Abhiroop Das
Created by Ken Woodruff and Steph Cha, Prime Video’s ‘Butterfly’ presents the thrilling story of David Jung, a former U.S. intelligence operative, who goes on to lead a life of hiding in South Korea. When the protagonist learns that his buried past has led to some unintended consequences, he is forced to return to a life of violence in order to save everything he holds dear. In the process, he makes an enemy out of Caddis, a private intelligence organization he once belonged to, and a cat-and-mouse chase ensues between him and their best agents. David has a unique connection with Caddis’s most feared operative, an assassin named Rebecca, and when their paths collide, many secrets come to light, leaving a complex web of emotions in their wake. Episodes 1 and 2 of the show, titled ‘Pilot’ and ‘Daegu,’ introduce us to the characters, as well as the intense conflict at play. SPOILERS AHEAD.
David Confronts His Past
The series opens with a lively round of Karaoke, with the protagonist, David Jung, singing to his heart’s content before taking a break to get more drinks. The moment he exits the place, however, his demeanor shifts completely, and we learn his real reason for coming: to disrupt an intelligence operation. Following this, we are introduced to an undercover agent named Rebecca, who takes on the persona of a pregnant woman planning a baby shower at the Conrad hotel. Her real plan is to assassinate the Russian ambassador to South Korea, Mikhail Karpov, and she does so by deftly replacing his phone with a killing device. However, she doesn’t go unnoticed and has to take out a number of Karpov’s bodyguards to make a clean exit. Unbeknownst to Rebecca, David has already taken out most of Rebecca’s team and is waiting for her in the extraction van. Still, the young assassin is quick to smell trouble and dashes for her safety, leaving David in the dust.
The scene then changes to an undisclosed Caddis black site, where the leader of the organization, Juno Lund, interrogates one of her own agents gone rogue. He was caught while attempting to give sensitive information about Caddis to the US intelligence, and Juno wishes to know who he is connected to. In turn, the agent criticizes her for betraying her homeland and dealing with the enemies, but she is undeterred and threatens the life of his family. Defeated, the agent gives up his contact and is killed shortly after. Juno’s recent success is marred when her son, Oliver, informs her about the hiccups in their Seoul operation. While they have no profile on the person responsible for this, she still puts Rebecca in charge of the investigation. Elsewhere, David contemplates leaving the city and is urged to do so by his wife, Eunju, but ultimately decides to stay. In the process, he also reveals that Rebecca is his daughter, and he is working towards saving her.
Rebecca Has a Surprise Reunion With Her Father
Preparing for an escape, David asks Eunju to pack her bags and leave immediately, while he abandons the car in a deserted parking lot. He also leaves a note with GPS coordinates behind, trusting Rebecca to find it. With this, he makes his way to the city of Incheon, where he reunites with his friend and former handler, Yong Shik Choi, who now owns a restaurant. David explains that while he got out of the business 9 years ago, he has only recently learnt that his daughter now works as an assassin. He wishes to save her and flee the country, and for that, he needs Shik-Choi’s help to make fake passports as soon as possible. The latter agrees to take on the job, allowing David to enter the next stage of his plan. Meanwhile, Rebecca finds the coordinates, which lead to Andong, and makes her way there with a team of Caddis agents.
A surprise awaits Rebecca at the Andong address, as she finds it to be empty save for a pancake meal akin to the one her father used to cook. This is interrupted by an explosion upstairs, which takes out half of the agents. Rebecca, along with her partner Atwood, spreads out in the search for their target, allowing David to isolate the latter and neutralize him. He then leads Rebecca to a storehouse full of their family memorabilia, particularly a picture of them together from years ago, before finally introducing himself to his daughter. Rebecca is initially in shock, but this quickly gives way to anger as she aggressively demands answers. David explains that the duo needs to leave first, but realizes that their trust is completely broken, and he has to start from scratch. As soon as he lets his guard down, however, Rebecca knocks him out cold, which finally gives her room to process her emotions.
Still desperate for answers, Rebecca rings up Juno and informs her about the happenings. We learn that David and Juno have a deep connection, and while she assures her agent that she has a solution for the situation, behind the scenes, she orders Rebecca’s father to be killed. When the protagonist wakes up, he realizes his mistake and begins with an apology for his nearly decade-long absence. Before the conversation can continue, Atwood walks into the storehouse, prepared to kill David. Rebecca is quicker and shoots him down instead, showing a change of heart. Her suspicions are confirmed when she checks Atwood’s communication device and finds Juno’s message about killing David. With this, Rebecca finally picks a side and decides to give her father an audience.
