Connect ~ An Eye Transplant Causes Visions of Murder

“Connect” is a Korean drama series, a Hulu Original available on both Hulu and Disney+, released in 2022 with 6 episodes, and is based on a webtoon of the same name. It can be categorized as Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), Supernatural, Horror, Crime, Thriller, Romance, and a little bit of a Musical.

♦ What is a Connect?

“Connect” is an urban legend. People say it’s a legend because they have never met anybody who was a real Connect. But what is it? A Connect is a person who does not die. That must be a legend. That can’t be real. Right?

In “Connect”, there are two themes that are intertwined: (1) organ trafficking; and (2) medical science breakthroughs. Organ trafficking is illegal. Medical science experiments, while they may be opposed based on morality or ethics, are usually not illegal.

Ha Dong-Soo is an aspiring musician/singer/songwriter. He released one of his compositions on the web without copyright and allowed others to use it. Ha Dong-Soo has a secret. He doesn’t die. He is a “new human” that has been biologically engineered. But! The organ traffickers don’t know this when they kidnap him.

Dong-Soo was walking alone on the streets headed home when a gang of kidnappers grabbed him and took him to “a butcher shop”. A quack doctor carves him up, taking out his organs and even plucking out his eyeballs. The rest of his body can be thrown away.

Only … to the doctor’s shock and awe … Dong-Soo’s body repairs itself. The boy that’s supposed to be dead is ALIVE! (???) When the doctor tells the traffickers what happened they don’t believe him.

On the other hand, there is the urban legend called “Connect” about a body that does not die. Since the body was not on the operating table when they returned to collect the organs and throw the remains away, the traffickers decided that maybe the doctor was telling the truth. A body that does not die is surely worth a lot of money!

Dong-Soo does not realize that he is still on the organ traffickers’ radar and they want to kidnap him again. What he wants to know is why he gets severe pains in his head and then sees visions of murders.

Dong-Soo lost one of his eyes. His eye was transplanted into a guy named Oh Jin-Seob, who is a serial killer and who is dying from cancer. That guy also experiences severe pain, every time he hears a song. The song was written by Dong-Soo.

So! Dong-Soo experiences pain when Oh Jin-Seob is murdering or planning to murder someone. Oh Jin-Seob experiences pain whenever he hears the song Dong-Soo wrote. The organ traffickers are already out hunting for Dong-Soo. When Oh Jin-Seob realizes how is connected to Dong-Soo, he wants to find him too!  If he finds him, he might take more than just his eyes.

Meanwhile, the police suspect Dong-Soo of being a serial murderer and they have him on their radar too! Dong-Soo can see the murders but he can not see the murderer. So he is trying to find the real serial killer and stop him before he murders more people.

Main Characters:

• Ha Dong-Soo (played by Jung Hae-In, “D.P. Seasons 1 and 2”, “Snowdrop”, “The Three Musketeers”)
• Oh Jin-Seob (played by Ko Kyoung-Pyo, “Seoul Vibe”, “Love in Contract”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 6.5 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.7 out of 10 stars
• NME and Common Sense Media: 3 out of 5 stars
• Public reviews via Google: 4.1 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is 7 out of 10 stars. It was an interesting spin on the Bionic Man.

**Personal Note: This is a WARNING for young ladies. Ladies! If a man does not show that he is interested in you, don’t show up on his doorstep begging! Because there might be a scary reason why that guy acts like an untouchable loner! Now, you might say this K-drama series is just fiction. But the scenario could happen and has happened in real life. Fiction is not always that far from fact.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• Connect Season 1 Review: This K-Drama delivers a morally complex and binge-worthy thrilling ride | Times of India
• Disney+ K-drama review: Connect – Takashi Miike’s wild and grungy Korean drama debut disappoints after strong opening | South China Morning Post
• ‘Connect’ review: Jung Hae-in makes his horror debut | NME
• K-Drama Review: “Connect” Highlights The Joys Of Simple Life And Reflects On Being A Good Person | kdramadiary

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Hulu. “Connect | Official Trailer | Hulu.” YouTube Video. YouTube, December 9, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCVoCy93X5w.‌