Lmfao these VIPs man. Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema FIRST TIME WATCHING 12 Monkeys tomorrow. Enjoy the day!
Loved hearing you intuit your way through the VIPs' depictions. Series ceator Dong-hyuk knows all the gritty details of everyday struggle: So he doesn't need to "balance" our protagonists with archenemies -- our VIPs are simply consumers of expensive entertainment and gamblers, further skewers of capitalist satire (a target of this series). If you want to go deeper, I believe Dong-hyuk follows the post WWII definition of evil -- "The Banality of Evil" by Holocaust survivor and political theorist Hannah Arendt. Arendt demonstrated that pure evil isn't sophisticated and ingeniously diabolical, further showing Nazis were ordinary people who did everyday things while commiting heinous atrocities. The VIPs didn't design the puzzles, the Front Man follows orders, and this Beast has no head.
@@michaelmaloskyjr my thoughts exactly. "evil genius" is a fiction trope. actual evil is dehumanizing fellow humans. in this story, capitalism is the system and wealth is the gauge at what worth a human life is measured, literally. the amount of rhetoric about the idea that poor people just need to work harder is rife in capitalist societies. disregarding all of history that tells the story of wealth being hoarded and inherited by the rich. and after trump, how can you expect rich people to be more sophisticated or intelligent than your average person?
Remember how the crazy lady was geeking out over winning the tug of war? How she claimed leaning back made her feel powerful?? She leaves the show leaning back in a fucking power move.
i feel like having the vips the way they did, making them immature and child like, gives a sense of how little they actually care about the people as they see it as just a game and gives that connection to the start of episode one, having a sort of reflection to how people was betting on the horse racing
I thought of it as a foreshadowed analogy too. In Episode 1, we see many underprivileged/impoverished people getting excited over betting on a horse race. In episode 7, we see some sadistic, sociopathic elitist 1%ers with clearly no morals and way too much boredom to know what to do with their wealth which would be more entertaining for them than betting money on who wins a Battle Royale / Last Human Standing and celebrate watching poor and desperate people die - you know... for the LULs I suppose. Kinda like a dystopian "capitalism to the extreme" as a modern reenactment of late-Roman decadence too. Somehow, back then watching slaves fight to the death against each other or animals was filling stadiums too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I feel like the show intentionally leads you to the expectation that the VIP's are these sinister and imposing sorta figures, but the letdown that they're just these boorish man children is kind of the point. They aren't these criminal masterminds, they're just apathetic to the suffering their indulgences impart upon the world.
Everything on this show has been meticulously planned, down to the VIPs. The reason why they felt off is because this show was never supposed to be a mass marketing sensation. It was suppose to attract the local Korean audience to sign up for Netflix. So the enunciation of the actors portraying the VIPS were deliberately exaggerated in order for the average Korean to understand, which came off as corny to us, but they wouldn't know the difference. That and the pandemic probably prevented them from getting tier 1 actors from Hollywood, and thus had to hire local Caucasian actors (as this show was never high budget). The gangster lady was a pragmatic woman. She understood early on that her best bet was to ingrate herself to people who can help her get further into the game. But when she saw Deok Soo pull off this stunt, with the clock ticking down and still 6 set of tiles to go 2 to the power of 6 = 3% survival rate. She made the logical conclusion that she was going to die regardless, and if that was the case why not take the dumb brute down with her for betraying. Absolute legend.
i think the cheesy American actors portraying the sadistic billionaires actually low-key made them that much more believable. These are totally the type of borderline aspberger- socially backward types that would put on some sick shit like this for their entertainment.. they would be immature, probably-inherited-wealth, fucktards who normal people couldn't stand to be around for 5 min . not ALL billionaires obj, just these 6 or 7 idiots
I'm always surprised at how few reactors comment on how Sang-woo is clearly projecting when he goes off on 069 husband guy. Such an important moment for the character.
There's been a lot of criticism of the VIP's lines and acting (as you said, 'corny-ness') but for me it kinda fits in the narrative. They live in ivory towers so high, they're so out of touch that they don't even seem like 'real' people anymore. They may as well be Martians, because they live on a totally different planet from us - just sometimes they come here for their amusement.
@@lanagievski1540 Well, if anyone did say the acting was bad I wouldn't call them crazy - you can certainly make a case for that opinion - but whether it is or isn't is kinda irrelevant to me. Their sheer, almost comical absurdity - whether by accident or design - is at odds with the very real struggles of the participants. So for me it's a good contrast, but James' point is also perfectly valid and would have worked at least as well. It's all good. 👍
Im one of those ppl who really HATED the acting of the VIPs, but I hear what you guys are saying for sure. It makes sense that the writers wanted to contrast the main characters (namely, the players) from the game operators and spectators with a moral vs. immoral sort of lens, but the contrast was too extreme for me and the least believable. It almost felt like the writing got lazy, when you consider how much depth and layers they gave to the other characters (the main ones, anyway). The show altogether would have been a solid 10/10 for me if it wasn’t for that one aspect, but that’s me.
I love how thoughtful you are, not just with your reactions but taking time away from it whenever you need it, it’s pretty dope imo. I was wondering today if you’ve seen Warrior (2011) w/ Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton? Incredible film!
The reason they did the VIPs the way they did is twofold: a) Due to COVID it's extremely hard to get good native English speaking talent when it comes to actors in Korea b) The same way we in the west generally portray Asian people (have them be good at math or kung-fu etc), Asian shows/movies generally play up stereotypes from the west when they are in their shows, to signify to their own audience that that character is indeed foreign. Personally, the VIPs pulled me out of the show unfortunately. It was very rough to get around how over the top they were. I don't think what the writing made them say was necessarily bad, I do believe people of that magnitude would indulge themselves like that, but the way the actors played it up was too "fake" almost. I understand why they did it, and what limitations they had, but honestly I wish they had a more nuanced performance. Just so it isn't a "stain" on an otherwise excellent show.
