Karma – Weekly Recap (Week 1): A Sinister Deal and a Witness to Ruin
Streaming Now on Netflix | Episodes 1 & 2 Recap
Episode 1 Recap – “The Debt”
Karma wastes no time throwing us into darkness. Park Jae-yeong is introduced as a man on the edge — broke, desperate, and dangerously detached. After losing everything in a cryptocurrency crash, he sees one twisted way out: cash in on his father’s life insurance.
Enter Jang Gil-ryong, a man just as broken. A former gang member who just lost his job, Gil-ryong agrees to do the unthinkable. Their scenes are gritty, raw, and eerily quiet — giving us a taste of the cold logic that drives both men.
By the end of the episode, one thing is clear: this show is all about how far people will go when life pushes them to the edge. It’s not just about crime — it’s about desperation.
Top Moment: Jae-yeong staring at his father’s photo while finalizing the murder plan. Cold. Calculated. Haunting.
Episode 2 Recap – “Witness”
Just when you think you’ve figured out the rhythm of the show, Karma flips the table.
We meet Kim Beom-jun — a calm, polite man who becomes the accidental witness to the murder. His world starts to crumble, not from the crime itself, but from the unbearable pressure of silence.
What makes this episode shine is how it captures anxiety so well. Beom-jun’s paranoia builds slowly, with every creaking floor and phone notification. He tries to ignore what he saw… but karma doesn’t let you walk away so easily.
Meanwhile, the killer starts unraveling too. Guilt is creeping in, and we start seeing cracks in Gil-ryong’s tough exterior.
Top Moment: Beom-jun walking past a mirror and seeing the killer’s face in his reflection — a chilling metaphor for shared guilt.
Themes This Week:
- Money as a motivator for sin
- The psychological weight of witnessing a crime
- The beginning of tangled fates
Verdict: Karma opens strong with a gritty tone, emotional complexity, and a slow burn that promises chaos. If the first two episodes are any indication, things are only going to get darker from here.
Karma (Week 2): Ghosts from the Past & Threads of Fate
Episodes 3 & 4 Recap
Episode 3 Recap – “The Doctor’s Past”
This episode shifts gears from crime to character — and it’s powerful. Dr. Lee Ju-yeon, until now a background figure, steps into the spotlight. She’s calm, successful, and respected — but inside? She’s carrying a storm.
Through flashbacks, we glimpse her childhood trauma, suggesting ties to abuse and betrayal. The tension builds when a familiar face from her past is rushed into her ER. The moment they lock eyes, it’s clear: her demons have returned.
While less action-heavy, this episode adds emotional weight. We begin to see Karma isn’t just about murder — it’s about the emotional wreckage that haunts survivors.
Top Moment: Ju-yeon standing over the unconscious patient, whispering, “You don’t get to haunt me anymore.” The silence after that line? Bone-chilling.
Episode 4 Recap – “Red Thread”
This is where things get tangled — and brilliant. The storytelling becomes more layered as the lives of the six main characters start intertwining in unexpected ways.
We get a deeper look into Han Sang-hun and Lee Yu-jeong, both trying to hold their personal lives together while the ripple effects of the crime touch their worlds. Yu-jeong’s storyline hints at a personal connection to the murder, and Sang-hun’s anxiety seems to stem from more than just curiosity.
What’s genius here is the symbolic use of the red thread — a traditional symbol of fate. In one surreal scene, each character is shown connected by an invisible red string, tugging tighter with every secret and lie.
Top Moment: A crime scene photo reveals a red thread tied around the victim’s finger — and it wasn’t there before. Chills.
Themes This Week:
- Trauma doesn’t stay buried
- Fate ties people in ways they don’t see
- The web of consequences begins to tighten
Verdict: Karma deepens in emotional and narrative complexity this week. As characters confront their pasts and draw closer to one another, we can feel something explosive building beneath the surface.
Karma (Week 3): Unraveling Lies and Facing Consequences
Episodes 5 & 6 Recap
Episode 5 Recap – “Truth Uncovered”
The tension reaches a boiling point as the truth starts to spill out. Secrets that were buried in Episode 4 surface, and we get our first big twist. The investigation into the murder heats up, and the characters begin to unravel as their hidden motives and relationships come to light.
Kim Beom-jun, still haunted by what he saw, begins to spiral. The guilt, the fear — it’s all eating at him. Meanwhile, Park Jae-yeong’s plan begins to backfire. What seemed like a surefire way to escape his debt is slowly slipping through his fingers.
And then, the most shocking reveal: one of the six characters is hiding the truth about the murder. Someone has been playing everyone from the shadows, manipulating them for their own gain. The tension is palpable as the stakes get higher, and the lines between right and wrong blur.
Top Moment: A hidden camera video reveals the real killer — but it’s someone no one suspected. The moment is gut-wrenching and leaves us questioning everything we thought we knew.
Episode 6 Recap – “What Goes Around” (Finale)
The finale delivers on every front — suspense, emotion, and shocking revelations. Karma truly lives up to its name as the characters face the consequences of their actions.
As the police close in, everyone is forced to confront the lies they’ve told themselves. Jang Gil-ryong, the hired killer, faces the ultimate choice: escape or face justice. Lee Ju-yeon, the doctor, finds herself caught in a moral dilemma that forces her to choose between protecting her career and confronting her past.
The emotional weight is heavy as we watch each character reckon with their decisions. By the end, the stories of fate, guilt, and redemption come to a head. Karma ties everything together in a way that leaves us both satisfied and haunted.
Top Moment: The final scene shows each character receiving a form of “punishment” or “redemption” — the closing words echoing: “In the end, it wasn’t the crime that ruined them. It was the lie they told themselves to justify it.”
Themes This Week:
- Truth vs. lies
- Justice and the consequences of choices
- Redemption or downfall — everyone gets what they deserve
Verdict: The finale is a powerful and emotional conclusion to Karma. The payoffs are big, and the show wraps up all the loose ends.
It’s a story about how one small decision can spiral out of control — and in the end, everyone faces the music. It’s a thought-provoking and satisfying end to an unforgettable thriller. Let’s know your thoughts in the comment section below.
