The Victims' Game (2020)

I don't even know where to begin with this drama. Ever since I saw its teaser on Netflix, I was absolutely stoked, for multiple reasons. The production looked fantastic, it was shot in Taiwan , and the premise seemed extremely interesting and unique. My thoughts going into the show was the standard "genius detective that gives little regard to societal rules." As a friend pointed out, something along the line of characters such as Sherlock in "Sherlock BBC" or House in "House MD."

I couldn't have been more wrong. The first thing that this show really nailed home was the depiction of Asperger's. The lead male actor, Henry Chang, did a fantastic job with his character Fang Yi-Ren. From the little awkward quirks, to his inability to properly interact with society, and his ineptness in dealing with human emotion, he really brought his character to life. The show did not romanticise the disorder or the supposed intellect that comes with it, but instead demonstrated the internal and external struggles of someone who has it. Chang's superb acting portrays these complexities and layers in his character in a way that never felt cringey or was "overacting" to me.

Fang Yi-Ren's direct foil was Xu Hai-Yin, played by Tiffany Hsu. While Chang's character was trying to understand emotions and be a "normal person", Hsu's character used empathy to her advantage to get whatever she needed to report about. She plays the ballsy reporter that will do what it takes to rise up in this world, even if it meant obtaining information illegally. Her background felt a bit forced to me in relation to the story's overarching theme, but received a satisfying closure in the end. While dialogue between the two characters were written to be awkward and stocky, their chemistry was surprisingly fun to watch and grew even better as the show neared its end. Chang and Hsu complemented each other well and I would be stoked to see them act together again (rumours of Season 2?) in the future.

Nearly all the side characters, their background, and their role were memorable to me. The story, as unusual as it would be to happen in real life, was something I hadn't seen before and it was clear to me that the writers spent a lot of time thinking and researching everything to the best they could. The last five to six minutes of each episode actually dives heavily into the behind-the-scenes and the film team shared much of what they did, such as interviewing mental health workers, reporters, policemen, or the extent they went to to try to get a "message" across. And as a viewer, I can say they definitely succeeded in this regard as I am still thinking about this show long after I finished it (in a day) and probably will for quite awhile.

At the same time, the really only "con" to this show is that the writers were trying to accomplish too much with too little episodes and more casual watchers might not find the experience as satisfying. The overlapping themes and subtle details were very thought-provoking, but not everyone prefers to ponder over such things or look for such aspects in a drama. There were also clearly parts where they were trying to tie up loose ends that felt slightly forced to me. If there were more episodes and they had the ability to shoot more scenes and "fill up" the story, I think the drama's emotional impact would have been a lot greater. More time to bond with the characters would have been nice as well. But for what they managed to accomplish in eight episodes is already quite impressive to me.

All in all, the show has amazing acting (seriously still impressed with the Asperger's portrayal), beautiful cinematography, intriguing detective cases, and a murder mystery that definitely kept me on my toes up to a satisfying ending. I think, what's also the MOST impressive to me, is that it is a Taiwanese drama that has all of these. For the longest time, I could not find a Taiwanese drama that I could sit down and finish without being disappointed or cringing at the acting or story. I say this as a Taiwanese citizen who is often letdown by the garbage one's country can produce. But I'm so happy to say that The Victim's Game proved me completely wrong and I would be absolutely ecstatic to see more Taiwanese dramas trend towards this direction in the future. Or, maybe Netflix funding is just something to behold.

Highly recommended drama and I will be rewatching in the future. I would love to continue to discuss it with anyone who would spare the time to watch it.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
Here are two central themes of the story that I wanted to talk a little more about in a way that I feel the drama didn't completely do and that would be better understood from a citizen's perspective.

The first victim, You Cheng-Hao (River Huang), chose death because she felt that she was trapped as transgender (male to female) in a society who shunned her. Her parents disowned her, she was forced to live a hard life in a host club, and even the customers mocked her as a "gay" when she was just trying to be herself. The reason behind her character couldn't have been more clear to me, as despite Taiwan being the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage, a lot of discrimination and legal issues still exist.

The perpetrator, Li Ya-Jun, was not only a depiction of mental health issues, but also on the struggles and likewise discrimination of illegal and foreign workers, which is quite prevalent in Taiwan. They are "nobodies," as one of the characters say, and being treated as essentially human trash in Taiwanese society led Ya-Jun into finding some kind of worth in her supposedly meaningless life.

Each of the "victims" had their own story and background that I assume the writers wanted the viewers to be able to empathise with. I certainly did with cancer patient...that one hit home.

