[Why you should watch] Circle

by mistyisles

I’ll admit, dramaland doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to sci-fi. Still, when the sci-fi thriller mystery Circle came along — promising dual timelines, futuristic societies, aliens, murder mysteries, and a truly unique episode structure — I was more than a little excited. Little did I know just how much this show would rock my world (or should I say worlds?).

The first time around, it was mind-blowing. The conclusion of each new episode left me staring slack-jawed at the screen, wishing I wasn’t live-watching and could immediately press play on the next one. The conclusion of the show itself left me emotionally wrecked (in a good way!) with a mixture of satisfaction, heartbreak, and hunger for a second season to expand on the questions and possibilities the first season had raised. (Alas, I don’t think we’ll ever get it. But it’s still fun to think about what could have been!)

I waited a couple of years to rewatch it, uncertain whether the story would hold up now that I knew how it ultimately played out, but I needn’t have worried. Not only did I find it just as compelling the second time around, but the emotions actually hit harder because I knew how it would end. So, whether you have yet to watch Circle or you have yet to revisit it for a second viewing, I hope I can convince you to give it a shot.

Let me back up and set the scene. At a time when many K-dramas were experimenting with splitting episodes in half for broadcasting reasons, Circle did it in a way that made story sense. Each episode has two distinct parts. The first half, titled “Beta Project,” takes place in the present day (well, 2017). The second half, “Brave New World,” is set twenty years into the future. That means each episode has two cliffhangers, generating extra suspense, and the two halves feed into each other to unravel the central mystery and develop the character-driven emotional core.

That emotional core, in my opinion, is what makes this show just so good. It centers on a pair of twin brothers: KIM WOO-JIN (Yeo Jin-gu) and KIM BUM-GYUN (Ahn Woo-yeon). As children, they encountered a young woman who may or may not have been an alien, and in the Beta Project timeline, young-adult Bum-gyun has become obsessed with proving that she was, in fact, extraterrestrial. This exasperates Woo-jin to no end, because he’d much rather write it off as childhood fantasy and focus on the here and now.

But that’s where the emotions kick in, because this isn’t just a matter of one brother running around in tinfoil hats and the other rolling his eyes in mild annoyance. No. Bum-gyun’s obsession is actively ruining his life, cycling him in and out of prison and causing him to up and disappear for great lengths of time. And possibly getting random strangers killed.

With their parents out of the picture, Woo-jin would give just about anything to get his brother back and live a relatively normal life together. Likewise, Bum-gyun would give just about anything to get his brother’s trust back and prove he’s not crazy. Unfortunately, those are mutually exclusive desires. It’s a visceral example on both sides of loving a family member with all your heart while being unable to 1) get through to them or 2) give them what they desperately want to hear from you.

In the Brave New World timeline, on the other hand, we’re presented with a hi-tech society called Smart City where emotions are regulated via microchip. Get too worked up, and your chip stabilizes you so you don’t act on those emotions. The idea being that this eliminates crime at its source.

Our protagonist in this timeline is KIM JOON-HYUK (Kim Kang-woo), a cop from the outside investigating odd reports of supposed crimes in this supposedly crime-free city. Joon-hyuk has no memories of his past self, and it soon becomes apparent that he’s one of our beloved twins — but which one? And what happened to his brother?

All of Circle’s mysteries — for there are several in each timeline — are cleverly spun and interlinked, causing the characters to question themselves and each other constantly as the entire sinister web slowly unravels. The show’s major themes have to do with memories and personhood, and the mysteries emphasize those themes by calling into question not only whether certain characters remember past events correctly, but also if they’re really who they claim to be.

Which brings me to the supporting characters — two in particular. First is HAN JUNG-YEON (Gong Seung-yeon). She’s a classmate of Woo-jin’s in the Beta Project timeline, and seeing her throws him for a major loop because she looks exactly like that woman Bum-gyun insists was an alien. But when Bum-gyun goes missing under mysterious circumstances (well, more mysterious than usual!), Woo-jin has to turn to Jung-yeon for help.

Then there’s LEE HO-SOO (Lee Ki-kwang), a Smart City agent with his own agenda and internal journey. He’s probably the character I appreciated most during my second watch, because he’s so complex and tends to get in everyone’s way — “good guys” and “bad guys” alike. Yes, those quotation marks are intentional, because Circle doesn’t give up its secrets easily. Instead, it feeds us puzzle pieces one at a time, opening up another new question (or several) for each answer it supplies. But when those pieces come together, oh boy, do they come together!

At 12 episodes, it’s a tight, breathless run — perfect for marathoning. And with excellent acting performances all around, its cast of characters pull your emotions through the wringer many times over and stick with you long after the final credits have finished rolling.

In short, if you like sci-fi and/or mysteries that make you think and feel deeply, have heroes that take the fate of the entire human race on their shoulders but aren’t afraid to admit they’re terrified, and keep you guessing until the very end — I cannot recommend Circle enough!

If nothing else I’ve said here has convinced you of how much I love I have for this show, then let me leave you with this little story about 2017 mistyisles. See, it just so happened that I had to replace my laptop around the time Circle was ending. And when I got that new computer, not only did I give it Circle-themed wallpaper, but I also went into the settings and officially named it a variation of “Circle 8-III” (if you know, you know). So don’t say I didn’t warn you — if you decide to give it a go, there’s a chance you might become a tad obsessed.

 
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