THE 8 SHOW

A bleak Korean series about 8 strangers who participate in an obscure game show and race against the clock for money. Locked in a concrete studio with their every move filmed, each contestant is housed on a different floor, with more money and status going to those on the higher levels. Soon they uncover a valuable secret: the more they entertain their unseen observers, the more time they receive in the game, enabling them to increase their prize pools. This quickly leads to shocking acts of violence, torture and punishment in order to appease the powers that be, administered by the more privileged players against the less fortunate ones. While the series accurately depicts how power can corrupt, it’s slow in parts and the irritating dream sequences blur the lines between reality and illusion. Overall it’s a poor man’s ’Squid Game’ but with less coherence, a smaller cast and none of the finesse.