The 8 Show (2024)

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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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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This comment section is a mess, because the people who didn’t like it seem to REALLY hate it and believe that everyone else absolutely HAS TO hate it too, so here I am giving my very first review here. Let’s start with what I didn’t like. I wasn’t invested in the characters, so I wish that we got to know a bit more about their past, like we did with Nummber 3, so I could be emotional about how much the game and need for money affected them (for better or worse). Another thing I disliked was the music choice. It’s difficult to be emotionally invested in someones fate, when there’s a comical, uplifiting music playing in the background, even as someone’s being brutally toruted. I get that it was a "creative choice", it just didn’t work for me. I thought the descent into violence was a bit abrupt. Realistically, they could’ve sticked to the "mildly sexual stuff" a bit longer, but it was a short drama, so it makes sense. I also didn’t like the overall vibe of the last episode. It was an odd mix between comedy and brutality and I no longer felt like I knew any of the characters or their motivations.

However, there were many things I liked. I liked the concept and the metaphor. I can see people think they’re both overused. But "people playing violent games for money" is a concept as old as time. Before Squid Game and Alice, we had Hunger Games. Before that, we had Battle Royale. Before that, we had Stephen Kings Long Walk and Running Man. It still works for me, so no complaints. I think The 8 Show potrayed capitalism and social inequality MUCH better than Squid Game did. It wasn’t just the villains vs the poor. We got to seee both sides. We got to see morally grey characters. Each floor was clearly representing SOMETHING and it showed some truths. Politicians (7) aren’t the highest. The rich are (8). Politicians need the rich to actually do anything. Both need brutality, police and soldiers (6) to really have some power. They need their brainwashed, spineless pawns (4) and they need the lower class to make them money. While the poor work the hardest, only to barely get by and no matter how united they are, it’s nearly impossible to change it. It was depressing to watch, but VERY accurate, that’s what made this show stand out to me. I didn’t mind the gore, it made sense for the story. It was supposed to make you uncomfortable and it did (alhtough I could do without the sleep deprevation thing, because that was way too dark and seemed out of place, only for everyone to just immediately snap out of it later). The actors were all great. The set looked amazing. And I wasn’t disappointed by the ending.

Overall, it wasn’t perfect, but people giving it 1/10 or saying it’s the worst K-drama ever are being way too dramatic. I could understand not liking the gore, but that’s no reason to say it was trash that had nothing to offer, when it clearly isn’t the case. I think 7 is a perfectly accurate rating.

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My opinion on this recent drama “The 8 Show”

tbh i LOVED it. the acting, casting, and story was so captivating. i usually point out flaws but i wasn’t even paying attention of the small flaws of the show. if u like a show that the characters have to fight for survival like “Alice in Borderland” and “Squid Game”, then you’ll definitely love this. the cinematography was amazing and the story omgomg AHHH! the acting was actually amazing. you can tell that the actors really wanted to act good and rlly went deep with their character. the characters each have TOTALLY different personalities and they have to work together to survive. however as in every show, there comes a multiple problems throughout the show and conflicts which makes the show been more captivating.

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Beware if you can't stand cruelty

I truly loved the first 2 episodes. Until about episode 4 I found the show exciting and then things took a turn for the worse. Life can already so miserable so if you're looking for an escape, this show isn't it. It depicts the worst of human nature, frustrating characters, the insanity and of course the sadistic aspect. It was extremely hard to stomach. It hit me like a gut punch and that's where I started to lose interest and had to speed up just to get through to the end.

Would a show with pleaasant people have been as entertaining? Perhaps not for such a genre. But then I also do not find these kinds of horrific shows entertaining and I keep forgetting to check details of Netflix Korean dramas which tend to contain nudity (male in this one) and extreme forms of violence (torture) compared to what ordinary Korean dramas would consider depicting. Basically I just read the synopsis and went in blind.

Another aspect that I disliked is the awful ending that is quite underwhelming but teases a second season. I'll pass thanks.

