The Devil's Plan (2023)

The winner REALLY deserved it all.

I loooove every bits of this show. The games, the participants, the drama...

The games was good overall. It's actually a simple games, most of it from board games I'm pretty sure we all played it before like Monopoly, Tic Tac Toe, Scrabble, Tangram, Gomoku, etc... but with upgraded rules that sometimes very difficult to understand and made my head dizzy when I try to follow ? Well, sometimes it's indeed very stressful (I recalled myself crying out loud when Dongjae eliminated because of the nasty betrayal), but it's also fun, thrilling, and exciting.

But most of all, I'm very, VERY happy with the way this survival ends.

Ha Seokjin deserved it all. He's the most calm & collected since episode 1, a great strategist, and his tenacity just... wow. I knew him since Problematic Men era, I knew he's a great opponent everyone should watch for; but I didn't expect he'll be THAT GOOD. Every single episode he played every game skillfully, with everything he's got. It's truly mindblowing to watch (yes, I'm referring to his grande plan in episode 9 OMG how can he calculated all that???)

And I believe he's the only one who understood the rules of this survival game perfectly. I really like his statement (angry statement, if I may add) after Dongjae eliminated, "I want to see a skill-based elimination."

Indeed, because up to that episode, all I see was Orbit trying to save everyone—even the one who did not deserve to be saved. Alliances is needed, yes, but I don't think that was what Orbit did; he acted like a peacemaker but actually he's more like a dictator, giving instructions to everyone who followed him.

Not hating on him though, I'm trying to understand the way he think but obviously... trying to save everyone while you're in a survival show is kinda nonsense. The one with mind games and all, to be exact. It's a good act, but it's not for this show. Well, if that was actually his strategy to make all those people followed him and using them as a jumping stone to be in the finale... wow, he's good y'all ?

This was the great drama to add, and because of that I fall more deeper to Ha Seokjin's charm. I'm rooting for him since episode 1 and very happy when he wins. All in all, watching this show was like my personal journey as Ha Seokjin fans; I'm happy to realize he's that smart, kind, and humble as a person, and I'm just happy so many people find out about him as an actor (well, and youtuber) through this show. Hopefully he gain some fans (I really want to gatekeeping him though HAHA) and be more successful in the future. Respect to all participants, I really enjoyed their friendship, and their betrayal ?? Also, kudos to the great crew behind this show!

Season 2, please?

Read More

The most satisfying ending

The winner deserved it hands down.
Ha seok jin, the problematic man, the awesome actor, the beautiful smart man inside-out. I went into this just for him and man, did he rose all up and above.
I saw him first in his drama, drinking solo and then followed all his dramas, very few variety appearances and of course problematic man. But here, he was the star. He understood the games, showed composure, had no nonsense friends and team, spoke out when it was needed and above all his comradery with see won, OMG!!! I was rooting for both them as I would for any K-drama leads. they were amazing and adorable.
Also hats off to Production team for planning it beautifully and not stretching it more than needed and also for slight twists and turns. everything was well executed.
Honorable mentions to Gulli, he was the brains, see won for her tenacity, dong jae for his approach and boo seungkwan because he is Seventeen and sweet.

Read More

Reality game shows shouldn't be fun just for the players

The Devil's Plan is a 12 episode reality game show, where 12 players must compete to gain the grand prize that can go up to 500.000.000 won (approximately 370.000 dollars). Being one of my most anticipated reality shows of 2023, I had certain expectations about it and after completing it, I'd generally say it was a decent watch that could be much better, if they handled some things properly.

Contestants: The 12 players taking part in the games seem to have different strengths and weaknesses.
The good:
+ All players are interesting to watch at first. Why? We don't know them, so like kids that get excited with their new toys, as viewers we are interested to learn more about their abilities, strategies and -of course- characters.

The bad:
- I am not sure what the production team thought when choosing some of the players. After the first 2-3 eps, some of them were literally invisible. They didn't know how to use any strategies and they offered nothing to the actual game. They just got to stay, because they were protected by the nature of the games.


