[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The 8 Show" Episode 6

For the most part, we know very little about the lives of any of the players in "The 8 Show" aside from 3, since he had the most extensive prologue. But 2 (played by Lee Zoo-young) has been a notable exception. The lanky, butch woman has always had a very brutal, low class attitude, and her prologue confirms that wherever she came from, she was on the job. Whatever her work, though, it's clear that 2 has had some sort of professional training as a boxer.

Advertisement

This was how 2 was able to outperform 6 in a fistfight several episodes back, although in the end she was quite ironically defeated by punching him so hard that she broke her hand. But in the cliffhanger to the fifth episode, 2 uses her now healed hand to knock out 6, capping off a successful revolt of the lower floors against the upper floors who had cruelly brutalized them and forced them to brutalize each other in the name of making the numbers go up. In the sixth episode, 2 now ranks as the main authority of the housing situation.

Despite her rather antisocial attitude, 2 is, as far as we can see, a fairly benevolent leader. She has no interest in tormenting her former oppressors, although she isn't willing to allow any of them to go free either. In the broader perspective, though, 2 serves as a voice of reason by noting that everything has gone way too far. "The 8 Show" has rapidly transformed from a lucrative money making venture to a sadistic prison, and 2 seems quite self aware of the fact that it wouldn't take much to push her to the breaking point.

None of this is to say that 2 is uniquely intelligent. All of the characters have different kinds of intelligences, as befits their personalities. One of the weirder twists of this episode is 8 not being particularly upset about being tied up, or even resentful or angry about how the situation has gone because she still has her very nice room, and more money than any other character. While 8 isn't a leader herself, she naturally responds well to leadership.

Some fairly gruesome twists this episode, however, very uncomfortably give the impression that calm negotiation isn't going to be enough to end this madness. As we've been reminded time and again at this point, while the game ends if someone dies, humans are tougher than they look, and can endure quite a bit of pain without actually dying. All of this works to create some fairly extreme and effective dramatic tension.

Written by William Schwartz

___________

"The 8 Show" is directed by Han Jae-rim, written by Han Jae-rim, Lee Jenny, Song Su-rin, and features Ryu Jun-yeol, Chun Woo-hee, Park Jung-min, Lee Yul-eum, Park Hae-joon, Lee Zoo-young. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2024/05/17~Now airing, Fri on Netflix.