The 8 Show (2024)

Psychological thriller? Yes, please!

A perfectly written psychological thriller that talks about human behavior under unique circumstances. I have to say, I went into this TV series with high expectations, but unlike others who craved blood and death games, I kind of guessed from the trailers that this wouldn't be bloody and would be more like a human experiment on behavioral issues, which I was right about. 

I recommend this series to everyone who wants to see the thrill of miserable people craving money without the death or blood factor. I don't think we need blood and death games to make something interesting, because the human psyche is interesting without them as well. 

The main characters are very different people, so as you are watching, you will probably have your favorite, which you're going to cheer for. I don't think the series showed us unrealistic characters; I would say they chose a big spectrum of people that represent broad humanity. They showed the bad, the good, and the middle, and they also included disabilities and special skills. In other words, there were only 8 players, but they kind of represented a much bigger group of people. 

I love how the production style was very artsy and the background music was classical music.

My biggest positive point is that they managed to wrap the story in just eight episodes, and honestly, they wrapped it so well that season two isn't needed in my opinion, which is rare with Netflix shows. 

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Money Maketh Man

Money is a delimma, a critical delimma. There is a saying that goes " Don't let money manage you, manage the money" and another that goes " Money can change a person".

Well, this story brought out those two sayings in the most cinematically and praise-worthy way. From bringing us an hierarchy view of how people with more power ( but in this case money) can control what anyone below them have or get, how small destructive behaviour can turn into something even worse and to how resulting to violence can lead to more violence and nothing else.

Desperation to keep the money and to survive without any harm was impossible, especially when money is being given away for free. The sad part unless you are at the top of the food chain you have better chances to survive but if you are at the bottom...you have to do what you can.

When they couldn't change the rooms as expected, I was not surprised. They had all these plans but they didn't go as they did plan, and it brings us back to life and how no matter how much you plan...the most unexpected things tend to come out.

And so brings me to my conclusion, When they first started the show ...they were managing the money but as the money grew their opinions and decisions became clouded then we watched the money managed them.

I believe this was portrayed in a very elegantly disturbing way. Likeable characters turned unlikeable but the more I watched the more I understood how rational and irrational us humans become when faced with such a great amount.

This is worth the watch, definitely give it a shot. But to me overall 10/10

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money,power and its effects on the human's mind

I binged watched this beautiful show for the whole day and I was sooo satisfied watching it .. the artistic direction in this show is really amazing. this shows basically show you how capitalism ( money and power combined) can effect someone's mental health .. how society made people think ,behave and act and how its all related to how the cruel reality made them this way ..) this show is very philosophical so i don't expect everyone to like it ... but for me this is the best show I've watched in a while ❤️
and chun woo hee (the psycho 8th floor) the range of actinggg that she gave for this character I was amazed by her ...
conclusion if you like psychological philosophical shows this will be your show
if you are here just for action you might not like this.

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Boring

this show is a joke, full of bullshit.
After watching so many genres of this kind, this one was very disappointing. They really failed at giving something new and original, everything was predictable, and pretty much a copy-paste of some shows and movies, very bad plot twists, poor writing, very weak character developemet, also a lot of plot holes and stupid decisions. However, the acting was pretty good (10/10)!
If you want to watch something to kill time, you can watch it.
And I don't see a second season happening because at least for me this show can't offer more.
I was wondering when they kept showing the reference of the 8 and ∞ infinity symbol that maybe either one of the participants is already stuck in the game like the 8th or 1st floor or maybe all the participants won't beat the game unless they die, but i guess it doesn't have a meaning. Then the ending was breaking the cameras and just like that, they were free, and it was the only rule they broke, pretty disappointing, I also had no attachment to the characters except for the 1st floor.
They made the show from the 3rd floor's pov, and made him the endgame, again another weak character like the lead of squid game. with no skills suddnely he's good at shooting (what the,,,,)
The 8 and 1st floor were the only characters that made me continue watching.
They tried to portray different personnalities like bringing kind, or selfish or smart characters. Number 7 had to be the worst smart charachter ever.
The show's idea was pretty cool, they could've done better, but it kept getting worse especially the ending.

