Newtopia Episode 5 Review: Small Progressions and Heartbreaking Goodbyes

The last episode of Prime Video Kdrama Newtopia, saw the members of Jae-yoon’s squad try to decipher what to do with themselves as people turn into zombies one after the other. As Jae-yoon makes up his mind to save Young-joo, they get news that help is on the way. Meanwhile, Young-joo and her gang figure out that the zombies are not attacking the already-bitten Tripeater, who is also not turning into a zombie. They wonder whether it is because he was drunk when he was bitten and proceeded to get sloshed as well. Will that be a good idea for their survival though?

The series has 8 episodes and will be released from 07 February 2025 to 21 March 2025. It is based on 인플루엔자 by Han Sang Woon.

Newtopia Episode 5 Recap

The episode starts with the military men getting ready to welcome the incoming helicopter. However, everyone is on edge, wondering why it’s shaking so much and why they are not responding. Just then, In-ho shows Young-man that there are zombies on the helicopter and this starts a wave of panic among the others. Meanwhile, Young-joo and the others continue to get drunk and find Alex fighting zombies outside of the pharmacy they are hiding in. At the Tower 77A Outpost, the others get ready to gun the helicopter full of zombies down.

Everyone is left shocked as the helicopter falls from the sky, while down below, Young-joo and the others spot the helicopter and make their way towards the building. Meanwhile, Sergeant Jung lets the others know that they will not survive with their dwindling resources and decide to move from their stations. In the midst of this, Soo-jeong asks for a rifle to protect herself and although she is denied first, Sergeant Jung is moved by her words in the end.

Outside the door of Eden Hotel, unfortunately, Young-joo and the others are surprised to find the zombies swarming in the lobby and decide to take a different route upstairs. Unfortunately, the zombies swarm them in the car park as well. Thankfully, Alex is able to save them using several Molotov cocktails but is eventually taken by the zombies himself. On the roof, the soldiers make a daring escape from their hideout.

After murdering a ton of zombies, the boys make their way to the hotel kitchen and Jae-yoon and Young-joo finally have a chance to talk to one another after they connect to the hotel wi-fi. Jae-yoon asks her to get away from the hotel and delivers the news that they are not in Tower A anymore. Listening to In-ho, he asks her to go to Suseo. Upstairs, the soldiers find Paolo in one of the rooms while Tripeater learns how to drive a car and rescues Young-joo and Jin-wook.

As the soldiers sit down to eat, they are interrupted by a zombie who only has a torso. It’s a surreal watch and Soo-jeong ends up being the one to save them from the mess. Unfortunately, Young-man is bitten by the zombie and the others have no option but to kill him. Meanwhile, Young-joo and Jin-wook leave Treapeater at a parking lot as he slowly turns into a zombie.

Newtopia Episode 5 Review

This has been an emotional watch for sure! Losing two great characters in one episode is not easy and, for some reason, I had found myself rooting for Sergeant Jung and Tripeater throughout this ordeal. I think the series ends their journeys extremely well, so much so that it might bring a tear to your eye. On the other hand, Jae-yoon and Young-joo are again separated from one another but there’s a new goal in sight. The series moves along just a tiny bit this week and I am thankful for it.

Also Read: Newtopia Season 1 Reviews