Claustrophobic, thrilling K-drama has bloody violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Expect a lot of bloodshed. People are stabbed, body parts are chopped off with axes, handguns and shotguns come into play during shoot-outs. Characters are drugged, restrained, beaten, and thrown into a meat grinder once their organs have been harvested. A dead dog is seen. There are references to sexual assault as well.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Frequent use of language including "damn," "piss," "bastard," "godammit," "s--t," "bitch," "c–k," "as—-le," "f--k," and variants thereof. There are sexual references to someone being "fingered" and her "cherry" (or hymen). The expletives may vary depending on whether you view the series with the English dub or in the original Korean with English subtitles, but they're strong and frequent in both versions.
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An older man meets with an 18-year-old high school girl in a remote hotel room and negotiates with her over the price of her virginity. They discuss sexual matters, she references a prior assault she suffered at the hands of a teacher. He strips down to his underwear, intending to take a shower, and is dressed like this for the majority of the series.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Money, and what people will do to get it, is a big theme.
Diverse Representations
some
This is a Korean drama, so there's a lot of Asian representation. One of the main characters is a woman who's as tough and cunning as her male counterparts, but also untrustworthy and at times cruel. Audiences can choose to watch the series dubbed into English, or in its original Korean language with English subtitles.
The series can be taken as a satirical critique of capitalism. Other themes include revenge, crime, and loyalty.
Positive Role Models
none
Every character here is morally bankrupt in some way, though some have backstories that provide insight into how they got that way.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Bargain is a bloody, violent series comparable to K-dramas like Squid Game. Crimes like human trafficking and organ harvesting are integral to the plot. There are frightening and sadistic characters, people are drugged, stabbed, shot, and beaten. Expect references to sexual assault. There's a nonstop stream of expletives, and one of the main characters spends most of the movie in his underwear.
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What's the Story?
BARGAIN is a Korean drama centered on a crime organization fronted by teenage girls who lure unsuspecting men to a remote hotel. Instead of having the sexual encounter they were promised, the men are drugged, blindfolded, and have their organs auctioned off to the highest bidder. In the midst of one of these auctions, the multi-story hotel collapses in a massive earthquake, leaving the auction's bidders, the sadistic criminal henchmen, and the surviving human "merchandise" to battle amongst themselves and the elements while attempting to make their way out of the building with their lives intact.
This is a tense, binge-worthy series full of morally bankrupt yet complex characters, mounting tension, and tons of blood-spattered action. Jeon Jong-seo is a Bargain standout as Joo Young, who's charming as the duplicitous schoolgirl, but who has some intriguing and curious layers to her. You sympathize with her backstory despite the deceitful and seemingly unfeeling things she does. Jin Seon-kyu is her perfect counterpart as Hyung-soo, formerly an unwilling organ donor, now her partner-in-survival -- and maybe (or maybe not?) a cop. None of the characters in Bargain are likable or decent people, but that's a big part of what makes it so fun. Neither the audience nor the characters know who can be trusted, and their increasingly chaotic struggle to make it out of a disastrous situation together is fully engrossing, if not for the faint of heart. Note: Keep the credits rolling after the last episode, as the ending continues with an additional scene once they wrap up.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence shown in Bargain. What's the purpose of showing this kind of violence? How would the series have changed if less violence was shown?
Characters in this series are driven to do unconscionable things -- in some cases due to a lack of wealth and privilege, and others because they have wealth and privilege. What do you think the series is trying to say about the capitalistic systems that we and these characters live under? How do their personal circumstances influence how you view their actions?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jenny Nixon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
