Common Sense Media Review
By Jenny Nixon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Claustrophobic, thrilling K-drama has bloody violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Bargain
Parent and Kid Reviews
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.
Is It Any Good?
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?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 5, 2023
- Cast : Jin Seon-kyu , Jeon Jong-Seo , Chang Ryul
- Network : Paramount+
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : July 24, 2025
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