‘The Frog’ Adds a Twist with EXO’s Chanyeol

The recently released trailer for Netflix’s upcoming K-drama The Frog is dense with mystery and suspense. Its intrigue is furthered by a fleeting glimpse of EXO’s Chanyeol, wearing a wicked smirk and a geeky look, as he points a gun at an unrevealed target.

Chanyeol’s voice opens the trailer, saying, “It was a run-of-the-mill motel in a country town. With a lake and a mountain nearby. Business was good,” cutting to flashes of different scenes, a holiday cottage, individuals, and a sudden disruption of peace in the woods. “Do you know what they call people like us?” the voice asks in its final moments; it then cuts to the show name, The Frog. 

A quaint Lake View Motel draws people for respite from the mundane, busy world. But, on a hot summer’s day, a guest comes in rocking the peace of this picture-perfect holiday cottage, turning people’s lives, and unleashing crazy chaos.

The current owner of the cottage is Jeon Young-ha (Kim Yun-seok), whose life takes a drastic turn when Yoo Sung-a (Go Min-si) shows up out of the blue. On the flip side, Koo Sang-joon (Yoon Kye-sang) owned the same property (in the early 2000s) where trouble broke out one summer. Yoon Bo-min (Lee Jung-eun) was a cop at the time, stationed near the vacation home. Two decades later, Bo-min returns to the scene and starts digging into things.

Chanyeol plays an enigmatic character in the action. The intrigue deepens as the prelude raises concerns as to who he is and his true intentions. His enigma is effectively paralleled by the climactic tension, made stronger by an uncanny backdrop, the murky secrets of the past and present, and the intense thrill throughout that’s apparent from the trailer. The Frog marks Chanyeol’s return to K-dramas after he appeared in Memories of the Alhambra in 2018.

Mo Wan-il, known for his previous dramas Smile Again (2010), Dream High 2 (2012), Sirius (2013), Beautiful Mind (2016), Misty (2018), and The World of the Married (2020), has directed The Frog. It’s fresh work from him, but he stays true to what he does best, making subtle narratives that feature tension and suspense and capturing the layered psyche of characters. How he does so, influences what we see on screen and how we relate to what’s happening. 

The Frog, I’m sure, reiterates that and also implies that its appeal stems from its singularity. The show’s name itself appeals to me in the first place; it might have to do with the negative connotations associated with frogs—inadequacy and deceit. What’s really going on though is only a matter of days before secrets unfold. The Frog will be available for streaming on August 23.