Although I agree, it’s not on the actors for playing it up. It would be on the director to tell them to downplay it or play it up. So all of those actors were just following direction.
@@blinkachu5275 Yeah but they all were doing a terrible job, which points to some bad direction. It also wasn't just the acting. The writing for them made them super corny and over the top. The writing and directing together just made it so much worse.
You know, it's a funny thing how different people react to the same thing. You're disappointed with the VIPs being shown in such a cookie-cutter, bland, cartoonish manner. You want more. You want them to be deep. I do too. We've been raised to expect it on books and shows that have gone deep on villainous motivation. Yet to me, the fact that they aren't deep is even more horrifying. I want to understand why they can excuse doing this, but to simply accept that sometimes people are evil to you (or to many) because you're just not even worth them considering as human, as worth dignifying with more than the cursory glance we'd give to a beetle, is terrifying. And it's also the kind of attitude that has been used to excuse all kinds of horrors historically. This isn't really about the VIPs, it's about how unimportant we can be to people.
Other people have said similar, but I thought I would add about the VIPS. I agree that they were kind of cartoon-like, but I think that was the point. It was supposed to take you out of the realism we've seen of the games so far and show just how drastically different the games are for the players (serious, gruesome, emotional, arguably the highest stakes imaginable) whereas to the VIPS this is just a game. It takes us completely out of it almost to represent how the VIPS are so far removed from the reality of the fame. They see these people as pawns for their own fun which I think was symbolized excellently in how the top man was knocking down their little chess pieces when they would die. It's not serious for the VIPS it's literally just a game. These people are just toys for their own entertainment which is preposterous to the viewer after seeing the intensity we've seen so far. To me that makes them even more sinister. This is just my take and I could be wrong. I'd love to hear from Hwang Dong-hyuk about this!
I also agree that the VIPs where a missed opportunity to introduce some truly sinister people ( not all of them ofc just a few). We could get a really interesting dive into their minds.
I know everyone is trying to justify it for the story but I agree. We need to just say it was bad writing and, like a lot of shows, they mishandled writing "foreigners" in the same way so many asian characters in American tv/movies are one dimensional and almost always some yakuza/gang stereotype or a nerd.
I tend to think of the VIPs acting how Hbomberguy described the graphics in Pathologic: "I wouldn't exactly be complaining if they did it better, but it works for what it is." And it was interesting to find out the backstories of some of these dudes. The panther masked guy has had a very interesting life.
Thank you, you found the perfect way to describe how the VIPs were depicted, cartoonish. It definitely stood out and felt out of place! Keep up the great reactions.
@@d3l3tes00n I try not to bring politics into everyday stuff, but they definitely made the VIP's eccentric, to the point of being over the top at times.
@@d3l3tes00n so that means we need to bring it into reaction video comment sections? that's not why i watch and comment on reaction videos. it's all good though!
I understand the point you're making from a filming/storytelling point of view, when you say that the VIPs are overly simplistic, generic villains. It's true. They are. But I think a decision was made by the creator, and it was a conscious decision, that they did not want anyone siding with VIPs at all. They wanted them to be universally hated figures. You can make an argument that it's a missed opportunity, and maybe to some extent it was, but by making them so universally unappealing, you hate what they're forcing these poor people to do all the more.
23:27 I opened this just to see your reaction to this scene man hahahhahj I fckn love it. I wish it had ended right there, cutting to credits and the drums solo just kept going. They could've just let all the rest to the next episode. That right there would be the best ending!!
I don't think it was ever stated that the contestants are there because of gambling addictions. Many were, sure, but not all or even most of them. There are numerous ways for a person to become indebted/desperate: Bad investments, failing health, unemployment, etc.
I get the impression that making the VIPs cartoony is like taking stereotypic depictions of Asians by the West and turning it on its ear, giving us a stereotype of Americans.
James you have to react to The Revenant it’s such a great film. The cinematography in it is so captivating and powerful. The acting from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy is so freaking good. Also I enjoyed this reaction man keep up the great work man🤙
I feel like, although the acting was terrible, these sociopathic VIPs are probably exactly how they would be. Just look at all the frat-boy billionaires out there.
The lines of the VIPs alone are just beyond recovery. I don't know how you act around dialogue _that_ cheesy. Though the few times I've seen western actors in Korean media they've always been caricatures, and negative caricatures at that.
The way the VIPS are portrayed.. it does show how regular ol corny folks can be sociopaths, psychopaths. They just have money. So it makes it even a bit more scary. They're not these big tough mobsters or gangster type people. People like this can just be your neighbor or boss.
I think it's mentioned that the VIPs sound off due to their scripts being roughly translated from Korean to English. Kinda like when subtitles are a little off but in script form
Hey, forgive me if this is a bit heavy, but after watching every upload of yours over the past month or two, I see you and I love you bro. You seem a lot like me so I figure you need a comment like this occasionally to remember that what you want to do is not for nothing. You're the kind of dude I need more of in my circles.
I get why you want the VIPs to be more complicated, but after 4 years under our last president, I find these cartoonishly simple-minded villains to be the most honest portrayal of one-percenters ever.
I feel like the VIPs are all over the top because it's like they are on a hype, it's like not only the actors are acting, but the characters too, because if the reason they enjoy the game is because they are a bunch of millionaire people that are bored, this is the day they can pretend to not being boring, and so they try to sell their joy to us and to themselves behind that mask. They don't act like this in their lives, they just have the mask and feel free to be someone else for a day. I think it was a smart move by the director, especially when one of them is unmasked and all fantasy is interrupted and you just see how vulnerable he is without a mask (and clothes lol). That's when he becomes someone just like the players: afraid for his life.
