Questions

What is the plot?

The series opens in Seoul with David Jung, a former spy, surveilling a Caddis Private Intelligence operative at the Conrad Hotel karaoke bar. Meanwhile, Rebecca, David’s daughter and a trained assassin working for Caddis, arrives at the hotel under orders. She gains access to the Russian ambassador Mikhail Karpov’s interview location by pretending to faint, then swaps his phone with a device that causes him to have a stroke. When security suspects her, Rebecca kills a guard in a fight and escapes into a banquet hall. David, who has been secretly tracking her, kills the man guiding Rebecca’s escape and hijacks her extraction vehicle, forcing her to go on the run with him.

David reveals to Rebecca that he is her father, alive after faking his death nine years earlier to protect her from danger following a betrayal by Juno, the current head of Caddis. Juno leaked classified information about Rebecca, putting her at risk. David had disappeared to keep her safe, but now he wants to stop Juno’s control over Caddis and save Rebecca from becoming a disposable assassin. Rebecca is initially hostile, knocking David out and calling Juno, but the revelation unsettles her. Juno betrays Rebecca’s trust by sending Atwood, a Caddis agent with whom Rebecca had a semi-intimate relationship, to kill David and Rebecca.

David and Rebecca evade their pursuers in a tense cat-and-mouse chase across multiple locations. They struggle to rebuild their fractured father-daughter relationship amid the danger. Rebecca’s conflicted feelings toward David and her loyalty to Caddis create ongoing tension. David tries to convince Rebecca to abandon her mission and join him against Juno’s empire, which profits from selling intelligence secrets and maintaining a private army of assassins.

Juno’s grip on Caddis tightens as she ruthlessly eliminates threats to her power. She views people as chess pieces and is willing to burn the world down to maintain control. Her son Oliver is the only person she shows maternal instincts toward. Meanwhile, David’s idealistic belief that people can change clashes with Juno’s harsh realism. This ideological conflict drives much of the season’s tension.

Throughout the season, David and Rebecca face multiple confrontations with Caddis operatives, including Atwood. Each fight and escape sequence is detailed, with Rebecca using her lethal skills to survive while David provides strategic support. Their cooperation grows as they share memories and confront painful truths about their past. The series explores Rebecca’s transformation from an innocent child to a deadly assassin, paralleling the butterfly’s metamorphosis, which is also a motif in their childhood game.

The season culminates in a final confrontation where David and Rebecca confront Juno directly. The battle involves tactical maneuvers, close combat, and high-stakes decisions. David and Rebecca manage to outsmart Juno’s forces, but the victory is bittersweet, leaving unresolved questions about their future and the cost of their fight. The season ends with David and Rebecca still on the run but united in their cause, setting up further developments for subsequent seasons.

What is the ending?

⚠ Spoiler – click to reveal

The ending of Butterfly Season 1 concludes with David, Rebecca, Eunju, and Minhee seemingly rebuilding their lives and planning to move to the United States. However, the final scene reveals Eunju gravely injured and bleeding at a restaurant, with Rebecca missing, leaving David desperate and uncertain about who harmed Eunju and what will happen next, signaling ongoing danger and unresolved conflict.

In a detailed, scene-by-scene narration of the ending:

The season’s climax unfolds after David successfully rescues his daughter Rebecca from Juno and the operatives of the secretive organization Caddis. David, who had faked his own death nine years earlier to protect Rebecca from enemies, has been trying to mend his fractured family. Rebecca, raised by Juno as a trained assassin, has begun to reconcile with David, understanding his sacrifices.

Following the confrontation, the family—David, Rebecca, David’s wife Eunju, and their younger daughter Minhee—gathers at a restaurant. They share a moment of calm and tentative hope, discussing plans to move to the United States to start anew, symbolizing a fresh beginning after years of turmoil.

The atmosphere shifts when Eunju and Rebecca go to the washroom and do not return. David notices something is wrong and soon discovers Eunju bleeding heavily, gravely injured. Rebecca is nowhere to be found. David urgently asks Eunju if Rebecca was responsible for the attack, but Eunju is too weak to answer. David calls out for Rebecca, but the show ends without revealing her whereabouts or intentions.

