The Guest
The Guest (Korean: 손 the guest, Revised Romanization: Son the guest) is a 2018 South Korean supernatural horror/crime series directed by Kim Hong-seon. Written by Kwon So-ra and Seo Jae-won, it aired on OCN from September 12 to November 1, 2018.
Yoon Hwa-Pyung, a young boy born into a shaman family, is able to see ghosts. During a possession by a powerful spirit, his mother and grandmother are killed. Twenty years later, Hwa-Pyung is a taxi driver. He experiences psychic visions which brings him into contact with a police detective, Kang Kil-Young and a Catholic priest, Choi Yoon (aka Father Matthew) who performs exorcisms. The three start working together to stop crimes committed by demons who possess people.
The series can be watched on Netflix with English subtitles.
The Guest contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Hwa-Pyung's father blames Hwa-Pyung for the deaths of his wife and mother and even tried to kill him.
- Action Girl: Kil-Young
- The Antichrist: What Park Il-Do's goals for Park Hong-Joo are as she is aiming to become the president of Korea.
- Asshole Victim: Father Yang who willingly served Park Il-Do
- Big Bad: "Park Il-Do", but the ending implies that his true identity is Satan.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Park Hong-ju, and how.
- Also her partner in crime, Father Yang.
- Body Surf: Park Il-Do's method of getting around.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: A platonic example, Hwa-Pyung, fearing the others' safety, suggest they no longer contact one another.
- Cassandra Truth: Hwa-Pyung's father is correct about who Park Il-Do is inhabiting.
- Christianity is Catholic
- Cosmic Plaything: Hwa-Pyung, thanks to Park Il-Do.
- Corrupt Church: Not the church itself but a Catholic organization, "Hands of Sharing", is much more insidious than it initially seems.
- Crucial Cross: The cross on Yoon's rosary functions as this during his exorcisms.
- Creepy Child: Hwa-Pyung when the Guest first arrives and Jung Seo-Yoon when she's possessed by Park Il-Do.
- Demonic Possession: The crux of the series.
- The Determinator: Hwa-Pyung, Kil-Young and Yoon/Father Matthew.
- Disappeared Dad: Hwa-Pyung has been looking for his father for a long time.
- Nothing is ever mentioned regarding Kil-Young's father.
- Distressed Dude: Hwa-Pyung and Yoon have to be saved by Kil-Young a few times.
- The Dragon: Father Yang for Park Il-Do.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Hwa-Pyung, Kil-Young and Yoon all survive their horrific encounter with the Guest.
- Eye Scream: those possessed by the demons commanded by the guest stab themselves in the eye before committing suicide.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Choi Yoon to Father Yang.
- Fair Cop: Kil-Young
- Fire-Forged Friendship: Hwa-Pyung, Kil-Young, Choi Yoon do not like each other at first.
- Friend on the Force: though initially skeptical, Kil-Young begins to trust Hwa-Pyung
- Heroic BSoD: Hwa-Pyung after learning Park Il-Do was possessing his grandfather for 20 years.
- Heroic Sacrifice:
- Hwa-Pyung. Subverted as he gets better.
- A non-fatal example: Hwa-Pyung's grandfather begs Park Il-Do to possess him instead as Hwa-Pyung was just a child. He does also get better in the end.
- I Have No Son!: Hwa-Pyung's father, who blames Hwa-Pyung for the deaths of his wife and mother
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Kil-Young and Yoon with Hwa-Pyung while he is possessed by Park Il-Do and trying to kill Yoon. He manages to regain control long enough to attempt suicide to take Park Il-Do with him. He survives however thanks to Yoon exorcising Park Il-Do.
- Also Kil-Yong with Detective Koh when he's possessed.
- I Know Your True Name: Yoon using Park Il-Do's name during his attempt to exorcise him initially fails because Park Il-Do is just one of the many names the Guest has had.
- Lovable Coward: Despite being a shaman, Yook Gwang is quite fearful of spirits.
- Many Spirits Insideof One: people are usually possessed by multiple demons commanded by Park Il-Do
- Mistaken for Murderer: Hwa-Pyung.
- My Greatest Failure: Hwa-Pyung blames himself for the deaths of his mother and grandmother. He eventually learns from Park Il-Do that he was never possessed and so did not hurt either his mother or grandmother, it was all Park Il-Do.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Hwa-Pyung's attempts in searching for Park Il-Do's true identity results in him finding his father, who later becomes possessed after revealing who Park Il-Do is inhabiting.
- Non-Action Guy: Yoon.
- Not So Stoic: Choi Yoon initially presents himself as the most composed out of the main three characters but becomes more emotive as the series progresses.
- Only Sane Man: Kil-Young seems to be the most level-headed of the three
- Parental Abandonment: Hwa-Pyung's father abandoned him.
- Police Psychic: Hwa-Pyung helps Kil-Young solve cases through his visions
- Protective Charm: Hwa-Pyung tries to give a shamanic charm to Yoon, but he refuses, being a catholic priest.
- Psychic Child: Jung Seo-Yoon and Hwa-Pyung as a child.
- Psychic Link: Haw-Pyung and Park Il-Do. Overlapping with Seeing Through Another's Eyes whenever a possessed person is attempting to kill.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Park Ho-Jung throws incredible, violent tantrums whenever she doesn't get her way.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Hwa-Pyung and Yoon.
- The Reveal:
- When she was still a school student, Park Hong-Ju murdered a classmate that she had been bullying. In addition, she has been blackmailing a janitor who witnessed her murder into staying quiet.
- Park Hong-Ju is Park Il-Do’s great niece.
- Father Han is in league with Park Il-do.
- It turns out that Park Il-Do was possessing Hwa-Pyung's grandfather all along.
- Serial Killer: Park Il-Do and Father Yang.
- Sexy Priest: Yoon
- Sin Invites Possession: "Whenever the world is depraved and humanity corrupt, the guest will return."
- Sinister Minister: Priest Choi Sang-hyun when possessed. Father Yang is this normally however.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: The death of Yook Gwang marks this, as he had been the show's primary source of comic relief.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Hwa-Pyung, Kil-Young and Yoon do not get along at first.
- Telepathy: For Hwa-Pyung. It also verges into A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read when reading the minds of the possessed.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: the demons do this to the priests trying to exorcise them, Hwa-Pyung also gets one from Park Il-Do who is trying to break him
- Trauma Conga Line: For Hwa-Pyung as orchestrated by Park Il-Do in order to break him and make him easier to possess.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Assemblywoman Park Hong-Joo.
- Was Once a Man: Subverted, though Park Il-Do is presumed to be a man who killed himself and his family to become a great spirit, the Guest reveals it was 'here before man ever set foot on this land and in the sea' and has been watching humans ever since they still lived in caves.
- Would Hurt a Child: Park Il-Do, any of the lesser demons, and Park Hong-Joo as well.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Subverted, with Father Yang. Park Il-Do considered him a very useful servant, but it was Father Yang who killed himself to save Yoon.
