If you’ve read my previous recap and review, you already know that I’m not a big fan of reality TV, and I especially didn’t enjoy the long and winding first four episodes of the show. But I’m not sure if this is owing to the comment of the one person who said they hope the next few episodes change my mind, or if it was just the one game that made the show far more interesting, but despite having an extra episode and being 3 hours too long, I actually did enjoy the second set of episodes of The Devil’s Plan season 2. I’m not a big fan of math (because I’m terrible at it), which makes me the wrong audience for this show. But this is my job, so here I am with an unbiased mindset and an open heart. So maybe that’s why episodes 5-9 were more appealing to me than the first 4 episodes, where everything felt way more calculated and less interactive.
I think episode 5 might’ve been my favorite of the show by far. Not only was the Halloween monster game thoroughly enjoyable to watch because of all the strategizing, but the two hidden games in both the prison and the guest house were super exciting. The episode begins with Hyun-Gyu doing the hidden room challenge, and he succeeds at the last moment, which is impressive. It was definitely nerve-wracking to watch, but this definitely makes it seem like Hyun-Gyu is a player to look out for, if you’re another player, that is. Meanwhile, back in the prison, we finally get to see the hidden room challenge, possibly the reason why this season is titled Death Room, because man, if you’re claustrophobic, you’re not going to make it past this point. Last week, we didn’t get to see what happened to Seung-Hyun after she took the challenge, but she never came back. This week, we go down to the dungeon-like place with Hyun-Joon. The challenge is to “find the key” in a well where there are random bricks with images on them. Hyun-Joon is quick to note that the hint is in the first letter of each word in “Find The Key,” but specifically in English. It takes him getting fully drenched in the well, after it’s filled up, to find all the clues and get the key out from one of the lower wall bricks of the well. This makes him the player with the most pieces, i.e., a free get-out-of-prison card.
The main game of this episode is called “Halloween Monster,” and 9 people form 3 alliances in this game, leaving Se-Dol and Justin out of it. The teams are Eun-Yu, 7high, Ji-Yeong, then Ha-Rin, Hyun-Gyu, and Hyun-Joon, and finally, Kyuhyun, So-Hui, and Tinno. Interestingly enough, Tinno ends up causing a rift in the teams when he asks both other teams to form an alliance with them but then betrays Ji-Yeong’s team. This makes her very upset. I thoroughly enjoyed the backstabbing stuff happening in this game, even though I didn’t entirely understand it. That’s okay; this is to watch for fun. Se-Dol and Justin don’t lose hope, though; they don’t officially team up, but they do give each other all the information they need to play this game. Unfortunately, it’s Se-Dol who is kicked out by Hyun-Joon, who plays a cutthroat card to save himself from dying. Se-Dol is the first to get eliminated in part 2. Se-Dol was a player everyone was afraid of. The reason everyone chose to target him was that they wanted him out of the game at the earliest. Guess it’s nice to be that guy, eh? Now in episode 6, Hyun-Joon gets to live luxuriously, while Ji-Yeong and 7high are sent to prison with the rest.
I think another reason I quite enjoyed these episodes was because the players have started to become good friends, so their banter and teasing are more interesting to watch, adding a light-hearted touch to the show as a whole. The game in prison is “Sniper Hold’em,” a card game, which gives 7high an advantage because he’s a poker player. But he’s formed an alliance with Eun-Yu, as we know, so they agree to work together to “keep” Justin. This plan does end up working, and Ha-Rin is unfortunately the one who loses out here. Also, the other players just watching the game and pretending to feel sorry for the ones playing feels somewhat odd to me. What’s odder is realizing that Korean people actually know how to hug (this is a joke, because if you’ve seen K-dramas, you know what I mean).
In episode 7, the main match is “Treasure Island.” This game is much more complicated than it seems, but it’s kind of sweet to see the prison gang all teaming up to help Justin, who has only one piece left. It is starting to look like there’s some tension by this point on the show. I think, especially with people like 7high, there’s going to be some escalation, which is what you want for a show like this. But nothing gets out of hand, everyone is chill. I did notice a higher usage of English phrases being thrown around, even when Justin was not involved, which is funny to me in a cute way.
But this game leaves the ones in prison broken because they’re not able to solve it all in time, but more importantly, they’re not able to help Justin, which makes him the one who has to go immediately. Ji-Yeong ends up crying because she really wanted to help him, and it’s quite a sweet moment to see because Justin would’ve felt quite like an outsider through the show as the only guy who didn’t grow up in the country. Basically, a foreigner at this point. I was genuinely sad to see Justin go, because he was finally finding his footing and making friends. The person who replaces him in prison is Tinno, and this is a strategic plan because the top group thinks he is strong enough to be able to make it out of prison. Unfortunately, they are very wrong about this because Tinno ends up losing in the prison game and is the next member to be eliminated.
Episode 9 is the longest episode yet, and if you have the option not to binge-watch this show, I’d recommend watching it one episode at a time. Tinno being out leaves Kyuhyun quite upset, but such is the life of a reality TV star and K-pop idol. I know because of this, everyone is ready to go after one player, thanks to his personality and intelligence, but the show reminds me that if you stay quiet and simply speak when it’s your turn and be somewhere in the middle, helping everyone, you’re going to go unnoticed till it’s too late. For the other players, that is. I’m talking about So-Hui, who is super intelligent and hasn’t been in prison and is making perfect alliances. I’d honestly love it if she wins, but if she’s so passive, she may not stand a chance. This brings me to the guy that everybody decides to target in episode 9—Hyun-Gyu. This all starts in prison when 7high and Eun-Yu decide they want to get rid of this guy, because if it ends up becoming a one-on-one match with him, it would be too difficult. They then try to form an alliance with So-Hui and Kyuhyun, who have to play against their friend in order to make the plan work. But the interesting thing is that this game isn’t really one for alliances, or at least that’s what Hyun-Gyu makes it seem like. Now, everyone teams up against Hyun-Gyu, and Hyun-Joon and he are kind of a team here. But are things as they seem?
At the end of The Devil’s Plan episode 9, we see Hyun-Joon claim he’s going to play all his cards, i.e., make sure they get rid of Hyun-Gyu, because he also believes he’ll be the hardest competitor to play one-on-one. Now, if Hyun-Gyu ends up saving himself in the next game, the entire dynamic of the remaining members will change, and I can’t imagine he won’t be hostile towards some of them. But, worse, will Hyun-Joon bear the brunt? I’m not sure. I’ve got to admit that I’d rather have Hyun-Gyu out because he’s kind of annoying with his big ego, even if he might be a good player. I do much prefer Hyun-Joon. Who do you think will be out next? Will Hyun-Gyu win “The Devil’s Plan?” We will find out on May 20th.
