In the Netflix series The 8 Show, eight participants, all in financial hardship—perhaps who have already decided to die by suicide—take part in a Money Game. They are trapped in different floors, with each floor increasing both in size and value. The person opting for the top floor (eighth floor) has both her money double quicker than the one below and so on. A Fibonacci sequence of sorts.
Initially, the eight participants decided to cooperate with each other, trying to figure out the rules of the game and make as much money as possible in the process. That is despite knowing that the bottom floor person will make so little in a day while the top ones make so much more. Add to this there is food control. The topmost floor gets the food supply for all eight floors, which is distributed to other floors later on. In essence, there is a hierarchy and inequality at the core of this Korean TV series.
At first, it gives a sense that it is somewhat similar to the Squid Game, but later on, some hiccups in the storyline deem its story difficult to explain and even understand. There is a lot of violence—a new hallmark for how people are entertained in game shows. Even as the audience watching this show is entertained by scenes in the series, there is an implicit narrative about how showmakers want to be entertained so that they can keep playing the game. That is, the clock does not run out of time.
If one were to use this logic on any socially intrinsic aspect of today’s society—social media, be it Instagram, TikTok, reels, vlogging, or even OnlyFans- entertainment would be valued and valuable. Every day, you wake up and make a video so as to gain more followers, more money, more value, and more instant gratification about it. Attention.
Attention span is the money. Algorithms today hold us in our grips. And the world is growing more and more virtual, seeking entertainment, of all sorts, from all places. However, this is a running theme in several other series, such as Black Mirror.
From the very start of the show, one gets a sense of what is likely to happen in the show. In some sense, it was predictable from the start. There is also a little too much violence, which just did not deem necessary. Episode 7 of The 8 Show was just too grotesque. There was barely any story, too—except for an interesting premise. It just felt more like another Squid Game, but only bad.
While the acting and narration of stories seem to save the show till the end, just holding you to watch it till the end, there are some absolute disasters.
The plot of The 8 Show is unconvincing. It was nearly impossible to follow the storyline. The games are not even entertaining, except for the bizarre violence meted out by each other. The top floors are portrayed as cruel and the bottom as naïve. But this is a good depiction of the society we live in. However, a very clumsy storyline puts down the whole story.
Watch the series at your own risk!