WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Sweet Home season 3
Summary
Sweet Homeseason 3 took things to the next level by introducing more special infectees and neohumans and making them highly important to the K-drama’s final series. There are many kinds ofmonsters in Sweet Home, ranging from humongous ones who love protein to ones that resemble green goo. However,Sweet Home’s latest additions to its monstrous loreadd a whole new realm of complexity to the viral outbreak that started the whole thing.
Sweet Home’scastincludes the likes of Song Kang, Lee Do-hyun, Go Min-si, Lee Jin-wook, and Lee Si-young as they attempt to survive a mysterious virus that has begun to turn people into various kinds of monsters. Season 1 focused on the virus’s effects on the residents of one apartment complex, Green Home, before season 2 expanded the universe into the world the characters were so afraid of.Sweet Home 3blends the themes of its two prior installmentsto create an impactful conclusionthat is full of new kinds of monsters and lore that deepens the world even further.
Sweet Home’s Seo Yi-su Explained – How Yi-kyung’s Daughter Was Born & What Powers She Has
Much of Sweet Home season 2 centered on Yi-kyung’s daughter, a mysterious monster child who can turn other people into monsters just by touching them.
What Special Infectees Are In Sweet Home
They Are Both Human and Monster
Special infectees have always been an important part ofSweet Home. However, their identity can be confusing at times, especially asSweet Hometakes creative liberties away from the webtoon on which it’s based. In short,special infectees are people who have been infected with the monster virus but can ultimately resist fully turning. This means these beings are well and truly caught in the middle of the battle between humanity and monsters.
The most notable example of a special infectee inSweet Homeis its protagonist, Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang). In the show’s first season, Hyun-su becomes one of the first people in Green Home to be infected with the virus. However, unlike several of his other survivors, Hyun-su never fully succumbs to its effects. Instead, he can control the monstrous part of him asHyun-su learns to accept that the hallucinations that come with the virus simply aren’t real.
Seo Yi-kyung’s daughter, Seo Yi-su, could be considered a special infectee as she is both human and monster. However her circumstances are much more different. She was born as a monster human, rather than being turned. This makes her an entirely new being that could show what the future could look like as monsters and humans live side by side together.
This does not mean to say that Cha Hyun-su is exempt from the effects of monsterization. InSweet Home 3, Hyun-su succumbs to the monster inside more than ever before. However, the monster cannot kill Hyun-su as they both need to exist together to live. This acts as a great analogy for what is to come inSweet Homeseason 3’s ending, and brings peace to Hyun-su’s conflicting sides. However, Hyun-su is far from the only special infectee inSweet Home.
Special infectees become even more important inSweet Homeseason 3 as a group of monster-humans - or MH’s - led by Nam Sang-won (Lee Jin-wook), join him on his quest to destroy humanity. This comes as a result of the experimenting they were all subject to thanks to Dr. Lim’s (Oh Jung-se) increased curiosity about monsters and why these people in particular are exempt from its full effects.Though special infectees can occur naturally, like Cha Hyun-su, it’s also implied that they can also be made, which causes problems for another one ofSweet Home’s newest beings.
What Neohumans Are In Sweet Home
They Prove That There Is More To Monsterization
Unlike what was initially thought,neohumans are completely different from special infectees. Special infectees never fully go through the monsterization process and instead co-exist with the monster virus inside of them. On the other hand, neohumans show what the future looks like for humans who have been turned into monsters. This is because becoming a neohuman is the last stage of the monsterization process which has been shown in its various stages throughoutSweet Home.
Monsters then enter a cocoon.
Stage 4
Neohumans are born from the cocoon, looking like their original human counterparts.
Although neohumans are reborn looking like their original human selves, they are entirely different. This is explained inLee Do-hyun’sSweet Homereturn, as his character Lee Eun-hyuk becomesSweet Home’s most notable neohuman. Like all neohumans, Eun-hyuk has the memories of his human life intact, but cannot feel emotions. However, they possess the ability to learn quickly, as well as the ability to be reborn after their death through their cocoons, which proves to be an interesting addition toSweet Home 3.
Who Is Nam Sang-won In Sweet Home? Lee Jin-wook’s Confusing Villain Role Explained
Lee Jin-wook played Sang-wook in Sweet Home season 1 but returned as the villain Ui-myeong, whose real identity was Nam Sang-won, in seasons 2 and 3.
How Neohumans & Special Infectees Come Into Play In Sweet Home Season 3
They Are Both Very Important In The Final Season
Neohumans and special infectees are pivotal toSweet Home 3but for entirely different reasons.Neohumans are a beacon of hope for those who are infected. While most of the characters inSweet Homespend their time villainizing what their peers have become, neohumans are proof that monsterization isn’t the end. Though they may not be the same as they once were, they will still have an essence of their old selves. InSweet Home 3, they value their own kind and look to restore the natural order to things, which has been disrupted by the presence of special infectees.
The final scene ofSweet Homealso suggests that neohumans can learn to regain their emotions again. Lee Eun-hyuk, who had previously been very cold to his younger sister, smiles at Eun-yu as she walks along the rooftop of their new residence. This hints that despite their rebirth as a new being, neohumans can regain some of their more human traits, too.
On the other hand, special infectees are much more complicated. There are those like Cha Hyun-su who are deeply empathetic towards both monsters and humans. However,most of the special infectees inSweet Homechoose to resent humanity. This makes the special infectees the antagonists ofSweet Home 3, as they attempt to rid the world of humankind altogether. This desire is largely spurred on by Nam Sang-won, who was the first special infectee and takes on several different forms to get what he truly desires.
Unlike the other special infectees, Cha Hyun-su’s sympathy for all kinds makes him a key player inSweet Home’s climax. Eun-hyuk seeks him out personally, knowing that, as a special infectee, Hyun-su is one of the few people who can stop Sang-won. Though it is ultimately Sang-wook’s (Lee Jin-wook) returning consciousness that saves them in the end, Eun-hyuk and Hyun-su’s reunion makes neohumans and special infectees' roles clear. Together, they show that the only way to move forward is to accept each other so they can all live in peace.
Sweet Home
Cast
Sweet Home follows the story of Hyun-soo, a reclusive high school student who moves into the Green Home apartment complex after losing his family. When a mysterious epidemic turns people into monstrous creatures, Hyun-soo and the residents of Green Home must band together to survive, confronting their inner demons and the horrifying threats outside.