Dunno if this has been mentioned already or if you're planning on doing it anyway but, I'd recommend doing ep 8 and 9 as one video, since ep 8 is really short (and also I'll be hella mad if I have to wait 2 more weeks for the finale). I completely agree with your assessment of the VIPs, I felt the same way.
I feel like the VIPS could have been a lot better if the episode didn't keep constantly cutting to them during the bridge game. The bridge game is incredibly tense and terrifying and every time we cut to the VIPS, the tension is broken. What's happening with them isn't nearly as interesting as what's going on with the people we actually care about. The reason everyone loves these characters in the games is because they feel like real people. Whereas as you stated, the VIPS don't feel like real people. They don't even feel like a real threat even though on paper they're supposed to. I feel like they could have made something work if they were written better. While I do feel the disgust watching them, it's more annoyance than anything. I wanted to really lean into that uncomfortable feeling because I know people this disgusting exist in real life. We just didn't go deep enough into them which is too bad.
The one guy just multiplied the remaining probability. Each jump is a 1-in-2 chance of being right, and he has to get every jump right. So he raised 1 over 2 by power of the remaining jumps, which is 15. 1^15 = 1 2^15 = 32,768 So the probability of getting each of the remaining jumps correct is 1 in 32,768. Still impressive he could work 2^15 out that quickly in his head, though.
I disagree on the VIP's. I think they were portrayed exactly as intended. They are just guys with nothing better to do, nothing outright sinister. Nothing different than a bunch of guys hanging out and getting drunk at a local bar. I think having them as evil geniuses would have taken away from the overall story.
I read that the VIP masks were based on Rothschild’s Surrealist Ball 1972, I thought that was pretty dope! The VIPs are corny but I think that’s how they see rich western people lol 😅
I think that making them cartoonish or goofy as villains brings the focus off them. The focus is on the players. When you have simply evil villains especially since they're on the outside you dont have to think about them much. You focus on the more interesting bad guys and immediate threats which are the other players. They're simple so you dont have to think about the greedy, gluttonous, rich ppl being just that. It's just another indulgence for them.
Also, the way they talk as they observe the game at the same time as us and see it how we should be taking it in makes you feel some type of way towards them. Like, they kinda point out the obvious so it takes away the satisfaction as viewers to catch onto the plot if they just blurt it out. So it's another way to make us hate them maybe
you definitely don't expect, when you're watching the first episode, that the depressed nerd with glasses is going to end up being the realest gangster up in this bitch lmfao but here we are
It's funny, but the Math teacher actually got the odds wrong. He was correct that for 16 tiles, the odds would be 32,768. However, 2 tile positions had already been decided, so the odds for him were 1 in 8,192.
The one thing I really do not like about this episode is them blowing up the remaining glass tiles. I expected them to do something so that hey all cracked or something, but this was way over the top and it coul also potentially harm the contestants. We saw a shard hitting their face, so what if they hit an eye or worse?
I finally looked it up for my own brain to take in, but a billion South Korean won is about 700 million US dollars. Ten thousand won is about 8 US dollars.
I'm sure others have already commented, but the reason why the VIPs feel so off is because they had no context for what they were suppose to doing. The actors were told they were a bunch of dirt bag millionaires. When they asked questions about the script, they didn't get much feedback (the guy who said "oh it's bigger" had asked about why he would be surprised, obviously it would need to be bigger, but was told it was ok). I think if we didn't know English, it would come off more like Han Mi-nyeo who also hams it up and acts cartoonish at times. It's just a language barrier, I think.
Hey sorry this isn’t anything to do with Squid Games but I just wanted to recommend Arcane like a few other people have. It’s just such a good show, with creative writing and innovative blend of animation styles and different mediums, even the camera work/transitions are just next level. I would say from a creative standpoint it’s the best show on Netflix this year, yes even better than squid games, even if it’s not nearly as viral. Anyways keep up the great work brother, happy holidays!
Totally agreed with you at this point when I watched it. Lazy unimaginative villains with corny lines. But it is primarily a Korean audience. U.S. cinema has done the same with lots of groups.
I saw this show when it was still super fresh, and it destroyed me. I don’t like lack of closure. Ali’s death messed me up because he has a baby, a wife and he just perished with no trail or closure for his family. 🤦🏽♀️
i think the VIPs are cartoony because it’s a Korean show and they wrote their dialogue in simpler english for the audience cause it’s not their first language
That's what I've read online multiple times. Basically in any Asian TV show the english speaking characters are shallow as fuck and speak supoer simple english.
I always feel like this episode is a little off because the front man goes against the rules he stated a few episodes prior where he states that the Squid game is the players last chance at a fair shot. He says all that and then interferes when they have an unprecedented advantage (the glass maker when they turned off the lights). Whereas in previous games if they could bend the rules or use a unique tactic to win they pretty much are fine. Seems like they just did it to raise the stakes and it felt a bit cheap. Other than that brilliant episode
VIPs aren't masterminds, they're just gamblers with the money to do it. And I really don't get why people think they're unreal or unbelievable. Have y'all never seen an influencer video with people spending a billion dollars a month on bottled water? Or hey, an influencer video where they giglge and pretend like they're in squid game? The VIPs are 100% the most believable part of the show after the concept of debt.
You brought up using your shoes. They also made the players take off their shoes. So I wonder what would happen if the players teamed up and used all the shoes. It is about fairness in the rules so everyone would be on the same page. Think that was the issue with the glass guy, he had an unfair advantage and also hid it all that time.
Exactly. There's a lot of justification going on but we need to admit it's bad writing in the same way Asian stereotypes are in American media (Asian master, yakuza member, smart glasses nerd).
I think the vips are kinda basic might be because they’re only speaking English the whole time, so they can’t be too complicated or it might be harder for the Korean audience to fully grasp?
