Netflix Korean drama “The 8 Show” was uploaded just two weeks ago and quickly took the top spot in local program rankings! With only 8 episodes, 8 individuals, 8 floors, and 8 tragicomedies, the tense pace and full of twists plot make it even more brutal than “Squid Game”! This unfair money game is like a microcosm of modern society’s class system. Let’s take a look at the 8 major highlights of the plot and some hidden surprises you didn’t know about!
Adapted from popular web comics
“The 8 Show” is adapted from the popular Naver webcomics “Money Game” and “Competition Game” created by writer Pei Zhenxiu. It is directed and written by Han Zailin, known for the films “The Insider” and “Emergency Landing,” and stars actors such as Ryu Jun-yeol, Park Hae-jun, Chae Yoo-hee, Park Jung-min, Lee Li-yin, Lee Joo-young, Moon Jung-hee, and Pei Shengyou.
Exciting and suspenseful plot, with constant twists and turns
The story tells of 8 people trapped in an 8-story secret space, participating in a reality show where “earning money through time accumulation”, as they spend more time, the prize money accumulates more… But behind the sweetness always lies danger, all 8 participants are at the bottom of the pyramid, struggling to survive. In order to snatch the huge prize money, they must constantly cooperate, then turn against each other, betray, fight to the death, repeat continuously, until the end of time, the closer to the end, the more crazy the situation becomes, revealing the cruel human nature between them, the plot is full of exciting tension and realism, twists and turns, the ending is completely unexpected!
Character introduction
“The 8 Show” is similar to “Squid Game” in that it uses numbers instead of the names of the 8 players, with the numbers representing each person’s floor. The higher the floor, the higher the prize money, and the rooms are also top-notch! If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that they mostly refer to each other by their “floor” in the show, and the participants’ backgrounds are not deliberately revealed. It appears fair, but in reality, it is just a game of class for the entertainment of the wealthy!
Characters are as follows:
Pei Shengyou plays “Participant on the 1st floor”, Lee Jooyoung plays “Participant on the 2nd floor”, Ryu Junghye plays “Participant on the 3rd floor”, Lee Ryeonin plays “Participant on the 4th floor”, Moon Junghee plays “Participant on the 5th floor”, Park Haijun plays “Participant on the 6th floor”, Park Jungmin plays “Participant on the 7th floor”, Chon Yuki plays “Participant on the 8th floor”
Game rules
The rules of “The 8 Show” are not complicated, as long as no one dies, the game can continue. On the contrary, if someone dies midway through the game, the time will reset to zero, and the game will end! From the beginning of the show, everyone is sent to the theater, arranged to draw a number card for entry, and the number they choose not only represents the floor they live on, but also determines everyone’s fate.
The “Money Game” began immediately, with a total of 8 floors. The higher the floor the participant stays on, the higher the bonus earned per minute. On the lowest floor, 1st floor, one can earn 10,000 Korean won per minute; while on the highest floor, 8th floor, one can earn up to 340,000 Korean won per minute. The room on the 8th floor is the largest, with water and food distributed from the 8th floor. The food delivery opening in the room is also only accessible from top to bottom, making the higher floors the rulers and the lower floors the enslaved. From the beginning, this reality show has been an unfair class game!
Is the gameplay more brutal and crazier than “Squid Game”?
At the beginning of the game, everyone found that running up the stairs could increase time, so they cooperated with each other and desperately ran up the stairs together. As the plot unfolds, they found that running up the stairs was no longer enough to satisfy the viewers hidden behind the camera. In order to fight for more time and money, the dark side of human nature slowly revealed itself… from talent shows, live sex broadcasts, fighting matches, king games, to human experiments that deprive people of sleep. If someone does not cooperate, they will be beaten, shocked, or shot. The game becomes more and more exciting and tense, with more brutal and violent methods. As long as no one dies halfway through the game, the game will not stop!
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Was the female lead originally supposed to be played by IU?
Originally, Qian Yu Xi was not the first choice for the female lead role. The role of the “crazy woman” in the 8th floor resident was originally offered to “National Sister” IU. As early as the beginning of 2022, the director had finalized the casting of Yoo Jun Lee, IU, and Park Jung Min. However, before filming began, IU had to drop out of filming “The 8 Show” due to scheduling conflicts. In the end, Qian Yu Xi replaced her as the female lead!
Even if you haven’t heard of Qian Yuxi’s name, you must have seen her starring works. In 2004, Qian Yuxi made her debut in the movie “The Stairway of Fate” and has appeared in a total of 25 films, portraying completely different roles! In 2014, she won the Best Actress award at the Blue Dragon Awards for her role as “Han Gongzhu,” a victim of sexual assault, in the movie “The Transferred Student.” Her acting skills are not to be underestimated!
This time, Qianyi performed a more groundbreaking and exciting performance on “The 8 Show”, sexy and crazy, perfectly portraying the role of a lunatic, her acting skills once again receiving high praise from the public!
An outstanding lineup of powerful actors
In addition to playing the “8th Floor Contestant” Qian Yuxi, “The 8 show” was personally selected by director Han Zailin for the role, with a heavyweight cast including Ryu Jun-yeol, Park Seo-joon, the “scumbag” from “The World of the Married” Park Hae-joon, Park Hae-joon from “Crash Landing on You”, the Green Dragon Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in “Intruder” Won Jin-ah, the Green Dragon Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in “The Devil’s Deal” Park Sung-min, Lee Liet-yin from “Irresistible Him”, and Lee Joo-young, who won the “Best Actor Award” at the Han Asia International Short Film Festival for “Value”, making the drama’s super strong cast lineup a major highlight!
Does “結局” imply a second season?
As the reality show “Survival Game” comes to an end, there was an unexpected surprise at the end credits! It turns out that director “7th Floor,” who was facing career setbacks, turned his own experience with “The 8 Show” into a script, receiving full support from investors and high praise for its entertainment value. He also shared a thought-provoking statement: “Audiences wouldn’t want people from higher floors to have a good ending.” And casually mentioned, “Who knows, there might be a second season!” Setting the stage for the next season, looking forward to season two!
