This article contains spoilers.

1/5 stars

Early in the final episode of Jirisan , a ghost and a serial killer argue in a cave about whose side Jirisan is on, as if the titular mountain is backing their cause.

Much as this writer would love to share the punchline to that set-up, this isn’t a joke. It is a deadly serious exchange that takes place at a crucial moment in the denouement of what was one of the most hotly anticipated Korean dramas of the year.

Mountaineering dramas, with their ragged and treacherous backdrops, are naturally charged with suspense as characters put their lives at risk navigating dangerous terrain and changeable weather.

Jirisan supercharges an already very effective formula by presenting us with protagonists whose job is to save people in peril in the depths of the mountains. The daily lives of these mountain rangers will be filled with thrilling acts of heroism, we presume.

Instead, the creators of this baffling production muddied the waters almost as soon as we were able to dip our toes in. Supernatural phenomena appeared in the opening episode in a misguided attempt to amplify the mythical aspects of South Korea’s Jirisan National Park, where the series is set.

Before long, these supernatural phenomena were driving a head-scratching investigation that seldom made sense, let alone beckoned us along the path of an exciting mystery.