I know a lot of people were "disappointed" by the VIPs but I think it was done purposefully to show how superficial and completely removed from reality these super rich are. Personally I didn't think it was cartoonish just look at some of the comments of the "real" super rich and what they are using their money for... they ARE children with a lot of money but I might be completely wrong
The VIPs were not suppose to be sophisticated, they were ment to be a true representational American-billionaire asshats: And they nailed it! Tell me you don’t see Donald, Don jr. and Eric Trump in them?
Terrible English-spoken dialogue and acting are common in Korean shows but that didn't stop the massive cringe for me. Even if it feels intentional. "WoW! iT's BiGgEr!" No sh*t!
I think the VIPs fit perfectly because, even though they're cringy, aren't rich/powerful people in real life a bit cringy too? And so out of touch with reality, and the damage they cause to lesser people. They're just corny, generic, empty minded people, who hold a lot of unnecessary power in this world. There's a pretty big political message in this show, about certain systems we live in.
hi james! i normally end up having to skip your intros - not because im not interested, but i find the background music too loud to listen. wonder if you might look into that? :D
Totally agree with you on the stereotypical morally vacant VIP's. it weakened the show. They would have been better off simply showing them remotely viewing and betting...
Then why not also have the other countries with a lot of billionaires be involved as well? It would be easy to incorporate an Indian man, more Chinese people, a Russian, a Brazilian, a German etc (the other top countries with the highest amount of billionaires). If anything America having the most billionaires but our “regular” people living better than most of the citizens from those countries should show that we are actually doing quite well by everyone. That we are a very prosperous and fair country so…. Don’t know why Korea would be so fast to throw hate onto us. Especially since we consume quite a lot of their media
I had a bit of an anticlimactic feeling for the VIPs. Corny and one dimensional are words that come to mind. I watch a lot of Korean cinema and TV so I know why they are presented like that but I still wished for more.
I disagree the fact that the villains are stupid is way stronger than them being smart. It’s the entire point of this plot line. It’s just your average guy who’s rich. You should check out hostel.
This particular game is definitely not luck, number one has 1 to 262,144 chance to make it purely by probability and picking number one is basically a death sentence. The purpose is to cull the numbers before the final game. This episode with this game and the VIPs clearly shows that all the posturing about principles is just pure crap and I love that. I hate it when media show us these types of incredibly cruel characters and then try to justify it with some hogwash principles. Evil is often arbitrary and exists because of unlimited power and lack of consequences. Sure these villains usually believe in their principles, but I generally prefer when these principles are depicted just as a rationalization for their horrible acts and I believe that is what this show is trying to do.
I didn't see that much of a difference between the English Dialogue and the Korean Dialogue, except the acting sounded like it was dubbed in afterward even though it clearly wasn't. I feel like if there were ever any American people in this, you weren't going to like it. But I definitely understand your criticism, the jokes weren't clever at all. It felt strange for there to be such sudden humor. I think it would've been even more strange if the jokes actually were funny. In a "Wtf, why is there genuine humor out of nowhere?" kind of way.
The VIP’s were made intentionally campy. The jarring switch between the emotional acting of the main cast and then the uncaring camp of VIP’s was purposeful to the show the contrast
It's not really campy and more just cartoony. If they wanted to show how uncaring they are, they easily could have made them dry, non-cartoony people. That would have actually been more subtle and effective for what the show was going for.
It was not intentional lol. Even the show creators said they dropped the ball, they said they got cheap actors because they didnt know the show would succeed
![เจ็บที่ยังฮัก - ม่อน วรวิทย์ [ Official Mv ] จอนนี่มิวสิค](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KALIGSRSjFs/mqdefault.jpg)
Lmfao these VIPs man.
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FIRST TIME WATCHING 12 Monkeys tomorrow. Enjoy the day!
Loved hearing you intuit your way through the VIPs' depictions. Series ceator Dong-hyuk knows all the gritty details of everyday struggle: So he doesn't need to "balance" our protagonists with archenemies -- our VIPs are simply consumers of expensive entertainment and gamblers, further skewers of capitalist satire (a target of this series).
If you want to go deeper, I believe Dong-hyuk follows the post WWII definition of evil -- "The Banality of Evil" by Holocaust survivor and political theorist Hannah Arendt. Arendt demonstrated that pure evil isn't sophisticated and ingeniously diabolical, further showing Nazis were ordinary people who did everyday things while commiting heinous atrocities.
The VIPs didn't design the puzzles, the Front Man follows orders, and this Beast has no head.
@@michaelmaloskyjr my thoughts exactly. "evil genius" is a fiction trope. actual evil is dehumanizing fellow humans. in this story, capitalism is the system and wealth is the gauge at what worth a human life is measured, literally. the amount of rhetoric about the idea that poor people just need to work harder is rife in capitalist societies. disregarding all of history that tells the story of wealth being hoarded and inherited by the rich. and after trump, how can you expect rich people to be more sophisticated or intelligent than your average person?
@@woeshaling6421 damn! 👍
Remember how the crazy lady was geeking out over winning the tug of war? How she claimed leaning back made her feel powerful?? She leaves the show leaning back in a fucking power move.
Why do people think she's crazy? She seems more than sane to me.
i feel like having the vips the way they did, making them immature and child like, gives a sense of how little they actually care about the people as they see it as just a game and gives that connection to the start of episode one, having a sort of reflection to how people was betting on the horse racing
I just interpreted it as what the writers think of Americans lol
Absolutely. Gi Hun’s childish time at the racetrack is very directly related to the VIPs’ childish time at the game
@@justintime8 I mean they ain't mutually exclusive interpretations.
Screen Rant’s pitch meeting nails this aspect of the show!
I thought of it as a foreshadowed analogy too. In Episode 1, we see many underprivileged/impoverished people getting excited over betting on a horse race.
In episode 7, we see some sadistic, sociopathic elitist 1%ers with clearly no morals and way too much boredom to know what to do with their wealth which would be more entertaining for them than betting money on who wins a Battle Royale / Last Human Standing and celebrate watching poor and desperate people die - you know... for the LULs I suppose.