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Most Disturbing show I’ve ever seen

So I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. To this shows credit, I really think it wants to be disturbing.. but beyond that what is it trying to say? What is the story? It’s kind of on the nose, but isn’t functional in the end because of the inconsistency it has. .. let me explain

So I think this drama had a lot of potential. I haven’t read the webtoon nor do I want to, but if it’s anything like this show then I am going to say again that I think deviating from the source material for the benefit of the story being told is good. But what was the story?

In the first half I liked it, but after that it just kept the same beats again and again. There was no triumphant end for anyone, and if it could be argued that there was who was it for? I can do shows with multiple main characters, but at least one character out of all with a niche is a good person that is realistic. Here they leaned into the crazy too much with them all, floor number three was good but he also was just as hard to watch because he had no backbone. For something so disturbing being told I would’ve thought that maybe, somewhere someone would outsmart a game in a satisfying way that was righteous. Instead every single character is inconsistent with a loose goal that they all share. There is a little character build up with them, but really most of the characters actions are so disturbing and irredeemable that anything they’ve done before as a person cancels out. What fun is there in watching horrible people do horrible things to helpless individuals ? It’s not. At some point I felt so disturbed I wanted to quit.

Episodes in and closer to the end I realize this show is just passing beat by beat and has shock and horror just for the sake of it. There is a little story to be told, but it’s pretty cheap in the end. The ratio of good things and bad deeds here is god awful. I see some artistry with the set design and score, but beyond that when you strip this show down it’s just disturbing. It wasn’t fun in the end to watch because there was no satisfying conclusion.

If you have the decision to make people so bad and horrible then please have one character be good. I thought maybe one of them would truly outsmart the game as a whole, but no. It was people torturing others because they were crazy and horrible and that is just what I found it to be. It was honestly a shell of what it could be. I can’t help but compare to the predecessor that was Squid Game. Which in comparison is a whole million times better than this. That built up characters naturally and Decisively. It showed what was the common evil as well as showing how bad human nature can go to exploit eachother for money. It knew what it was. Here the characters don’t start off torturing eachother, they have the choice to not do it. But they do for money? I mean I got it I guess, I watched it. But time and time again the top floors of people just abused the bottom and not one person showed remorse, and if they did they fooled me because they just tortured them again. It wasn’t realistic to survive that much brutality, and if it was it wasn’t realistic the decisions both sides had.

So this drama was unrealistic and that is a given. I sure hope it would’ve be real. But at least have consistent characters that act like people instead of just caricatures. If they are caricatures and a study of human psyche than it’s just on me for not being able to stomach this. I am a person who can take disturbing content, but I’m also someone that likes to enjoy things. I’m simple and want the good guys to win and the bad to lose. I didn’t need justice with violence, I just wish there was wit to this story. Instead everyone was really dumb and unbelievable. It was hard to watch most of the time. For that I don’t like it, it was not good but not horrible.

If someone really doesn’t want to get tortured then lock yourself in the room. They can’t play with you if you are locked in the room. Power in numbers is a thing. Buy a weapon on the first day. It was like these people were so unlucky to the point that it hurt. It really hurt to watch this, it wasn’t fun.. but I didn’t hate it either? It was artistic enough that I watched.. but I feel a bit sick saying that.

Not bad but not good. If you want a commentary on class watch Squid Game or Pyramid Game. If you really want to watch this you can. I really wouldn’t recommend it. I wouldn’t watch it again either. To see what people would do for money is interesting, but I can’t believe people would end up in some places people did in this show. Why?

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Survival Thriller Show with Wes Anderson direction - Must Watch!

If you like narration as in Wes Anderson's film "The Budapest Hotel" and survival game dramas/movies that showcase human desperation like Squid Games, Alice in Borderland & The Platform - then you must watch this show. Worth the binge watch!

