Published May 6, 2026, 8:30 p.m. ET

There are some shows who spend too much of their first episodes explaining the situation. But sometimes the first episode of a show sets up the barest of story structure. That’s what we get with the Korean thriller Gold Land on Hulu .

GOLD LAND : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A van drives down a rainy road at night. A woman listens to a voice on a flip phone, then tosses it out the window. She breathes heavy as if she’s in a panic. There is a casket in the back of the van.

The Gist: Kim Hee-joo (Park Bo-young) wakes up in the apartment she shares with her boyfriend, Lee Do-kyung (Lee Hyun-wook), an airline pilot that everyone calls “the Captain.” She’s greeted by the landlady at the door, telling her that Hyun-wook is three months behind on rent.

He’s currently in Thailand but due to come back to Seoul any time. Hee-joo works at the airport as a security screener, examining packages that come off incoming planes.…