Karma Review: Netflix’s intense and gripping Korean series explores desperation and moral decay

Karma K Drama review

A sinister web of desperation and consequences

‘Karma’ is grim, meshed with violent scenes and morally dubious central characters making bad choices throughout.

In more ways than one, this six-part series reminds the viewer of Korean omnibus thrillers, where the actions of strangers, seemingly unconnected, have a domino effect on the lives of other strangers, setting off a volatile series of desperate crimes.

It is in the third episode that this series takes flight, packing twists and turns, surprising the viewer with the unexpected backgrounds and past actions of its six central characters. ‘Karma’ is a gripping thriller that does not take a moral stance but underlines the concept of sin and desperation.

Twisted fates and mounting chaos

The first episode opens with a fire in an abandoned building, from where a severely burnt man is rescued and saved in the hospital by a doctor, Ju-yeon (Shin Min-a from ‘Hometown Cha Cha Cha’). When the victim thanks her and finally gives his name for medical records, the doctor is visibly frightened.

It does not reveal who the survivor is but switches gears to the story of the ‘debtor’ (Lee Hee-joon from ‘A Killer Paradox’), a factory worker who bet big on a failed cryptocurrency and is now facing organ snatching and potential death at the hands of his loan shark. Desperate and amoral, he hires a fellow factory worker of Chinese origin—who has just been fired—to kill his father so that he can commit insurance fraud. Things don’t go as planned.

While the debtor grapples with consequences that keep getting worse, the second episode moves on to ‘Glasses’ (Lee Kwang-soo), delivering a brilliant performance. Enamoured by a beautiful woman (Gong Seung-yeon), he ends up at a remote hillside hotel with her.

When a late-night emergency call from her friend compels ‘Glasses’ to drive down winding, foggy roads after having consumed alcohol, he ends up in a terrible accident. Attempts to conceal the consequences bring ‘The Witness’ (Park Hae-soo from ‘Squid Game’) into his life. His desperation keeps mounting, even as the rotting truth threatens to turn his life upside down and ‘The Witness’ blackmails him.

A morally grey thriller

Delving further into the plot would mean giving out spoilers. Narrated through the experiences of its central characters, ‘Karma’ is an intermeshed story of desperate people taking drastic actions to save themselves from terrible consequences.

It is set in a fictional town, but the narrative is consistent with one Korean experience that reappears in many of their dramas—people do their worst when debt and financial ruin come upon them.

But this series does not take sides; instead, it chooses to expose the flaws in its central characters as events unfold on a shifting timeline. The witness to this series of desperate crimes is a private detective, played by Park Hae-soo, and his team, who end up uncovering the truth behind these interconnected incidents.

A tightly woven narrative

Director Il-Hyeong Lee handles the complex interlinking of each character with a straightforward and neatly structured narrative, making the series easy to follow. Connecting the dots doesn’t take long and leaves ample room for continued engagement—if only to discover which of the central characters is the burnt man from the first episode.

This is a well-written, well-acted Korean thriller. The omnibus narrative format with extended episodes is familiar to most K-drama viewers. That said, the series could have trimmed some of its indulgent moments of onscreen violence in certain episodes.

Verdict

The series brings together a talented cast of seasoned Korean actors in a tightly woven story. Without relying on expositions or lengthy dialogue, it keeps the onscreen action brisk and consistently surprises the viewer with unexpected turns—even when you think you’ve seen it all. It’s a strong recommendation for weekend viewing.

Cast: Park Hae-soo, Shin Min-a, Lee Hee-joon, Lee Kwang-soo

Director: Il-Hyeong Lee

Rating: 3.5/5