Netflix fans are criticizing a new K-drama for its dark, incredibly sexual, and torturous storyline, even suggesting the series is grosser than Squid Game.
The 8 Show follows a similar concept to the award-winning K-drama as eight contestants try to win a grand prize. But unlike Squid Game, the contestants follow a basic set of rules — what happens inside the facility is up to them.
Squid Game’s grand prize got bigger and bigger as more contestants died. For The 8 Show, the prize money depends on how long the contestants stay inside. By all accounts, The 8 Show is a good watch for Squid Game fans.
But it may not be for everyone, as a Reddit user commented, “This show was just torture porn, plain and simple. I stopped watching after the sleep deprivation torture started, and I was already on my way out after the previous beatings.
“I mean, I can handle the good guys not winning all the time because it’s unrealistic, but seriously? This show was just f**ked up and it started to become obvious that I was the one giving their antics more and more time. I was playing the game, and the only way for me to win was to turn that nasty, vile crap off.
“So I did. Whoever wrote that show, greenlit it, filmed it, etc, is sick.”
The contestants indeed go to extreme lengths in The 8 Show. They battle a power struggle and try to entertain an unknown observer, with scenes showing participants getting tazed and urinating on themselves.
There’s also a morbid and deadly form of human piñata, and one contestant is made to hold everyone’s bathroom waste in his room. Let’s also not forget the very obvious torture scene mimicking A Clockwork Orange.
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“I got to episode 4 last night and jacked it in. Agree with you 100%. Someone on the production team has a fetish for people lying in piss. Thoroughly unpleasant and nothing compelling that makes it worthwhile. No story, no characterization. Rubbish,” agreed one fan with the original Reddit thread.
Another simply said, “I don’t know about all that. What do know is that the show s*cked.”
One fan came to terms with the fact that the K-drama was a lot to handle, writing, “There’s definitely things out there that are far worse. I’ve never seen any of the Saw movies and don’t intend to, but I won’t even watch the ads for those movies.
“I considered turning The 8 Show off after they started being really violent toward each other, but I wanted to see how it ended. When they started the sleep deprivation torture I was just about at my limit and was ready to tap out, but after that I didn’t think it got any worse (although I looked away a few times).”
Despite The 8 Show being extreme, some viewers enjoyed it. One fan came to the K-drama’s defense, stating, “It’s based on a super popular webtoon and they actually made it milder than what the webtoon was.”
“I really liked the show. It’s a representation of society, how the top 1% will always win and have the upper hand. I actually enjoyed it more than Squid Game,” said another.
The 8 Show is available to stream on Netflix. You can read more about what happened in The 8 Show’s finale, the most anticipated K-drama of 2024, and new K-drama from Netflix.