To end with before I go on for too much longer: In one of the ending interviews, the screenwriters mentioned that you could see a part of each of the victims in the main lead, Fang Yi-Ren. That's still something that I'm thinking about and there is still so much to unpack in this amazing show. I hope that everyone who watches it will enjoy it as much as I did!

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To be or not to be.

This is a short, gripping and dark crime drama that revolves around a grisly series of murders that are mysteriously linked to Aspergic forensic analyst Fang Yiren's estranged teenage daughter. In a desperate bid to find her, he teams up with Xu Haiyin, a resourceful but rather unscrupulous and ambitious young journalist to unravel the cases. They are an odd but effective team as his meticulous forensic work reveals the how while her intuition and ability to understand and manipulate people uncovers the why.

Joseph Chang's portrayal of Asperger's alone makes this drama worth watching. I would tear up at his portrayal of Yiren's frustration and inexpressible pain at his inability to emote and connect with people. Far from being oblivious (which would actually be merciful) Fang Yiren is well aware of this handicap that devastates his family and alienates his colleagues but yet helpless to do anything about it. Although I didn't like Tiffany Hsu's Haiyin in the beginning, I think her depiction of how Haiyin schemed to manipulate Yiren initially and ultimately came to understand and empathize with him was nuanced and layered. The essence of their chemistry is in the very lack of chemistry between them. The acting is so brilliant it pulls you into rooting for an unrelatable character and a dislikable one (initially). This is an almost unnecessarily dark drama; literally every character is dysfunctional, has family problems and/or smokes like a chimney.

For me, the murder mysteries were a side show and not the main meal. The plot is overly ambitious and weaves together too many complicated themes from mental illness, various social injustices, transgender issues, terminal illness, corporate greed, vengeance and, atonement in addition to the ultimate and super heavy question - "to be or not to be". While the first few cases were clearly linked, the intertwining of subsequent cases and relationships became more tenuous and were arguably unnecessary as Yiren's daughter was implicated in the very first case. The ultimate reveal was a surprise mainly because both motive and means were unconvincing and the acting by the main antagonist was very weak in sharp contrast with impeccable performances by the rest of the cast. It is a pity because what is missing is a deeper exploration of the father daughter relationship, something I suspect this production could have pulled off compellingly.

The production values are very high; it revels in impressively shocking and gruesome crime scene detail and unflinchingly exposes the mundane and exhausting clutter of ordinary lives. One of the things I really enjoyed about the drama is the proliferation of several dialects from the very expressive cussing unique to Taiwanese Hokkien to of course Mandarin and even Cantonese. But for all the high production values and effort, the last episode was really the weakest and the ending had an unfinished feeling. For some reason, this reminds me of Netflix's controversial but higher impact 13 Reasons Why, which is a much more focused and terrifying exploration of a few hard core subjects rather than a scratch on the surface tour of too many that is this drama. Nonetheless, the acting is superb and the story will put you in a thoughtful mood for some time.

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Solid and heartwarming

Ahhh! I didn't think I would love this drama as much as I do. I'm writing this as the credits are rolling. This drama is soooo touching. I cried a lot in parts later on in the series. The central theme came together so well in the end and what a fantastic performance by the actors. The way this was filmed, the lighting and the acting made the drama feel so realistic and raw. The earlier scenes made it seem like this would be more about the suspense but the over-arching theme was a lot more about humanity and our need for love, attention and acknowledgement.

Joseph Cheng was fantastic as Fang Yi Ren who is a genius who has Asperger's syndrome. The way he expressed his inability to read and express emotions' like other people felt so convincing. Even more so when they started showing his way of expressing his own emotions despite the difficulties. There was one scene where I just started crying with them haha. That's the part that got me the most. It was so well captured and those moments felt very genuine. You have to watch it to experience it fully and appreciate the wholeness of his character. He was someone you just wanted to comfort and give a hug to and tell him it would all be okay.

I loved his dynamic with Tiffany Hsu. It was a bond that started with both sides in it for what they could gain but grew into a genuine, even touching, relationship.

Wow. Even the police force were quite something to watch. Jason Wang as the captain really owned his role. He was natural at it. Actually, all of them were, down to the very minor of roles. That's what made the drama more believable.

The mystery was well presented in a way that kept me interested in what was to happen. After a while though, you figure it out and the *suspense* dies down and I'd say if you are looking for a lot of suspense, you might end up disappointed. Especially with the way this drama was packaged. However, I would like to stress that this doesn't take away from the overall quality and enjoyment of the drama (in fact, I LOVE, love, love this drama). To put it in a more coherent picture, if you've watched Voice 1, which was FULL of suspense and a lot of times, quite gritting scenes, then this would be a tone down from that. I expected something different but I loved what I got just as much as the one I expected to get. The drama was slower in pace, in terms of how the mystery all came together. Personally, I ended up enjoying it and the slower pace let me take the details in nicely.

