I started watching "The Frog" without knowing anything about it, not even the genre. I finished watching it not sure how much I liked it or not. It certainly turned out to be an interesting ride. Sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes ridiculously frustrating, but the suspense kept me watching the entire time. This thriller/mystery follows two separate yet related not quite linear stories that explore awful luck, questionable choices, and unapologetic evil. The two male leads each run remote vacation rentals and both learn the dangers of hosting the wrong guest.

What kept me engaged more than the story were the characters. Yes, I wanted to know what was happening and why but I was more interested in why the characters reacted the way they did. Many of the characters had me yelling at my screen over how they could do what they did or how they didn't do what I thought they should do. The fact that many of the characters are morally gray left me unable to guess what would happen next. Even characters I empathized with would often make decisions that I would consider to be problematic, but I think this show explores the idea that poor choices made as a response to horrible circumstances beyond your control don't make you less of a victim. Each episode starts with the famous "If a Tree falls and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound" question while simultaneously making us question if characters who choose to look the other way and not get involved when they suspect something is wrong are also guilty or complicit.

The characters being so essential to this story means the performances are crucial and every cast member delivers. Kim Yoon Seok as the passive protagonist Jeon Yeong Ha is perfectly cast. He is the epitome of plausible deniability. He is both easy to empathize with and irritating for that reason as we watch him slowly and reluctantly get pushed into action by escalating events. Yoon Kye Sang as Koo Sang Jun acts as a mirror to Yoon Seok and in my opinion, is the most heartbreaking character as we watch his positive and helpful nature become broken. He is the quintessential nice guy, which is said ominously by another character, and that mentality can't spare him from despair. Lee Jung Eun and Ha Yoon Kyung as cold and observant Yun Bo Min in many ways is the glue that connects these two main characters but I found her to be the least interesting character. I don't fault the actors for this, who I think did a decent job, I just think with so many interesting characters her storyline often slowed down the pace without adding much more to the suspense until the later episodes. There was an opportunity to make a very memorable detective character which I think was missed by choosing to make her blank-faced and seemingly detached.

The rest of the cast is great, and even some minor characters were surprisingly hard to read or to predict their actions. The cast's grounded performances helped as the story became more and more extreme and borderline unrealistic. Speaking of extreme, the clear breakout performance in this drama is Go Min Si as Yoo Seong A. It was so much fun to watch how unhinged she could get, to wonder if she was really that evil or misunderstood, and to watch how far her performance could go. I hope it's not too much of a spoiler to say that if you love an antagonist you can openly hate - she over-delivers! She seemed to be in her element as a manipulative and irrational villain. The crazier she got the more I was entertained. Her performance reminded me a bit of Christian Bale in American Psycho. She is without a doubt the biggest highlight in this drama for me. She deserves some extra praise for her performance.

Would I watch it again? Definitely. Even though the story was initially confusing to follow and dragged in some places I was always intrigued, even rewinding when I thought I missed something important. A 2nd viewing without that confusion, and understanding the characters better, would be fun to watch with a revised perspective. I could spend less time focussing on guessing what will happen and instead enjoy watching the dynamics of the characters. Plus the cinematography and soundtrack are great too. The use of the popular Bobby Blue Bland song "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" in a sinister way was geniusly done, like one would expect from a Jordan Peele movie. Some people may think this drama relies too much on atmosphere and too little on story, but it made even the locations feel like an important character. I have no complaints about the director's choices, and was often impressed by how certain highlighted images set the tone, or how they leaned into the overall theme of not trusting everything you see.

Overall, this is an ambitious 8 episode drama that has a lingering quality I really appreciate. It was easy to binge and kept me too curious to be bored. I don't think it was overly philosophical or deep but it did leave me still thinking about the various characters long after it was all over. The ending was decent, not necessarily predictable or wildly original but tied up the story neatly. I was not profoundly moved, even during the saddest scenes, but I was disturbed in an oddly fun way throughout. I'm not surprised that the reviews so far are on the extreme ends of low or high ratings. It has a polarizing style that won't appeal to everyone, even if you're a fan of the genre or the actors. I can't say it's a favorite of mine, but I think watching it without expectations made me appreciate the journey this drama took me on.

Maybe it also helps that remote woodsy areas are automatically creepy to me, and I won't be planning a vacation in a rural area any time soon, even if there's a nice view! o.O