The unexpected success of “Squid Game” gave a green light to bringing more South Korean dramas to the US, with Paramount establishing a partnership with Seoul-based CJ ENM to do so. The latest fruit of that relationship, “Bargain,” isn’t as compulsively watchable as “Squid Game” but echoes it in one key respect, darkly reflecting a society where life is cheap, and the class divide can be fatal.
In that sense, both shows have something in common with other high-profile South Korean productions, among them the Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” in which a family of struggling grifters preyed upon and manipulated a wealthy one.
As NPR reported when “Squid Game” took off, this strain of drama had its roots in an economic crisis South Korea experienced in the late 1990s that devastated its middle class. If there’s a common theme to all of these, it’s desperation and the lengths to which one will go to survive, even if that comes at the expense of others.
Like “Squid Game” – which Netflix will soon exploit further with a game show inspired by the series – “Bargain” takes that question to unsettling extremes, with an extra twist of distastefulness for good measure. The story begins in a hotel room, where Hyung-soo (Jin Sun-kyu) has come to meet Joo-young (Jun Jong-seo, delivering a standout performance) for an arranged paid sexual encounter. Having gone to a remote location, Hyung-soo peppers the young woman with questions about her age and virginity.
He’s right to be suspicious, but it’s in the wrong ways, since Joo-young is part of an elaborate ring that lures men to the hotel, then drugs them and auctions off their organs. Yet before Hyung-soo can be reduced to eyes, kidneys and other vital organs, what appears to be a devastating earthquake strikes, seriously damaging the facility and throwing everything into chaos, as those trapped inside must suddenly forge alliances – some quite unexpected and awkward – in hopes of getting out.
