Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Frog’ brings a new meaning to vacationing in a rental place nestled in the seclusion of nature. People usually go to such places to escape the chaos and noise of the city, but the peace and quiet of small-town places also give dangerous people an opportunity to commit crimes. Sang-ju and Yeong-ha learn this lesson the hard way when their places fall prey to serial killers who use the locations to commit horrible crimes. It seems that the place itself conspires with the killers and becomes yet another character in the story. The story gains more meaning by the way the timeline unfolds, and while it might be a bit confusing in the beginning, it puts a lot of things into perspective by the end. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Frog Unfolds Over Two Timelines
The first episode of ‘The Frog’ introduces us to Sang-ju and Yeong-ha. While they both own properties where they invite guests to stay to earn money, it isn’t until later that we discover that their stories are separated by about two decades, to say the least. The show never explicitly states the year of the events, but there are subtle differences, the most prominent of which is the use of technology, which underscores the difference between the two timelines.
For reference, the events with Sang-Ju and the Lakeview Motel take place in the summer of 2000. The year is marked by Sang-ju’s outdated phone model, people relying on motel owners to call a taxi for them, the lack of a website for their motel to boost the business, the model of their bikes and cars, and several other things. Meanwhile, the events in Yeong-ha’s timeline are much closer to reality. They begin in the summer of 2021 with the arrival of a woman and a kid. But it is more than a year later that she comes back, which puts the events sometime in 2022. In contrast to Sang-ju’s timeline, Yeong-ha’s timeline is more tech-savvy. Smartphones are the norm, people order cabs for themselves, Yeong-ha uses a website to spread the word for his business, to name a few.
The space between their timelines allows their stories to unfold independently of each other until they collide in the end when Yeong-ha meets a grown-up Go-hi, Sang-ju’s son. The different setting also allows the storytellers to present more contrasts in the killers’ personalities and MOs, showing how much an investigation is impacted by its era and what consequences it holds for the people affected by their crimes.
One Small Town is at the Focus of The Frog
Sang-ju and Yeong-ha’s miseries might be separated by about two decades, but both of their stories take place in one small town. Dongho and Hosu are used to describe the countryside area, which is a short distance from Seoul. This allows Yeong-ha to spend time in his vacation home while also being able to take a day trip to meet his daughter, who lives in the city. The area falls under the jurisdiction of Hosu Police, which receives its new captain in the form of Yoon Bo-min, for whom the town is familiar because this is where she was placed for the first time.
Captain Yoon is one of the few threads that connect Sang-ju and Yeong-ha’s case. For starters, Yoon is the only officer involved in the investigation of both cases and is a massive help to both Sang-ju and Yeong-ha. Her career starts with Sang-ju’s case, which she holds close to her heart for being her first case. She returns to the same town to find some closure, having enjoyed a successful career, solving otherwise impossible cases, and finds it by helping Yeong-ha escape a terrible tragedy. Her intimate knowledge of the town also comes in handy during a critical point, making the location a critical factor in the way things eventually turn out for the protagonists.
Read More: The Frog: Who did Seong-a Kill? Who Was She Going to Bury?
