REVIEW: ‘Newtopia’ Episodes 1-2

Newtopia Episodes 1-2 start things off with a bang. In the latest Kdrama series available on Prime Video, this rom-com zombie apocalypse nightmare, in its inaugural episodes, shows us a glimpse of the madness coming to our eyeballs. Speaking of eyeballs, hope you don’t mind them flying. Grossness aside, despite its zombie premise, it’s made clear from the jump that at the heart of this tale is a romance trying to make its way back home. If zombies don’t destroy it first.

In Newtopia Episodes 1-2, we’re introduced to Lee Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min), a late bloomer in life across the board. He’s one of the oldest military trainees in his group, and his life outside the military doesn’t seem that hopeful either, with the exception of his girlfriend, Kang Young-joo (Blackpink’s Kim Jisoo). Unfortunately, he’s so paranoid about leaving her alone that his constant phone calls to check up on her are more stressful than not. And with him likely spending eighteen months away from Young-joo, this relationship is doomed to fail.

Young-joo seems to think so after talking with her colleagues. She’s not sure if she wants to put her life on hold while waiting for someone who hasn’t figured his life out yet. With a stable job and her immediately not thinking of him as marriage material, it’s clear that maybe this relationship at least needs a pause. But Young-joo has second thoughts, prompting her to try to find her way to Jae-yoon’s military headquarters. Little do either of them know that a zombie apocalypse is starting to surge.

Newtopia Episode 1 is the calm before the storm. It takes things slowly, establishing its cast of characters and comedic tone. Actor Park Jeong-min’s physical comedy and facial expressions add much to the characterization of Jae-yoon. He is bumbling and insecure, an underdog character that is likely to grow stronger throughout the course of the series based on where he’s starting now. Paired up with Im Sung-jae, who plays his colleague, Ra In-ho, the duo makes for a hilarious pair, particularly once they are on the run from zombies.

Newtopia Episodes 1-2 are a testament to the phrase, “Well, that escalated quickly.”

The rest of the squad is no better, and their superiors make clear that they are arguably the most ill-prepared group of military trainees they’ve had. That doesn’t bode well once the sky starts falling—literally—and martial law is declared. While we don’t get too much time at the start with the rest of the soldiers, it’s clear from Newtopia Episodes 1-2 that they all have their work cut out for them if they want to survive the rapidly evolving disaster.

As for Young-joo, she’s more than just the object of Jae-yoon’s affection. She’s kind of a mess. Our first impression of her is how Jae-yoon imagines her, like an angel dressed in white. But when we come crashing back down to reality, she’s drunk and snoring, fumbling to answer the phone. Jae-yoon has put her on a pedestal, fragile and easily toppled over with the slightest mistake. Young-joo is just any regular working woman, and the more Jae-yoon pushes her, the more her internal conflict manifests.

Just as it looks like the couple are on the outs, though, the apocalypse begins. We get glimpses of something going awry toward the end of Episode 1 before its cliffhanger, but Newtopia Episode 2 puts the pedal to the metal. There is no shortage of blood. Even amid all the rapidly mounting horror, the show’s dark humor never fails to show itself. Whether it’s Young-joo gingerly wrapping an eyeball in a used wrapper, an elevator door refusing to close due to a body, or a soldier accidentally slipping on some guts, it’s hard not to laugh at the most screwed-up things.

While we get glimpses of both characters in Newtopia Episodes 1-2, Episode 2 hones in on Kim Joon-han‘s Aaron Park and Hong Seo-hui‘s Oh Soo-jeong. Both are employees of the hotel that secretly hosts the military base Jae-yoon and his cohort occupy, and earlier on in Episode 1, both refuse to hide their disdain for the soldiers ruining the VIP atmosphere for the guests with their presence. However, once all hell breaks loose, the two are quick to team up with Jae-yoon and his colleague to ensure their survival.

Aaron Park is presented as a legend in Newtopia Episodes 1-2. And, based on how he handles the rapidly growing crisis in his hotel, the legend holds up. While he may occasionally lose his temper, his ability to think on his feet shows his prowess as a hotel manager. It’s immediately apparent that he is the equivalent of a Captain willing to go down with his ship. If there’s a person to have on your team during an apocalypse, Aaron is it.

Less can be said about Soo-jeong. She’s incredibly rude to the soldiers while trying to maintain a sense of normality in the VIP section. When zombies come crawling, the arrogance fades away, and fear takes hold. Her reactions, as well as those of other characters during Episode 2, solidify the strength of Newtopia so far. Everyone behaves like actual people during a crisis.

Aaron Park is arguably the exception here, but even still, his rage as things start to spiral out of his control is relatable. Soo-jeong and Young-joo both fall into more traditional displays of shock as they try to process what’s happening around them. Jae-yoon and In-ho don’t get time to truly process what’s going on, but when they see their first dying victim, they scramble and death grip Aaron. There are no crazy heroics off the jump. Just fear and survival.

That said, there’s a noticeable flaw. The CGI could be a little better based on what is shown in Newtopia Episodes 1-2. A plane falling is one thing, but when it crashes, the explosions that follow are a tad silly-looking. I’ll admit, this is a series with a zombie apocalypse, so being a stickler for realism is a bit unfair. But it’s hard to really absorb the shock of what’s happening when you get a little blep of an explosion.

Out of the gate, Newtopia Episodes 1-2 have me hooked. The characters are incredibly relatable, and many already have established character flaws to give us something to hold onto. Starting the apocalypse so early works well here, with the chaos already proving to be a gorily hilarious delight. With the core couple separated amidst the carnage, it’ll be interesting to see where they land in upcoming episodes.

Newtopia Episodes 1-2 are now streaming exclusively on Prime Video, with new episodes releasing weekly.

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