Kinda like a dystopian "capitalism to the extreme" as a modern reenactment of late-Roman decadence too. Somehow, back then watching slaves fight to the death against each other or animals was filling stadiums too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I feel like the show intentionally leads you to the expectation that the VIP's are these sinister and imposing sorta figures, but the letdown that they're just these boorish man children is kind of the point. They aren't these criminal masterminds, they're just apathetic to the suffering their indulgences impart upon the world.
17:54 James: “She has to live with that”
Me: “Yeah, but not for long” 😬
Bruh, don't spoil it for other people
@@CertifiedSunset Bruh, Im pretty sure he already watched the whole thing weeks ago, patreon and all that
@@Pir-o I'm talking about spoiling it for other people who are watching it for the first time on his reactions.
@@CertifiedSunset stopy crying
@@blackwolf4653 Who are you?
Everything on this show has been meticulously planned, down to the VIPs. The reason why they felt off is because this show was never supposed to be a mass marketing sensation. It was suppose to attract the local Korean audience to sign up for Netflix. So the enunciation of the actors portraying the VIPS were deliberately exaggerated in order for the average Korean to understand, which came off as corny to us, but they wouldn't know the difference. That and the pandemic probably prevented them from getting tier 1 actors from Hollywood, and thus had to hire local Caucasian actors (as this show was never high budget).
The gangster lady was a pragmatic woman. She understood early on that her best bet was to ingrate herself to people who can help her get further into the game. But when she saw Deok Soo pull off this stunt, with the clock ticking down and still 6 set of tiles to go 2 to the power of 6 = 3% survival rate. She made the logical conclusion that she was going to die regardless, and if that was the case why not take the dumb brute down with her for betraying. Absolute legend.
I would've tried to survive JUST so I could take him down later lol
i think the cheesy American actors portraying the sadistic billionaires actually low-key made them that much more believable. These are totally the type of borderline aspberger- socially backward types that would put on some sick shit like this for their entertainment.. they would be immature, probably-inherited-wealth, fucktards who normal people couldn't stand to be around for 5 min . not ALL billionaires obj, just these 6 or 7 idiots
I'm always surprised at how few reactors comment on how Sang-woo is clearly projecting when he goes off on 069 husband guy. Such an important moment for the character.
“Now this is what I wanted to see” 😂
A tragic moment for sure lmfaooo😩😂
I love how all the deaths were foreshadowed in the first two episodes
I loved this episode just because of how much of a boss that crazy lady was. Grabbing him and plunging to their deaths………total gangster shit
There's been a lot of criticism of the VIP's lines and acting (as you said, 'corny-ness') but for me it kinda fits in the narrative. They live in ivory towers so high, they're so out of touch that they don't even seem like 'real' people anymore. They may as well be Martians, because they live on a totally different planet from us - just sometimes they come here for their amusement.
I feel like people miss the point between what is intentional camp that makes a point and what is bad acting because it was not bad acting
People will twist the things they love to make it seem less dogshit but in the end it still stank.
@@lanagievski1540 Well, if anyone did say the acting was bad I wouldn't call them crazy - you can certainly make a case for that opinion - but whether it is or isn't is kinda irrelevant to me.
Their sheer, almost comical absurdity - whether by accident or design - is at odds with the very real struggles of the participants. So for me it's a good contrast, but James' point is also perfectly valid and would have worked at least as well. It's all good. 👍
Im one of those ppl who really HATED the acting of the VIPs, but I hear what you guys are saying for sure.
It makes sense that the writers wanted to contrast the main characters (namely, the players) from the game operators and spectators with a moral vs. immoral sort of lens, but the contrast was too extreme for me and the least believable. It almost felt like the writing got lazy, when you consider how much depth and layers they gave to the other characters (the main ones, anyway).
The show altogether would have been a solid 10/10 for me if it wasn’t for that one aspect, but that’s me.
Nah, it's just terrible writing and acting.
I love how thoughtful you are, not just with your reactions but taking time away from it whenever you need it, it’s pretty dope imo. I was wondering today if you’ve seen Warrior (2011) w/ Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton? Incredible film!
The reason they did the VIPs the way they did is twofold:
a) Due to COVID it's extremely hard to get good native English speaking talent when it comes to actors in Korea
b) The same way we in the west generally portray Asian people (have them be good at math or kung-fu etc), Asian shows/movies generally play up stereotypes from the west when they are in their shows, to signify to their own audience that that character is indeed foreign.
Personally, the VIPs pulled me out of the show unfortunately. It was very rough to get around how over the top they were. I don't think what the writing made them say was necessarily bad, I do believe people of that magnitude would indulge themselves like that, but the way the actors played it up was too "fake" almost.
I understand why they did it, and what limitations they had, but honestly I wish they had a more nuanced performance. Just so it isn't a "stain" on an otherwise excellent show.
Imo you're spot on.
I just leaned into how more meaningless all these deaths are just because it's for these assholes entertainment 😒
Although I agree, it’s not on the actors for playing it up. It would be on the director to tell them to downplay it or play it up. So all of those actors were just following direction.
@@monie802 to a point. It depends entirely on how good the actors are.
@@blinkachu5275 Yeah but they all were doing a terrible job, which points to some bad direction. It also wasn't just the acting. The writing for them made them super corny and over the top. The writing and directing together just made it so much worse.
You know, it's a funny thing how different people react to the same thing. You're disappointed with the VIPs being shown in such a cookie-cutter, bland, cartoonish manner. You want more. You want them to be deep. I do too. We've been raised to expect it on books and shows that have gone deep on villainous motivation. Yet to me, the fact that they aren't deep is even more horrifying. I want to understand why they can excuse doing this, but to simply accept that sometimes people are evil to you (or to many) because you're just not even worth them considering as human, as worth dignifying with more than the cursory glance we'd give to a beetle, is terrifying. And it's also the kind of attitude that has been used to excuse all kinds of horrors historically. This isn't really about the VIPs, it's about how unimportant we can be to people.
