This show starts out amazing, and progresses amazingly too. The characters are all so distinct, not exactly very deep, but they get the job done and have shocking and powerful arcs. There were moments that made me cry, which I wasn't expecting. There was a point around the middle of the season where I was ready to call this the best TV show of the decade.
And then the VIPs came in.
Their acting was atrocious, like The-Room-level bad. I was scratching my head at how these guys were allowed on set. My only guess is there must be a language barrier that prevents the show's creators from being able to judge good acting in American dialogue. Not only did the VIPs break the immersion, they almost made the plot less interesting because by then the show started to delve into the sort of Hostel-esque depraved-rich-guys-watch-the-peasants-scuffle tropes.
However, this didn't destroy the show for me, and I could have overlooked it. But then the show just sort of fell apart logically. First there was the glass hopscotch sort of game where I was just wondering throughout the entire thing: Why don't the contestants try to cling onto the frame of the platforms once they shatter? Why don't the contestants hold on to their shoes to chuck them at the platforms to see which are tempered glass and which aren't?
And finally, Sae-Byeok, easily the most compelling character in the show, dies in the stupidest way possible. What was the point of her character development, particularly that incredible and poignant scene between her and the girl with the nose piercing? It angered me to see such a promising character die in such a dumb way. And maybe part of that is just a visceral reaction because she was my favorite character, but I feel like there was so much more potential and it all just fell flat, leaving the viewer feeling cheated by the build up. It's almost like the show said, "Yeah we need to kill all the characters off quick 'cause, uh, finale's coming up, 'kay, let's get this over with."
Then what follows is a very unimpressive and cliche fight between Seong Gi-Hun and Mr. I'm-Completely-Selfish-Until-the-Plot-Demands-I-Sacrifice-Myself; followed by a kind of cool twist where Player 1 reveals he's not just alive but an undercover VIP the whole time (which is neat and all but really ruins what was one of my favorite scenes--the marble scene between him and Seong Gi-Hun); and then Seong Gi Hun becomes a strawberry and decides to, like, go rogue against the VIPs or something.
I wouldn't have minded Sae-Byeok's death if it wasn't so rushed and anticlimactic. I wouldn't have minded any of this if it didn't literally counteract all the amazingness set up in the first half of the show. It's almost like two showrunners were fighting over the same concept.
I still really did enjoy the good moments of the show, however, and I can't overstate that. I sat back in awe many times and said, "This is one of the best scenes in TV history." I will definitely rewatch the show, especially the first 6-ish episodes. There was never a moment (even when the season started getting bad) that I felt bored or disinterested. I feel like this show raises the bar for Netflix and I'm glad I watched it.
I just also can't overstate how bad some of the decisions were. If it weren't for them, this would be the best show of the decade. And it still is a really good watch, if you're ready to suspend your disbelief quite a bit and okay with feeling slightly empty and frustrated by the end.
And then the VIPs came in.
Their acting was atrocious, like The-Room-level bad. I was scratching my head at how these guys were allowed on set. My only guess is there must be a language barrier that prevents the show's creators from being able to judge good acting in American dialogue. Not only did the VIPs break the immersion, they almost made the plot less interesting because by then the show started to delve into the sort of Hostel-esque depraved-rich-guys-watch-the-peasants-scuffle tropes.
However, this didn't destroy the show for me, and I could have overlooked it. But then the show just sort of fell apart logically. First there was the glass hopscotch sort of game where I was just wondering throughout the entire thing: Why don't the contestants try to cling onto the frame of the platforms once they shatter? Why don't the contestants hold on to their shoes to chuck them at the platforms to see which are tempered glass and which aren't?
And finally, Sae-Byeok, easily the most compelling character in the show, dies in the stupidest way possible. What was the point of her character development, particularly that incredible and poignant scene between her and the girl with the nose piercing? It angered me to see such a promising character die in such a dumb way. And maybe part of that is just a visceral reaction because she was my favorite character, but I feel like there was so much more potential and it all just fell flat, leaving the viewer feeling cheated by the build up. It's almost like the show said, "Yeah we need to kill all the characters off quick 'cause, uh, finale's coming up, 'kay, let's get this over with."
Then what follows is a very unimpressive and cliche fight between Seong Gi-Hun and Mr. I'm-Completely-Selfish-Until-the-Plot-Demands-I-Sacrifice-Myself; followed by a kind of cool twist where Player 1 reveals he's not just alive but an undercover VIP the whole time (which is neat and all but really ruins what was one of my favorite scenes--the marble scene between him and Seong Gi-Hun); and then Seong Gi Hun becomes a strawberry and decides to, like, go rogue against the VIPs or something.
I wouldn't have minded Sae-Byeok's death if it wasn't so rushed and anticlimactic. I wouldn't have minded any of this if it didn't literally counteract all the amazingness set up in the first half of the show. It's almost like two showrunners were fighting over the same concept.
I still really did enjoy the good moments of the show, however, and I can't overstate that. I sat back in awe many times and said, "This is one of the best scenes in TV history." I will definitely rewatch the show, especially the first 6-ish episodes. There was never a moment (even when the season started getting bad) that I felt bored or disinterested. I feel like this show raises the bar for Netflix and I'm glad I watched it.
I just also can't overstate how bad some of the decisions were. If it weren't for them, this would be the best show of the decade. And it still is a really good watch, if you're ready to suspend your disbelief quite a bit and okay with feeling slightly empty and frustrated by the end.