The games: Here we go. The games are interesting and well-thought-out for the contestants that are taking part in them, but not as fun for the audience. There are two games in a day. I don't have any complains for the second one, since it was mostly suspensful, fast and fun to watch.

The first one is another case and here is why...
- Rules: Too many and complicated. In some games it is hard to understand, before they start playing. Why? The actual rules lasted up to 7 minutes. Am I supposed to stay focused, when someone with an awful mask is talking with an altered voice for 7 minutes straight?

- Time: The first games took too long. They could take an entire episode to finish and they got very boring.

- Revelations: Almost everything is secret about the identities or the advantages of the players in each round. As a result -the last 15 minutes aside where things got fun- it is not that easy for the viewer to immerse in the games.

- Advantages: The first few games are created in a way that even if you win and take an advantage, it's like you never got it. In other words, your previous win is worthless in the next game since you are in the same spot as all other players that could literally just have lost or done nothing.

- Pacing/Interaction with the audience: This is no Physical 100 where people fight and you have fun watching them trying to figure out who will win in one to one fights. This is a show about wits. If the audience can't somehow take part in the games, which is natural, they should at least be fast paced and fun to follow.
Even though I had fun watching the show and the time did pass relatively quick, it also felt like I was watching many people plotting and talking to each other about rules (that are hard to understand at first), while having secret roles they have revealed to one another (that I, as a viewer, don't know).

- Eliminations: They rarely happened in the first few eps. As a result, the games felt draggy and you didn't feel any suspense.


They could easily make this much more entertaining for the audience if they just changed some things.
1. This show needed more players. In that way, it would have more eliminations -so would be more entertaining to watch-, more capable contestants and most importantly it would be much more suspensful for the audience.
2. It needed one to one games. It had almost none and that made it hard to follow and it wasn't as investing as it could be.
3. Some players shouldn't have been chosen. They offered nothing but frustration and they are the main reason why this show wasn't as interesting as it could be.
4. Team games should have been less complicated. I am sorry, but I can't fully focus when someone is reciting rules for 10 minutes in a game that as a viewer, it is almost impossible to follow -at least in the first half- and I can't take any part in it.
5. Games should have been more entertaining for the audience. The games in the final are the perfect example of it. If they had decided to plan more games that the audience could follow from beggining to end and they didn't need huge teams to work, it would be an amazing game show.

All in all, the concept is interesting, the production quality is really good and many of the contestant choices were wise. I will also admit that the games are very well-thought-out and generally it is a very easy show to watch. However, it is a game show that it is much more interesting and fun for the contenstants than for the actual viewer that is watching it. It is a pity, because it could be a much better watching experience, if they had a different approach or at least a different editing team.

Read More

what a ride

bene, la recensione sappiate che è in italiano perché devo convincere più compatrioti a vederla. come in quasi tutte le rescensioni che faccio ci sono spoiler però visto che la mia è anche una recensione per convincervi a vedere questo gioco grandioso metterò un separé e dirò dove inizia e dove finisce lo spoiler, così da poter dare delle info di base sulla serie a chi volesse approcciarsi. allora partiamo col dire che l’unico altro survival che avevo visto era Physical 100 (e devo ammettere che anche quello mi era piaciuto) e ovviamente i due prodotti sono molto differenti: nel primo l’intelligenza era comunque vincolata (in parte do in toto) alla forma fisica (infatti quello che ha vinto ha saputo usarle entrambe e no non farò anche spoiler di quello), mentre qui sono tutti giochi mentali, alleanze e betrayal, insomma un mind game vero e proprio. anche se non è ancora arrivato il momento dello spoiler vi dico che sono contentissima di chi ha vinto (che era esattamente quello che tifavo dal primo gioco) e sono molto contenta di come abbia giocato le sue partite a differenza del suo massimo sfidante (ovviamente tutti i nomi li rivelo nella parte spoiler) che invece ha preferito una strategia più subdola da un lato o da messia dall’altra. passiamo un secondo alle quattro categorie: per storia intendo i giochi e mi sono piaciuti molto, mi è piaciuto come abbiano riadattato alcuni giochi come monopoli o mafia per rendere il tutto più interessante e frizzantino; anche la side quest, quella segreta mi è piaciuta molto: ovviamente (visto chi tifavo) mi ha lasciato un gusto dolce amaro, ma sono fermamente convinta che anche quella perseveranza sia stata un esempio di intelligenza e di scaltrezza, alla fine poteva andare in due modi quella side quest e per uno alla fine è andata molto bene. poi acting, mi sono piaciuti i protagonisti e tutti, quindi diamolo un bel dieci agli attori. la musica mi ha un sacco intrippato quindi dieci pure a lei. ora ci tengo a sottolineare che c’è una ragione al 10 di rewatch value nonostante una volta visto si sappia già il vincitore: una delle pecche che ho trovato è che è stato complicatissimo capire le spiegazioni dei giochi (forse anche per il fatto che lo ho visto in lingua con i sottotitoli in inglese) quindi non le ascoltavo e capivo come funzionavano dalle partite, solo che così facendo rendeva le prime fasi dei giochi più un modo per me per capire il gioco che non per osservare cosa stava succedendo, quindi a posteriori dico: o seguite bene le spiegazioni dei giochi o vedetevelo due volte.
bene ora da qui comincia la parte spoiler, non voglio nessuno che si lamenti che gli ho spoilerato il vincitore il suo avversario o cosa succede con le eliminazioni:
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-



