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The Victims' Game taiwanese drama review
Completed
The Victims' Game
2 people found this review helpful
by logikitty
Sep 8, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

So close to being perfect

I really liked the premise of this show. I think people have been debating the ethics of assisted suicide for a long while, and the show played out the two points really well at the end. From LYJ's perspective, the individuals found meaning in their deaths and it freed them from the burdens and sadness they experienced here. Their feelings of hopelessness were grounded in reality. Having done crisis intervention for suicidal people, constantly experiencing corruption, undermining, discrimination and harassment, endlessly suffering for one mistake can push people to the darkest places. It genuinely feels like there's simply no way things will get better nor make life worth living. There is freedom in choosing what happens with your life. On the other hand, HHY's perspective is equally valid. If someone had given them a glimpse of hope or helped them to stay in the world a little bit longer, if someone had shown them the smallest bits of kindness and empathy, they would have much more to live for. There is meaning in surviving, too, and even small things are worth living for. So, leaving the debate neutral - sharing both points of view with equal understanding - was awesome.
I also really liked the relationship repair that happened at the end with HHY and her father (taking the flowers to his grave and purchasing the house for her mother) and FYJ and his daughter JHM (visiting her every moment he got and being there the moment she was released from prison). It's not often we see traumatized children heal their relationships with the caregivers who hurt them, so to see what it looks like to put in the effort to mend relationships was brilliant. I would have liked to see a little bit more with HHY and her mother, but that's so minor imo.
The one thing I wasn't a fan of was the portrayal of ASD with FYJ. ASD does manifest in daily living in a myriad of ways, but the portrayal seemed super stereotypical and sometimes inaccurate. "Strange" and repetitive facial gestures, violent (??) meltdowns, lack of eye contact, moments of mutism, ignoring others (??) when they're talking to you, savant logician and memory - the list goes on. There was certainly a lot more opportunity for subtle autistic traits and mannerisms, more of an incorporation of appropriate self-regulation, and humanness beyond just the overt ASD traits. At moments, he acted childish in a way that I feel like doesn't appear realistic. It does make you wonder what they did to explore what ASD looks like (as I'm guessing the actor is neurotypical).
Overall a good show. I'm not really sure what they will do in the next season - Netflix says there will be another one? But hopefully it's worth watching.
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