Warning! SPOILERS for Hellbound
original The Twilight Zone series, Hellbound’s narrative strength lies in leveraging (and, thus, sustaining) the power of the unknown. As the origins of Hellbound’s supernatural events remain unclear, the series treads the line between fantasy and sci-fi, and succeeds at using the ensuing horror to flesh out brilliant political allegory.
At the center of this allegory are the moralistic dogmas of The New Truth Society, a new age cult which claims that the floating heads announcing the decrees are angels, and that the unstoppable hulking creatures that carry out the executions are demons. ed by the extremist Arrowhead organization, The New Truth Society preaches that the supernatural events are ineffable acts of God, and that only sinners are bound for hell. These dogmas were proven to be false in Hellbound’s season 1 finale in which the newborn baby Toughie, who was decreed for death, survives its execution when its parents sacrifice themselves to protect it. Moreover, the resurrection of Park Jeong-ja (Kim Shin-Rock) in the final scene not only reveals that the executions are not always final, but it also suggests that others who were hell-bound may return as well.
Hellbound can’t risk revealing the truth behind these events because the mystery surrounding them is the primary driving force behind the main characters and factions in the show. The reality is that the truth behind the supernatural events isn’t the point of Hellbound. Rather, Hellbound’s core message can be gleaned from how modern society reacts to these unexplained events, which allows Hellbound to explore fanaticism, politics, and other sociological factors amid a fantasy setting. In fact, it was the uncertainty of where the decrees come from that inspired Chairman Jung Jin-soo (Yoo Ah-in) to craft lies and dogmas to found The New Truth Society, which he designed as a way to prevent others from being tortured by the unknown, like he was for 20 years. Jin-soo’s character is not only an examination of how elaborate lies and cruelty can lay the foundations for the rise of a messiah, he is also responsible for setting all the other events in Hellbound in motion. While the supernatural events serve as the spark in Hellbound’s narrative, the mystery surrounding it is an all-consuming fire.
This isn’t to say that Hellbound can’t ever reveal the truth behind these supernatural factors. However, doing so would drastically change the driving forces of each character and greatly tip the balance of power between the factions. This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, so long as it continues to serve Hellbound’s compelling examinations of the true nature of humanity.
For now, Hellbound’s angels, demons, and decrees work best without any clear-cut explanations. Keeping this supernatural mystery intact also allows the audience to keep their eyes on the prize: the social evolution of proto-fascist cults, messiahs, and those who are hell-bound. On the other hand, Hellbound director Yeon Sang-ho might just decide to shake things up by finally unraveling this mystery in Hellbound season 2.