I have rated it a 6.5 because I thought the concept was quite good (a bit like Squid Game - similar set-up but worse in many ways). Also because I enjoyed the first half as well as the mystery behind each character. However I still don't understand the actions of some of the characters while some were just a victim of lazy writing or ignored entirely. The only positive is the unpredictability of many characters and the perspective and conundrum of a very ordinary unspectacular male lead.

If you aren't triggered easily then you might find this show more enjogable than I did. Personally, I will never be able to rewatch this.

I didn't notice the OST other than the "i'm so lonely" sped up as the intro. It was meh.

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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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How far will you go to reach your (money)goal?

A good written thriller that is a reflection of how society works. I first thought this was a reality show, little did I know. As soon as I saw Korean actors I knew it was based on a webtoon.

In the first episode when they needed to change their clothes I thought will it be something like Susunu Denpa Shonen? Although I think certain stuff have been inspired by that show. 8 totally different people (who are a representation of society) will be living together earning money by being in the show, everything is being recorded (and aired as well), yup just like our capitalistic world.

If they want to extend their time there they have to ‘earn time’ so they can earn money (by participating). But soon they find out they have to find different ways to earn time, which includes behaving is ways that are usually not acceptable/ethical. It drives people to the edge just to survive for the money. You see how greedy human beings are and how their “higher status” makes them behave and look down on others. Just like in society were having more/earning more money makes you have a higher status and power.

It is a very interesting psychological thriller that makes you guess what everyone’s motive is for acting in a certain way. I was blown away by the first 4 episodes and after those episodes I was wondering how everything will enfold. Overall very well written script and 8 episodes were enough to get the main message, but I also have so many questions unanswered.

Similar shows: El hoyo (Spanish movie), Squid game, Night has come, Happiness (Korean movie), , Alice in Borderland (Japanese series)

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This was such a difficult watch. I can understand why some people have rated this so poorly. I honestly couldnt stomach the violence after some time and by the end i just watched on x1.5 speed to find out how it all ends. I like the premise of the show and there were some scenes that literally had me laughing out loud, floor 3 played by Ryu Jun Yeol was HILARIOUS. His inner monologue was comedic gold - (that scene where he boasts about how he can best the game because he is so good at being poor and then sleeps on a bed off newspapers & cardboard😂😭. And that time he inserts a bidet into his mouth because he thinks its an electric flosser 😭). the dark comedy was done so well. I saw the humanity in all the characters except floor 8 honestly. I found her character to be a caricature and it didnt make any sense. Even floor 6 made some sense to me, we know people are capable of torturing people for money & power but floor 8 was shedding fake tears, prancing around, behaving erratically, - she was not a real person and i hated her so so much. I am gutted she wasnt once slapped or punched in the face. Overall, i didnt hate the show but it could have been less gratuitous. Also epsiode 7 scarred me so bad and by the end i wanted someone to die just so floor 3, 7 and 2 could leave and the game could end. In some ways i felt like the sadistic people behind the cameras watching them because i couldnt turn away from all the gore -- which was probably why the writer made the decision to not reveal the ppl behind the camera

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An low budget Squid Game

I can't help but compare this to Squid Game in terms of the game show form of a thriller. More accurately, this is like Squid Game meets Survivor meets Lord of the Flies.

I don't know why this has such a low rating. The show starts off slow but that's because they're figuring out the rules. Once they have, then it's about competition and strategy - betrayal, alliances, and backstabbing are inevitable.

This show is about the experience of humanity and what it means to be human - in all its raw ugliness or stark beauty. There's never a dull moment but full attention is required to watch the show. It is a highly intelligent show but only after much reflection. It's probably commentary on the state of politics and society at large -about the failure of democracy, the down trodden and the different classes of society. But for now, I'm just going to take it at face value and say it's a bloody (literally) awfully good show.

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BETTER THAN SQUID GAME

I don't like comparing two dramas just to favor my favorite one, but just this one time, I wanna say, "THIS WAS BETTER THAN SQUID GAME".....O! MYYYY! LORDDDDD! THIS IS HOW A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER IS DONE....
Every episode depicts a new dark element of our society. But it also shows some humane sides. We, as a society have fallen soooooo low that we've started normalizing ABSOLUTE satanic behaviors, yet some people still have some what of a human side to them. Greed, lust, wrath are forbidden for a reason, they not only rot our souls but also the core of our society.