Other people have said similar, but I thought I would add about the VIPS. I agree that they were kind of cartoon-like, but I think that was the point. It was supposed to take you out of the realism we've seen of the games so far and show just how drastically different the games are for the players (serious, gruesome, emotional, arguably the highest stakes imaginable) whereas to the VIPS this is just a game. It takes us completely out of it almost to represent how the VIPS are so far removed from the reality of the fame. They see these people as pawns for their own fun which I think was symbolized excellently in how the top man was knocking down their little chess pieces when they would die. It's not serious for the VIPS it's literally just a game. These people are just toys for their own entertainment which is preposterous to the viewer after seeing the intensity we've seen so far. To me that makes them even more sinister. This is just my take and I could be wrong. I'd love to hear from Hwang Dong-hyuk about this!
The tempered glass level is actually my favorite, the way that it's done is a masterpiece.
I also agree that the VIPs where a missed opportunity to introduce some truly sinister people ( not all of them ofc just a few). We could get a really interesting dive into their minds.
I know everyone is trying to justify it for the story but I agree. We need to just say it was bad writing and, like a lot of shows, they mishandled writing "foreigners" in the same way so many asian characters in American tv/movies are one dimensional and almost always some yakuza/gang stereotype or a nerd.
I tend to think of the VIPs acting how Hbomberguy described the graphics in Pathologic: "I wouldn't exactly be complaining if they did it better, but it works for what it is." And it was interesting to find out the backstories of some of these dudes. The panther masked guy has had a very interesting life.
Thank you, you found the perfect way to describe how the VIPs were depicted, cartoonish. It definitely stood out and felt out of place! Keep up the great reactions.
They give me a very "Trump" vibe. With all his money & power, he's still very cartoonish as a human.
@@d3l3tes00n I try not to bring politics into everyday stuff, but they definitely made the VIP's eccentric, to the point of being over the top at times.
@@jeremylindstrom1076 Politics is connected to every day life.
@@d3l3tes00n so that means we need to bring it into reaction video comment sections? that's not why i watch and comment on reaction videos. it's all good though!
@@jeremylindstrom1076 It's very much relevant to the show, but alrighty.
James you're amazing bro don't need to explain yourself we love you and your content we your subs will wait patiently anytime you need a break.
I understand the point you're making from a filming/storytelling point of view, when you say that the VIPs are overly simplistic, generic villains. It's true. They are.
But I think a decision was made by the creator, and it was a conscious decision, that they did not want anyone siding with VIPs at all. They wanted them to be universally hated figures.
You can make an argument that it's a missed opportunity, and maybe to some extent it was, but by making them so universally unappealing, you hate what they're forcing these poor people to do all the more.
23:27 I opened this just to see your reaction to this scene man hahahhahj I fckn love it. I wish it had ended right there, cutting to credits and the drums solo just kept going. They could've just let all the rest to the next episode. That right there would be the best ending!!
I don't think it was ever stated that the contestants are there because of gambling addictions. Many were, sure, but not all or even most of them. There are numerous ways for a person to become indebted/desperate: Bad investments, failing health, unemployment, etc.
I get the impression that making the VIPs cartoony is like taking stereotypic depictions of Asians by the West and turning it on its ear, giving us a stereotype of Americans.
James you have to react to The Revenant it’s such a great film. The cinematography in it is so captivating and powerful. The acting from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy is so freaking good. Also I enjoyed this reaction man keep up the great work man🤙
i felt the same about the vips to be honest. it was a missed oportunity
I feel like, although the acting was terrible, these sociopathic VIPs are probably exactly how they would be. Just look at all the frat-boy billionaires out there.
The lines of the VIPs alone are just beyond recovery. I don't know how you act around dialogue _that_ cheesy.
Though the few times I've seen western actors in Korean media they've always been caricatures, and negative caricatures at that.
The way the VIPS are portrayed.. it does show how regular ol corny folks can be sociopaths, psychopaths. They just have money. So it makes it even a bit more scary. They're not these big tough mobsters or gangster type people. People like this can just be your neighbor or boss.
I think it's mentioned that the VIPs sound off due to their scripts being roughly translated from Korean to English. Kinda like when subtitles are a little off but in script form
Hey, forgive me if this is a bit heavy, but after watching every upload of yours over the past month or two, I see you and I love you bro. You seem a lot like me so I figure you need a comment like this occasionally to remember that what you want to do is not for nothing.
You're the kind of dude I need more of in my circles.
I get why you want the VIPs to be more complicated, but after 4 years under our last president, I find these cartoonishly simple-minded villains to be the most honest portrayal of one-percenters ever.
I feel like the VIPs are all over the top because it's like they are on a hype, it's like not only the actors are acting, but the characters too, because if the reason they enjoy the game is because they are a bunch of millionaire people that are bored, this is the day they can pretend to not being boring, and so they try to sell their joy to us and to themselves behind that mask. They don't act like this in their lives, they just have the mask and feel free to be someone else for a day. I think it was a smart move by the director, especially when one of them is unmasked and all fantasy is interrupted and you just see how vulnerable he is without a mask (and clothes lol). That's when he becomes someone just like the players: afraid for his life.
Dunno if this has been mentioned already or if you're planning on doing it anyway but, I'd recommend doing ep 8 and 9 as one video, since ep 8 is really short (and also I'll be hella mad if I have to wait 2 more weeks for the finale).
I completely agree with your assessment of the VIPs, I felt the same way.
I really had the same feeling about the VIPs. It didn't get to me as their characters felt so unreal.