WHAT WORKS:
Everything in the show works -well the plot, pace, acting, thrill, class discrimination, human instinct to survive at all costs - all tied up with a good finish, and lovely easter egg in the end credit.

UNIQUE FACTOR: What sets it apart from the rest is the direction and narration which is typical of Wes Anderson movies (the changes in aspect ration, and narration by one character). Also, I liked how in few seconds during the show and end, they let us know the background of all characters & how they end up after the show. But the end credits do keep an opening for Season 2 - which in my mind was cute and brilliant.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
Not a con - but why this not a 10/10 is simply cause of the fact that we have seen such shows before, so it is not a eureka moment for me. And also, I did not 100% agree with the sacrifice made at the end, even if it fits with the story flow. Just my personal opinion and that is okay - as everyone will have different interpretations and thus, the ratings/likings.

OVERALL:
Highly recommend this show at least once - if you are someone who likes watching the choices humans make when you are given the chance to have it all! ❤️

SPECIAL MENTION:
While all characters were great in there element, possibly because I have a bias towards characters that seem intelligent/gray - I loved the role of Park Jeong Min (YU Phillip/Floor 7). This is the time I am watching him and what a delight! I am off to see more of his dramas now. And really admire the gutsy woman Lee Joo Young as Floor 2 contestant - really stood her ground, wish there were more kind people like her in real life.

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"Blurry Game: The Confused Quest with an Unknown Host"

Trying to be cheap version of squid game and not up to it's level. It was frustrating to watch this show , it was so lagging in many areas and the host of game what is he wants from them is very unclear, it is not like squid game too like punishing them or making them to do some difficult tasks like that! The host is existing or not, i feel sometimes it is big boss game show and i feel that so entertaining than this. I wasted so much in this bullshit series. It is only 1 time watchable , if you have so much free time you can waste your time on this series or else just watch some other ongoing kdrama which are much better than this. It is torture for them or for us, idk it feels torture for me to watch this show.

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What’s with all the hate?!

Reading all the negative reviews I’m stunned!

The message(s) this show sent were so clear, and quite simple to understand. Money will not buy happiness. Even after our main character survived the show, he was haunted by what happened to him. Begin only able to sleep and begin haunted by nightmares whenever he does, made it irrelevant if he had money or not. Because of the things he had to do for those numbers on his phone, he’s just as miserable. And the underlying message was said directly to us: life will go on. No matter what we go though, everything will continue as it used to.

Another criticism of this show that I’ve seen is that it’s „a cheap copy of squid game” which is just baffling to me. Squid game and The 8 game may tackle on the same issues on the surface but the way in which they do so is completely different. Squid game was fair, every player had the same ground-zero, it’s point was mainly the lengths people will go to in order to earn money (small squid game spoiler ahead) proven by how many players returned to the game. The 8 game on the other hand replicated the outside world with just 8 people, rigged from the start just as life is. By creating an ecosystem with a hierarchy we got sort of an „animal farm” scenario with everything returning to higher floors supremacy.

I do have my own criticisms of the show. However overall, for a tv show, this is brilliant. But again, looking at the reviews not everyone agrees with me. Not liking something is fine but the nonsense reasons I see are just insulting.

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A psychological thriller with a simple set-up

Binged all 8 episodes in one night after seeing a tiktok about it. What interested me more were the comments being split so 50/50 on whether it's a show worth watching or not. After completing the series I will say, if you're a fan of psychological thrillers then you'd likely enjoy the show.

STORY:
It's a very simple set-up, all of them are poor or struggling when they come across this "show" that lets them earn money each minute. I won't spoil too much but the show starts to slowly complicate this simple set-up which is what kick starts the psychological thriller aspects. This is a story heavily carried by the characters. It's interesting (and disgusting) to see how a group of 8 different characters work together to earn money in a confined isolated space. There's crazy, smart, immoral, kind, and most importantly, there's so much misfortune. The characters are truly something else. The story itself is not that interesting when you take out the characters hence the 8 stars

ACTING:
10/10 seriously they brought their characters to live. There are some top notch actors who have been in this field for a long long time. You forget that the actors are playing characters....that's how good they were. Listen, Ryu Junyeol might be a shit boyfriend, but he is and always has been an undeniably good actor so as expected he did very well in this show. Though, the 2 actors that caught my attention was Chun Woohee and Bae Sungwoo. Phenomenal acting, they deserve plenty praise.

