Hellbound 지옥 S1 [2021] + S2 in Q4, 2024

[Chocolate]

Yoo Ah In Fanbase@SIKseekers

 

Yoo Ah In about HELLBOUND film scene & script: "It was so well written that I didn't have to worry too much on the spot. I was a bit skeptical of how far I could go on the set at first. The PD and I had prior discussion about the character, but rather than designing a character in advance or working with a plan, I naturally went to the scene by leaving myself open to how this character would react and to what point he would go.”

 

About the script: “There are works that attract attention with just a few lines of explanation. In my half-life as an actor, I didn't come across such works often, but I was drawn to HELLBOUND before I even read the webtoon. After reading it, I went crazy." - Yoo Ah In #유아인

 

 

[mademoiselle]

 

[Lynne]

Airing today!! So excited! 

[Chocolate]

Streaming Now!

 

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by Chocolate

[Chocolate]

 

 

[Chocolate]

Episode 1 opens with a trembling man looking at the time on his phone. 1:19… 1:20. He waits. Nothing happens. For awhile, he thinks he is safe.

 

Then… thump thump thump. They are coming to get him. He runs and runs and runs. But how can he outrun 3 monsters that look like smaller versions of King Kong? They catch him, slam him against the bus, the pavement. One bites his neck 😱 Another rakes his claws through 😨 Together they slash at him - it’s a gruesome way to die. Then they manifest some sort of power over him and finally, only a burnt skeleton is left.

 

We are introduced to the players:

 

1. Yoo Ah In - leader of the New Truth Church who says that these monsters are hands of God to punish those who have sinned.

 

 

2. The Detective - whose wife was murdered and the killer was sentenced to only 10 years and is now out of prison.
 

Spoiler

 

 

3. The Detective’s daughter played by Lee Re - she volunteers at New Truth. Seems her relationship with her dad is not so good.

 

Spoiler

 

 

4. Arrowhead group - purportedly to be linked to New Truth, but it’s members (teenage delinquents) steal and beat people up in the guise of justice. Looks like a vigilante group.

 

Spoiler

 

 

5. The female lawyer - helps victims of New Truth.

 

Spoiler

 

 

6. A woman (victim) who has just received a prophecy of her death in 5 days. She goes to engage the lawyer and tells her New Truth wants to broadcast the moment that she goes to hell 😳

 

Spoiler

 

It was an exciting start. Then the rest of the episode slowed down, as is normal when characters are introduced. Moving on to episode 2!

 

[I am posting via mobile and don’t seem to be able to paste photos, thus the numerous tweets instead.]

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by Chocolate

[mademoiselle]

@Lynne @Chocolate How far in are you guys now? I'm done with episode 2 last night and was sad to find out the Detective's daughter played by Lee Re participated in murder.

 

If these creatures are really from hell to punish the sinners then why, Yoo Ah In and Lee Re, still choose to do this? I get Yoo Ah In's agenda... he's faking the body to look like it was targeted by the creatures so more people would believe him. Still, I don't get why since the other woman has already agreed to let him film her live. That's going to be enough proof even though we don't know what crime she has committed (or did at all).

 

Edit: I suppose I might find out when I watch it all. LOL

Edited November 20, 2021 by mademoiselle

[Chocolate]

@mademoiselle I am up to middle of ep4 last night. You will get the answers in ep3.
 

Spoiler

Yoo Ah In has died!!!!! He received his prophecy 20 years ago.

Ep4 seems to be another set of actors.

For awhile, I thought that the monsters were somehow created by Yoo Ah In. I thought there would be some hero to save the day. But no. They really are supernatural! Or alien?

 

All that about sins is manufactured. No one knows how the victims are chosen.

 

Spoiler

In ep4, a baby is chosen. So how can it be because of sin.

Yoo Ah In made it look like it was because of sins to make the world “more righteous”. Now there are sinners confessing that they used a corporate card for personal expenses and have porn on their PC 🙄 The people are so brainwashed they accept this as a justification of being chosen to go to hell.

 

Frankly, I don’t know why Yoo Ah In cared about that to go to so much trouble - for this, he intentionally influenced Lee Re to kill her mother’s murderer so that he could use that as a threat to the detective.