The investigations were done in a logical manner, no getting frustrated over why the police force were acting in a not-so-smart way (one more reason why I kept watching.)

The music at the end of each episode was so good and again, like the rest of the drama, wasn't the kind of music you'd expect to hear in this. But this music added so much to the overall impact.

The development that our main characters had in the end felt like a pretty neat way to wrap everything together.

Overall, this drama felt so much like a revelation. A look through the inner most aspect of a person, of how and why a lot of the same things that happen to us affect us so differently, make us respond so differently from each other.

I would actually love to see a 2nd season, but this time onto a more procedural, crime focused story. This feels like a prologue and a strong introduction to our characters.

One more thing: The script in this was amazing. Everything was spot on and the characters were able to really convey
what they wanted to say in such a distinct manner.

So yes. One more drama I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

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SPOILER: (Mild, if you would like to know about some of the character's dialogues. The ones that had so much impact.)

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"The meltdown, the pain, and the despair, they are all mine."
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"I thought that having a family and getting married would make me normal! I thought I could be normal!"
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"Victims... They all seek empathy from assailants. I believe that death isn't the key. We're all afraid of deaths that can't be acknowledged. We all seek
understanding. Have you thought of lending them a hand? I want to lend you a hand. You are still alive. We still have a chance."

"I was never a part of your life. What is "we"?"

"You've always been here. I knew you... before you even knew yourself."

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Great storyline with excellent acting

My first Taiwanese drama, I didn't expect much but damn this is legit one of my new favorite Asian drama ever. First of all, the acting is so superb especially the main character. The story was kinda meh for me at first especially since I'm not familiar with Taiwanese name and actors so kinda confused at who is who but after episode 3, I got so hooked on it, I love MC's part so much, I'm not a fan of romance genre so I'm so satisfied with MC's chemistry and the female journalist, they're professionally attached yet they're trust each other personally. So recommended.

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Production's dedication and heart for the story shines through the drama...

I miss the old days' dramas/movies that focus on telling a story without having to consider the censorship, investors' ROI, etc.. I thought that is lost in the current times of commercialism and instant success. The Victims' Game gave me hope there is still a place in Asia where director and scriptwriter can focus on how to tell a story, how to do it in the most effective way... Maybe it had to restrain itself in some scenes, but what it has achieved in the final product is worth commending on.

The Victims' Game is a Taiwan drama produced in collaboration with Netflix, and it is like the older sibling of 13 Reasons Why. 13 Reasons Why targets teenagers and school bullying; The Victims' Game targets adults, specifically adults dealing with past traumas and present devastating circumstances.

I reserve my highest praise for the props and settings. Production really spent time into making the story as realistic as possible, all the dead bodies and blood look very real. And that helps to pull me into the world that it has built, 1st half of the drama felt like I was watching a reality show or documentary. The dual-language of Mandarin and Hokkien, the cussing, the smoking, and (I think) all the actors' spoke their own lines? Most of the dialogues sounded like it was recorded on set. The acting was a bit uneven, but the essential cast, the core of the story, put in a brilliant performance! I especially appreciate the casting of Moon Lee... she has still some baby fat on her (face) and that added to the realism she is a teenager.

I must also mention on the storytelling.... The storytelling, how it tackles the topic of suicide.... sure, there are some typical tropes and clichés in the plot, but the storytelling is so effective and powerful that those tropey scenes made me cried the hardest.... I usually pay attention to plot holes, but for this drama, I hadn't notice any. Too tired out from absorbing the stories that the drama has packed into a short 8 hours.

The script might appear to be frivolous in its treatment of the victims... we do not know much about the victims' stories. Not sure if it is the intention of the production to hold back on their stories for 2nd season development, or--- if the intended audience is people with suicidal thoughts? Then this manner of storytelling is very appropriate. The details and realism in the dead bodies, how they died and their last moments and thoughts, the grief of the people that they left behind.... these are details that would matter to someone who is suicidal. Such scenes and dialogues have a "wake up" effect on those who are in pain and suicidal (but do not have medical conditions). The realism of death is a good "wake up" call. Not lengthy stories about others' pain, how they reach the suicidal stage.... That said, I do not understand the relevance of including in society topics of employment abuse, elderly abuse at nursing home? That felt extra and unnecessary...