The Father-Daughter Duo Faces Many Hurdles
Rebecca and David make their way to a supermarket, with the latter desperately trying to reconnect with his daughter. Rebecca is not sold on their reunion and wants to know the details of their escape plan. David explains that they are headed to Busan, where he will reobtain new passports and escape to Vietnam, where people are not extradited. Still not satisfied, Rebecca contemplates leaving, but her father reminds her that she has already betrayed Juno and will never be trusted again. However, she doesn’t listen and instead disappears. Once out of his sight, she calls Juno once again, this time demanding honesty. While the latter tries to convince her agent to return, Rebecca knows that her return translates to a death sentence for her father. Once again, she returns to his side, but lies about not having contacted Juno.
David plans to drive his way to the train station, but their plan is interrupted by a police check-post in the middle of the road, operating on behalf of Caddis. When their cover is blown, David and his daughter take out two policemen before hijacking a passerby’s car and fleeing the scene. Back at the Caddis headquarters, we learn that David was a co-founder in the organization’s creation, and Juno has many reasons to eliminate him. Her son, Oliver, eventually tracks down Eunju Kim, David’s wife, and a team is sent to tail her. Following this, the scene cuts to a repairman entering a Korean home, before his true identity is revealed to be that of an assassin named Gun. Right after he kills the homeowner, he is called up by Juno, who orders a hit on David. Elsewhere, the protagonist makes a stop in Daegu and takes Rebecca to a traditional bar.
David reveals that his full-time job is to produce and sell Korean alcoholic beverages such as Makgeolli and soju, and invites Rebecca to have a drink. Once settled, the two try to bond once again, reminiscing about their older memories. However, there is more at play, and we soon learn that David has added a sedative to his daughter’s drink. Once she is unconscious, he checks her phone and realizes that she lied about not contacting Juno. On the other hand, the leader of Caddis is surprised by the appearance of Senator George Dawson, who heads the intelligence division in the White House. The two discuss the recent murder of Karpov over lunch, and we learn that the Russian Ambassador was secretly funneling US intelligence to Russia. Dawson understands that this isn’t possible without inside help, and makes his suspicion of Judo clear, going as far as to threaten her son, Oliver’s life.
David Has Many Secrets up his Sleeve
Once Rebecca wakes up, she confronts her father once again, demanding why her father has embroiled her in this escape mission. When he explains that it is out of his love for her, the deuteragonist’s anger reaches a boiling point, and she tries to attack him. It soon becomes clear that her pain has an origin deeper in the past, when David left her at the age of fourteen, leading her to believe that her father died in a terrorist accident. In the present, he finally comes clean, revealing that he was once in an operation to hunt down a terrorist named Hugo Mandonado. While the mission was a success, he found their database containing information on the family members of every agent involved in the operation, including him. Knowing that the terrorists were infamous for not sparing family members in their quest for revenge, David decided that the only way to protect his daughter was to fake his death and take the target off her back.
Hearing David’s reasons, Rebecca’s anger begins to come down, but their exchange is interrupted by a phone call from Eunju, who tells him that she is being followed. Realizing the urgency of the situation, David and his daughter rush to the train station. Juno also informs Gun about Eunju’s location, with the plan being to lure David out into the open. However, the former operative is a clever foe and seamlessly takes down multiple Caddis agents on his way to his wife. Fearlessly, he takes one of the microphones and talks directly to Juno, threatening her with dire consequences if she targets his family. With the help of Rebecca, he makes light work of the two agents tailing Eunju, allowing her to safely enter the train. Just when he is about to make his own exit, however, he is ambushed by Gun and stabbed in the stomach.
Despite his injury, David manages to hold Gun off long enough for Rebecca to intervene. Realizing that he can’t take two of them at once, Gun leaves, leaving Rebecca to carry her father to the train. Seemingly safe from immediate danger, the two breathe a sigh of relief, but there is one last twist to come. When Eunju reunites with her husband, Rebecca notices that she is not alone. It turns out that David has another daughter, one that he has kept hidden from Rebecca until this moment. Thus, the episode ends on a surprising note, with new players added to the equation. How Rebecca reacts to this development will define the course of the narrative from hereon out. Additionally, the stakes are also at an all-time high, with the protagonist injured and his enemies still on his tail.
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