Sumith Prasad
Directed by Takashi Miike, Disney+’s mystery series ‘Connect’ revolves around Ha Dong-soo who gets abducted by an organ-harvesting group that removes one of his eyes for Jin-seok. Although the eye is transplanted in Jin-seok, Dong-soo starts to see visions of visuals his eye has been seeing. The series progresses through Dong-soo’s attempts to retrieve his eye, only to get involved in a series of murders that startle the city of Seoul. Starring Jung Hae-in as Dong-soo and Go Kyung-pyo as Jin-seok, the horror series ends with ambiguous and astounding developments. If you are trying to make sense of the same, you are at the right place! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Connect Season 1 Recap
‘Connect’ begins with Dong-soo getting abducted by a group of organ harvesters. A surgeon removes Dong-soo’s eyeballs, only to witness one of the two eyeballs getting reconnected to him. Before the other eyeball could reconnect to Dong-soo, the surgeon calls his men, forcing the former to escape from the secret establishment. Dong-soo starts to reminisce about his childhood, specifically recollecting the day he fell from a tree, only for his injuries to heal instantaneously. The folks of Seoul get astounded upon seeing a bloodless corpse in the city, which resembles a classic statue. Detective Choi leads the investigation into the murder and suspects Dong-soo when the cop notices the latter at the crime scene.
Dong-soo starts to see visions of the visuals his stolen eye has been seeing upon getting transplanted to Oh Jin-seok. Through the visions, Dong-soo realizes that the serial killer who is becoming infamous as the “corpse art killer” is none other than Jin-seok. One of Jin-seok’s colleagues discovers the same but the serial killer kills her to keep his murders a secret. The death of Jin-seok’s colleague makes the policemen suspect Dong-soo, who arrives at the scene to meet Jin-seok. Detective Choi takes Dong-soo into custody, only for him to reveal to the lead investigator that he is a Connect. He demonstrates his powers by jumping from the roof of the police station as well.
Meanwhile, the organ harvesters try to hunt down Dong-soo. Lee I-rang, a web novelist who has been monitoring the organ harvesters’ activities for the subject of her next novel, realizes that Dong-soo is in trouble and saves him from the men several times. Dong-soo’s attempts to stop Jin-seok from committing any more murders infuriate the latter. I-rang reveals to Dong-soo that she is a Connect just like him. She also adds how a pharmaceutical company’s actions had paved the way for the origin of the Connects, the immortal beings who cannot sustain any physical injuries. Jin-seok tries to kill Dong-soo but I-rang saves the latter again.
Connect Ending, Explained: Does Dong-soo Get His Eye Back?
Ever since losing one of his eyes, Dong-soo tries his best to find the same. He uses his visions to locate Jin-seok to stop him from committing more murders and retrieve his eye. Jin-seok realizes that Dong-soo is his threat and even tries to kill the latter, only for the Connect to survive the murder attempt. With the help of I-rang, Dong-soo overcomes several obstacles and threats and prepares to confront the serial killer. Meanwhile, Jin-seok’s illness deteriorates and his days get numbered. Since he has terminal-stage cancer, the serial killer realizes that he cannot survive in his body for long.
Jin-seok then aspires to “become one” with Dong-soo, seemingly by harvesting the rest of the latter’s organs. While trying to kill Dong-soo, Jin-seok must have realized that the organs of the musician don’t sustain any permanent injuries. The realization makes the serial killer lure Dong-soo into his custody to garner the organs necessary for his survival. To do the same, Jin-seok even abducts Z, a famed singer and Dong-soo’s idol. Upon coming to know that Z is suffering due to him, Dong-soo willingly goes to meet Jin-seok, proving the latter right about his expectations. However, Jin-seok’s unfamiliarity with the lives of the Connects comes in between him and his aspirations.
When Dong-soo and Jin-seok meet closely, the former’s eyeball gets separated from the latter’s eye socket. Although Jin-seok tries to prevent it, the eyeball gets separated from the serial killer’s socket and gets reattached to Dong-soo’s socket. Dong-soo regains his eye back from the serial killer. Since the musician is a Connect, any organ/body part that’s separated from him will be reattached to his body if the same is near him, even if it’s transplanted in another human being. Jin-seok overlooks the same and loses Dong-soo’s eyeball he gained from the organ harvesters.
Does Jin-seok Die? Is He a Connect?
After getting his eye back, Dong-soo decides to put an end to Jin-seok’s life. As far as the musician is concerned, Jin-seok deserves to die not only because of what he has done to the musician and his acquaintances but also to his numerous innocent victims, who lost their lives for the serial killer to cherish his personal notion of beauty. But before Dong-soo could hurt the murderer, Detective Choi arrives at the scene and convinces the former to leave Jin-seok in the hands of the law. Since Dong-soo knows that he isn’t a murderer like Jin-seok, he must have found it easy to decide against killing the psychopath.
When Dong-soo leaves Jin-seok with Detective Choi, worm-like nerves start to come out from Jin-seok’s empty eye socket, making one wonder whether he is a Connect like Dong-soo and I-rang. However, although those nerves are only seen in Connects, Jin-seok most likely is not a connect and the nerves can be a result of having a Connect’s organ for a long time in his body. First of all, Dong-soo and I-rang are born Connects. There is no indication that one can transform into a Connect without being born as one. Thus, the chances of Jin-seok being a Connect are little to no.
In addition, Jin-seok wouldn’t have been suffering from cancer if he is a Connect. Being a Connect means immortality and Jin-seok’s declining health makes it clear that he is not only mortal but also nearly dead. When Jin-seok tries to kill Dong-soo using poisonous gas, the latter’s organs do not even get affected. If Jin-seok is a Connect, his organs wouldn’t have gotten damaged immensely. Even while confronting Dong-soo, the serial killer’s physical health deteriorates severely and he vomits blood, which shows that he is a typical human being.
Who Are in the Helicopters? Will They Kill Dong-soo and I-rang?
While Dong-soo confronts Jin-seok, I-rang arrives at the place and warns the former about unrevealed beings they need to escape from. Upon leaving Jin-seok with Detective Choi, Dong-soo and I-rang run to safety, only to get confronted by several helicopters. The most obvious possibility is that the helicopters belong to the government officials who are likely hunting down Connects. From I-rang, we know that Connects aren’t short in numbers. Although Dong-soo hasn’t met any other Connect apart from I-rang, the latter lets the former know that there are several of them.
Considering I-rang’s revelation, such a considerable population of Connects may haven’t been able to hide from the authorities. Thus, government officials can be trying to capture the Connects to study them and limit their capabilities. As immortal beings, Connects are capable of doing anything without the fear of death. The government must be fearing the rise of anarchy among the Connects, which may have motivated them to find and lock up these “special” entities. If not the government, the people in helicopters may belong to an unrevealed organization that may be trying to take advantage of the Connects’ immortality, possibly for illegal purposes.
When Dong-soo confronts the group that harvests his and several others’ organs, he realizes that the group is familiar with the Connects. In the same way, another criminal group, more potent and influential, can be behind the people and helicopters who try to hunt down Dong-soo and I-rang. If that’s not the case, the helicopters may belong to their fellow Connects, who try to use their capabilities to earn financial and political gains. I-rang must have come out of such a group of Connects who hurt fellow living beings for the sake of their dominance. If that’s the case, it also explains why I-rang chooses not to be with other Connects despite knowing about their existence. The same group can be trying to add Dong-soo and I-rang to their team as well.
Read More: Where is Hulu’s Connect Filmed?
