Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The 8 Show’ presents a rather condensed version of modern society in the form of a fake reality show. Focusing on the journey of eight contestants, all of whom represent a different rung of society, the TV series does an excellent job of revealing the true nature of humanity and presenting a sharp critique of how society is governed, despite what some may think. Every episode brings a sharp twist to the story, turning the spotlight towards a completely different aspect of society, packing democracy, capitalism, and anarchy all in one. As appalling as it is to watch, the mid-credits scene makes one wonder. Was it all even real?
Seventh Floor’s Script Raises a Much Bigger Question
An interesting thing happens at the end of the show when we find Seventh Floor, identified as Mr. Yu, talking to a producer. It was revealed in a previous flashback that he was a screenwriter trying to sell his script, which seemed all too boring for the producer, who remarked that the audience doesn’t want to see something they already know about the world. In the final scene, after all has been said and done in the show, after the game is over and everyone has parted ways, doing whatever they wanted with their money, Mr. Yu presents a new script to his producer, termed ‘The 8 Show.’
This is a very meta moment in the series, where it is hinted that all that we saw in the past eight episodes never really happened. As Mr. Yu presents the script to the producer, it feels like the real screenwriter of the series presenting the script to Netflix, showing them the potential the story holds. It is a weird moment because even though it feels like the one that is most likely pulled from what may have happened in real life, it seems too surreal after having witnessed all that went down in the entire show. To have seen all that traumatic series of events and to discover that it might not even have been real is quite a punch to the gut.
The show makes it more interesting by keeping the audience on edge about whether or not the show is real or just a playing out of the script that Mr. Yu presented to the producer. Agreeing that it is a winner, the producer tells Yu that he will make the show but goes a step further by saying that it resonated with him even more because he had also participated in the show and made all of his money from it. The way he talks to Yu, it seems like he knows that Yu is Floor 7 and insinuates that they are quite alike to each other.
Mr Yu is shaken by this statement, but the producer shrugs it off pretty quickly, saying that he is joking and even poking Yu about whether or not the series is real. Yu’s reaction is enough to tell someone that this is something that he actually went through. His reaction shows that he does not take the material of the script lightly, and it feels like a personal affront to him for the producer to make jokes about it, especially when he says he has also played it.
But then, one may wonder, hadn’t Mr Yu already won a lot of money in the game? Why, then, would he need to turn to a measly producer to have his show made? Because he gave up most of his money to Floor 1’s family and because he needed to process the trauma he had been through in the game. He couldn’t talk about it with anyone, and it seems like he doesn’t want to reconnect with the people from the game because it would only bring back bad memories. So, the best way for him to make sense of what he had been through was through art. It was the same thing that Floor 8 did, though for completely different reasons and with entirely different intentions. But it would make sense for a screenwriter to talk about the worst thing he has been through in his life in a story.
At the end of the day, the show leaves it to the people to believe whether or not such a game may be possible. More importantly, it tells the audience they are already a part of the game. All it takes is to realize the level they are at, how it impacts what will or won’t happen to them, and how much control they have over all of that. So, the question isn’t whether ‘The 8 Show’ is real. It is whether you are aware that you are a player in the game you thought was playing out in front of your screen!
