All opinions are my own and my opinions are trash.

Spoilers Ahoy!

Floor 1’s Daughter

• unnamed like everyone else
• Floor 1’s daughter
• the reason Floor 1 (a clown) is participating in this show

Floor 1’s Daughter Ranking: The Narrator Spiraling Psychologically After One Hour/10

Floor Four

• part of the lower floors
  • somehow ends up with the top floors during the great divide
• ugly little dog
• loses a tooth (deserved)
• zero talent on par with the main character (floor 3)
• seizures
• worked as valet
• tried to become a KPOP Idol

Floor Four represents how the middle class will do anything to join the wealthy elite, including torturing their fellow brokes.

This is reflective of reality where normal folks are willing to sacrifice their morals to advance their own desires (see: JD Vance, any Christian who defends their vote for Trump). Floor Four is clearly uncomfortable with the chaos around her and the treatment of her peers, but because the situation benefits her, she doesn’t do anything to stop it.

Alas! Floor Four is like most of humanity: content to reap the benefits of slave labor, capitalism, human trafficking, and other social ills so long as they remain comfortable.

Floor 4 Rating: 7/10

Floor Five

• wealthy irl because she married a rich plastic surgeon (who divorced her)
• a nurse who went bankrupt because of a loser
  • she is often seen helping the other contestants with health-related issues
• classy and kind
• actually crazy
  • BSODs at the show’s end
  • several times is shown dissociating from everything around her, which same

Floor 5 is delusional albeit well-intentioned. Consequently, her fatal flaw is assuming others possess good intentions which allows her to be easily manipulated by Floor 6.

It’s unclear whether this is a product of her mental illness, or nature, but it is why she gets grouped with the lower floors.

While Floor Five is technically part of the upper floors (the wealthy elite) unlike Floor 4, she wouldn’t have been complicit in torturing her fellow folks. However, her combo of kindness and mental illness renders her anywhere from useless to unintentionally malevolent, so despite her social status she’s neither a threat to the upper floors, nor much help to the lower floors.

Sadly, she too represents a good chunk of humanity: liberals those who think most people will naturally do the right thing if just given better opportunities.

Floor 5 Rating: 7.5/10

Floor 8

• performance artist
• genuinely unhinged
  • tortures the contestants with sleep deprivation
  • only one who seems to be having a good time
• great fashion sense
• controls the food
• top floor making the most $$$
• smarter than she seems
  • first to realize that running = more money (albeit it wasn’t running but rather entertaining)
  • most things the participants do are because she suggests them

Why the others didn’t knock her out after she tortured them is beyond me but I digress. Floor 8 represents those at the top who are most visible (aka idols, actresses, musicians, etc.) and as such get the most eat-the-rich hate, over those at the top who are actually effing up the Earth (politicians, CEOs of finance, gas, etc. corporations).

Floor 8 is part of the wealthy elite, but she’s not really in charge. She’s simply playing the game using her wealth, intelligence, and looks to her fullest advantage.

While most watching The 8 Show understandably hated Floor 8, she aptly shows how those who are watching it for funsies use entertainers to keep the masses distracted and angry, while the real source of humanity’s woes remain out of sight.

Far easier to be outraged over Taylor Swift’s jet usage, because the media makes sure we know her every move. Meanwhile, Vistra Energy, Southern Company, and Berkshire Hathaway continue polluting the air unbothered because most people don’t even know they exist.

This is exactly what the media wants and what The 8 Show acutely shows. We never see who’s behind the camera, but we sure see a lot of Floor 8.

Floor 8 Rating: 8.5/10

Floor 2

• absolute queen
• can actually fight
  • she beats up Floor 6 a few times (deserved)
  • she’s a boxer
  • works with her hands
• part of the lower floors
• short hair, don’t care
• genuinely a good person
• some sort of construction worker
• didn’t really seem interested in making money unlike everyone else

Floor 2 represents non-conformists, or folks who don’t align with societies’ expectations despite lacking the means to realistically influence anything.

She’s actually skilled and likely could’ve finessed her way to the top floors either via brute strength or smarts, but chooses not to because she’s a good person and not interested in fitting in.

Floor 2 is also tomboy-ish and doesn’t fit Koreans rigid beauty standards for women; another subtle act of rebellion in a society obsessed with lookism.

Sadly, Floor 2 also represents a large chunk of society aka those who are willing to risk their own well-being to help others and do the right thing, but lack the practical means and resources to make any long-term or significant changes to the culture around them.

Floor 2 Rating: 8/10

The premise of The 8 Show is 8 contestants “randomly” chosen to participate in a reality tv show/game where they earn money based off how much time they are willing to give the show’s owners.

This sounds a lot like having a job except they don’t have to pay rent, or buy food (and they lack basic necessities, like a toilet or shower (which isn’t so different from many parts of the world)).

While this is a comedy, there existed a level of stupidity among the characters I struggled to accept. Why was the common space not used as a bathroom? Why couldn’t they use time to buy a bathroom, or something like it?

Floor 8 was able to get water for a bath, could they not have gotten water and made a bathhouse in the common area? How did Floor 1, 2, and 3 not murder Floor 8 after she tortures them for 3 days? How did Floor 6 recover so quickly from getting his weiner and toes chopped off?

Nevertheless, the show is a very on the nose critique of capitalism and makes its point somewhat decently.

Or does it?

I walked away with the impression that the real villains are hidden behind cameras, while those whom are most visibly playing the system (Floor 8= entertainer, Floor 7 = academic success, Floor 6 = sports) are painted as villains even though at the end of the day, they’re merely participants too.

The 8 Show Rating: 6/10