Connect 2022

A mini-series, with 6 episodes. Sci-fi horror. MAJOR WARNING for Body Horror. I also just don’t know if this show was actually “good” - like objectively.
Did I enjoy it? YES. Do I think about it often? ALSO YES. Do I think it will be enjoyed by most people - NO.
So, I guess I will leave it up to others to decide whether it is worth their time. I think the premise is compelling - and that's enough for me to give anything a chance.

Quick summary:

Ha Dongsoo (Jung Hae-in) is a quiet musician who just wants to live a peaceful life, he stays off grid collecting bottles for recycling, and has a popular online music presence but remains anonymous. He also happens to be a person with an immortal body - a Connect -and as a result nobody in his life has ever treated him kindly. He gets abducted by organ traffickers and escapes, but they have taken his eye.Suddenly he’s plagued by visions - seeing what the recipient of his eye sees. That recipient just so happens to be an artist - one with a cruel vision. Oh Jin-Seop ( Go Kyung-pyo), a creative serial killer, who turns his victims into statues. Dongsoo uses his insight (aha a pun?) on this killer to try and stop him, and a violent game between them begins.

Spoilers Ahead

I mostly felt badly for Dongsoo this whole show. He had such a sweet and gentle disposition, and just desperately wanted to be loved and accepted. He was so obviously physically pained anytime he was hurt, physically or emotionally, and he absolutely hated having to hurt anyone else. It was like looking at a kicked puppy, and it broke my heart everytime.

There was a very specific scene that I felt best represented this was in episode five, between Dongsoo and the elderly man he worked for. The man, in a gut response, called him a monster. However, this elderly man does come around and help him after getting over his initial shock. There is a flashback of Dongsoo being a child, finally getting the recognition for what he was without fear or hatred but knowing that he will never be able to go back to this relationship again.

Another wild element to this show is Choi Yi-rang. She knew all about Connects and had the resources to track the whole underground trafficking ring - specifically looking for Connects. She also is a Class A manipulator, and straight-up murderer. Not a good person, but definitely an intriguing character. She’s also just completely badass. she takes out the whole human trafficking ring. It’s satisfying to watch because they were all horrible people - but that’s a lot of murder, and it’s almost comically violent.

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW

As she helps Dongsoo, it is revealed that she believes Connects are neo-humans, superior beings who are destined to rule over the outdated and lesser evolved humans who cannot accept them. That’s a bit of a YIKES from me, but I suppose after being mistreated for so long it cannot be helped. She’s set out to conquer anyone who has ever tried to misuse her power. I did appreciate all that female rage in comparison to Dongsoo’s compassion.

The insane beating heart of this show is Oh Jin-seop and his stoic disposition and twisty art; using humans as his medium, he creates beautiful - but terrifying - sculptures.
After learning about how they are sharing an eye, he develops a true obsession with Dongsoo. Even going as far as stating before meeting him, he was bored with everything but killing. And, oh boy, does he ever really like to do a lot of killing. He decides he is going to join them as one, as some final work of art - which is truly as fucking freaky as it sounds. Destined by fate to be together, by putting his head on Dongsoo’s body they would become something divinely beautiful. A higher human being.

The show concludes on multiple cliff hangers - I suppose as any sci-fi show should - much to my frustration.

What happens to Dongsoo and Yi-rang? Do they get taken away by the mysterious agents in multiple helicopters? Has Jin-seop got Connect DNA now? Does the artist only known as Z have Connect DNA now? What is wrong with our asshole traitor detective? Will we ever know?