Welcome to our new feature, The Binge-Watch Chronicles. Our first pick for The Binge-Watch Chronicles is Netflix’s The Circle.
Our first Binge-Watch pick struck our curiosity via Twitter. So naturally, we dipped a toe into a bit about the new Netflix show. The next thing you know, we were five episodes deep into The Circle, so naturally. We wrote why you should watch Netflix’s The Circle.
“How far would you go to be popular on social media if $100K were at stake?” That’s the premise of Netflix’s newest strategic social experiment reality competition, The Circle, based on a U.K. series of the same name.
The twist is that eight contestants are living in the same apartment building. Still, they’re isolated from each other to their soundproof flats. Therefore never meeting in person; instead, the reality competition forces players to communicate over the social media platform called The Circle using only images and voice-to-text function via smart TVs.
Contestants can either be themselves or choose to be someone else, similarly to real life. Thus you never honestly know who you’re talking or indeed playing against, which leaves viewers to watch all sorts of mischief.
We watch contestants as they connect, flirt, and scheme to gain clout, with The Circle being their only form of communication to one another. So there’s a lot of lounging and conspiring, kind of like Big Brother.
It’s as if you’re watching security footage of a live version of Myspace’s top eight friends except with a dash of Black Mirror to keep things spicy as the two top influencers earn a verified blue check to avoid getting “blocked” and losing a chance at $100K.
After all, who can resist a binge-worthy show you can watch and listen to in the background as you do housework, etc. but still able to watch along and juicy enough to enchant you.
The eight contestants can update their status and chat in a group or slide into the DMs. Occasionally, The Circle will alert the contestants and make them play a game for messy fun.
However, once a day, each contestant must rank the other anonymously to stir the reality TV pot; this means the two contestants with the two highest accumulative rankings become verified Influencers. As we all know, with great power comes great responsibility.
The top two influencers can then decide which person to BLOCK from The Circle, causing them to leave immediately. The kicker is once the contestant gets the boot, they’re ready to visit one remaining contestant of their choice and find out if they are who they claim.
A chaotic question: is playing it genuine and sincere best or calculating and cunning using only oneself to perceive being accessible and likable. Hence the reason I’ve been fascinated since last Friday.
So which player’s for real, and who’s a catfish? Meet the players below and see why The Circle is our pick for The Binge-Watch Chronicles.
Joey: My immediate first impression of Joey and his “yeah, buddy!” was a paler low budget Pauly D. from Jersey Shore. Yet as the show progressed, it was difficult not to like this guy.
Although his unfamiliarity with the eggplant emoji left us skeptical but dubbing it “purple guy” was endearing. Ultimately it was the Bobby De Niro impression that sealed the deal for us.
In reality, what sealed the deal is how Joey breaks the Jersey Shore guido archetype’s mold. From the start, you peg him as a machismo jerk. Instead, he’s sensitive, open-minded, and overall compelling to watch his reactions and emotions. His selfie with both Adele AND Lady Gaga in one picture doesn’t hurt either.
Shubham: Also known as Schooby. Shubham has stolen the hearts of all who watch The Circle with his sincerity and frankness.
My first impression of this social media neophyte is he seems awkwardly adorable. Still, his earnestness will get chewed up and spit out.
Against every odd, Schooby stayed true to himself and his heart while using his brain to strategize in the game. Playing his cards close, Schooby thrived on authenticity, which is how his bromance with Joey blossomed. Long live the Joey and Schooby hive!
His other closest alliance was with his “sister” Rebecca, as the two had each other’s backs since day one because they both seemed the most real to one another.
Rebecca: Coincidentally, this leads us to Rebecca, otherwise known as Seaburn.
Seaburn’s strategy is to play the game posing as his girlfriend, with a slight rewrite of the name.
Figuring that posing as his girlfriend will get him far, catfish Rebecca thinks that a beautiful woman’s response is higher than if he were to be himself.
It’s wild because Seaburn seems funny and goofy. His phrases “melted my heart,” “sooo dreamy,” and more really made me laugh.
Mercedeze: Another fellow catfish is Mercedeze, who, in reality, is Karyn.
Karyn seems like a chill, strong woman who knows what she wants, and unlike Rebecca, Mercedeze’s used her personality, just not her images, as her strategy for the game. This is why she chose to be more feminine, hence the catfish pictures, rather than being herself, which she feels isn’t feminine enough in a social media-driven world full of judgment.
Consequently, this brings us to Mercedeze’s closest ally Chris.
Chris: An endearingly charming big personality fellow Texan with a penchant for great blazers. His positive vibes and earnest, nonjudgemental Christianity is refreshing as he gave us some of the best lines ever. My personal favorite? “Come on down to Texas and get a taste of this taco,” escandolo.
Chris’s strategy is to be himself. While well-liked by the contestants, he plays his cards close and doesn’t mention others where they stand. This kind of put a target on him that leads us to Sammie.
Sammie: Adorable and funny, the Miami-based Cabrini University alumn won us over with her honest humor. Her reactions to male contestants trying to be all smooth operator and hit on her left her skeeved out or gagging from the cheesiness had us laughing.
Her sensitive yet cutthroat approach shook some of the other ladies, including Alana.
Alana: The enthusiastic LA-based model strategizes to play the game as herself, hoping the contestants will see the real her and not get judged by her appearance. While we agree with the sentiment, we think she forgot it’s a game based on judgment, but we digress.
She made an impression on Twitter with her honesty, and we think she’s joining the ranks of the ‘love or hate’ kind of contestants.
Last but not least is Antonio.
Antonio: A professional basketball player with a love for cooking, even if he didn’t know how to poach an egg (no judgment, it was more comical to us).
Antonio came into The Circle to use flirting as a strategy. This suave guy seems laidback; although he has a girlfriend, he plays it himself. However, the other contestants aren’t too sure he’s real.
In other words, The Circle offers unexpected entertainment. Also, don’t forget the players that get BLOCKED have to leave right away. Leaving room for new players, and you won’t want to miss out on the new blood because Adam, Bill, Sean, and Ed offer plenty of entertainment.
All in all, the series is cringe-worthy, but you can’t help to love it. Precisely why you should Binge-Watch Netflix’s The Circle. Our verdict: Stream it.
STATUS UPDATE:
Despite seeming like a Black Mirror dystopian future; ironically, The Circle’s isolation of the contestants is what immerses them together through their screens after the initial newness wears off.
It’s fascinating tv; ultimately, it’s like watching Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Minus the island and Wilson.
