Sisyphus is the show that escorted me through the looking glass into the wonderland of Korean programming. It explores the claim: "Just because you could do something doesn't mean you should." It's got action, fantastic romance, time travel, & a brainiac that can Macgyver anything.
Though not issue free, Sisyphus is an insightful commentary on humanity: We make the wrong choices & then we live with regret the rest of our lives once we are finally honest with ourselves.
Themes explored are selfishness (if we only care about ourselves & what we want, it's radiation poisoning that will destroy society). Also featured are corruption, hate, revenge, & pride, which are all forms of selfishness. Messianic imagery is a major player, as are regrets - they follow selfishness. Kindness to those less fortunate is critical, or we will create the monsters that rip into us. Hatred against immigrants & xenophobia is depicted. Sisyphus also examines the False Dilemma argument: Just because someone (especially a bad guy) says you have two choices, doesn't mean it's true.
The title is based on the Greek God Sisyphus. Per Wikipedia: he "was punished for cheating death twice by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity. Through the classical influence on modern culture, tasks that are both laborious and futile are therefore described as Sisyphean."
The question of whether the future is static is brought up quite a bit. Mr. Park, from Asia Mart, says: "Do you believe you can change things?" He laughs. "You know you can't change anything, right? You can try all you want, but nothing will change." And yet, Sigma & his minions all make references to alternate timelines, hinting at the many times the end-of-the-world drama plays out.
The main protagonists are the time machine inventing genius, Han Tae-sul, & Gang Seo-hae, who travels back in time to save HTsul & thus, the world. The world needs saving because the time machine will usher in the complete destruction of the Korean Peninsula via nuclear war.
By the time Seo-hae travels back to present day Korea, the country has been taken over by thieves from the future. They survived the nuclear war because they were in prison when it broke out. Volunteering to be the first group that travels to the past, they accumulate massive wealth due to their knowledge of lottery & sports outcomes & also stocks. Next, they take over all the power positions in the country & set up the Control Bureau. The CB is an immigration enforcement agency that prevents others from the future from gaining the advantages they themselves enjoy. CB officers have very few restrictions & are allowed to kill on sight. All of this was crafted by the mysterious Sigma, traveler & villain #1, who is rumored to be the person that starts the war. Everyone in Sigma's circle is controlled by a desire to protect loved ones, or a desire for power and selfish gain.
Sisyphus takes off to a confusing start. Ep1 is a tough one to get through. Many Korean shows begin that way; setting the dials & levers that will operate the rest of the show. Watching HTsul save a plane that's going down is the biggest reward for watching Ep1. I first saw Sisyphus before I was doing reviews, so I decided to watch it again before writing about it. The beginning is entirely different in the second go-round.
When we meet Seo-hae & follow her trail, we see that she's a cool customer. From age 7 she rode out the apocalypse with her policeman father. He trained her in all kinds of combat as hunting for scarce food & water is very dangerous in the anarchy of the future. When we meet HTsul we see that he's pretty cool, too. Pretty bada$$ cool. HTsul does something amazingly clever in most episodes. They're both on the Crazy Train, but they each have their talents.
HTsul is also a pathetic-pill-popper, ridden with guilt over the way he treated his brother, HTsan, the last time they met, prior to HTsan's passing. His ex is his psychiatrist. She dumped him, but only after he cheated on her. What could go wrong here?
Trains & train stations are featured frequently, & apoear to represent fate. Right from jump when Seo-hae arrives in the past she sees a bright light & hears a bell. There's a train coming down the tracks right at her: Foreshadowing. Later, HTsul& Seo-hae see each other at the train station while a fast train screeches between them. It's a metaphor for the onslaught of events headed their way that could separate them. There's also constant foreshadowing broadcasting HTsul's end of show options. They are always brought to the forefront.
Almost everybody we meet in Sisyphus is selfish, even Seo-hae's father. Exceptions are Seo-hae & HTsan. They will bring about change to those around them. Early on Seo-hae tells HTsul: "You're really selfish. You'll do what you want & not care how many people died because of it. You selfish jerk." HTsan said it first to Seo-hae: "You just care about saving the world, not my brother. I'm just the opposite."
Initially, HTsul displays corrupted values, thinking he can solve any conflict by throwing money at it. He founded his company, Quantum & Time with grad-school friend, Eddy Kim. Eddy does all the work. HTsul does whatever he feels like, and completely takes his friend for granted. Throughout the course of the show, jealousy & resentment, cause conflict in Eddy, due to HTsul's neglect.
Sigma & HTsul are contrasted. The series delves into the concept of families, struggles, abuse, & ostracism. HTsul lost his parents to an accident, but he had his brother, HTsan, to care & provide for him. Growing up, Sigma suffers severe abuse at home, underscoring that no parent is better than an abusive one. Sigma clearly isn't stupid, but almost nobody in the world is on HTsul's level: His perception that HTsul had it easy in life introduces jealousy.
At some point he descends into total madness, & falls in love with fire & death. He's smart, but a sociopath, arsonist, narcissist, & likely a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome sufferer. Killing 50 million people with a nuclear bomb is just a game for him. He brags incessantly about what he truly cares about: outsmarting HTsul. He loves to taunt him, beckoning: "C'mon out and play," to him.
The backdrop for all of this is the thrills, action, & the wonderful romance between Seo-hae & HTsul.
There's a GREAT scene showing how she looks out for him. He's desperately trying to call by rigging a trashpicked office phone into the phone lines. He's shocked when she says she's a little busy. She next yells: "Duck!" He does so quickly while she eliminates the threat right behind him. In shock, he steps away & sees more than 15 bodies on the ground between him & the overpass, where she's standing with her rifle. He hadn't noticed any of it, too the viewer's amusement.
"The girl or the world." He is constantly threatened that he'll have to choose the girl or the world. HTsul will figure out for himself what options he has. He knows he must outsmart Sigma or lose everything.
Some people don't have the capacity to enjoy fantasy. It can be too intellectual for some, or not logical or real enough for others. Sisyphus is fantasy based on an intelligent script, & it's directed smashingly well. The condescending "1" ratings have no basis whatsoever. If one hates some of the logical quagmires or the pacing, a rating of 5-7 is fair, but Sisyphus, in any timeline, doesn't deserve a rating under "5." So leave Sisyphus alone!
We get a clear sense that it's not over yet. Hopefully they won't take their ...time... putting out season 2.
~Quote~
Gibson: The future is already here. It just has an evenly distributed yet.
IMHO...
🎬9 🎭8 🤔9⚡8 💓8 🦋7 🎨8 🎵7 🔚9 Ages 14+.
I also did a spoiler review
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