beginning theme song) and cinematography are top notch. I really got interested because Kim Yoon-seok from the movie The Chaser is in it. He is such a good actor and he doesn't disappoint here either.

I would recommend watching and giving it some time.

This could have been a great miniseries. At its core, it's a good idea, but the creators dragged it out, added a bunch of silly and simplistic scenes, and ended up ruining the show's potential for high praise and ratings. The main character, who could solve all his problems with just a couple of straightforward answers but doesn't, completely frayed my nerves. By the fifth episode, I was already fast-forwarding just to see how it all ends.

I'd also like to add that the person who decided to make the main characters chew so loudly every time they eat, and to include noodle-slurping in almost every other scene, deserves a special place in hell.

Plot

A man's life unravels when a mysterious woman arrives at his motel one summer, forcing him to grasp tightly to what he cherishes most.

Cast

Everyone is great but Kim Yoon-seok and Go Min-si deliver standout performances.

Verdict

I'll be honest I'm at the stage now where I see a South Korean movie or tv show and I don't hesitate, they've been consistently knocking it out the park lately. Seeing The Frog released and seeing it be a limited series so no risk of a premature cancellation I leapt in excited but did it live up to my high Korean expectations? Not really, no.

You see The Frog tells quite the captivating tale and delivers fantastic performances but it's an extremely slow burn that suffers with one major glaring flaw. That the leading mans behavior is so illogical, so baffling, so unbelievable that it irreparably damages the whole thing. I spent each episode scratching my head, struggling to empathize with this gentleman as what he was doing was counter productive, he was bringing it all on himself stage after stage after stage and at no point did he do any of the things that could have brought his woes to an immediate halt.

Top that off with the analogies, the reason it's called The Frog is explained and touched upon lightly and it's positively awful. And don't even get me started with the line that the narrator opens with in every single episode, what was that all about? No I get it don't get me wrong, but it's such a wafer this metaphor it simply didn't work.

The Frog has its strengths and is worth a watch, but you must suspend a lot of disbelief and forgive it for some truly baffling writing decisions.

Rants

No spoilers here but really? Really!? How did he let it get to that stage. I can think off many ways to have cut that down straight out of the gate, I mean okay that wouldn't have allowed the show to happen but still! How weak do you need to be to allow people to behave like that with you? How far would you allow it to go? It baffles me. It's like bullying, I've never understood it on either side. I don't get the mentality of the bully and why they think their behavior is acceptable and I don't understand why the victim allows it. I just, don't get any of it.

The Good

Kim Yoon-seok and Go Min-si are excellent Some decent moments Slow burns well for the most part Great cinematography

The Bad

The writing is often deeply confusing Unbelievable in places The slow burn fumbles in places.

After bing-watching the whole series today... It is true, it is slow paced (at least the first 3 episodes) However I find that necessary to build the tension, exactly the way it does.

Go Minsi's acting is formidable, which by the way, it is not a surprise. Her voice, visuals, acting skills... She nailed the role.

The series is really well written and you can feel the heavy atmosphere, I ran out of air a few times while watching it. It feels like a live action of a Stephen King's book. Everything is on point: from the actors and actresses to the story, from the photograpy to the music.

Give it a try, you won't regret it!