I feel like the VIPS could have been a lot better if the episode didn't keep constantly cutting to them during the bridge game. The bridge game is incredibly tense and terrifying and every time we cut to the VIPS, the tension is broken. What's happening with them isn't nearly as interesting as what's going on with the people we actually care about.
The reason everyone loves these characters in the games is because they feel like real people. Whereas as you stated, the VIPS don't feel like real people. They don't even feel like a real threat even though on paper they're supposed to. I feel like they could have made something work if they were written better. While I do feel the disgust watching them, it's more annoyance than anything. I wanted to really lean into that uncomfortable feeling because I know people this disgusting exist in real life. We just didn't go deep enough into them which is too bad.
The one guy just multiplied the remaining probability. Each jump is a 1-in-2 chance of being right, and he has to get every jump right. So he raised 1 over 2 by power of the remaining jumps, which is 15.
1^15 = 1
2^15 = 32,768
So the probability of getting each of the remaining jumps correct is 1 in 32,768. Still impressive he could work 2^15 out that quickly in his head, though.
The VIPs were the worst thing about Squid Game tbh
James mate, its ur UK homey Mark I just have to say, I saw your reaction to THAT scene in Misery last night, was incredible, your reaction was immense
I disagree on the VIP's. I think they were portrayed exactly as intended. They are just guys with nothing better to do, nothing outright sinister. Nothing different than a bunch of guys hanging out and getting drunk at a local bar. I think having them as evil geniuses would have taken away from the overall story.
I like your take. The dumb frat boys who actually made it in life with all the money and nothing better to do
If those VIPs aren't the way they are, I'd love to have a mask like theirs
Thanks for your time
I read that the VIP masks were based on Rothschild’s Surrealist Ball 1972, I thought that was pretty dope! The VIPs are corny but I think that’s how they see rich western people lol 😅
Are you considering doing a Wheel of Time reaction series?
You have to react to arcane, trust me you wont regret it + you aint ready
THIS! I watched the live action Cowboy bebop and Arcane back to back and it was crazy the difference in quality lol but James would legit love it
My favourite episode most intense episode of the series I think
My favorite chapter.
Maybe they’re cartoonish because that is what those people are in reality: children with too much money. It’s dangerous but they really are cartoons.
I would just try running like that one guy, too.
Exactly my thoughts,the VIPs acting/lines were not up to scratch with the rest of the shows actor's
Its basically a reference to Bohemian Grove
Homegurl did a belly to belly suplex off the rafters through glass
🤣🤣 best death
Did you notice the images on the walls? Images of what games they are playing are depicted on the walls, and have been there since Day 1.
Yeah but you couldn't really see them in the beginning
I think that making them cartoonish or goofy as villains brings the focus off them. The focus is on the players. When you have simply evil villains especially since they're on the outside you dont have to think about them much. You focus on the more interesting bad guys and immediate threats which are the other players. They're simple so you dont have to think about the greedy, gluttonous, rich ppl being just that. It's just another indulgence for them.
Also, the way they talk as they observe the game at the same time as us and see it how we should be taking it in makes you feel some type of way towards them. Like, they kinda point out the obvious so it takes away the satisfaction as viewers to catch onto the plot if they just blurt it out. So it's another way to make us hate them maybe
If the VIPs had been in the first episode I wouldn’t have been able watch any further.
you definitely don't expect, when you're watching the first episode, that the depressed nerd with glasses is going to end up being the realest gangster up in this bitch lmfao but here we are
“They’re all Americans, I knew it” lol well well
Awesome reaction James
It's funny, but the Math teacher actually got the odds wrong. He was correct that for 16 tiles, the odds would be 32,768. However, 2 tile positions had already been decided, so the odds for him were 1 in 8,192.
Since you've read kame sama no iu touri, id like to hear your thoughts on the similarities in the games.
“She have to live with that” lmao not for long
I was waiting for that kinda scene too. 😏
The one thing I really do not like about this episode is them blowing up the remaining glass tiles. I expected them to do something so that hey all cracked or something, but this was way over the top and it coul also potentially harm the contestants. We saw a shard hitting their face, so what if they hit an eye or worse?
I finally looked it up for my own brain to take in, but a billion South Korean won is about 700 million US dollars. Ten thousand won is about 8 US dollars.
I'm sure others have already commented, but the reason why the VIPs feel so off is because they had no context for what they were suppose to doing. The actors were told they were a bunch of dirt bag millionaires. When they asked questions about the script, they didn't get much feedback (the guy who said "oh it's bigger" had asked about why he would be surprised, obviously it would need to be bigger, but was told it was ok). I think if we didn't know English, it would come off more like Han Mi-nyeo who also hams it up and acts cartoonish at times.
It's just a language barrier, I think.
The VIPs are pure Cringe in this show. Easily the worst aspect of the series.
Hahaha definitely a little cringe.
I think they created that way intentionally honestly and I kind of can see why.
@@SmileyAdventures This has been debunked several times, including by some of the American actors themselves.
It's a dream of mine for James to call me a "G" one day. Fingers crossed.
What’s up g
@@JamesVSCinema What's up G?! That was fast, man. You're the best!
Hey sorry this isn’t anything to do with Squid Games but I just wanted to recommend Arcane like a few other people have. It’s just such a good show, with creative writing and innovative blend of animation styles and different mediums, even the camera work/transitions are just next level. I would say from a creative standpoint it’s the best show on Netflix this year, yes even better than squid games, even if it’s not nearly as viral. Anyways keep up the great work brother, happy holidays!
In hindsight couldn't they just jump and land on the left and right edge of the glass that way it doesn't matter if its tempered or regular glass
Totally agreed with you at this point when I watched it. Lazy unimaginative villains with corny lines. But it is primarily a Korean audience. U.S. cinema has done the same with lots of groups.