This final scene leaves multiple questions unanswered: the true nature of Rebecca’s loyalty, the extent of Caddis’s reach, and the safety of the family. David’s hope for peace is shattered by this violent cliffhanger, emphasizing that the family’s danger is far from over.

Regarding the fate of the main characters at the end:

  • David remains alive but is plunged into uncertainty and desperation, trying to protect his family once again.
  • Rebecca is missing, her role ambiguous—whether she is a victim, perpetrator, or something in between is left unresolved.
  • Eunju is gravely injured and bleeding, her survival uncertain as she cannot communicate who harmed her.
  • Minhee is present but not directly involved in the final conflict.

The ending is deliberately open, setting the stage for a potential second season by highlighting fractured family bonds, unresolved threats from Caddis, and the complex, shifting loyalties of Rebecca.

Is there a post-credit scene?

⚠ Spoiler – click to reveal

Yes, Butterfly Season 1 (2025) includes a post-credit scene that continues the tense and unresolved storyline. In this scene, Juno and Rebecca are escaping after the FBI raids their office. David’s team intercepts them, leading to a confrontation in an abandoned factory where David kills Gun, one of Juno’s men. David is about to kill Juno, but Rebecca stops him, convincing him to let Juno go because she is part of her. Juno then boards a plane with Hollis, planning to start a new Caddis operation somewhere outside American jurisdiction, setting up future conflict for Season 2.

This post-credit scene underscores the ongoing danger and unresolved tensions among the main characters, leaving the story open for continuation.

What is the nature of the relationship between David and Rebecca in Butterfly Season 1?

David is Rebecca's father who faked his death nine years ago to protect her. Rebecca was raised by the Caddis organization and molded into an assassin by Juno. Their relationship is tense and complex, with David trying to rekindle their bond while on the run together after he reveals himself to her. Rebecca initially rejects him and remains loyal to Juno, but the revelation affects her deeply.

Who is Juno and what role does she play in the story?

Juno is the current head of the Caddis organization, which David founded. She has raised Rebecca as a borderline sociopathic assassin and built an intelligence empire by selling secrets. Juno betrays Rebecca's trust by sending Atwood, a Caddis agent and Rebecca's former lover, to kill David and Rebecca. She views people as chess pieces and has a maternal instinct reserved only for her son Oliver.

What is the significance of the character Atwood in Season 1?

Atwood is a Caddis agent who had a semi-intimate relationship with Rebecca. Juno sends Atwood to kill David and Rebecca after David reveals himself to Rebecca. This act deepens the conflict and forces David and Rebecca to go on the run together.

What happens in the final scenes of Season 1 regarding Eunju and Rebecca?

In the final scene, Eunju is found gravely injured and bleeding at a restaurant, while Rebecca is missing. David asks Eunju if Rebecca harmed her, but Eunju is too weak to respond. This leaves David uncertain about Rebecca's actions and suggests ongoing danger for the family.

How does the show depict Rebecca's transformation and internal conflict?

Rebecca is portrayed as a weapon molded by Juno and the Caddis organization, initially unaware of her father's survival and past. Her internal conflict arises from her loyalty to Juno and her complicated feelings toward David after his return. The show explores her struggle with identity and trust as she navigates between being an assassin and reconnecting with her father.

Is this family friendly?

The TV show Butterfly (2025, Season 1) is rated TV-MA, indicating it is intended for mature audiences and is not family-friendly for children. It contains content that may be upsetting or objectionable for children or sensitive viewers.

Potentially upsetting aspects include:

  • Violence and action scenes involving gunfights, martial arts combat, and car chases with a near-constant threat of death.
  • Themes of espionage, betrayal, and danger linked to a former intelligence operative’s past.
  • Emotional family conflict, including abandonment issues, anger, and intense personal drama with tears and physical confrontations.
  • The daughter character is involved as a top-ranked assassin, implying scenes of killing and moral complexity.
  • The presence of a sociopathic agent pursuing the protagonist, suggesting psychological tension and threat.

These elements combine to create a thriller with strong action and mature emotional themes, making it unsuitable for children and potentially distressing for sensitive viewers.