Pyramid Game (2024) Season 1 Review – A must-watch high-school thriller

Episode Guide

Episode 1 -| Rating – 4.5/5
Episode 2 -| Rating – 4.5/5
Episode 3 -| Rating – 4.5/5
Episode 4 -| Rating – 5/5
Episode 5 -| Rating – 3.5/5
Episode 6 -| Rating – 3.5/5
Episode 7 -| Rating – 4/5
Episode 8 -| Rating – 3.5/5
Episode 9 -| Rating – 3.5/5
Episode 10 -| Rating – 4.5/5

What is it like for a parent to be scared of their child and scared to the point that humming a song can send chills down your spine? Ask Baek Ha-rin’s father because he knows this feeling very well. There are very few high school K-dramas parading as thrillers and engaging enough to watch for lovers of suspense.

Pyramid Game, the 2024 TVING drama narrates the story of an elite high school. The 10-episode show follows the life of Sung Soo-ji who is transferred to Baekyeon Girls’ High School in Seoul. There, she is met by her classmates who seem normal to her. That is until she attends the strange lecture when her classmates play a voting game called the Pyramid Game.

The game is held once a month and the student who gets the lowest number of votes gets a “Grade F”, making them the next target of school violence. One Thursday afternoon, Soo-ji gets zero number of votes and becomes the next target. Will Soo-ji continue to suffer or will she be able to get out of her predicament and end the Pyramid Game?

Pyramid Game is a well-written show about social hierarchies. Just as hierarchies exist in all walks of life, they exist in school. The makers do a stupendous job of capturing this hierarchy. The first few episodes will draw you in as they are very engaging. The show is crisp and to the point in the first half but it tends to lose track as it comes to a close.

The characters are well-written and the show tries to explain the psyche of a school bully. Baek Ha-rin, played by Jang Da-a, is a definite highlight of the show. The way she controls everything around, including her father was proof of the fact that she is one terrorising teenager. Bona does a great job at playing Sung Soo-ji but she did come as emotionless and dull even when Soo-ji’s character was going through her share of turmoil and pain.

Storywise, the show does seem illogical as the parents of these teenagers have no power to stop them. Pyramid Game does end on a rather different note than the webtoon and the ending of the drama makes you think that the characters would be returning for a second season.

The Original Soundtrack is its USP as the single, ‘Higher’ by Ava Grace stays with you even after you have finished watching the episode. The single, ‘In The Dark’ by Hajin plays through the final credits and is a sombre melancholic track that is just as enjoyable. The show is well made for it to be a web drama.

I wish the makers realised the potential Pyramid Game had and had released this one on the tvN network instead. All 10 episodes are heavy to watch as they feature themes like stalking and intense bullying among others. The show has some funny moments to counteract that though and the friendship Soo-ji shares with her core unit becomes the only joyous part of an otherwise terrifying drama.

Pyramid Game is not a mushy teen K-drama but one that has an interesting story with brilliant performances making it a must-watch for fans of thriller, mystery and suspense.

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