THIS DRAMA COVERS A WIDE ARRAY OF EMOTIONS, felt by both characters and the audience.

Overall, I highly recommend this drama if you can handle a huge amount of psychological and physical torture.

p.s, I gave a low score to music because there's something VERY CREEPY about those songs in this drama.

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Why… ?

I don’t know what to say about this show…
I didn’t read synopsis, articles nor reviews about it so I didn’t know what to expect from this (I wanted to watch it just because of Chun Woo Hee).

And hmmm… It was a disturbing show and I feel a bit uncomfortable.

This is a critic about power of/and money, hierarchy in society, human nature/behaviors, survival, etc…
So we quickly understand the message behind this show but I feel uncomfortable about the way it has been delivered.
I’m probably a bit too sensitive but I think it could have been delivered with lower level of sadism, brutality, cruelty, torture… (I agree with another reviewer, it made me think to movie « Saw »).
I don’t like this kind of shows but if I’d have to watch a similar show I’d prefer Squid Game which is a bit « fairer » regarding status of each character.

Casting and acting were good (tbh I prefer Chun Woo Hee portraying nicer characters).
Directing/prod good as well (8 episod is enough).
Didn’t pay attention to music.
No rewatch value for me (too much free violence)

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The most realistic show ever

The 8 Show might seem like a pale nod to Squid Games, but to an extent it’s more nuanced and extravagantly structured, sans all the unflinching fatality because the small sample size naturally precludes elimination by death. rather than being packed with conflicts that highlight the friction between the good and bad, T8S is thematically predicated on class demarcations in a controlled microcosm of the society. far from being a mere depiction of moral erosion by virtue of greed, it simply mirrors the hierarchical propensity socially wired into us through eons of evolution. the paralel is uncannily resounding, as much as it’s painfully redolent.

my interpretation of such parallel is as follows:
Floor 8: The wealthiest, holding in possession an abundance of resources, and given the scarcity of the resources, vested with shot-calling powers and the authority to dictate everything underneath them.
Floor 7: Government/Legislator, formulating laws and regulations at the behest and in the interest of the affluent few.
Floor 6: Police, enforcing brutality in the event of opposition or protests in service of its tyrannical government.
Floor 5: Pacifist who tries in earnest to strike a happy medium and go to bat for the common weal, but mostly stuck in between with resigned helplessness.
Floor 4: fence-sitting, slimy sycophant who’s ready to jump on the coattails of the dominant when it benefits them.
Floor 3: the down-and-out proletariat who works their fingers to the bones only to be perpetually trampled upon.
Floor 2: the heroic and altruistic figure who wants to defend the weak but finds themselves powerless anyway against the domineering coalition up top.
Floor 1: the physically disabled, habitually scorned and considered dregs of the society.

Ranking the Characters from Best to Worst (Spoiler Alert: None of Them Are Good People):
Floor 7: He may be the smartest in the room, but he's not very clever. There were plenty of solutions to problems that he was too lazy to consider.
Floor 3: Pure neutral. Despite being guilt-tripped into taking Floor 1's place, he shows his strong moral compass during the King incident.
Floor 8: A controversial opinion, but the group's initial alienation of her led to their downfall. She was overly helpful at first, figuring out how to add time and contributing the most to the talent show. Yet, they voted to punish her the next day? She was right to rebel against the system, in my opinion. Floor 6 is to blame for turning it into something more sinister.
Floor 2: Despite what eventually happens, her villainizing of Floor 8 set the tone for discord. Throwing a tantrum when free money is being thrown at you came off as petty.
Floor 5: She wasn’t fully aware of her choices.
Floor 4: Made her decisions to survive.
Floor 6: Self-explanatory. Horrible character all around.
Floor 1: This character frustrated me the most because everyone gave him so much grace. He's worse than Floor 6 because he knows what it's like to feel helpless and still chooses to act selfishly. Plus, going after Floor 4 instead of Floors 6 or 8 shows his lack of moral character since she clearly wasn’t the brains of the operation.

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