The 8 Show Review: A Must-Watch or Overhyped?
Genre: Thriller, Satirical drama
Cast: Ryu Jun-yeol, Chun Woo-hee, Park Jeong-min, Lee Yeol-eum, Park Hae-joon, Lee Joo-young, Moon Jung-hee, Bae Sung-woo
Director: Han Jae-rim
Total no of episodes: 8
Where to watch: Netflix
Release date: May 17, 2024
Strong points: A very subtle and realistic representation of class hierarchy
Weak points: Uneven pace and prolonged scenes of violence
Plot of The 8 Show
Eight individuals who are sinking in debt agree to participate in a game show named The 8 (Eight) Show to earn money. Everything there is a replica of real-life things ranging from shirts to swimming pools. They are only given clothes and a one-time meal. Everything else is either to be compromised or bought at very high rates ranging from toiletries to water bottles. On their first night, all the players realize that the game show is actually a survival show. They must entertain the audience to earn time (remember the longer the time, the more money they will make). Otherwise, the show will end. In an attempt to buy time, all the participants compete, strategize, and manipulate one another.
Interestingly, all of the contestants are named based on their floor numbers.
The table turns when the participants discover the true nature of the survival show. They realize that the game is designed to end in their destruction, be it mental or physical. In the end, the death of Floor 1 helps them escape the never-ending cycle of both physical and psychological suffering.
Probably, most of the contestants will be thinking:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
–Charles Dickens
Review of The 8 Show
It is the second Korean show I watched after, well, I think you know after what?
Yes, Squid Game.
The show does better when it comes to plot line and cinematography, but its uneven pace and some prolonged scenes make you just stream, why????
First, I am going to talk about some of the best parts that I found in this limited series.
Understanding Class Hierarchy
“Instead of focusing on a simple dichotomy of good and evil, The 8 Show inclines towards the formation of power dynamics that emerge when a small society is created,” Director Han Jae-rim explained during a press conference in Seoul.
If you look closely, you will see that the whole show is a microcosm of the real world where the eight floors mirror eight social positions, eight being the highest and one being the lowest.
| Floor Number | Symbolic Trait | Representation in Society |
|---|---|---|
| First Floor | Hardworking father | The breadwinner, providing despite struggles |
| Second Floor | Tough but kind | The resilient helper, strong yet compassionate |
| Third Floor | The average worker | The everyday person striving for success |
| Fourth Floor | Ambitious climber | The social climber, striving for upward mobility |
| Fifth Floor | The carer | The nurturer, often self-sacrificing |
| Sixth Floor | The troublemaker | The disruptor, challenging stability |
| Seventh Floor | The brain | The intellectual, strategic and logical |
| Eighth Floor | The rebel | The rule-breaker, challenging authority |
The linkage to the floor is not dependent upon talent but rather luck.
If you are on the top floor, you are going to enjoy all kinds of privileges and chances for growth. Sounds quite familiar, right?
Every floor earns money but the amount each one of them earns varies from each other. For example, Floor 8 earns 340,000 Won (over $200 USD) for one minute, while, our protagonist, Floor 3, earns approximately 30,000 Won (almost $20 USD) for each minute. Floor 3 spends his money very carefully. For example, he buys newspapers and cardboard boxes rather than blankets. Meanwhile, Floor 8 spends money on unnecessary things despite the fact that the price of regular things is much higher compared to the real world. But then again, inflation is the very part and parcel of the real world, and unlike the upper class, the middle class has to spend wisely.
Floor 1 is the most affected by their social disparity as he earns the least. No matter what he tries or how much time he earns, he will end up gaining little to nothing. In the end, when he does make enough money to change floors and hence his position, the game show introduces him to the reality that people belonging to the lower ranks observe. They will not be able to change their position no matter how hard they try. They are given hope but only to crush it. So, they will either end up dying or suffer for nothing.
As Sartre writes,
“Hell is other people.”
So, we see the upper floors becoming hell for the lower ones.
When Floor 1 can’t climb stairs due to his condition, he volunteers to keep everyone’s toilet bags in his room. In other words, he becomes a menial worker, the part of society who is neither very important nor unimportant in the social hierarchy. I believe that it is the start of class division.
Lastly, Floor 1 death owes to his necessity. He chooses to die because he wants enough money for his daughter’s surgery. This reason compels him to join this show and becomes the cause of his tragic, upsetting, disturbing, and saddening demise.
It leaves you wondering do people in real life willingly participate in such acts? If yes, is it worth the sacrifice?
Will we follow the same path if we end up in the same situation?
One more thing that resembles the real world is deciding who is the real villain in the series.
- Is the villain Floor 8?
- Is the villain’s name what we call circumstances?
- Or is the the one that we all fall prey to, greed?
One more interesting character is floor 7 who acts as a double agent. He is what we call a moderator, who understands middle and lower classes but works in allegiance with the upper class. In other words, he is diplomacy at its best.
While some characters survive and live happily, others are left behind to live a passive torturous life.
Symbolism in The 8 Show
Let’s shift our attention to the show’s logo, shall we? At first glance, it looks like a regular logo
discloses the show’s name. But as the 8 rotates, it becomes an infinity symbol. This is very clearly and smartly used as it mirrors the nature of the show,i.e. never-ending.
The aspect ratio also plays a very important role in isolating the fake show from the real one as it switches from the 16:9 ratio to the 1:1 ratio multiple times. It only changes from 1:1 to 16:9 when all 8 of our participants get backstage and into the show, and changes back to 1:1 whenever we see their lives outside of the set.
But before we delve further, let’s understand its importance!
I am sure that you are familiar with the 1:1 ratio on Instagram, right? It’s a perfect square and is usually reserved for social media; however, the 16:9 ratio is utilized for film and television. The switches between these two ratios illustrate to us what we see on social media platforms, centered around one person, while the 16:9 ratio depicts more of the context. Whenever you see the square ratio, you will only see one of the 8 individuals outside of the game show and in the real world.
When viewed collectively, as a species, we are all just numbers. Statistics in a demographic.
Now, let’s move to the part where we discuss “What I did not like?” Shall we?
Well, the second part of the show moves at quite an uneven pace. Some scenes that depict violence are longer and it is both disturbing and boring to watch. You may want to skip them but can’t as you may miss something… You wish it to end but it just does not!
The 8 Show is quite a good show, better than Squid Game as almost all participants get to exit the show alive. But, the torture is very much the same, so be ready for it when you sit to watch it!
The chain by which food travels is similar to what you see in the dystopian movie, The Platform. I hated that there and I hated it here. So, for me, it was very very unsettling!
Conclusion
The 8 Show is quite a good show and to be honest, worth giving a shot. You will not only find the real world functioning there but also some real-world emotions that glue your eyes to the show. Although I did not like scenes depicting violence and torture, I was a bit relieved that the ending was quite realistic (an amalgamation of both happiness and sadness).
