So I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. To this shows credit, I really think it wants to be disturbing.. but beyond that what is it trying to say? What is the story? It’s kind of on the nose, but isn’t functional in the end because of the inconsistency it has. .. let me explain

So I think this drama had a lot of potential. I haven’t read the webtoon nor do I want to, but if it’s anything like this show then I am going to say again that I think deviating from the source material for the benefit of the story being told is good. But what was the story?

In the first half I liked it, but after that it just kept the same beats again and again. There was no triumphant end for anyone, and if it could be argued that there was who was it for? I can do shows with multiple main characters, but at least one character out of all with a niche is a good person that is realistic. Here they leaned into the crazy too much with them all, floor number three was good but he also was just as hard to watch because he had no backbone. For something so disturbing being told I would’ve thought that maybe, somewhere someone would outsmart a game in a satisfying way that was righteous. Instead every single character is inconsistent with a loose goal that they all share. There is a little character build up with them, but really most of the characters actions are so disturbing and irredeemable that anything they’ve done before as a person cancels out. What fun is there in watching horrible people do horrible things to helpless individuals ? It’s not. At some point I felt so disturbed I wanted to quit.

Episodes in and closer to the end I realize this show is just passing beat by beat and has shock and horror just for the sake of it. There is a little story to be told, but it’s pretty cheap in the end. The ratio of good things and bad deeds here is god awful. I see some artistry with the set design and score, but beyond that when you strip this show down it’s just disturbing. It wasn’t fun in the end to watch because there was no satisfying conclusion.

If you have the decision to make people so bad and horrible then please have one character be good. I thought maybe one of them would truly outsmart the game as a whole, but no. It was people torturing others because they were crazy and horrible and that is just what I found it to be. It was honestly a shell of what it could be. I can’t help but compare to the predecessor that was Squid Game. Which in comparison is a whole million times better than this. That built up characters naturally and Decisively. It showed what was the common evil as well as showing how bad human nature can go to exploit eachother for money. It knew what it was. Here the characters don’t start off torturing eachother, they have the choice to not do it. But they do for money? I mean I got it I guess, I watched it. But time and time again the top floors of people just abused the bottom and not one person showed remorse, and if they did they fooled me because they just tortured them again. It wasn’t realistic to survive that much brutality, and if it was it wasn’t realistic the decisions both sides had.

So this drama was unrealistic and that is a given. I sure hope it would’ve be real. But at least have consistent characters that act like people instead of just caricatures. If they are caricatures and a study of human psyche than it’s just on me for not being able to stomach this. I am a person who can take disturbing content, but I’m also someone that likes to enjoy things. I’m simple and want the good guys to win and the bad to lose. I didn’t need justice with violence, I just wish there was wit to this story. Instead everyone was really dumb and unbelievable. It was hard to watch most of the time. For that I don’t like it, it was not good but not horrible.

If someone really doesn’t want to get tortured then lock yourself in the room. They can’t play with you if you are locked in the room. Power in numbers is a thing. Buy a weapon on the first day. It was like these people were so unlucky to the point that it hurt. It really hurt to watch this, it wasn’t fun.. but I didn’t hate it either? It was artistic enough that I watched.. but I feel a bit sick saying that.

Not bad but not good. If you want a commentary on class watch Squid Game or Pyramid Game. If you really want to watch this you can. I really wouldn’t recommend it. I wouldn’t watch it again either. To see what people would do for money is interesting, but I can’t believe people would end up in some places people did in this show. Why?