Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s South Korean thriller series, ‘The Frog’ or ‘Amudo Eobsneun Supsokeseo’ brings a riveting story set in a countryside town where the lives of innocent people turn into nightmares when they cross paths with some very nefarious people. On the one hand, we follow the story of Yeong-ha, whose life turns upside down when he rents his place to a woman who turns out to be more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. On the other hand, is the story of Sang-jun, whose life is upended when he hosts a serial killer at his motel.
Both their lives spin out of control as they wonder why these things are happening to them. Created by Son Ho-young and Mo Wan-il, what makes ‘The Frog’ even more interesting is that the characters are presented in a way that feels very relatable. Every time something goes wrong with the character, the audience is bound to wonder what if it happened to them and what they would do in such a situation.
The Fictional Story of Sang-jun and Yeong-Ha Presents an Unsettling Possibility
‘The Frog’ is a fictional story concocted by Son Ho-young. While the events in the story unfold in a disturbingly realistic manner, the story itself remains entirely fictional. The base of the story lies in a very simple thought that the writer once had. Generally, when we think about going on a walk in the forest, the picture painted in our minds is very calm and surreal. We think about the place’s beauty and calm and the idea of being in harmony with nature. But this peace and quiet can easily turn into the most horrific experience of a person’s life if they end up in a secluded place with a dangerous person.
This idea is also echoed in the line about a tree falling in the forest, which is repeated throughout the story to give the audience a context of the mind space the characters find themselves in, especially Yeong-Ha, who believes that he can escape the horror in front of him by completely ignoring it. This idea of walking alone in the forest served as the seed for the story of the show (originally named ‘In the Forest Where There’s No One’) that eventually turned into a full-fledged suspense with multiple plot lines.
When Mo Wan-il was presented with the script, he was a little skeptical about taking on the project but was eventually convinced to make the series, especially because he was attracted by the duality of the story. He liked the idea of turning a person’s comfort space into something where they experience complete horror, which is what happens with Sang-jun and Yeong-Ha. The parallels between their stories and how they coalesce by the end also interested the director in taking on the project.
Sang-jun and Yeong-Ha are the Frogs of the Story
There have been several serial killer shows over the years, but its the approach that sets ‘The Frog’ apart in the genre. Rather than taking the audience into the mind of the killer or the tragedy of the victim, it shows a different aspect of the story. It focuses on the people who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. While they might be considered the direct victims, their lives are forever changed by simply being touched by the killer and their crimes. To explain this, the show uses the analogy of a frog who is stoned by mischievous kids and keeps wondering why it is being tortured. Rather than focus on the fact that the kids are the ones to blame, the frog wonders what it did to deserve the stoning, which is exactly where Sang-jun and Yeong-Ha find themselves.
Through Sang-jun and Yeong-Ha, the writer wanted to turn the audience’s attention toward often unacknowledged victims whose lives are devastated by the crimes that didn’t happen to them. For actor Kim Yun-Seok, who plays Yeong-Ha, it was about the desperation that the victims experience and how far they can go to protect themselves and their loved ones. He liked exploring the humanity of his character, particularly its flaws and how the circumstances turn out such that he finds himself falling deeper into the hole he is trying to dig himself out of. His sincere portrayal makes the character more realistic, allowing the audience to be sympathetic to him because they can see themselves in him.
Read More: Where is Netflix’s The Frog Filmed?