MUSIC:
I don't really watch shows for their music score so I don't thave much to say. I didn't think anything was out of place so the music does fit the scenes

REWATCH VALUE:
Yeah well as with all psychological thrillers, rewatch values is quite low. The charm of these shows is seeing the story progress. Once you know how it progresses it's not that fun anymore so I personally wouldn't rewatch it.

OVERALL:
A good short watch for anyone who likes premises like this. Power through the first episode where our main character laments about how broke he is and it starts to get better.

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A doable weekend sitting binge if you like survival shows.

If you like survival shows then you might enjoy this. It felt predictable and I definitely went in expecting this to be no different than Squid Game. The story doesn't really have a takeaway for the audience. I guess it doesn't need one since this theme of human greed and flaws is repeated in every survival show. I think the characters are pretty interesting to watch and what made me want to get through it. In reading the comments, everyone seems to have connected with a different character for different reasons which might make the show feel relatable to viewers. I thought the game rules were solid for the most part and easy to remember. It's not rewatchable though. I don't think survival shows have a lot of rewatch value unless there's a second season, then you'd rewatch to remember. It is bingeable if that's what you're in the mood for.

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An artistic and humourous approach to a dark show!

This show is clearly not every ones cup of tea but trust me if it meets its audience then you in for a fun ride....it's a dark comedy thriller as well as a psychological drama about eight people who find them selves involved in a game where they collectively win a specific prize money with each time that passes..the game has all kinds of rules some coming off as interesting while others are unfair....this show further more throws light on how the actual world we live in works, things like social classes and hierarchical benefits, injustice and unfairness, greed and more.....it's relatable in a way that it relates to the society we live in.

Now onto the drama I must say I loved the artistic and humourous approach to this dark show....the humour was on point well mostly for those who understand dark comedy....the artistic approach was seen from the way the drama it's self is shot and directed as well as the catchy goofy and humourous background music that made the scenes stand out in a lively manner!

The pacing of the show was fine door me..not so fast and not so slow enough for me to keep being engaged to the story and to the characters, the characterisation was good I love how each one of these characters was written with personality and drive....the acting was phenomenal and I had fun binging this.

As I said this might not be a show for everyone but if you can handle brutality because it does get brutal with time and if you love dark comedy and are a fun of survival shows potrayed in a variety show setting then this is exactly what you should watch.

Overall I found it interesting..loved the second half of it more but overall it was amazing to watch!

If you want a short weekend watch to binge in one seating look no further than THE 8 SHOW

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THE8SHOW IS NOT BAD!

As someone who LOVES psychological thriller, this one is not bad! But I don't think I would recommend this too much, because honestly, everything is just crazy. The plot, the characters, everything! But then, it's not that horrible compared to the bad reviews they are getting.

At first, I thought it was like SQUID GAME in terms of plot. A game with players, all wanting to go home with money. But in the first episode, the rules were "the show will automatically end once killing is involved"(or something), so I THOUGHT it was kind of LIGHTER than squid game. BUT I WAS WRONG. IT WAS NOT LIGHT AT ALL. Due to the fact that the players can't straightly kill each other, they went with torture. Which for me, was 10x worst. You get to watch the players suffer. From them playing human piñata everyday by hitting the players with a baseball bat in their head and then healing them afterwards, to putting clips in their EYES to keep them from BLINKING and SLEEPING for DAYS, it was a little traumatizing.

Plus the fact that they didn't really showed everyone the real reason why the game was made, except for the fact that someone is watching them. (BUT WHO ARE THEY??)

But although I have a lot of questions towards this drama, I still kind of enjoyed watching it.

The actors were good and portrayed their characters well!

CHUN WOO-HEE U SLAYED!!!!!

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