How RDJ's The Sympathizer Works As A Stealth Continuation Of A Movie Trilogy That Ended 19 Years Ago

Summary Park Chan-Wook's new MAX series, The Sympathizer, explores themes of revenge and loyalty on a grand scale.

The Captain, a communist spy, must navigate betrayals and dangerous missions in the waning days of the Vietnam War.

The show's focus on the devastating impact of revenge, mixed with tragedy and humor, continues Park Chan-Wook's exploration of these dark themes.

The brand-new MAX series The Sympathizer, co-created and directed by legendary South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-Wook, looks to continue the themes of the auteur's underrated Vengeance Trilogy. Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer chronicles the story of an unnamed communist spy during the waning days of the Vietnam War. As Saigon falls, main The Sympathizer character The Captain (played by Hoa Xuande) is forced to undertake a more dangerous mission infiltrating the United States. The source material is equal parts tragic, thrilling, and hilarious, and is proving to be a perfect fit for Park Chan-Wook.

The first episode shows The Captain working for the secret police operating within Saigon while simultaneously serving as a spy for North Vietnam. His true loyalties are hidden from the General he works for (Toan Le), his CIA handler Claude (Robert Downey Jr. in multiple Sympathizer roles), and even his best friend Bon (Fred Nguyen Khan). As the South Vietnamese army collapses, it becomes obvious who's going to win the war. The Captain is given the task of arranging for an escape to America so that the General and members of the secret police can avoid harsh retribution for their actions during the war.

Related When The Sympathizer's Finale Releases & How Many Episodes There Are Robert Downey Jr.'s new limited series The Sympathizer is available exclusively on HBO & MAX. Here's how to watch the entire series.

The Sympathizer TV Show Sets Up A Series-Long Revenge Plot

The Captain is forced to follow the General to America to continue spying on him because it's explicitly stated that the General intends to seek revenge against the new communist government of Vietnam. This makes sense because the General loses everything: his wealth, his status, and his country. In the preview for the upcoming episodes, it's even shown that he's raising a small army, likely with a plan to violently infiltrate Vietnam and cause further unrest. The rest of the series will follow this strong desire for revenge within the General, and within the men still loyal to him.

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The General's entourage barely makes it onto the plane alive while being bombarded by enemy artillery, and several of them die during the attempt. Bon, The Captain's best friend and blood brother, loses his wife and infant son when they're killed in the blast. Already a staunch anti-comunist, Bon will likely join in on the General's plans to retake Vietnam. This could prove violently disastrous, and if it's ever revealed that The Captain is secretly a communist then their friendship will be torn to shreds. The wide reaching consequences of revenge often proves to be powerful thematic material, and it's something that Park Chan-Wook has explored before.

Park Chan-Wook Could Continue His Vengeance Trilogy Through The Show

Park Chan-Wook is a celebrated filmmaker within his home country of South Korea, but his most well known film worldwide is still the 2003 revenge thriller Oldboy. What fans may not realize is that Oldboy is the second film in a trilogy that focuses on the idea of revenge, known unofficially as Park Chan-Wook's Vengeance Trilogy. This underrated set of films, including Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance are disturbing, violent, and unflinching in their depictions of how the desire for revenge can consume people and destroy not only their own lives, but the lives of everyone around them.

The Sympathizer is shaping up to be a chance for Park Chan-Wook to return to these ideas, and explore them on an even grander scale than in his earlier films. It's not just family members or freedom that the characters lose, but an entire country. Whatever plan the General concocts will almost surely fail, and the fallout could cause irreparable damage. Park Chan-Wook, given the running time of a mini-series vs that of a movie, will have the opportunity to delve into these consequences and continue the Vengeance Trilogy's rich thematic legacy.