 

And the planning to show the lawyer the video and tell the detective the truth, why do that if he didn’t want the public to know what happened to him? He could have just kept quiet about it and go to a remote place.

 

[mademoiselle]

@Chocolate WHUT?! I thought he's the main cast!

5 minutes ago, Chocolate said:

All that about sins is manufactured. No one knows how the victims are chosen.

This did cross my mind. But the fact that there was some white "thing" (doesn't look anything like an angel to me) appear to announce the time of death is real which is why I thought maybe the sins bit might still be true.

 

I prioritised Happiness over Hellbound so I'll continue with Hellbound now.

[mademoiselle]

I notice there's so much violence in this show. But it's not just this, also Sweet Home and Squid Game.

 

It got me wonder is it really necessary to depict so much violence on screen?

 

Obviously whatever those 3 creatures are, I'm also hoping it will have an explanation why they chose to execute their actions in such a violent manner when they could've just burnt the body immediately.

[Chocolate]

Yes a lot of violence. Quite gory actually. The thing with Sweet Home and Squid Game, it was “necessary” in a way, because the violence is from the fights. In hellbound, even when the victims sit still and wait, they still get grabbed, slammed, thrown, stabbed, slashed etc. Then they get burnt. They could just have been burnt and job done like @mademoiselle says.

 

I wonder how they are going to do it with the baby. Unless the baby can be miraculously saved? Because I don’t think audience can accept the violence on the baby.

 

[mademoiselle]

I'm wondering if both organisations are going to make use of the baby.

 

One would want to prove it was all BS of the New Truth through displaying how can a new born be sinned. While New Truth would want to hide the truth.

[mademoiselle]

ARGHHHH. What the heck is that at the end? Not only nothing was answered. More questions are raised. The thing I hate about these Netflix dramas are — they ended as if it's going to be seasonal but made no promises they will have the next season!

Spoiler

If Park Jung Ja comes back to life. Would that mean Jung Jin Soo can return too?

 

 

More Photos of Hellbound Promotion Display at Samsung COEX Hall

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

Hellbound Ending Explained

 

If you think you know where Hellbound, Netflix‘s new supernatural horror series, is going, you’re probably wrong. At the end of six, high-intensity episodes, the Korean drama races towards its unpredictable, snowy conclusion in the backstreets of Seoul, leaving fans with both a satisfying (and surprisingly hopeful) ending to the first season as well as so many lingering questions about what might happen in a potential second season. Here’s everything that went down in the Hellbound season finale…

Sohyun’s Baby Survives the Demonstration

If you went into the final episode of Hellbound believing that this show was actually going to show a baby getting murdered by monsters, then you weren’t alone. The brutality of this Netflix series is noteworthy, and I wasn’t sure where they would draw the line. In the end, it was at baby murder.

 

In Episode 6, Sohyun is initially intending to accept the death of her baby, but, at the last minute, she decides against standing passively by. She dives in front of one of the incoming demon-monsters, scooping her baby away from its brutal clutches. She, husband Youngjae, and lawyer/badass Min Hyejin manage to fight the three monsters off for a few minutes, as Kim Dongwook’s neighbors bear witness with their eyes and smartphones.

 

But they can only fight off the monsters for so long. Eventually, Youngjae and Sohyun make it their final action to protect their baby, aka Toughie. They secure the newborn between the two of them, and Youngjae ties their family together. When the monsters use their light-powers to burn the baby, Toughie survives, truly earning her moniker. Youngjae and Sohyun die in the effort.

Dongwook Believes He is a Messiah

Spoiler

One of the major twists in the Hellbound season finale is the reveal that the man who has taken Hyejin, Youngjae, Sonhyun, and Toughie in is Lee Dongwook, aka the make-up-ed man responsible for the Arrowhead livestreams pre-time jump. We learn via narration and flashback that Dongwook stopped his broadcasts following a decree telling him he would die in three years’ time.