allora sono estremamente contenta che Ha Seok Jin abbia vinto in quanto tifavo per lui e mi è sembrato quello più sul pezzo: si era fatto la sua alleanza e ne è rimasto fedele, senza però perdersi come singolo. cosa che invece mi è parso essere successa a ORBIT: primo la strategia del salvo i più deboli mi ha sempre un po’ puzzato, nel senso, o sei il messia oppure volevi trovarti con persone non al tuo stesso livello in finale, che è un’onesta strategia anche questa, solo mi è parso un po’ meh come cosa. un’altra ragione per cui ho apprezzato il vincitore è perché ha spesso fatto notare ad orbit la fallacità della sua strategia e perché nel momento in cui i suoi sono stati eliminati “he called the bullshit” dell’altra alleanza. insomma, avrei preferito vedere altre persone ai quarti, però alla fine in finale ci è arrivato chi se lo meritava (anche se, se fosse stata una finale al femminile avrei amato Dong Jo vs Shi Won, e si non vi preoccupare che parlerò anche di quell’elephant nella room o per essere precisi, nella cell) e la finale è stata un mind game grandioso, sopratutto le tre partite a Mulino, pura classe da entrambi i lati. però, ahimè, bisogna dare a Cesare ciò che è di cesare, Seok Jin ha fatto un percorso magistrale. nei primi giochi sempre fra i primi e poi tutto d’un tratto ecco che finisce in prigione con la sua unica vera alleata dopo una partita di pseudo go dove ha letteralmente giocato per fare il minimo indispensabile per restare nel gioco. e poi è stato quello, assieme a Shi Won, che ha scoperto il segreto dei pieces e che ha trovato il codice e che ha sconfitto la side quest per poi farsi sette ore di semifinale al tavolo del poker e vincere… con probabilmente le peggio 4 ore di sonno della sua vita, quindi chapò al vincitore. tutto per cantare le valore gesta del nostro vincitore. ora parliamo dell’elephant in the room (cell): Seok Jin e Shi Won. primo, abbiamo (io compresa rispetto in quello che diciamo del marito dell’attrice) secondo diciamo una premessa: ho bisogno di vederli recitare assieme come coppia in un drama e terzo, il vero elefante: allora credo che fuori fossero molto amici già di base e quindi immagino che parte della confidenza che si vede fra loro sia data da quello (anche se in generale in tutto quel gruppo c’era un bella confidenza), però non posso non ignorare il segno cardine che non sono l’unica che ha notato una chimica sorprendente fra i due e in maniera giocosa ho anche detto che “in quella cella si sta girando una puntata di Single’s Inferno”, perché l’atmosfera, il regalo e l’editing non aiutavano a non pensarci. poi ripeto li vedrei benissimo in un drama a fare quella grey couple che nessuno sa quali saranno le loro mosse.

bene concludo con i miei tre momenti preferiti della serie: al terzo posto la finale e per essere precisi la terza partita di mulino. al secondo posto la magistrale prova di memoria di Dong Jo. e al primo posto ahimè, tutta la quinta giornata (quindi gli episodi 8 - 9 - 10) dal punto di vista di Seok Jin.

