Death’s Game at first glance appears to be a simple repudiation of suicide. Death’s thin skin takes it personally when Choi Yi Jae said he wasn't afraid of her and as she says, “You are guilty of coming to find me before I came to find you.” At second or even seventh glance as Choi is doomed to be reincarnated into 12 lives on the cusp of death, a grander scheme begins to reveal itself.

Choi Yi Jae was having a bad week, preceded by a tough seven years. When he made the ill-fated decision to jump from a roof he found out just how bad things could get when he met a disgruntled Death who decided to teach him a lesson by having him reincarnate into 12 different lives at the end of their span. Some of the lives were over in a blink, others were further developed. Each reincarnation showed how other lives were suffering or prematurely cut off. They also showed how his own limited thinking and actions led to fateful outcomes. Choi’s myopic vision never let him see how his actions affected others or the dangers lurking about him. I’m looking forward to his growth as a character in the next four episodes.

I had not perused the cast list and was shocked at how many famous faces appeared in Choi’s different lives. These actors weren’t phoning it in either, they gave performances worthy of their own characters’ dramas. It will be interesting to watch Choi finally begin to pull together the different experiences to comprehend what he needs to learn to save his life and afterlife. He’s going to have to move past being cocky and self-absorbed if he wants to win Death’s Game. He’s finding that “wherever you go, there you are.” And I’m not sure the reason for the game is the one he thinks it is. As Choi and the audience come to see how at least some of the lives are interconnected, the goal posts may be moving in regards to what his motivations will be. Admittedly, a few of the revelations were not shocking and I was waiting on them to finally be shown. There was one that should have been a tear jerker or shocking but when it happened, I burst out laughing in the way it was overplayed. For the most part, the short life experiences were moving and effective.

Death's Game is one of those thrillers that felt more like a shell game. Nothing was quite what it seemed and I don't think the real meaning of the episodes or even his death will be fully understood until the second half plays out in January 2024. I hope the next four episodes are as tightly written and as well acted as the first four.

28 December 2023