Based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka, GOODBYE EARTH, a South Korean dystopian TV series (Netflix), is a real trip. Audiences seemed to hate it based on Rotten Tomatoes ratings, but I found a lot to like, and while the plot meandered, I fell for the charming characters.

In this series, an asteroid is heading toward Earth in 200 days, and Woongcheon, a city in South Korea, is reeling from the turmoil that followed its discovery and failure to destroy it in space. Making matters worse, South Korea is predicted to be ground zero for the asteroid impact, guaranteeing no one will survive. The government and the elites bailed, resulting in an attempted coup and horrific loss of life. Convicts also escaped the jails and went on a rampage, killing and kidnapping children.

In the aftermath of this, the people left behind in Woongcheon struggle with shortages, unavailability of transport out of the country, scams, criminals operating openly, and corruption. The story has an ensemble cast but primarily follows Jin Se-kyeong, a former teacher haunted by the loss of many of her students; her fiance Dr. Ha Yung-sang, a scientist who was stuck in the US during the disruption and who is considered valuable by the elites for rebuilding civilization after the impact; Captain Kang In-a, an army officer leading a defanged support unit trying to maintain order; and Father Woo Sung-jae, a priest forced to take over his parish and hold it together after the main priest vanishes. Their relationships in the community lead us into the lives of many other characters who try to find meaning, joy, and sometimes escape, knowing their days are numbered.

This is one weird show. I was struck by the obvious inspiration it took from HBO’s THE LEFTOVERS, about the people left behind when 2% of Earth’s population suddenly disappear. Struggling to find meaning in such an inexplicable event filled with loss and grief, humanity loses its mind, resorting to cults, oddball religions, and violence. Similarly, the people of Woongcheon experience a lot of the same wild reactions to the looming apocalypse, and ask a lot of the same questions about whether life has any meaning if it ends.

As for the plot, it is all over the place. Storylines come and go. The ending is fairly ambiguous. It’s a frequently titillating and beautiful-looking but ultimately hot mess of a story. I fell for the characters, however, including the many secondary characters, and I enjoyed the frequent interruptions of the disjointed plot where we see them simply living their lives and sharing loving, comedic, or odd moments with each other. This is where the show really shined for me, in the simple humanity and its inherent bravery when juxtaposed with impending doom.

Overall, I like GOODBYE EARTH. Would I recommend it? Cautiously, I guess. There’s a lot to like, but those looking for conventional plotting and a brisk pace may be frustrated.

After a sizable pause, Korean monster apoc series SWEET HOME returned to Netflix in 2023. While the second season lacked the grounded intimacy and surprise of the first season, I wasn’t at all disappointed by the shift in tone.

In season 1, a monster apocalypse starts in Korea as seen through the lens of people living in an apartment building. The residents are charming and have big personalities that instantly hook you (as I’ve found in many Korean apoc movies and shows–unlike much of American action cinema, the Koreans are not afraid to be earnest and put it out there to the level of melodrama). When some of the residents begin to turn into bizarre monsters, they have to find a way to secure their building and find ways to survive as the world appears to end right outside.

Season 2 picks up pretty much where the first season left off. Now we see what’s going on outside the apartment building from brutal research into a cure to horrifying decisions made by the government to stem the spread of monsterization to the chaos in the military and safety shelters. Things spiral out of control until a jump in time shows us what appears to be stasis–survivors inside, monsters outside, a tenuous balance which the surviving characters and some new faces must navigate. The season doesn’t end quite tidily, leaving plenty for a future season, but fortunately a season 3 is on the way in summer 2024 (both seasons were shot back to back, apparently).

This is zombie fiction at its best, though with monsters. If you know my INFECTION series, you would probably guess I’d dig this. I loved the overall craziness of it, the uncertainty, how living in terror can derange human thinking and decision-making. And the monsters and apocalyptic setting are awesome, even if the CGI is a little rough at times.

On the downside, the show lost a lot of its clarity. Once it jumps ahead in time, there seems to be no clear overall objective. Instead, characters run into each other while on personal missions that seem to change on a dime. Sometimes, they make decisions that don’t make sense. Plot seems to take the lead over character this season, while the plot seems confused. Even the themes started to get confused, where we’re shown “maybe humans are the real monsters,” which based on what we can see the answer is no, they can be bad, they can react poorly to crisis, they can act first and think later if they’re afraid, but the monsters in this story are definitely the actual monsters that want to kill and eat people.

Despite these misgivings, I had a lot of fun with it. What started for me with great uncertainty–is this going to be a campy comedy? just weird fun?–quickly turned into a seriously dark, emotional, serious take on the chaos and horror of a monster apocalypse. I’m looking forward to season 3.