Read More

Unexpectedly mind-blowingly good!

I have never written a review on MDL and I don't really watch reality shows, but I just had to write this.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THIS SHOW!

Massive spoilers ahead but this is honestly all you need to know. This is absolutely the most entertaining and most brilliant show I've watched in a long time and you shouldn't miss it!

I honestly didn't know what the show is even about. It was just trending on Netflix so I clicked. But boy was that the best decision ever. It honestly felt like a full blown directed show with all the twists and surprises. Like plenty of jaw drop moments especially the second half, and mostly the amazingness of this show comes from the brilliance of its participants. Mainly Ha Seokjin!

-This is where spoilers start-

The only familiar face when I first started the show was him so I was low key rooting for him from the start just because he was the most familiar (didn't really know him that well as an actor). The moment he teamed up with Siwon and Dongjae though, I was pretty much on their side all the way because they were outnumbered (3 vs 11 lol) and they were honestly the underdogs because alliance was a big thing in the game and I wanted them to win. But even when Dongjae was eliminated, Seokjin and Siwon's party of two worked perfectly together.

Honestly, I have now become Seokjin's fan! I really liked how when people panicked and started conniving and backstabbing and begging, Seokjin remained calm and just stuck to his own thing. And he is legit a genius! I loved watching him piece together the Pieces to a cube, decoding its secret message and cracking the code of the safe. I loved how he freaking solved the prison ring puzzle pretty much the moment he touched it LMAO.

The finals really lived up to its name. It was the match of the century as one of the other participants said. I've never really liked Orbit and their group (except for Dong Joo mostly because of how she singlehandedly answered all the 10 questions to the memory game - the third highlight of the show by the way) but you have to give credit where its due. The guy is legit a comeback champion. He was practically dead in the poker game and using his last chip, he managed to unbury himself and even finished as a finalist. And during the Nine Morris game, I got nervous right away when he one upped Seokjin when Seokjin was supposed to have the advantage. And even on the hexagon game (I don't even know how they managed to keep memorizing numbers after numbers with all that stress and pressure), he managed to make a comeback from a deficit of five and tied with Seokjin just in time for the final round. Like how was that possible. Even though I've never rooted for him, he was a worthy opponent for Seokjin and a deserving finalist.

Fortunately, Ha Seokjin was the better "fighter". Their finals showdown was everything. Before he turned the table on the Nine Morris game, everyone was thinking of the same moves (including me) and I even questioned what he was doing. But this brilliant man had a much better plan. It was pretty much over for Orbit when Seokjin managed to work out the real strategy for the game. Honestly, Seokjin had so many surprises. The unexpected play during the semifinals was mind-blowing. To think he had managed to get him and Siwon end up on prison on the freaking last day just to crack the safe and play the secret game. It was the second highlight of the show. Only the people with lowest number of pieces get to go to prison and to think Seokjin (who was mostly at the top of the leaderboard for majority of the time) had managed to maneuver everything and get not only himself but also his only true ally in prison. I can't stop thinking about that moment.

But THE highlight of all highlights is when Seokjin solved the secret game itself. It was such a freaking difficult game and when I thought he already lost, he actually won. The fact that he did all that on 3-4 hours of sleep even. I think just based on that alone, Seokjin was already the winner of the whole game, because he was the only person to have experienced and played every aspect of the games in the Devil's Plan.

It is truly a blessing for the viewers to have someone as capable as Ha Seokjin to follow and root for in this amazingly awesome show! Anyway, if you've reached this part, please watch it still because the feeling is different when you see it in action even when you've already been spoiled lol

Read More

The winner is the most deserving

I just finished "Devil's Plan". It was definitely a show where you really need to 'think', and I didn't realize that I became invested as the episodes went along. I'm really happy that the player I bet on since the first eps won.. my main concern is that a lot of the players who stayed on the latter eps seem undeserving because of the so called fake-alliances or whatever it is.. It was a major letdown of an otherwise near perfect survival show.. though it made the winner more deserving above all. Best games are on the last episodes. ? hoping for better choices of participants for s2.

