Netflix Korea is on a spree, as it releases many reality shows of different kinds. Each one differs greatly from the last, and one gets to wonder how people develop these ideas. The range of the shows goes from interesting to so bizarre that they’ll boggle your mind. Super-Rich in Korea, Physical 100, Squid Game: The Challenge, there was such an influx of shows of this kind that Netflix Korea released a satire on all the reality shows called The 8 Show.
Agents of Mystery is yet another addition to the reality show genre of the Netflix Korea spectrum that brings a group of six people together to solve two cases that are shrouded in mystery. The word mystery is repeated way too many times throughout the show to emphasize the fact that there is a sense of intrigue that will get the audience going. Both cases have two different agendas, yet the mystery part and the supernatural element are common factors. This group of intelligent men and women comes together to solve both cases that are assigned to them. These men and women claimed to have an interest in solving such fascinating cases that many might not have touched upon.
‘Followers of the Evil One’ is the first case, and ‘The Deep Sea Mystery’ is the second one. They are given six hours to solve the case, along with making the additional moves required to close the case. The crazy part about this six episode reality show is the lack of prize money. Every reality show’s selling point is to offer prize money or some remuneration for finishing the goal assigned to them. This show in both cases has none, which makes Agents of Mystery a dull watch. Prize money is always a driving force behind every reality show that pushes people to explore their minds and their ability to think beyond the box. The show felt like a convenient way to place objects that would take them towards solving their case.
The show is supposed to create a sense of suspense about the truths that are being revealed as the group of six people unearth secrets one by one, like peeling away the layers of an onion. But one has to remember that onions cause you to tear up, and so does this show’s sheer foolishness. It is evident they set up the main characters of the cases to be larger than life and capable of inflicting pain. The show is unintentionally funny, and there is no going back to taking it seriously once the audience realizes this.
The direction of the show lacks luster, as there is nothing done to elevate the show and the makers do not stick to the genre it is supposed to cater to. The whole point of Agents of Mystery is to create an atmosphere of fear through the setup of supernatural, paranormal, and cult-related activities. It managed to achieve none of the three, which is sad. The production value of the show sticks out like a sore thumb, and it adds to the misery of watching it with such poor quality of set and props. The makers try to sell the idea of this group being in an abandoned factory or a submarine, which has a sense of thrill, but it falls apart from the start. The dialogues are a terrible way to convince the audience that the situation is real is a sad attempt. There’s nothing to keep the audience watching the show till the end as the novelty of it being a different kind of reality show only fades away as it is very obvious all of them are a setup. Coupled with the bad acting of people in the footage found by the contestants is just taking the narrative way too far. The second case involving a sea monster is taken straight out of a bad Hollywood film that has a genetically engineered animal break free and try to create havoc. The most bizarre part of the show is how these contestants are not caught by the so-called “bad guys”.
Agents of Mystery had nothing going its way, and there are times the contestants make brainless comments, which is jarring. The show would have been interesting to watch if the makers had invested time in developing the concept and making it realistic. Instead, they went ahead with a meager budgets and half – baked concepts and made nothing out of them. The intrigue part never works overall, and the end of the show does not surprise the audience. Reality shows work on the surprise aspect as well, and the result is usually not what the audience expects it to be. In the case of Agents of Mystery, the ending is just bland with nothing to offer, and it only ends abruptly, and it has no connection to the planning they make to tackle the issue at hand.
Agents of Mystery is a dull watch. It has a good start, but it quickly derails thanks to a false world created and the makers passing it off as a real one.
