Based on Arash Amel’s BOOM! Studio’s graphic novel of the same name, written by Amel and Marguerite Bennett, and adapted for television by Ken Woodruff and Steph Cha, Prime Video‘s “Butterfly” is a twisted crime drama about family, betrayal and global espionage. Though the series has all of the components that make for a compelling thriller, it’s more smoke and mirrors than gritty character-driven material.
Set in Seoul, South Korea, the six-episode first season follows David Jung (Daniel Dae Kim), a former U.S. intelligence operative living a quiet life after faking his own death nine years earlier. However, David hasn’t been able to fully detach from his past, and when he learns his now-adult daughter Rebecca (Reina Hardesty) is in town, he becomes obsessed with fostering a reunion between them. Unfortunately, Rebecca is no longer the innocent young teen David once knew. Instead, she’s blossomed into a talented, sociopathic agent, working for Caddis, a sinister spy organization led by David’s former partner, Juno (Piper Perabo).
The opener of “Butterfly” is enticing. Viewers watch as David tries to intercede in Rebecca’s mission as she takes down a Russian operative. Unfortunately, their meeting doesn’t quite go as he’d hoped. Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade. Yet, fueled by a deep curiosity and the relationship they once shared, the father/daughter duo attempts to move forward. Secrets are revealed, old traumas resurface — and the pair slowly realize it’s impossible to rekindle what once was.
When it comes to action, “Butterfly” is stuffed full of it. Amid relatively sparse dialogue, each episode is jam-packed — repetitively so — with explosions, car chases, knife fights, shootings and everything in between. Regrettably, if viewers are looking for a robust narrative, they won’t find it here. The overarching storyline spotlights a guilt-riddled father desperate to reconnect with the daughter he no longer recognizes. But this component of the series is lost in its dizzying pace. Since the show leans almost solely into action, a lot of the emotional beats of the story are forfeited. It may have been sharper if the tale had been contained within a two-hour-long feature film, eliminating much of the show’s empty space.
Moreover, while Rebecca is good at her craft, willing and eager to cause harm and chaos, her intense psychological wounds born out of David’s abandonment aren’t convincing as they are presented on screen. While her hurt and anguish are justified, “Butterfly” fails to unpack the roots of her callousness or even the connection she and Juno have formed over the years: The gap between the bewildered young girl and the cold and calculating adult Rebecca is never bridged.
Still, the show isn’t all bad. There are a couple of intriguing twists, and it’s entertaining enough for audiences to stick around until the end, to see whether Rebecca and David can truly rebuild the bond that was severed nearly a decade ago. Additionally, the South Korean setting, which highlights less-seen cities like Daegu and Pohang-si, offers a visual element rarely showcased on screen, but not much else stands out. Also, though Kim and Perabo are solid in the show, the rest of the cast seems less assured in their respective roles.
In the end, “Butterfly” doesn’t amount to much. If audiences are solely looking to indulge in a stunning Korean backdrop and observe some splashy gadgets and showdowns, then the show has all of that in spades. However, very little else lurks beyond the surface. It’s thrilling to see Kim in the leading role he’s long deserved, but the series isn’t weighty enough to sustain the potent and tormented character fans might have hoped to experience.
“Butterfly” is now streaming on Prime Video.
