'Extracurricular': A Dark and Intense Teen Crime Thriller

Released on Netflix in 2020, the original series 'Extracurricular' is widely praised for completely overturning the landscape of the Korean teen genre. It is not your typical high school drama dealing with youthful romance or friendship. Rather, it is a dark and intense crime thriller that nakedly depicts the crimes of teenagers and the resulting catastrophe.

Basic Info

Category	Details
Director / Writer	Kim Jin-min / Jin Han-sae
Main Cast	Kim Dong-hee, Park Ju-hyun, Jung Da-bin, Nam Yoon-su, Choi Min-soo
Rating	TV-MA (Mature Audiences)
Episodes	10

Synopsis

At school, "Oh Ji-soo" is a top-ranked model student whose presence is almost entirely invisible. Outside of school, however, he leads a shocking double life, operating a gruesome illegal business—brokering compensated dating and providing security—to afford a "normal" life and save up for college tuition. His flawlessly run criminal enterprise begins to fracture when his secret smartphone is discovered by "Bae Gyu-ri," an outgoing and popular classmate who is wealthy but suffocating under her parents' extreme pressure. Using Ji-soo's weakness to force her way into the business, Gyu-ri becomes his partner. What follows is a series of uncontrollable events that send them spiraling toward a devastating ruin.

Key Highlights

1. Uncomfortable Yet Captivating and Unconventional Themes

The series tackles heavy subjects rarely seen in Korean dramas, such as teen sex trafficking and gang involvement. The immense immersion and tension stem from watching minors, trapped in the swamp of crime, continuously making the worst possible choices to escape crises they can no longer control. The show stands out by coldly portraying the inevitable doom waiting at the end, without ever glorifying the crimes.

2. Outstanding Performances by "Monster Rookies"

Despite casting mostly unknown, rookie-level actors at the time of its release, there are absolutely no weak links in the performances.

• Park Ju-hyun (as Bae Gyu-ri): Widely considered the greatest discovery of this series. She perfectly embodied a sociopathic character, blurring the line between good and evil with madness in her eyes.

• Kim Dong-hee (as Oh Ji-soo): He three-dimensionally expressed the sheer duality of a pathetic, fragile model student who becomes ruthless in the face of money.

• Jung Da-bin (as Seo Min-hee): Completely shedding her lovely child-actress image, she delivered a raw, realistic performance as a precarious teenager suffering from a lack of affection, engaging in sex work to support her bully boyfriend.

3. A Heavy Message on the "Absence of Proper Adults"

As the teenagers cross lines of no return and end up bruised and bloodied, not a single adult in the series steps up to guide them on the right path. From indifferent parents and oblivious teachers to criminals who actively exploit the youth, the portrayal of negligent and incompetent adults painfully points out that juvenile crime is not merely a problem created by the teenagers alone.

Composed of 10 episodes running about 50 minutes each, 'Extracurricular' is perfectly paced for a weekend binge-watch. If you are looking for a dark, absorbing, well-made thriller that leaves you frustrated by the protagonists' choices yet completely unable to stop clicking the next episode, this is highly recommended.

[Extracurricular | Trailer] 

Where to Watch: Streaming exclusively on Netflix.

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