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TV review
Elaborate Circle: In its second season, the American "The Circle" has become a smart, fun and funny reality
Netflix's reality show, in which eight contestants communicate with their neighbors on a social network, has become the official refresher of the past month.
A kind of disturbed and light-hearted version of a poker game, in which it does not matter what cards the players have in their hands but how they use them
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The Circle
TV review
Netflix
Ben Byron Braude
Tuesday, 25 May 2021, 08:53 Updated: 09:02
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Trailer for the second season of "The Circle United States" ("The Circle") (Netflix)
Based on the philosophical question: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears, did it make a sound?" One might ask: "If reality is broadcast on Netflix and no one talks about it in the office, is it worth watching?", In the case of the second season of "The Circle US" which ended a few weeks ago, the answer is an unequivocal yes. About a year ago I wrote here about "The Circle" (hereinafter "the circle") as part of a review of reality shows that came up on Netflix and passed the time pleasantly even for those who do not have the power for filmed content. Of the three versions of the format that came up in the service - American, French and Brazilian - this American was the least good (and by a wide margin) so I really did not plan to watch another season. But a random click on the first episode made me realize that Netflix knows how to learn lessons and also turn a sucking product into a particularly entertaining reality.
This is how the format works: At the beginning of the season, eight contestants enter the game and all live in the same apartment building (found in England at all), without seeing their neighbors in reality and with a social network (the "circle") through which they communicate, and of course disconnected from the outside world.
Each contestant / s is given the opportunity to present themselves in a circle as who he really is or as a completely fictional character ("catfish"), in order to survive until the end of the game without being "blocked" by the other players.
Whoever stays last wins a prize of one hundred thousand dollars (real, not fake).
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Doomsday weapons.
Chloe, "The Circle USA" (Photo: Netflix)
Once every few days the contestants are asked to rate each other, the players in the first two places are crowned as “influencers” and have to choose which player will be blocked from the circle. The fact that this is a show with zero encounter between the contestants allowed Netflix to film seasons 2 and 3 (which will air soon) even at the height of the Corona plague, and it seems to be a good practice for social isolation in case the plague breaks out again. But that's not what made her second season so good.
If last season the "Circle" contestants thought they were on the social media version of "The Imposters" and were busy looking for the "fake" contestants to oust them, this time they seem to understand the game better. In the "circle", as in the social networks we are in, the truth does not matter, the only thing that matters is to build a group of players who will be loyal enough and will not block you until the end of the game. Don’t get me wrong, impersonation is still an element that exists in the game, in fact more contestants have used fictional characters this season than in any other season of the format, but the enjoyment of it is mostly reserved for viewers. Watching 42-year-old Lisa enter the "circle" in the person of Lance Bass, the star of the boys' band Anne Cinque for whom she has worked as a personal assistant for the past fifteen years, is particularly amusing (and not because she's a good impostor). The gap between the character she's trying to portray and who she's really very funny,But it also shows our attempt to look cool and glamorous online.
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Her sarcastic narration contributes a lot.
Michelle Bhutto, host of "The Circle USA" (Photo: Ben Blackall, NETFLIX)
The authenticity of the players still matters in the game itself, in a format that is all built on ignorance (who the person I am talking to is, can he be trusted, what the hell time is it) the players are constantly looking for telltale signs about those in front of them in order to build alliances.
22-year-old Jake Geek, who enters the show in the form of his good friend "Emily", loses the trust of the actors when he demonstrates excessive lack of knowledge in makeup products, is perceived as a liar by the other participants and is quickly blocked.
But this is unusual, the rest of the time the contestants prefer to ignore clear signs of impersonation and form alliances based on characters that are fun to talk to.
Does the format require dismissing an actor who has been exposed as an impostor?
Absolutely not, but it seems that this is still the way for the participants to build strategic boundaries for themselves.
Indeed, it requires everyone who chooses a fictional character in the game to get to know her well, to understand how she would talk on social media and her background story.
There's actually a disturbed version of a poker game here, where it does not matter what cards players have in their hands but how they use them.
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Sometimes it turns out that flirting is not what they thought.
Delisa, "The Circle USA" (Photo: Ben Blackall, NETFLIX)
Like any other reality show, "The Circle" rises and falls on a cast, so Netflix pulled out the doomsday weapon in the form of British Chloe, the adult of "Hot, Hot, Boiling!" (Probably the most successful trash reality show in the service) that entered the circle on its own. Chloe is not the freshest lipstick in the makeup bag (as she will testify to herself) but she surprises us and the other actors as well and uses her natural flirting skills wisely. Even when her flirting partner, Trevor, is generally his wife Delisa, Chloe knows how to use enough emojis to advance herself to the top of the rankings over and over again.
Alongside the strategic social game, "The Circle" does not take itself too seriously and adds a lot of humor, also thanks to the sarcastic narration of Michelle Bhutto that accompanies the episodes, but mainly thanks to the moments when blocked players are allowed to visit one of the participants still in the game. Other imposters.
Instead of getting angry that the person in front of them has led them astray, they usually burst out laughing.
It also happens when two straight men realize they have been flirting with each other in fictitious characters for several days, and sometimes even thought that on the other side of the circle is the love of their lives.
"The Circle" is not yet a must-watch, not even close to it, but it is very entertaining, and raises quite a few questions about the concept of "authenticity" and whether it still has a place in our lives.
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