| The Frog | |
|---|---|
_poster.png) Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 아무도 없는 숲속에서 |
| Lit. | In the Woods With No One Around |
| RR | Amudo eomneun supsogeseo |
| MR | Amudo ŏmnŭn supsogesŏ |
| Genre | |
| Written by | Son Ho-young |
| Directed by | Mo Wan-il [ko] |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Gaemi |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editor | Jo Yoon-jung |
| Running time | 49–68 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
The Frog (Korean: 아무도 없는 숲속에서) is a 2024 South Koreanmysterycrime thriller television series written by Son Ho-young, directed byMo Wan-il [ko], and starringKim Yoon-seok,Yoon Kye-sang,Go Min-si, andLee Jung-eun. The series depicts how a suspicious visitor disrupted the normal lives of ordinary people in the middle of summer. It was released onNetflix on August 23, 2024.
The Frog unfolds in a secluded forest town, a few hours' drive from Seoul, where Jeon Yeong-ha has spent the last several years. Following his beloved wife's terminal illness, Yeong-ha moved to this tranquil location, fulfilling her dream of living in a beautiful, remote house surrounded by nature. After she died, he chose to remain in the town, residing in a modest home adjacent to the villa he now operates as a holiday rental. His daughter, Ui-seon, frequently urges him to return to Seoul to live with her and her fiancé, but Yeong-ha finds solace in managing the rental alongside his best friend, Yong-chae. However, Yeong-ha lacks the drive to fully commit to the business, relying on Yong-chae to encourage him to promote the property online to attract more guests.
Amidst this backdrop, a young woman named Seong-a arrives at the rental with her son, Si-hyeon. Though she carries an air of mystery and reserve, Yeong-ha welcomes them without hesitation. His sense of unease grows when Seong-a departs early the next morning, leaving behind disturbing blood stains and an overpowering scent of bleach, most alarmingly without her son in tow.
The narrative also weaves in a chilling incident from over twenty years ago at the Lake View Motel, run by Gu Sang-jun and his wife, Eun-gyeong. In the early 2000s, Sang-jun's hospitality took a dark turn when he invited a serious-looking man, later identified as the serial killer Hyang-cheol, to stay the night. Despite being off-season and desperate for business, Sang-jun offered the guest the best room at a nominal fee. This fateful decision shattered Sang-jun's life when Hyang-cheol committed a brutal murder within the motel's walls. Though the killer was apprehended swiftly, the motel's reputation suffered irreparable damage.
As the specter of crime looms over both timelines, a singular thread connects them: Officer Yoon Bo-min. With an innate talent for solving crimes, Bo-min began her career at the Hosu police station just days before Hyang-cheol's horrific act. She witnessed the motel's decline and the profound impact of the murder on Sang-jun and his family. Now, as a high-ranking officer returning to the same station, she begins to observe unsettling behavior from Yeong-ha and his enigmatic guest, Seong-a, hinting at a deeper, intertwining mystery waiting to be unraveled.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Do You Know What They Call People Like Us?" Transliteration: "Uri gateun saramdeureul mworago haneunji aseyo?" (Korean:우리 같은 사람들을 뭐라고 하는지 아세요?) | Mo Wan-il [ko] | Son Ho-young | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
| 2 | "Who Will Come Knocking on the Door of My Destiny?" Transliteration: "Unmyeongui muneul dudeuryeool ineun nugulkka" (Korean:운명의 문을 두드려올 이는 누굴까) | Mo Wan-il | Son Ho-young | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
| 3 | "As Though You Couldn't Get Me Off Your Mind" Transliteration: "Machi geudongan gyesong naman saenggakan saramcheoreom" (Korean:마치 그동안 계속 나만 생각한 사람처럼) | Mo Wan-il | Son Ho-young | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
| 4 | "I Think She Killed a Child" Transliteration: "Geu yeojaga aereul jugin geon gatayo" (Korean:그 여자가 애를 죽인 것 같아요) | Mo Wan-il | Son Ho-young | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
| 5 | "I'm Just "It" in This Game of Tag" Transliteration: "Nan geunyang i jaeminneun noriui sullaemnida" (Korean:난 그냥 이 재밌는 놀이의 술랩니다) | Mo Wan-il | Son Ho-young | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
| 6 | "Dad Will Come Get You" Transliteration: "Appaga geumbang da haegyeolhago derireo galge" (Korean:아빠가 금방 다 해결하고 데리러 갈게) | Mo Wan-il | Son Ho-young | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
| 7 | "We'll See the End Together" Transliteration: "Nan mujogeon ajeossirang kkeutkkaji gal geogo" (Korean:난 무조건 아저씨랑 끝까지 갈 거고) | Mo Wan-il | Son Ho-young | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
| 8 | "We'll Have a Lot to Talk About" Transliteration: "Urineun hal yaegiga aju mankenne" (Korean:우리는 할 얘기가 아주 많겠네) | Mo Wan-il | Son Ho-young | August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) |
The series, which consists of eight episodes, is a collaboration between writer Son Ho-young, who won the Excellence Award in the Series category of the 2021 JTBC New Writers Playwriting Contest, and directorMo Wan-il [ko], who directedMisty (2018) andThe World of the Married (2020).[6][7] It is co-produced bySLL and Studio Flow and released onNetflix in more than 190 countries.[8]
Kim Yoon-seok,Yoon Kye-sang, andGo Min-si were reportedly cast for the series in 2022.[7][9]Lee Jung-eun,Park Ji-hwan, andHa Yoon-kyung were reportedly cast for the series in 2023.[10][4][2]Chanyeol was cast by February 2024.[11]
On February 20, 2023, Kim, Yoon, Go, and Lee were confirmed as the lead actors of the series.[8]
Netflix confirmedThe Frog to be released in the third quarter of 2024 after they announced the list of the annual Korean Slate of Films and Series on February 6.[12] The series was released on August 23.[13]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 56% of 9 critics' reviews are positive.[14] Writing forThe Korea Times, cultural critic and scholar David Tizzard described the drama as having great promise but ultimately failing to deliver on its early psychological explorations. Despite aiming to emulate things likeThe Shining orParasite, it ended up as "Disney level morality dressed up in miniskirts and trying to be sexy for Netflix...aTarantino soundtrack (something else it plays with) without the dialogue, wit, or tension."[15] Tizzard did, however, acknowledge the influence the drama might have had on domestic Korean influences for the similarities the plot had with the case of Koh Yuh-jeong.[16]
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cine21 | 2024 | Top 10 Series of 2024 | 7th place[a] | [17] |
| NME | The 10 best Korean dramas of 2024 | 4th place | [18] |
