The Devil’s Plan Episodes 10 to 12 Review: Jung Jong-yeon, mastermind behind The Genius, has created the latest the Korean psychological survival reality show (블스 플랜) which stars 12 contestants from varying professional fields including Ha Seok-jin from Problematic Men, Korean professional Go player Cho Yeon-woo, freelance announcer Lee Hye-sung, actress and inventor Lee Si-won, Kpop idol SEVENTEEN’s Boo Seungkwan. Releasing on October 10, 2023, the last three The Devil’s Plan episodes have wrapped up the show’s journey that traversed a total of 12 episodes.
Alongside the aforementioned contestants, the roster also included Seo Dong-joo – a MIT graduate and a lawyer in America with an MBA degree, comedian and actress Park Kyung-lim, Guillaume Patry – a Canadian gamer, now a professional poker player, Kwedo aka Scientist ORBIT – former policy advisor to the Blue House, and Kwak Joonbin – a travel YouTuber and a multilingual speaker. Other than these famous names, two non-celebrity contestants of the show are Seo Yoo-min – American orthopaedic surgeon, and Kim Dong-jae – a college student, now a professional poker player.
The series first premiered on Netflix on September 26, 2023, with its first 4 episodes (runtime: 59-71 minutes), and the subsequent Episodes 5-9 released on October 3, 2023. English subtitles and dubbed audio are available for international audiences.
The Devil’s Plan Review for Episodes 10 to 12 Contains Spoilers
The Devil’s Plan Episodes 10 to 12 Review
After last week’s episodes, 8 remaining players are left behind fighting for the top prize of the show. Two of them – Hae Seok-jin and Lee Si-won – were banished to the prison, but it was all by the former’s design because he wanted to solve a mysterious puzzle locked underground with his last remaining alliance partner Si-won. Following many betrayals and heartbreaks, the duo adeptly solved the mystery in front of them, which then led them further down into another secret location that presented them with a last chance to either make it out with a bag full of pieces, or it would straightaway lead them to the exit door and culminate their journey there and then.
Unfortunately, it rings in a loss for the team, but on the flip side, also brings in a success, which becomes even more bittersweet. The Devil’s Plan Episode 10 begins with this shocking twist, so emotions hit a new high as we see Seok-jin and Si-won’s united front being betrayed by the show. Yes, at this point in the series, with players heading into the semi-finals, it feels quite like a betrayal to see some of the worthiest players bite the dust because of the show’s format and its various games’ design.
It instantly takes us on a rollercoaster, and when Seok-jin just takes a moment to collect himself, flounders and takes a seat on the floor, it hits the viewers hard too, especially because we as outsiders know that the other remaining players have established their united front, which leaves Seok-jin out as a lone wolf with Si-won now eliminated.
Even when the astounding news of Si-won’s elimination is delivered to them, while Seok-jin is stuck alone in the prison, quite of a few players start calling him out without having enough information on what truly happened down there. They straightaway start assuming the worst of Seok-jin and how he probably took his opportunity to one up Si-won.
We as viewers know this to be false because we can see what exactly went on with them, and despite the game’s overall competitive nature, it’s quite respectable how Si-won and Seok-jin never broke each other’s trust till the end. The same however, can’t be said for Kwedo’s (ORBIT) alliance with Joon-bin, Dong-joo and the others, yet still they continued to push their negative agenda against Seok-jin.
It’s because of this behaviour that Kwedo falls back as an unreliable leader, and his actions make you wonder on every turn whether he’s simply been pushing for the agenda to keep the supposed “underdogs” alive in the game as a means to keep for his ulterior motive to take the lead somewhere down the line alive. With each contestant being eliminated in the semi-final poker game, a poetic result makes its way out when Seok-jin and ORBIT are the last two players left standing as the finalists, almost as if this is what the series has been leading up to.
The final competition between them strikes, and it’s so satisfying to see them take on each other, especially with how unpredictable the whole thing turns out to be. Till the very last moment, one couldn’t confirm who would be taking the lead, yet to see Seok-jin keep his composure and lead ahead with a headstrong mentality is probably one of the best things of The Devil’s Plan finale.
Not only does he keep playing without being distracted by the possible outcome of the game, his determination also kept him grounded till the end in terms of keeping his ego in check. Neither did he develop an overconfident outlook at any point during these games, nor did he stagger. Maintaining a balance between his mind and heart, he kept up his calm demeanour, whereas Kwedo, on the other hand, gave into his emotions quite a lot.
The Devil’s Plan Netflix Series: Final Thoughts
After watching the 12 episodes of this series, I can safely claim that the finale churned out the best possible and ideal winner in the end who equally respected the game as he did the team-mates he made along the way. Moreover, after seeing the whole thing turn into a Seok-jin Vs ORBIT showdown over the course of the journey, especially with the other players also resorting to pick either of the two as their leaders (most of them being manipulated into doing so), it was quite a cinematic finale with just the two of them left to face off against each other in a series of pure brain games and nothing more.
Even if after a point you stop playing the games shown on the screen, you can still watch the series as it is and gain a lot of entertainment in addition to seeing true human nature unravel in the worst kind of competitions and races that throw all humanist approaches out of the window, and only focus on the individual surviving at whatever cost necessary. And the production value to carry it off, especially with how the prison sets the solemn mood, is really worth appreciating.
Overall, The Devil’s Plan has been a rollercoaster ride and it’ll get you hooked instantly if only you have the patience to see how mental games unfold on a larger platform like this. With Physical 100 finding the brawniest person in the lot, and now Jung Jong-yeon’s latest mind-bending creation welcoming some of the brainiest celebrities (in addition to the non-celeb contestants), Netflix is on the right track to exploring a variety of reality TV content that surpasses the whole dating show drama.
All episodes of the South Korean reality series are now streaming on Netflix.
Also read: All of our reviews of The Devil’s Plan