I saw this show when it was still super fresh, and it destroyed me. I don’t like lack of closure. Ali’s death messed me up because he has a baby, a wife and he just perished with no trail or closure for his family. 🤦🏽♀️
Here before the 100 viewer mark, feels good
i think the VIPs are cartoony because it’s a Korean show and they wrote their dialogue in simpler english for the audience cause it’s not their first language
That's what I've read online multiple times. Basically in any Asian TV show the english speaking characters are shallow as fuck and speak supoer simple english.
The director wanted that corniness from the VIPs. One of the VIP actors said that on Twitter
I always feel like this episode is a little off because the front man goes against the rules he stated a few episodes prior where he states that the Squid game is the players last chance at a fair shot. He says all that and then interferes when they have an unprecedented advantage (the glass maker when they turned off the lights). Whereas in previous games if they could bend the rules or use a unique tactic to win they pretty much are fine. Seems like they just did it to raise the stakes and it felt a bit cheap. Other than that brilliant episode
VIPs aren't masterminds, they're just gamblers with the money to do it. And I really don't get why people think they're unreal or unbelievable. Have y'all never seen an influencer video with people spending a billion dollars a month on bottled water? Or hey, an influencer video where they giglge and pretend like they're in squid game? The VIPs are 100% the most believable part of the show after the concept of debt.
You brought up using your shoes. They also made the players take off their shoes. So I wonder what would happen if the players teamed up and used all the shoes.
It is about fairness in the rules so everyone would be on the same page. Think that was the issue with the glass guy, he had an unfair advantage and also hid it all that time.
Think of the VIPs "cartoonish" characters as Fu Manchu's. They're classic badly stereotyped ethnic vilains.
Exactly. There's a lot of justification going on but we need to admit it's bad writing in the same way Asian stereotypes are in American media (Asian master, yakuza member, smart glasses nerd).
The very first line of the VIP's and he stutters lol
13:44 same
Man got Yamcha'd
James, I'm still looking forward to you reacting to something Bollywood
I think the vips are kinda basic might be because they’re only speaking English the whole time, so they can’t be too complicated or it might be harder for the Korean audience to fully grasp?
I know a lot of people were "disappointed" by the VIPs but I think it was done purposefully to show how superficial and completely removed from reality these super rich are. Personally I didn't think it was cartoonish just look at some of the comments of the "real" super rich and what they are using their money for... they ARE children with a lot of money but I might be completely wrong
The VIPs were not suppose to be sophisticated, they were ment to be a true representational American-billionaire asshats: And they nailed it! Tell me you don’t see Donald, Don jr. and Eric Trump in them?
Terrible English-spoken dialogue and acting are common in Korean shows but that didn't stop the massive cringe for me. Even if it feels intentional.
"WoW! iT's BiGgEr!" No sh*t!
“What is this? A game for ants?!”
I think the VIPs fit perfectly because, even though they're cringy, aren't rich/powerful people in real life a bit cringy too? And so out of touch with reality, and the damage they cause to lesser people. They're just corny, generic, empty minded people, who hold a lot of unnecessary power in this world. There's a pretty big political message in this show, about certain systems we live in.
why don't you do reactions to runningman?
hi james! i normally end up having to skip your intros - not because im not interested, but i find the background music too loud to listen. wonder if you might look into that? :D
Totally agree with you on the stereotypical morally vacant VIP's. it weakened the show. They would have been better off simply showing them remotely viewing and betting...
When I watched this episode I thought the VIP were a joke and criticism to wealth USA people and their entitlement and lack of empathy... But then...
Then why not also have the other countries with a lot of billionaires be involved as well? It would be easy to incorporate an Indian man, more Chinese people, a Russian, a Brazilian, a German etc (the other top countries with the highest amount of billionaires). If anything America having the most billionaires but our “regular” people living better than most of the citizens from those countries should show that we are actually doing quite well by everyone. That we are a very prosperous and fair country so…. Don’t know why Korea would be so fast to throw hate onto us. Especially since we consume quite a lot of their media
How do you tell that they are American from their walking? What??? Im so confused lol
It’s an American thing lol
haha Yoko Ono made it - oops no she didn't
I had a bit of an anticlimactic feeling for the VIPs. Corny and one dimensional are words that come to mind. I watch a lot of Korean cinema and TV so I know why they are presented like that but I still wished for more.
Those clothes must be smelly because of that blood
I disagree the fact that the villains are stupid is way stronger than them being smart. It’s the entire point of this plot line. It’s just your average guy who’s rich. You should check out hostel.
Sang Woo was the best player in the game.
Change My Mind.
This particular game is definitely not luck, number one has 1 to 262,144 chance to make it purely by probability and picking number one is basically a death sentence. The purpose is to cull the numbers before the final game. This episode with this game and the VIPs clearly shows that all the posturing about principles is just pure crap and I love that. I hate it when media show us these types of incredibly cruel characters and then try to justify it with some hogwash principles. Evil is often arbitrary and exists because of unlimited power and lack of consequences. Sure these villains usually believe in their principles, but I generally prefer when these principles are depicted just as a rationalization for their horrible acts and I believe that is what this show is trying to do.
I didn't see that much of a difference between the English Dialogue and the Korean Dialogue, except the acting sounded like it was dubbed in afterward even though it clearly wasn't. I feel like if there were ever any American people in this, you weren't going to like it. But I definitely understand your criticism, the jokes weren't clever at all. It felt strange for there to be such sudden humor. I think it would've been even more strange if the jokes actually were funny. In a "Wtf, why is there genuine humor out of nowhere?" kind of way.
The VIP’s were made intentionally campy. The jarring switch between the emotional acting of the main cast and then the uncaring camp of VIP’s was purposeful to the show the contrast
It's not really campy and more just cartoony. If they wanted to show how uncaring they are, they easily could have made them dry, non-cartoony people. That would have actually been more subtle and effective for what the show was going for.
It was not intentional lol. Even the show creators said they dropped the ball, they said they got cheap actors because they didnt know the show would succeed