 

Though the demonstration shakes his faith, Dongwook rebounds when Toughie and co. show up at his door, ready to dive back into the maniacal, power-driven system he was once an influential part of within the Arrowhead. He calls Chairman Jeongchil and the New Truth Committee to get corroboration on what he already believes to be true: he is a messiah, and God has given him a special mission. It turns out Dongwook’s demonstration is scheduled for only five minutes after Toughie’s, so he plans on making it look like the newborn decree video was fake, and that he is the only one God was coming for that day. It’s not a foolproof plan, but it gives the New Truth leadership a lead on where they might be able to find Toughie, and it gives Dongwook the sense of purpose and meaning for both his life and death that he so desperately wants.

 

From there, Dongwook dusts off his mask and paint, and immediately begins inflicting violence in the name of God. First, he kills one of the Sodo members coming to help set up the broadcast. Then, he goes after Youngjae, Hyejin, Sohyun, and Toughie. Hyejin takes down, but he pops back up following Sohyun and Youngjae’s sacrifice, with plans to kill Toughie. Before he can stab the baby, however, Hyejin tackles him, and the demon-monsters show up to kill him at their appointed time.

The New Truth’s Power Dwindles

Change takes time (as demonstrated by Hellbound‘s mid-season time jump), but the world also seems poised to accept the realization that the New Truth Society is a bunch of power-hungry bullies because, after witnessing Toughie’s survival, they almost immediately begin to turn against the deacons of the New Truth. After all: How could a newborn be capable of sin, if the “original sin” doesn’t exist? Past that, how could the demon-monsters kill two people who were not sentenced to death, and leave a third who was pronounced to die alive?

Deacon Yuji shows up to the scene of the demonstration too late to stop the broadcast, and is very angry as a result, especially after having been shamed and reprimanded by Chairman Kim Jeongchil for his previous failures. When an older man turns against him, calling the New Truth “pathetic crooks” and “a bunch of liars,” he beats the man into unconsciousness. Society has been tolerant of this level of violence (and more) from the New Truth and the Arrowhead before, but not in this moment. The crowd is horrified, as is one of the policemen standing by.

 

For most of the post-time jump story, the cops have been willing to do whatever the New Truth Society tells them to do, but apparently no longer. Or at least not this cop. He arrests Deacon Yuji for battery, and takes him away in handcuffs. The deacon cannot believe it, yelling of “God’s will” as he goes. But, with one act of parental love and protection, the damage is already done. The New Truth’s power has been seriously challenged, and people are finally willing to listen to the accusations against them.

 

Hyejin’s Escape & Hellbound’s Message

After the deaths of Sohyun, Hyejin scoops up Toughie and limps off into the night. Their exit is protected by the bystanders who watched everything go down; they stop the New Truth Society and the police from following.

 

From there, a bruised and bloody Hyejin hails a cab, and asks to be driven as far away as possible on the main street. At this point, so many people have betrayed Hyejin when she is vulnerable and trying to protect the innocent. Not this time, though. The cab driver, an older man, recognizes Hyejin on sight, and signals that he will help keep her safe, noting that they will take a different road in order to avoid a police checkpoint. It’s then that he more or less delivers the theme of this show’s first season: “I don’t know much about God, and I don’t even care,” the cab driver tells an exhausted Hyejin. “But there’s one think I do know: and that is that this world belongs to humans. And we should settle our matters ourselves.”

 

The man—and the show itself—are making a statement about the potential danger of religion, or at least religious fanaticism. In human history, too many have used God as an excuse for selfish, hateful, and harmful behavior, as an excuse for accumulating and/or consolidating power. Many films and TV shows that make this argument tend to be atheist or agnostic in their world-building; Hellbound, however, has built the likelihood of some kind of higher power into its world-building. We may not know where the supernatural creatures come from or where people go after they are killed, but the show doesn’t rule out the possibility of some kind of higher power. This makes the series’ argument that we must create just, human systems that both work to protect the innocent and that offer the chance for taking accountability and seeking redemption for those who have sinned all the more powerful. Or at least it does for me.

What Happens to People After They Die on Hellbound?

Um, no one knows. They could legitimately go to hell, and I kind of love that this series doesn’t answer this question in the first season, as this is how we all live life too: unable to truly know what happens to a person after they die. Interestingly, in Hellbound creator Yeon Sangho’s early-naughts short film with a similar premise, decrees do not always mean a death sentence to hell (though they do always mean a death sentence). Sometimes, a person will get a pronouncement of their death accompanied by the news that they will be going to heaven. This doesn’t seem to be the case in Hellbound, though.

