This Shocking Crime Drama Is Heating Up Streaming Charts Worldwide

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Dyah (pronounced Dee-yah) is a Senior Author at Collider, responsible for both writing and transcription duties. She joined the website in 2022 as a Resource Writer before stepping into her current role in April 2023. As a Senior Author, she writes Features and Lists covering TV, music, and movies, making her a true Jill of all trades. In addition to her writing, Dyah also serves as an interview transcriber, primarily for events such as San Diego Comic-Con, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival.

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It's one falsely accused man against a deranged sociopath in The Manipulated. In an era where deepfakes and stolen data have become commonplace, anyone with malicious intent can easily turn an unremarkable nobody into a wanted fugitive. What's truly frightening is how modern technology, especially with the rapid rise of AI, can fabricate convincing evidence capable of destroying innocent lives. South Korea's latest K-drama, The Manipulated, explores the extreme consequences of such technology falling into the wrong hands, showing how one person's life could spiral into darkness — just because he was at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

What Is 'The Manipulated' About?

Tae-jung (Ji Changwook) answering a phone in 'The Manipulated'

A modern Korean thriller reminiscent of The Fugitive, the series follows food delivery driver Park Tae-jung (Ji Chang-wook), an honest working man whose life revolves around delivering food, providing for his younger brother, and preparing to open his own garden rooftop cafe. Tae-jung has always been a pragmatic yet optimistic person. He doesn't come from money, but he earns enough to ensure his younger brother can attend school and even afford SAT prep lessons. Surrounded by a loyal group of friends, he also has a girlfriend who wholeheartedly loves him despite his financial setbacks. With a fondness for plants and a tendency to take time out of his delivery routes to help nearby strangers, the word "kind" is best way to describe Tae-jung.

However, Tae-jung's life crumbles when he discovers a "missing" phone during a delivery. The device rings as he passes by, and the unsuspecting Tae-jung answers, only for the caller to claim she has lost the phone and wants it returned. Following her instructions, he leaves the phone in a pay phone box in exchange for a hidden cash reward. The very next day, a police officer raids his cafe, and Tae-jung suddenly finds himself splashed across the news — accused of rape and dismemberment of a woman. Though he is clearly innocent, every piece of evidence points directly to him.

Sentenced to life imprisonment, Tae-jung initially resigns himself to his fate. He survives by adapting to prison life — learning practical skills like woodworking and electrical work, tending a small garden, and training his body to withstand the gang leaders and corrupt officers who control the facility. Five years later, everything changes when he meets another inmate who was falsely accused after returning a lost phone. Determined to stop more innocent lives from being destroyed, Tae-jung orchestrates a prison break, marking only the beginning of the K-Drama's wild story.

'The Manipulated' Exposes How Modern Surveillance Becomes Dangerous When Misused

Unbeknownst to Tae-jung, his arrest was meticulously orchestrated by An Yo-han (Doh Kyung-soo), the CEO of a private security firm that "cleans up" the messes of VIPs by framing innocent bystanders. Through an extensive web of surveillance systems, data collection, and fabricated evidence, Yo-han treats ordinary people as pieces in what he chillingly refers to as his "sculptures." Rather than sculpting physical artworks, his creations consist of intricate staged scenarios that can turn an ordinary stranger into a wanted criminal in a matter of hours. The most terrifying part is that there are no blind spots, no cracks, and no lingering suspicions to suggest the victim has been framed.

Typically, Yo-han receives inquiries from powerful figures — often assemblymen — seeking discreet solutions to their "problems." In The Manipulated, those problems usually stem from the reckless adult children of their clientele, frequently intoxicated by alcohol and drugs, whose actions leave others dead. Using his in-house security system, Yo-han can hack into virtually every CCTV camera in the city, from public outdoor spaces to the stairwells of apartment buildings. He can also replicate places using virtual reality, giving him a closer look at the area he wants to "sculpt." As he scans countless surveillance feeds, Yo-han selects an ordinary stranger who just happens to be within close proximity of the dead body, turning them into the perfect scapegoat.

"Sculpting" is only one part of Yo-han's crimes. His operations work because of the extensive network of people working under him. Much like his clients, Yo-han has an impressive roster of subordinates drawn from public institutions. Apart from hired assassins, he has crooked detectives, lawyers, and prison wardens at his beck and call. All it takes is vast cums of money, which most are more than willing to accept. Advanced technology is dangerous enough on its own, but in the hands of someone with extreme wealth, a weak moral compass, and connections in high places, it's a life-threatening weapon.

'The Manipulated' Treats the Working Class as Disposable Collateral

The Manipulated isn't afraid to bring the bloodwork to the screen. However, beyond the outlandish killings, the show's messaging is shockingly true to reality. The top one percent are often guilty of viewing the working class as mere collateral. In most cases, they live to serve themselves and each other. Money may be involved in Yo-han's special services, but the true reason he does this is that he enjoys the suffering of others. He has no remorse for misusing strangers like toys for his demented imagination, and if they end up in prison or take their own lives, he revels in that satisfaction even more.

During the show's midpoint, Yo-han's thirst for blood reaches its peak when he gathers some of the prison's worst criminals, and even Tae-jung, into a Death Race-like contest. The 12 prisoners he selects are forced to participate in a deadly race within a highly flammable industrial complex. Equipped with different cars, the rules are simple: there are no rules. Anyone is free to kill one another to reach first place and claim the grand prize. As these prisoners smash each other with their vehicles, Yo-han and his fellow rich associates smile, laugh, and even propose the idea of capitalizing on this whole idea into an illegal dark web sport.

However, even the most carefully constructed plans encounter unexpected setbacks. Tae-jung is the anomaly in Yo-han's tried, true, and tested schemes. He may not share Yo-han's ruthless intellect, but he possesses something Yo-han lacks: compassion. Yo-han has long believed that people act only when certain conditions are met, with money as the driving force behind every decision. He cannot comprehend why others would help Tae-jung without expecting anything in return. Clearly, wealth does not always make the world turn. Tae-jung's indifference towards wealth becomes Yo-han's fatal weakness, and with every step Tae-jung takes, Yo-han becomes even more unhinged in the addictively engrossing series.