The Silent Sea (2021)

July 23, 2023

Our Take: A sci-fi thriller about what lies in the vast unknown. 

Set in the near future, Earth suffers from a dire lack of water and food due to desertification. With the planet's water depleted by nearly 40%, governments must ration the available water, assigning citizens a "water grade" based on a hierarchical ranking system. To ensure mankind's survival, the government seeks answers in the vastness of space.

The space administration approaches biochemist and former astrobiologist Dr. Song Ji An (Bae Doo Na) to be a part of a new moon mission to recover a mysterious sample from an abandoned lunar space station. Initially, Ji An is hesitant to join the expedition. But once she learns they are heading to the Balhae Space Station, she quickly jumps on the opportunity. 5 years ago, a tragic accident at the research facility left 117 crew members dead, including her sister. 

Joining Ji An is a handpicked team of elite personnel. Han Yun Jae (Gong Yoo) is a soldier for the space agency and the crew's captain. Lieutenant Ryu Tae Seok (Lee Joon) is a well-known officer who volunteers to join the mission. Others on the team include the ship's doctor Hong Ga Young (Kim Sun Young), space soldier Gong Soo Hyuk (Lee Moo Saeng), space engineer Gong Soo Chan (Jung Soon Won), Chief Kim Jae Sun (Heo Sung Tae), and a few others. 

The team of 11 has 24 hours to recover the sample before the station is permanently closed. They are given limited information on potential dangers or what exactly they are looking for. As they set for Balhae aboard the Nuri 11, the liftoff goes well. However, when they get closer to the moon, the brackets attaching their shuttle to the main rockets break, leading Yun Jae to make a crash landing several kilometers away from the station. Everyone barely manages to escape and must make the dangerous trek to Balhae, where they will slowly uncover the startling and horrifying secrets behind their expedition.

The Silent Sea is a slow-burn drama with a larger-than-life premise. Using elements of astrobiology, the drama presents an insidious atmosphere that openly flirts with the unknown. The moon's open space versus the claustrophobic abandoned space station creates a sense of foreboding and intensity that speaks volumes even in silence. From the strange deaths of the station's previous crew members to the samples of lunar water with unknown origins, we are thrust into an endless sea of mysteries to discover. 

Under this confined environment, the crew must do everything they can to survive while seeking to satiate their curiosity about the hidden secrets behind their mission and space. Meanwhile, the crew's dynamics, hidden agendas, and personal motivations are put to the test. As the main characters grapple with guilt, regret, violence, greed, and responsibility, their underlying motives breed mistrust and turmoil. 

The series also attempts to tackle future world problems with theoretical cases. As a result of severe climate change, the global water shortage threatens to destroy humanity. This context provides the backdrop for subtle messages of the lasting effects of socio-political greed and irreversible environmental damage. 

To make room for the drama's ambitious storyline, many characters are denied opportunities to get fully fleshed out and showcase their range of emotions and depth. Despite the strong ensemble, it does not feel like we truly got to know anyone, even by the end. In favor of exploring the unknown, the characters' individual aspirations, flaws, and strengths get sidelined. Because most characters appear one-dimensional, it becomes hard to root for anyone, even with extremely high stakes involved. 

Despite the lack of character development, the complexities of humanity get explored through the different motivations people have for going on the mission and seeking the lunar water. On one hand, people like Captain Han will do anything to save their loved ones, while Ji An desperately wants answers to her sister's death but cares about the value of human life. However, others are not as empathetic and are willing to go to the extreme, whether it's experimenting on clones, covering up the deaths of a whole crew, or even killing people to get what they want. 

Final Thoughts

The Silent Sea's strength and novelty lie in its ability to explore the opportunities and dangers the unknown may pose. It presents a dark and terrifying future reinforced through thought-provoking themes, the use of outer space as humanity's only hope, and delving into the lengths people are willing to go to survive. However, the plot's slow pace and weak character development become its pitfall. Perhaps if The Silent Sea were a movie instead of an 8-episode drama, it would have made for a much more exciting watch. Instead, it falls short of expectations and ends up feeling very shallow.