Upamanyu Biswas
In the second season of Netflix’s ‘The Victims’ Game,’ a serial killer’s dark, macabre plot leads Fang Yi-jen and his crew to the city of Sanglung, where the narrative unravels. The city is home to several vital locations tied to the genesis of the victims of the string of murders, specifically the girl Chia-ying. After her unsolved murder case is reopened, the truth about the girl’s history and past associations come to the fore as the crew learns about her childhood home in the residential areas of Sanlung. Scattered with dense foliage, suburban homes, hospitals, and abandoned national parks, Sanlung makes an impression on the murder mystery storyline in the final episodes, triggering a deeper exploration of its roots.
Sanlung City is a Fictional City
The city of Sanlung in ‘The Victims’ Game’ is a fictional city crafted by writers Liang Shu-ting, Hsu Ruei-liang, and Chen Cheng-yu. While most of the story takes place in the fictional Pinglin City, near the end of season 2, Fang Yi-jen, his daughter, Hsiao-meng, and his friend, Hai-yin, must take a detour to the neighboring city. While exploring the past of Chia-ying and her runaway group of friends, the crew stumbles upon vital pieces of information that provide new insight into the case and its participants. Additionally, with the arrival of a fresh suspect in the murder case, Sanlung becomes even more pivotal. During its appearance within the show, it hosts themes of murder, anguish, and desperation as the story heads towards its last stretch.
While Sanlung may not exist in reality, a small town called Sanlang can be found in Perlis, Malaysia. It is primarily an agricultural community where people engage in pastoral activities in the rustic neighborhood. Farming, fishing, and bird-nest farming are common sources of livelihood in the rural town. Although the fictional city from ‘The Victims’ Game’ season 2 and the village from Malaysia may share a similar name, their communal identities distinguish them from one another. Sanlung is a city replete with suburban residencies, thriving hospitals, and metropolitan infrastructure. There are hints of open country lands on Sanlung’s outskirts; however, the city is primarily a bustling center of confluence.
At the edge of Sanlung’s municipality lies Sanleng National Park, an abandoned nature reserve where the show’s ending portions take place. The rising intensity of the final moments leads to several resolutions within the storyline that unravel in separate locations within the city. For instance, the childhood home of Chia-ying is where certain essential flashbacks and the present-day narrative become pivotal to the setting. The crew also visits Sanlung General Hospital during their trip. As filming for ‘The Victims’ Game’ took place in Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan, the fictional city of Sanlung would have been brought to life through the use of various districts in and around the major city. However, as it makes a significant imprint in the later sections of the narrative, it is an essential locale that, in reality, cannot be found.
Read more: The Victims’ Game Season 2 Ending, Explained: Who is the Killer?
You must be logged in to post a comment.