Even though all streaming platforms try their best in catering to each and every genre out there, Hulu has exceptionally served great offerings to horror fans recently with 2022’s Hellraiser and the upcoming 2023 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Boogeyman. While the latest release may be under the radar for most (especially due to the fact that it’s being released around the holidays), the latest Hulu horror-themed show titled Connect should be no exception to this rule. Taking inspiration from a Korean webcomic of the same name that is available on the webtoon platform Naver since 2019, this six-episode live-action adaptation was made available on December 7th, 2022.
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The Crux of Connect
Imagine that after a long day at work, you’re walking home and minding your own business. After mustering some courage, you decide to take a shortcut through a narrow and dim alley in hopes of shaving a good ten minutes off the usual route. But just like that, a white van pulls up out of nowhere, and some thugs leap out of the back and abduct you. When you wake, you quickly realize that the nightmare was real and some fiendish organ harvesters just ripped one of your eyes out leaving you partially blind.
Anybody would agree that just thinking about the aforementioned event would be a traumatizing experience. Well, that is exactly what happens to the main character, Ha Dong-soo, in the very first episode of Connect. Played by Korean actor Jung Hae-in, a relatively unknown and humble musician not only has to deal with the personal implications stemming from the event but also handle other hostile forces gunning for him including the trafficking gang who was responsible, police detectives, and other dangerous entities.
The audience quickly learns that Ha Dong-soo has a hidden superhuman ability to heal himself no matter the injury. Whether a small scrape on the hand or literally falling off of a skyscraper, his body automatically repairs itself from any trauma. Bones instantly twist back into their original places and blood cells come alive, trying to link back to any missing appendages or organs if they are close enough. With this enhanced species only heard about in urban legends and myths of yesterday, Dong-soo is given the nickname of Connect.
Seeing Through The Eyes Of A Murderer
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Given his body’s unique ability, it comes as no surprise that Dong-soo’s supernatural link grants him the ability to still see through his missing eye. This helps him see what his mysterious thief is up to. What is shocking though is that his eye has been implanted into a barbaric serial killer who goes by the name of Oh Jin-soeb. Brought to life by the charismatic Go Kyoung-pyo, the sadistic murderer makes sculptures out of his victims by soaking them in resin and then hanging them in public for all to see. Because of this, he is dubbed the Corpse Art Killer.
For only 32 years old, actor Go Kyoung-pyo has had a well-diverse career already, being a cast member during the first three seasons of South Korea’s Saturday Night Live as well as starring in the 2022 Netflix original movie, Seoul Vibe.
Citizens and cops alike only realize that there is something terrible going on when these life-like statues start to bleed. When you see Jin-seob on screen, do not expect any protagonists of the show to have an easy time as he kills who he chooses without hesitation. Even though Dong-soo chases this frenzied maniac around in hopes of ultimately stopping him and getting his eye back, Jin-seob constantly turns the tables and lures Dong-soo around like they’re playing some sort of twisted game.
Some of the names rounding out this cast are Kim Hye-jun who stars as Dong-soo’s mysterious love interest, Choi I-rang, and Kim Roe-ha, Lee Tae-hyeong and Han Tae-hee as Detective Choir, Park and Yeom respectively who all blame Dong-soo for the murders at first since they notice him acting very peculiar around the crime scene. There’s also a music producer by the name of Z who is played by Yang Dong-geun and Mr. Z, the leader of the organ trafficking group who Jo Bok-rae plays. Just like Kyoung-pyo, Kim Hye-jun was a cast member of South Korea’s Saturday Night Live in the seventh season. She has also won the Best New Actress award three times in the last four years for both film and television roles.
Not only does Connect hold the major milestone of being the first South Korean drama series to be produced by a Japanese Director but one of the three production companies which helped bring the show to life is Studio Dragon, a leading marketing and distribution entertainment firm that is focused on the drama genre. They are responsible for the official Asian remakes of CBS’s The Good Wife and HBO’s Entourage. Just last year, they brought Kingdom: Ashin of the North to Netflix which was a smash hit for the Kingdom series.
If you happen to be a fan of the scary, the spooky, and the sometimes gory, then check out the Korean original thriller, Connect on Hulu. Just make sure that neither of your eyes have mysteriously disappeared or else you too might start receiving visions from a danger you never expected.
