IR TV Review: BARGAIN - EPISODES 4-6 [Paramount+]
Survival, as a principle, depends on if everyone is who they say they are. With "Bargain", the context is based on a preconceived notion. This review is based on the last 3 episodes versus the first three viewed for Toronto International Film Festival to interview director Jeon Woo-Sung. The latter half here begins with "Panic Room" [Ep 4] which sees 2 of our three leads in Jin Seon-Kyu as a would-be cop and Jeon Jong-Seo as an auctioneer in a organ trafficking auction house in the hills of Korea. In the first 3 episodes the hotel per se has been hit by an earthquake. Like "Cube" or "The Platform", it becomes a matter of who is trapped on what level. The beginning of Ep 3, "Panic Room" has some of the would-be participants trapped in one room. Hyung-Soo (Jin) is really trying to talk his way through as law enforcement but it is a matter of repercussion and power with who is already there. The power dynamics and reasoning are meant to be extreme and funny but as this episode continues the amount of stabbings do become a little unnerving. The people involved seem to have no where to go but that is part of the point.
The use of perspective especially through dark confined spaces is really well done. One can see the digital zooms once in a while but it doesn't take away some of what was accomplished. The reasoning with another man who just won't die because he believes he is entitled to Jin's kidney is both sad and yet vivid since his will is keeping him going. Jin also has an interaction with a woman who is just desperate but dealing with a battle between conscience and oblivion in herself. It is some of these small character moments in this melee that really stand out and transcend language. Joo-Young (Jeon) gives an explanation about the woman and her history but it doesn't belittle the point. Ep 5 in "Guns, Money & Lies" changes a bit of the motivation but not by much. The center of what motivates the two leads begins to shift since they are both what they appear to be or not. Their bond is unlikely (considering where it began) and is not based on trust but almost mutually assured destruction.
As they are focused on one specific goal, the steps that need to be taken are severe. One scene in small room where they try to save someone is heartbreaking without pulling attention to it. It also offers exposition to why Jeon is both connected and disconnected from where she is. Eventually it all comes back to money so it is less an existential crisis and more of a heist for these two versus the other young man who, basically and literally, is Walking Dead. The eventual context of the final episode in "Zero Sum" is to show literally what is next and if anything has survived. The logistics are pretty funny and ironic because it is about ending up where one began but without all the information at hand. The way the show ends is both interesting and not as racheted up as it could be. It should have ended earlier than it did but that might have to do with a bigger consideration. "Panic Room": A- "Guns, Money & Lies": B+ "Zero Sum": B
By Tim Wassberg
