Edited by Kim Won Hee
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
If you’re one of the people who’s been waiting for a drama full of unique, characteristic fun like The School Nurse Files, then this is just the one. The new Netflix original series Glitch, released on the 7th, brought together Jeon Yeo Been, who showcased an exceptional range through works like Vincenzo and After My Death, and Nana, who showed solid performance in dramas Into the Ring and Justice. Moreover, this particular mystery SF drama came from Extracurricular writer Jin Han Se who shocked the world with the shocking story and Very Ordinary Couple director Roh Deok, heightening expectations from the production stage with the fresh combination of crew and cast.
Hong Ji Hyo (Jeon Yeo Been), who lives a repetitive, mundane life, sometimes sees an alien with a stereotypical image of “little green men” – large, black eyes, a pointed face, grayish-green skin and a thin body with pot belly – wearing a green baseball helmet. She refuses to believe what she sees, thinking that what you see is not always true, but one day, she realizes that her boyfriend Lee Si Guk (Lee Dong Hwi) disappeared after leaving only a mysterious trace behind. In the UFO community, where she went to find clues to his disappearance, Ji Hyo has a bizarre reunion with her middle school classmate Heo Bo Ra (Nana) who has now become a streamer specializing in mystery content.
Glitch seems like a mystery SF drama featuring two people who seem like they could never get along joining hands to chase after the missing boyfriend. No, that’s what I thought the story would be, but it actually is more like an occult crime drama about uncovering the truth of a pseudo-religion related to the murders and kidnappings. Ji Hyo and Bo Ra discover that the mysterious circular pattern they saw in the place where Si Guk went missing is drawn in the holy book of the cult that worships the UFO as a god, and as they dig deeper into this group, they face the shocking truth.
In this process, whether Si Guk is still alive or dead and the existence of UFOs is not very important. Instead, Glitch introduces peculiar events and clues while focusing on the cult “Divine Light Church,” and then it gradually builds up the charms of the mystery drama by giving answers to these incidents. For example, Bo Ra witnesses a strange scene where Seo (Baek Joo Hee), among all the believers wearing VR machines, floats in the air and makes a circular pattern with the light and almost gets caught by the church manager Kim Chan Woo (Go Chang Seok). However, the levitation and the pattern made of light were all revealed as tricks manipulated by mechanical devices, and Kim Chan Woo, who seemed like he was covering up the truth for the sake of the church, turned out to be a father looking for his daughter who ran away from home to join the cult. As such, the story is easy to follow, and the events and clues that trigger curiosity are well-organized, making it impossible for the viewers to stop before finishing the series.
Above all, the elements that make this intense chase drama more attractive are the main characters Hong Ji Hyo and Heo Bo Ra. The two get off on the wrong foot even after their reunion due to their misunderstanding since middle school. But instead of directly bringing it up and talking things through, they bury the hatchet with words and actions that show they care for one another. Ji Hyo slowly faces her trauma of seeing the alien after Bo Ra tells her, “Not that many things in the world happen because of a reason,” while Bo Ra realizes that Ji Hyo still believes in her, just like she did in the past, when Ji Hyo tells her, “(I went to rescue you) because I wanted to.” The two slowly mend their relationship and run to save each other from trouble, completing a wonderful, affectionate female buddy movie.
Although the mixture of various genres may seem confusing, Jeon Yeo Been’s delicate yet solid performance and Nana’s realistic portrayal firmly support the flow of the drama. With the bouncy and light-toned directing that helps it easier to enjoy the otherwise heavy topics and the music that doubles the bizarre atmosphere of the project, Glitch stresses its unique charms. The possibility of season 2 is still in question, but I do look forward to seeing the perfect chemistry between Jeon Yeo Been and Nana that shines even brighter in the colorful, charming play. (7/10)
Edited by Kim Won Hee: I am a person who needs more than 24 hours in a day because there are so many things I love. I am amassing various genres in the jewelry box in my heart.