Special mention on the scene between Hsu Hai-Yin and Li Ya-Chun in the last episode. That scene was the production's message to viewers, the suicide prevention message. But the dialogues are so good, I didn't felt I was being lectured on. The ending might have been quite light-handed (everything ties up too neatly), but after such a heavy 7 episodes, it is quite a relief and felt appropriate. Looking forward to its season 2 in 2022.

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I was immediately hooked after watching the trailer on Netflix. Right off the bat, I finished this in one seating, how could I not? a dark, thrilling and captivating drama that kept me on edge throughout.

The Victims' Game attempts to tackle serious issues in society and what makes it even more interesting is that instead of looking for the murderer, we're looking for victims. We get to see how to story unfolds as we follow along with the main characters – the forensic detective and a reporter, who try to solve the string of cases which are seemingly related to one another and the daughter. They are the complete opposite of each other and had some trouble working together in the beginning. As the story progress, we get to see their characters' develop and eventually, these two managed to put their differences aside and work together. Joseph Chang and Tiffany Tsu were excellent in playing the roles of the main characters and their chemistry gets better. Almost all the other characters were amazing, each of their stories left an impact on me. they each represented something that can be found in society such as the LGBT storyline, companies exploiting workers etc. We also get to understand the rationale of the characters.

Although there were some plots which could be further developed, having only 8-episode is not a major flaw. The music/OST definitely matches the aura of the drama. The amount of research and effort they put into the production is seriously top-notch. This can be seen by the behind-the-scene clips at the back of each episode – from the writing, directing, acting and the props. There were also sections of character analysis which some of the cast speaks about how and what they wanted to portray.

When we finish the drama, I think we will all gain a new perspective on life and death. It's not perfect but it's definitely worth watching. This drama takes you on a journey with the characters, opening your eyes and expanding your sensitivity towards one another. In some way, you might also be able to relate to it, making the message towards the end so much more powerful. Despite flawed, the "message" of the drama has definitely left a mark on me.

Super high chance of rewatching this again, just so that I can follow the clues again and look for things I missed the first time around.

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Well written script with interesting premise (debate on life vs death). Fast paced and to the point, though characters could have been more developed/removed (e.g. Chen Yu Xuan, who's presence seemed very unnecessary..) and perhaps linked to the murders. Really didn't like the ending though, which I felt was very forced (esp the conman's wife pregnancy) and a lot of time was focused on it. Would have also liked more attention and acknowledgement be given to the lead and his condition (Asperger's Syndrome) - felt that characters in the show generally just labelled him as "odd" or "weird" etc. and seemed to expect him being "normal". Overall, still would recommend! I watched it all in 1 sitting!

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Let me start out by saying that during these days, I'm not into binge-watching as much (maybe because there's so much to choose from and dropping a story is so easy now). But this series got me hooked start to finish. It's like M&Ms, you gobble up the episodes without looking how many you've consumed.

I've been a fan of BONES, NCIS, and CSI ever since, so this type of series is just up my alley. I've tried to look for Asian series' that matches this, and so far, only Signal (2016) has given me this satisfaction, up until today.

The Victim's Game is a complex series that tackles a lot of serious and delicate issues in society, but the plot centers on one such issue which I think they've handled really well. It isn't like the other series' plots which glorifies it (the issue), and which I've seen on Netflix. It has shed the right amount of light to it, which for me takes a lot of thinking around (props to the writers and directors!).

The arc of the story was also very much ideal - it didn't leave people wanting to leave the series halfway because they lost hope on each episode, but instead gave them the right amount of speculation to watch more and more.

I've also come to appreciate the intricate amount of details they've put into this show - from how the main lead portrays Aspergers; to how close to reality the lines of each character have been attuned to the personality they portray. 10/10, no one in this drama has acted too dull or too out of the line. The cast was well put together and was able to bring out their individual stories without having it stretched too long or cut too short.

It's 8 episodes long, with more or less an hour for each episode. It has the right amount of length to binge-watch, and the ending, although did not try to tie in all of the loose ends in the story, was able to give the right glimpse to where all of their lives were headed.

Watch it, it's worth 8-hours of you binge-watching this series, trust me.

