The Best Thing I Watched in 2020: Week 3
Starting this year, I’ve been writing about my favorite thing I watch each week. To see my previous entries, click here.
This week, I didn’t watch much. While at the airport waiting to embark on my red eye flight, I watched The New York Times’s tv show (yes, they have a tv show now) called ‘The Weekly’, which airs on FX and Hulu. The specific episode I watched was “The Endorsement,” which shows the interviews the NYT’s editorial board had with each of the Democratic candidates for President, leading up to their controversial and widely scrutinized double-endorsement of Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar.
The best thing I watched this past week, however, was Netflix’s new reality competition show ‘The Circle’, based on the British show of the same name. The show starts off with eight players, who each move into their own flats in the same apartment building. They never meet, only being interacting with one another through the show’s own “Circle” app. Each person creates an online profile, with a photo, relationship status, and short bio. The players are only able to communicate through private DMs and group chats, and interact with each other through ice breakers and challenges. At the end of each day, the players rank one another, with the two top players becoming “influencers,” with the ability to block (i.e. remove) another player from the game permanently. And when a player gets blocked, a new player comes in to take their place. This all my sound simple enough, but the simplicity allows the players ample room to strategize, manipulate, lie, and, at times, make genuine connections with one another.
It takes a little time to get acclimated with the show’s rules and format, but by midway through the first episode I was hooked. I was skeptical about the show in the beginning because I was expecting a shallow, superficial show, which is usually the case in American reality tv. But ‘The Circle’ is different. The show is similar to ‘The Great British Baking Show’ and ‘Terrace House’, in that it’s more wholesome than what we’ve come to expect in today’s cynical landscape. Sure, ‘The Circle’ is still a competition, and the players are ultimately in it to win it, but many of the most successful players are the ones who are nice, honest, and simply being themselves. You would think a show where all of the participants hide behind a screen would have less of that, but the it’s a welcome surprise that there’s so many genuine personalities that shine through. There are several moments in the show where, strategically, it would be in each players’ best interest to rank their friends low in order to become an influencer, but often times, they choose to rank their friends high in the name of loyalty and friendship. It’s heartwarming to watch. And surprisingly, this seems to be a uniquely American thing, as international versions of the show have seen players backstab and be more strategic. Who would’ve thought?
There are some annoying players (I’m looking at you, Seaburn), but, thankfully, the show gives us a handful of really likable players, including social media newcomer Shubham (aka Shooby), the definitely Italian Joey, and the flamboyant Chris. Pretty much the majority of the players are likable, and they all seem like good people. The finale reunites all of the players from this season - the blocked ones and the finalists - and it does seem like one big family.
If there’s one major criticism I have for the show, it’s that it feels like it gives an advantage to players who’ve been in the show since the beginning, both from a competitor’s perspective and the audience perspective. Those who’ve been playing since the first day have a deeper bond and connection than the newcomers, and we, the viewers, don’t care for the new players after spending so much time with the OGs.
Having watched the entire season (with the tail end technically being week 4 of my watchlist), I can confidently recommend ‘The Circle’ as a show worth watching - at least, the American version - if you’re in for a fun competition with real-life endearing people. This is the type of show that can be enjoyed both with a group of friends reacting to everything together, and also alone in your bedroom when you’re feeling anti-social but want the warmth and comfort of being surrounded by pure hearts. The more you watch, the more the players in ‘The Circle’ feel like your friends.
PS: If you don’t have a Netflix subscription, they’ve made the first episode of ‘The Circle’ available on YouTube in order to garner interest.
Week 3 Watchlist:
1/19: The Weekly (Season 1, Episode 25) - “The Endorsement”
1/23: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 1) - “Hello, Circle”
1/23: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 2) - “Face-to-Face”
1/23: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 3) - “There’s a Catfish Among Us”
1/25: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 4) - “Planting Doubt”
1/25: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 5) - “Sliding into DMs”
1/25: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 6) - “Anonymous Trolling”
1/25: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 7) - “Picking Teams”
1/25: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 8) - “The Player I’m Saving Is…”
1/25: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 9) - “Instant Block”
1/25: The Circle (Season 1, Episode 10) - “Declare Your Rival”
