“Oh, so can a reality game show also be staged?” That’s the thought that comes to mind when watching the South Korean Netflix show siren The differences to American or German competition formats are striking: what wonderful and respectful treatment of these candidates, who really want nothing more than to show what they can do – as in the other Netflix reality formats from this country , physical 100 (Fitness) and Dance 1oo (Choreography).
In siren 24 women march through mud to a deserted island where they must survive and compete against each other for seven days – in six teams divided into policewomen, firefighters, bodyguards, soldiers, athletes and stunt women. That’s what they would say in the US, 24 Badass Boss Bitcheswho know exactly what they are doing – and who fight for nothing other than honor.
That is the first, serious difference to other formats: There is no prize money, no record deal – and therefore no moral debates along the lines of: “Yes, I betrayed the person I agreed to work with – but hey, that’s how it is the rules, and I just want to win a million dollars!” In siren on the other hand, the female soldier team, for example, refrains from trading when digging a well with a team that has already made further progress – either win with your own thing or not at all. Or later, during one of the so-called “Base Battles” – which involves stealing another team’s flag from their barracks and using it to eliminate the opponents from the competition – the athletes could betray the soldiers and lead them through a proposed alliance with firefighters – and knock out stunt women; there isn’t even a debate about it, just the announcement: we don’t want to win like this!
This leads to the second big difference: no one is stylized as a villain or exposed to ridicule, as is the case with German formats Germany seeks the superstaror Germany’s Next Topmodel (the “talent liberated”, the “unsympathetic bitches”, the “overambitious”) knows. All ten episodes, on the other hand, show what highly talented and well-trained people compete against each other. And how respectful they are to each other, even praising the achievements of others. Accept the decisions of the referees with understanding and see your own mistakes instead of questioning the regulations.
A game show format is created in which winning, which is of course about it, often leads to fierce fights and sometimes frightening injuries, is not so much in the foreground. Rather, it’s about showing what happens when you push people to their limits. It’s fascinating and so different from what you’re used to.
At some point you also forget the typical South Korean dramaturgy (important moments are shown three times in a row because Koreans usually watch these programs on the side and the triad is the signal now – which, a little note to Netflix, could also be solved by faster cuts or dubbing instead of subtitles) and comes to the conclusion: “Oh, you can also stage it that way.”
Siren, on Netflix.
You can find more SZ series recommendations here.