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So close to being perfect

I really liked the premise of this show. I think people have been debating the ethics of assisted suicide for a long while, and the show played out the two points really well at the end. From LYJ's perspective, the individuals found meaning in their deaths and it freed them from the burdens and sadness they experienced here. Their feelings of hopelessness were grounded in reality. Having done crisis intervention for suicidal people, constantly experiencing corruption, undermining, discrimination and harassment, endlessly suffering for one mistake can push people to the darkest places. It genuinely feels like there's simply no way things will get better nor make life worth living. There is freedom in choosing what happens with your life. On the other hand, HHY's perspective is equally valid. If someone had given them a glimpse of hope or helped them to stay in the world a little bit longer, if someone had shown them the smallest bits of kindness and empathy, they would have much more to live for. There is meaning in surviving, too, and even small things are worth living for. So, leaving the debate neutral - sharing both points of view with equal understanding - was awesome.
I also really liked the relationship repair that happened at the end with HHY and her father (taking the flowers to his grave and purchasing the house for her mother) and FYJ and his daughter JHM (visiting her every moment he got and being there the moment she was released from prison). It's not often we see traumatized children heal their relationships with the caregivers who hurt them, so to see what it looks like to put in the effort to mend relationships was brilliant. I would have liked to see a little bit more with HHY and her mother, but that's so minor imo.
The one thing I wasn't a fan of was the portrayal of ASD with FYJ. ASD does manifest in daily living in a myriad of ways, but the portrayal seemed super stereotypical and sometimes inaccurate. "Strange" and repetitive facial gestures, violent (??) meltdowns, lack of eye contact, moments of mutism, ignoring others (??) when they're talking to you, savant logician and memory - the list goes on. There was certainly a lot more opportunity for subtle autistic traits and mannerisms, more of an incorporation of appropriate self-regulation, and humanness beyond just the overt ASD traits. At moments, he acted childish in a way that I feel like doesn't appear realistic. It does make you wonder what they did to explore what ASD looks like (as I'm guessing the actor is neurotypical).
Overall a good show. I'm not really sure what they will do in the next season - Netflix says there will be another one? But hopefully it's worth watching.

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Interesting take on a typical procedural crime show.

In all honesty, I had a hard time getting into this drama. The first 3 episodes seemed like a retelling of the same old crime stories we have seen in many shows, with details and settings changed here and there. But as the plot progressed, and we got more puzzle pieces about what was truly happening, that's when I got invested.

In 8 episodes, the show was able to tell an interesting tale on humans' motivations, desperation, morality and despair. Why do we do what we do? What are the lasting consequences of our actions? How can our good intention turn into tragedy that, at times, is impossible to fix? How twisted one's mind can be.

The majority of the characters started quite unlikeable. They are morally gray - driven by their own agendas, showing how much of a hypocrite they can be. And yet, as the drama progresses, I ended up appreciating their flaws, which made them more relatable and real. Not to mention a rare case of getting a lead with Asperger, presented in a realistic way. Oftentimes dramas present people with Asperger as either incapable of living a successful life, or having extremely specialized skills on a level unobtainable by the general public (basically making them savants) - making the Asperger the core characteristic of the person. Glad it's not the case here.

The Victims' Game was also visually stunning. Granted, it might be too much for people who don't like gore, as they don't shy away from gruesome images of the corpses. The set design was perfect, and I truly appreciate how much work has been put into making it reflect reality in a great detail.

Each episode ends with behind the scene footage explaining the process of creating the drama. It shows how each cast member, writer, director and staff truly treated the story with care and tried to present the best possible result, with the help of many professionals from various fields of work.

The last episode was truly cherry on top, and became one of my favorite conclusions to any show ever. In my eyes, it was truly a perfectly directed and written ending for the series.

Overall, as long as you survive the first few episodes, and start to see the big picture, you will most likely love it. Surprisingly, I believe this show would be even more enjoyable as a rewatch. Knowing the full story would allow me to appreciate the individual episodes more.

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Amazing unconventional male lead

The drama has a bit of a slow start but it really quickly grabbed my attention with the serial killer mystery. The writing is really well thought out in terms of plot development and how all the mini-stories tied together to be part of a bigger event. I admit I think I enjoyed the first half a little more just because I loved the intensity of the chase, the scariness of not being one step behind when there was one case happening after another. But I do understand and I knew that the story would turn to a bigger focus on the ML's family and the overarching backstory.

The best part of this drama was undoubtedly the dynamic between the male lead and the female lead. Right off the bat I really loved how unconventional the male lead was and how he was portrayed — as a character with Asperger's it was really interesting to see how he dealt with social situations with coworkers and suspects as he tried to find out what happened with his daughter. It was this, and this dynamic with the reporter female lead, that was really my favorite part. She was his opposite and his foil in every way, but they were brought together by a similar goal. Their dynamic and how they complemented and clashed was super interesting, especially with how subtle but impactful the character development was.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this! It's not exactly a heart-pounding story, but it's heavy and it deals with a lot of social topics well.

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