Read More

O q é esse jogo?

Eu nao tava dando nada pra esse reality show e dei com a lingua nos dentes! Meu deus esse é um dos melhores programas que ja assisti em muito tempo. As provas foram geniais e sempre colocando os participantes em situações de cooperação e provar sua capacidade sobre algum ponto relaciinado a conhecimentos ou conversas dialogadas com os demais. A escolha do elenco foi perfeita, não tem um integrante que não tenha participado ou tentado se desenvolver ao longo dos jogos. A final, para mim, não importava quem vence-se pois todos foram muito bem durante o percurso do programa.

Read More

Competition at it's finest

Watching this show made me realize "damn.. how are they so darn smart". The winner was very well-deserving of it! all of the cast were so good and I could tell they formed a bond and made this as something to learn from! They chose the right cast cause at first there was some things that makes you dislike them but it ends up being reasonable and makes you just love them. They did well trying everything to not get eliminated.

I watched this for seungkwan lol but the whole cast did so well and throughout the series, it's like I lived with them and experienced what they were experiencing so I was bound to love all the cast.

--SPOILERS--

Only things I don't like about the show:
1. The Alliances - We know there was a minority and majority-kind of alliance.
What I don't like about the minority alliance- I think it started on the first game, with the 3-people alliance that the others had no idea about, I JUST WISHED they didn't form an alliance that soon cause it turns everything about alliance after and made the others have some trust issues so soon. I was surprised when they were shocked that everyone went against them since they formed a small group within a lot of people since no one's eliminated yet and won. They also continued working together on the second game, so other's thought that their group is definitely a strong-kind formed of alliance. It was so obvious they won't be trusted that third round so I was so surprised that they actually planned to not help each other and played apart respectfully which was even for me so unexpected. it was sad and I felt guilty when they went and teamed up on one person to eliminate but this minority alliance outright made themselves a target and made the trust issues. Until the end, I kinda feel bitter since they started it but is like "this game is boring cause they copied us and turned it against us".
What I don't like about the majority alliance- It was a nice idea to help each other survive but that ended up just being something that's outright stupid cause they ended up sacrificing a lot to save someone which worked but for a competitive series, it did not sit right with me cause it was inevitable for the minority alliance to worry about their members getting eliminated cause they outright keep pushing them to be the last to push themselves forward which was a very selfish thing to do. I think after the second game, even in the end the alliance and mission was still alive that they made the minority group feel like an outcast, they were literally away from them from that point on except on the teamwork games! This group ended up being one with the leader who leads the others, and that's bad cause if you're competing it's only right to play for yourself, the members of this didn't get to show their ability much cause of trying to save others from elimination which was quite unfair.
2. The Games - If I'm being honest. I've never felt so stressed and tired from watching a series but this surely did, I can't imagine how the cast survived. Did they let them have a break? After one game (which were so darn hard) another comes which was so crazy and draining which I think made some of them to not be able to do well and get eliminated. It's also crazy how they make the first game be betrayal while the second is teamwork but I'm glad the cast were mature and still worked together despite literally betraying each other not that long ago cause I wouldn't if that was me lol

Read More

DAMN

WOW SEOKJIB WIN…. i was rooting for him…. well at the end. bro is mad handsome and just SO SMART LIKE. he doesn’t crumble under pressure and i think that’s how he basically won.. this was such a good game show man… WOW the games and the plotting was so good. i love watching smart people do smart stuff. IMAGINE BEING SEOKJIN THO… winning it all…. as an ACTOR?!?? damn. bro is so smart… the “next year” thing too?? like what the hell. Yah. but i wished the college student guy lasted longer. Bro was mad smart. i didn’t like orbit or the other yt guy??? and the orthopedic person, and the anchor… i rly liked dongjoo until she teamed with orbit LOL. i agreed w them like why make things even… it’s a game show bro..

Read More