 

Park Jungja Comes Back to Life

While we may not know what happens to people after they die in a demonstration, the ending of Hellbound Season 1 offers up the potential method we may find out in Season 2 in the form of Park Jungja…

 

The final moments of Hellbound Season 1 take place at one of the New Truth’s “sacred spaces,” aka sites of demonstrations that have been made into tourist attractions for followers of the society. Park Jungja’s death at the hands of the mysterious supernatural monsters was the New Truth’s first demonstration broadcast, which makes it a special spot. It’s where we return to for Hellbound‘s last scene, which sees the crispy corpse of Jungja re-formed into life. Park Jungja wakes up, naked and alone, sucking oxygen into her lungs, presumably for the first time in four years. And I am already hoping we get to see her reunite with her definitely still traumatized children, who I hope have been living their best lives in Canada.

Will Chairman Jeong and the Others Return Too?

The return of Park Jungja leads to many other questions, but the biggest one is: have other demonstration victims returned too? While Jungja was the first victim we got to know before her demonstration, the show starts with the killing of a man outside of Hapseong Station. Has he returned? Will he return? Will Chairman Jeong, the person who started this entire New Truth business, be back too? Was this a result of Toughie’s survival, or of Sohyun and Youngjae’s un-decreed deaths at the hands of the demon-monsters? And how will society react to Park Jungja’s return? So many questions for a potential second season…

 

source

Edited November 20, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

Hellbound Time Jump Explained

 

Hellbound creator Yeon Sang-ho may come from a feature film background, but you wouldn’t know it from the six-part supernatural horror series’ impeccable pacing, including a mid-season time jump that gives the drama new narrative life just when the world’s horror is perhaps becoming too much. Whether you’ve completed all six episodes of the Netflix series or are looking for some mid-season guidance following the end of Episode 3, here’s what you need to know…

When is Hellbound Set?

The first half of Hellbound is set in 2023. In Episode 1, it is mentioned that the New Truth Society has been investigating “demonstrations” for a little over 10 years. It is also mentioned that the society was founded in 2012.

How Much Time Passes in the Hellbound Time Jump?

At the end of Episode 3, Hellbound jumps abruptly into the future. In the episode’s final scene (a scene we will revisit in Episode 4), TV broadcaster Youngjae is stuck in traffic. He notices a statue of three demon-monsters outside his car window, and mutters something disparaging about the New Truth. We immediately know that a good chunk of time has passed—at least the amount of time necessary to build a statue and for the New Truth to be well-known enough for a casual, weary mention. Later, we discover four years have passed in that time jump.

 

What Year is It After the Hellbound Time Jump?

After the time jump, we see a mention of the exact year when Professor Gong returns to Hankuk University where a “2027 Academic Year Kickoff Ceremony” banner is hanging.

The New Truth Society Explained

In Episode 3, we learn about how Jeong Jinsu came to know about the “demonstrations,” and why he decided to create the New Truth Society. Jinsu was abandoned as a child… by his mother… at a carnival. As he tells Detective Jin prior to his death, he lived his life at a Catholic orphanage, following all of the rules so that his mother would come back for him. But she never did, and when Jinsu was a teenager, an angel came to prophecies his death in 20 years.

 

After that, Jinsu traveled the world looking for answers. He observed different demonstrations, hoping to find a way around his coming death—or at least a reason for it. In the end, he could find none, so he created one. As he tells Detective Jin, he made the unilateral decision for humanity: “If there is no legitimate reason behind this phenomenon, would people be able to accept it? I think they will start rioting and panicking. There has to be a reason. They need to believe that this phenomenon occurs to make the world a better place. They need to believe that it occurs so that justice can be served.”

 

While Jinsu claims he is doing it for the good of humanity, the argument doesn’t hold much weight. He leaves the New Truth Society in the hands of Pastor Kim Jeongchil, a man who is willing to trade Min Hyejin’s life for the position. We never see Jinsu show any empathy or care for another human, but instead see him gain satisfaction from the manipulation of the people around him. He convinces Heejung to take part in the murder of her mother’s killer, and enjoys lording that fact over Detective Jin.

