It’s hard to pin down exactly what Bargain has in store during its first episode. Between the events taking place in real-time during one continuous shot and the dynamic characters, the show keeps pivoting, making it hard to really see where things are going next. After seeing the first three episodes of the South Korean drama, I did walk away wanting to see where it was going, but the first episode definitely amped me up more than the subsequent two could possibly deliver.
To call this first episode a whirlwind is a bit of an understatement. I need to preface this by warning that reading this review will end up spoiling many of the surprises waiting in the first episode, but I can’t talk about the show’s plot trajectory without doing so, so be forewarned.
Bargain kicks into an odd situation right off the bat. Joo-young is meeting Hyung-soo (going by the spellings from the show’s IMDB page, as the ones in the show’s subtitles appear inaccurate at times) in a fairly standard hotel room, where the two are discussing payment for an act of prostitution. The characters, portrayed with vigour by Jeon Jong-seo and Jin Seon-kyu, have an uncomfortable back-and-forth discussion over the price the latter is willing to pay.
Hyung-soo can tell it’s a scam and attempts to haggle the price down as far as he can. Both actors do a fantastic job of establishing their characters. Joo-young lies pathologically while maintaining an aloof, bemused demeanour. Hyung-soo is arrogant and hot-headed. It’s a marvellous scene.
“Bargain’s episodes are edited to look as though they’re one continuous shot, which is a feat that I can’t help but admire, considering the limitations of the medium.”
Upon successfully goading him to get in the shower, Jong-seo leaves the room before entering another that’s loaded with men and women involved in the same criminal enterprise to which she belongs. She argues with her boss and then begins acting as an auctioneer in another room while Hyung-soo is wheeled in on a stretcher, the locations of his organs marked on his flesh. The episode is a hurricane of constant new information that upends any sense of actual understanding of the situation. When the sale of the first kidney goes through, an earthquake causes the building to partially topple, flooding the room they’re in with soil.
Again, Bargain’s episodes are edited to look as though they’re one continuous shot, which is a feat that I can’t help but admire, considering the limitations of the medium. The first episode had me insanely entertained for the duration, and I was happily looking forward to the next. But the first episode is too good: the next two simply can’t hold a candle. Where episode one of Bargain feels more like a black comedy soaked in illicit crime, the other two episodes feel much more typical. They’re still quite good, but I never found myself quite as invested as I did during the first 35 minutes.
What follows focuses on the characters as they make their way through the building while trying to avoid getting caught by other criminals. The two lead actors continue to impress, as does the memorable, well-rounded supporting cast. The pacing in episodes two and three feels a good deal looser than the mile-a-minute onslaught that the first presents. They’re tense, but considerably less happens as we see characters attempt to climb around and move slowly through the destroyed building’s corridors. The cinematography remains a treat the whole way through, however.
“Where episode one of Bargain feels more like a black comedy soaked in illicit crime, the other two episodes feel much more typical.”
It isn’t alone, either, as the set design does a great job of evoking a building that could topple over and crush everyone inside at a moment’s notice. Accolades also need to be given to the actor portraying the bidder that claims ownership of Hyung-soo’s kidney, as his naive forthrightness and general adaptability come across splendidly. Despite the grim tone and subject matter, Bargain is considerably less violent than might be expected, so don’t expect much in the way of graphic violence or action. Although there is a bit of fighting here and there that ends with characters arguing over the ethics of dropping someone to their doom.
All-in-all, Bargain is a consistently clever show. After screening the first three episodes, I’m certainly going to watch the rest. I’m not sure if it can recapture the lightning in a bottle that was episode one, but the camera work and characters are so engrossing that it doesn’t necessarily need to do so to make the show worth a viewing, as long as watching people slink around ruined hallways doesn’t sound like a bore to you. I do have to mention one major issue that very well might affect enjoyment, however, and that is the subtitles.
While everything is perfectly understandable, these feel like a quick-and-dirty job as opposed to the quality that the show probably deserves. The dialogue is often directly translated with little attempt to transform the language used for the intended audience. It’s overly literal and fairly bland, with occasional typos and alternative spellings of character names. While they don’t necessarily get in the way of the story or detract from the performances, they add a layer of obfuscation to things. Properly translating dialogue while also adapting it to flow well in the viewer’s language is an extremely important thing, after all, so I can’t help but lament the lack of effort here.
Despite this, Bargain’s first episode is wonderful, and the subsequent ones are very good. Fans of K-dramas will want to check it out, and it will be an entertaining watch for anyone who just wants a suspenseful crime drama with a penchant for humorous cruelty. We’ll have to wait for the next few episodes to see how everything comes together, though.
