SummaryDavid Jung's (Daniel Dae Kim) life in South Korea is torn apart by his past as a young spy (Reina Hardesty) is sent to assassinate him in the thriller series based on the graphic novel series created by Arash Amel.
SummaryDavid Jung's (Daniel Dae Kim) life in South Korea is torn apart by his past as a young spy (Reina Hardesty) is sent to assassinate him in the thriller series based on the graphic novel series created by Arash Amel.
Butterfly does a few things quite well. Its action scenes are consistently compelling, its six fast-paced episodes fly by, and the cast is solid from top to bottom. (It's great to see Kim front and center.)
“Butterfly” interjects a wee bit of dark humor that works and features some risky moves in its final episode. If it embraces that dark side more, it would give the series more edge and would give it more kick. As is, it’s a middling watch with a good performance from Kim.
The series, which is no worse and somewhat better than “perfectly fine,” certainly has its points, Kim and Hardesty not the least among them. Would I prefer to watch them in an episodic procedural as father-daughter investigators solving crimes from week to week, or doing spy stuff, or cooking together? Yes, I would like that very much.
Despite its efforts, Butterfly plays it too safe. The first half of the season is more of a fugitive series, while the second half is a proper spy thriller. Yet, even as it strives for some big twists, they're too easy to predict ahead of time.
“Butterfly” doesn’t exude the crackle of tension that compels us to keep watching. Although you could find me watching it on a sleepless night or a lazy Sunday. In the end, “Butterfly” looks good and never stops moving, but it doesn’t make my heart flutter.
In the end, “Butterfly” doesn’t amount to much. If audiences are solely looking to indulge in a stunning Korean backdrop and observe some splashy gadgets and showdowns, then the show has all of that in spades. However, very little else lurks beyond the surface.
This series kicks off in Seoul when a pregnant woman (Reina Hardesty) enters a hotel, assassinates a government VIP, then makes an impressive escape. Meanwhile, the father she thought was dead (Daniel Dae Kim) shows up to track her down. The pivotal organization that drives the plot and their actions is a private security firm headed by his vicious former partner (Piper Perabo). The first episode is packed with solid action sequences that set up the show with impressive impact. The subsequent chapters add more character interaction and less action, so it loses some of the steam. Fortunately, this slow down for the dramatic aspects is made more effective by the trio of strong performances. The escapes, fights and chase scenes are well staged, although they take less prevalence as the series progresses. This and the repetitive relationship dialogue reduces the show’s earlier momentum, but not to the point of keeping it from being a reasonably enjoyable spy thriller. NOTE: The open ending suggests a potential 2nd season. (Six 50-minute eps)
Love the setting in S.Korea, some actions scenes are ok and here anything positive ends. It's very superficial, painfully predictable, and overall boring.