 

“I don’t know why god is doing this, but I want every person in this world to feel the same fear as mine,” Jinsu tells Detective Jin, adding: “It’s that fear that will set people free from sin.” But does Jinsu really believe that? Or does he simply feel alone in his suffering, and wants to make other people suffer too? “I’m going to leave the world to your free will,” he tells Jin. But he’s not, is he? He has left Jin a world purposefully shaped to be predisposed against any explanation or philosophy other than that of the New Truth. He has used his time as an adult condemned to die in order to ensure that more people suffer, and feels nothing in the face of that suffering. He has hidden his anger and hate and hunger for power behind the veneer of civility, and called it righteousness.

 

Spoiler

Why Does Detective Jin Keep Jinsu’s Secret?

You couldn’t have just filmed Jeong’s killing and decided what to do with it later, Detective Jin?

 

After luring Detective Jin out to the abandoned orphanage that was once his home, Jinsu gives Jin a choice: film his death and show the world. Or keep quiet, and maintain the legitimacy of the New Truth Society. If Jin chooses the former, he may have to indict his own daughter in the process. The murder they performed together is a sin Jin could show to the world to maintain the lie of a logic behind the decrees and demonstrations. “If you do that,” says Jinsu, “the world will remain orderly, and just the way you believe it should be.”

 

So what does Detective Jin choose? He chooses to protect his daughter. He doesn’t film Jinsu’s death at the hands of the supernatural killers, and he presumably even cleans up the body after the fact. He chooses his daughter’s life over the truth. As Jinsu intended: “Just keep your damn mouth shut about my death until the day you die, and enjoy the world I created for you with Heejung. Be free in it.”

“I’ll leave the world in your hands.”

Does Lawyer Min Hyejin Die?

Min Hyejin, the Sodo lawyer who tries to help Park Jungja through her demonstration, ends Episode 3 bloody and beaten in a ditch on the side of the road. It is very disturbing. It happens at the hands of the Arrowhead, as ordered by Kim Jeongsil, who is told by Jeong Jinsu that he can be the chairman of the New Truth Society following his death.

While Hyejin certainly seems dead at the end of Episode 3, we later learn she survived the attack, thanks to the sirens of some approaching cop cars. When we see her again, she has a scar on her face from the attack and she has learned to physically defend herself. When the Arrowheads come after her again for her work protecting the decreed, she kicks some serious ass, besting a gang of Arrowhead thugs not once, but twice. Later, she even manages to (somewhat) hold her own against the supernatural creatures who carry out the demonstrations.

 

source

 

For this article, I like the bit that dissect Jung Jin Su's intentions and also the article in the above post about the danger of religious fanatism. When the scene of the baby being sentenced to death, it immediately reminded me of the movie, Da Vinci Code where the Opus Dei tried to conceal the truth of Jesus divinity to protect the Vatican. Likewise, the New Truth will sure want to cover this up as it means the downfall of the power they have over the society and people.

Edited November 20, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

Keyword Interview - Yoo Ah In

 

[Chocolate]

I liked the ending.

 

- Yes, it would have been nice to know exactly who and what the “supernaturals” were and how the victims were chosen. But does not knowing make this an open ending? Not really. I thought the main story points were nicely closed. I don’t feel that I was left hanging. And with supernaturals, even in real life, it is unexplainable. So it does not feel like a mystery needs to be solved but rather I accept it as “it just is”.

 

- Was expecting one of the parents to hold on to the baby when the supernaturals came, but both of them making a cocoon for the newborn was surprising and heartbreaking. I didn’t really like the mother as she seemed weak and wallowing in her own misery and never touched the child. Glad she stepped up in the end.

 

- The article posted by @mademoiselle mentioned that the “resurrection” of Park Jungja may have been due to the supernaturals having killed 2 people who didn’t receive the decree and failing to kill the baby who had. That is an interesting thought. Will the rest be returned too? Will they be normal? I would like to know what “hell” was like 😆

 

- This is also such a great way for Yoo Ah In to return to a sequel, if any - perfectly explained and part of the story. That said, the script can carry itself, as shown with the time jump and 2nd half, which didn’t suffer without YAI. One potential idea for S2 is that the baby is grown and returns to save the world! 😂

 

- Jinsu had 20 years. In the end, he was just like that arrowhead clown - needing a reason to justify his own death.

 

Would I watch S2 if there was one? Likely. Although with less anticipation. I found the pacing a bit slow and after the first few killings, it became a bit boring. I have to agree with a comment read that this may have been better as a movie.

 

[Lynne]

@mademoiselle I haven't start this yet! but soon..... 

[mademoiselle]

Keyword Interview - Kim Hyun Joo

 

[Chocolate]

Did you like this drama @mademoiselle?

 

[mademoiselle]

14 hours ago, Chocolate said:

Did you like this drama @mademoiselle?

I neither like nor dislike it.

 

I'm still trying to digest this* i.e., what exactly is the underlying message the show wants to convey, other than showing us the nature of humans and the danger of religious fanatism and empowerment of a religion, was there anything else? The story was presented in 3 separate stages:

1. Rise of the New Truth

2. New Truth taking over the society

3. Downfall of New Truth

 

*Don't have time to think thoroughly and getting lazy

 

And personally I would like to understand why all these are happening in this author's story. It's an imaginative fantasy so even if in real life there's no answer to what or who exactly is the Holy Grail, the writer of the story should ideally let us understand what his views are of the world/fantasies he built in his story. I'm a curious person so you can't introduce so much mysteries about something but not even give me anything at all. 

 

With the supernaturals happening, we know that the White Face declare the time of death. And aren't you curious why some of them received the notice in 3-5 days while others were told 3 or 20 years in advance? Why are the Monsters presented in such a violent manner (is it just for entertainment?). The New Truth gained power because of Park Jung Ja's death and the Organisation ended with the baby. However Park Jung Ja's return is like resurrection of Jesus. Her return would bring more harm to the religious fanatics and rise of another New Truth.

 

As this was adapted from a webtoon, I obviously wonder if there was more that weren't shown and leaving it to a potential Season 2 later. 

 

There is one thing I did like although the character is super duper annoying and that's the Arrowhead's live broadcast. I thought the way it was presented was unique and refreshing. I had been wondering who that actor might be the whole time and the irony as it played out, this character was a sinful man and he does not think he's sinned at all. Amazing depiction of how ignorant a human being can be (and I've met people like this at work).

[mademoiselle]

Key Interview - Park Jung Min

 

[Chocolate]

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

With the supernaturals happening, we know that the White Face declare the time of death. And aren't you curious why some of them received the notice in 3-5 days while others were told 3 or 20 years in advance? Why are the Monsters presented in such a violent manner (is it just for entertainment?).

 

The Uni lecturer who was a co-conspirator of the lawyer - his daughter died with a 10sec notice. But, no, I don't have a great urge to understand why. It falls under the same category of how the victims are chosen. I just accept that this is the basis of the story. It is not a mystery that must be solved.

 

The violence I feel is a bit gratuitous. Anyway, I became immune to it after awhile as it is all the same.

 

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

There is one thing I did like although the character is super duper annoying and that's the Arrowhead's live broadcast. I thought the way it was presented was unique and refreshing. I had been wondering who that actor might be the whole time and the irony as it played out, this character was a sinful man and he does not think he's sinned at all. Amazing depiction of how ignorant a human being can be (and I've met people like this at work).

 

You liked that? It was so loud I had to turn the volume down. Haha! This guy is like all the anti-vaxxers and trumpers!

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Chocolate

[mademoiselle]

1 hour ago, Chocolate said:

You liked that? It was so loud I had to turn the volume down. Haha! This guy is like all the anti-vaxxers and trumpers!

Hahaha not like like but just thought it was artiscally creative the way he was presented and he was glowing hahahahaha 😆 I did say I find him annoying 😅

1 hour ago, Chocolate said:

The Uni lecturer who was a co-conspirator of the lawyer - his daughter died with a 10sec notice. But, no, I don't have a great urge to understand why. It falls under the same category of how the victims are chosen. I just accept that this is the basis of the story. It is not a mystery that must be solved.

 

The violence I feel is a bit gratuitous. Anyway, I became immune to it after awhile as it is all the same.

Have to say on a whole I am not invested enough in this drama so I dont have the urge that I must get to the bottom of this.

Edited November 22, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]