ONE tackles with doing a Deconstruction of the typical Object Shows, which leads to some pretty horrific moments within the story.
MASSIVE UNMARKED SPOILERS AHEAD
- The Very concept of the story is very nightmarish. Imagine going about your day, walking to work, laying in bed, talking to your friends, or literally anything else, and within an instant you are transported to a Eldritch Location in the middle of nowhere with others and forced to play a game by a Disembodied Voice with a severe Lack of Empathy.
- The way the contestants gets eliminated is unnerving: One second they’re there, and the next they pop out of existence without any build up, and in Taylor’s case, mid conversation.
- Charlotte’s situation, while sad, is also horrific as it’s revealed that the mold on her head will consume her over months before eventually killing her, effectively working like a tumor. And if Airline Food’s reaction is anything to go by, the end result won’t be pretty. It’s extra to note that in the finale, Moldy’s back to her original state when she entered the competition, but if Liam isn’t able to learn how to respawn them or teleport them back to their homes, things won’t end well for Moldy.
- The first episode has it’s first Shocking Moments where Airy summons several spikes falling to the ground, one of which impales the baby Tomato. This act is completely portrayed as horrific as Liam attempted to save Tomato before having to watch the baby get impaled. There’s a brief pause as there is only everyone’s reaction to go by, and despite Airy respawning the baby, it’s still leaves everyone frazzled.
- Stone’s elimination. It gives us a very effective Wham Shot and is really unnerving, as Stone attempts to warn the contestants with his writing quickly, only managing to just succeed in informing everyone before disappearing.
- Almost the entirety of Backpack's drowning sequence. After being forced into the challenge by an unaware Airy, he eventually struggles to stay afloat due to his heavy cast, and ultimately sinks. Scenty tries to rescue him, but he passes out before she can do so. Cut to him being sent into the titular 'La Salle D'attente', while he's out. A pretty place, but somewhat unsettling. When he's revived, the poor guy drops to his knees, while the others rush to his aid, and start calling out for him to no avail. Cut to the credits, where everything is shadows, with only Backpack's eyes visible.
- The ending credits also add a level of creep factor, as the screen cuts black and white and several people’s eyes, usually either Liam or Bryce, are glowing white and staring at the viewer.
- Episode 8 opens with Liam going to be eliminated soon, only for Airy to get injured. The contestants nor the audience doesn’t see what happens to Airy, but we just hear him falling and something shattering, and Airy, in one of the only times he shows a genuine emotion, screams in pain and agony. Everyone’s reactions towards this as they wait hours before it turns to months show that something seriously happened.
- Airy. The Big Bad of the series and a unseen voice that had kidnapped 18 people across the universe to compete in the show. Airy is dangerously incompetent and apathetic to anyone’s suffering and harm, given he just respawns them without any care that they have died. It’s shown that he’s completely unwilling to reason and treats everything like a game to them.
- His reveal in the finale, while showing his true sympathetic nature, also highlights how terrifying he is in a different way. When Liam finally confronts the mastermind who psychologically tortured him and his friends for months, it’s revealed he’s…simply a normal person. Well, normal-ish, as it’s made quickly clear that, despite him being genuinely nice and polite, Airy shows to be completely detached from reality, due to being stuck within his world for god knows how long, he managed to make planets and started kidnapping people for his show to entertain himself and others, and he shows zero understanding of what he’s doing is wrong. Even when he talks about accidentally murdering his previous contestants, he speaks of it super casually and only focuses on how he got better of managing his world and says he’s doing a “pretty good job” while genuinely smiling, which completely freaks out Liam.
- Liam discovers on Airy’s computer a new season he has plan, this time using their friends and family to compete. This sends Liam over the edge and he attempts to murder Airy with an Axe, while Airy shows to completely not understand what he did wrong. The entire scene is dark and uncomfortable as Liam shoves his axe around at a confused and scared Airy.
- The Ending has shades of Tearjerker, Heartwarming and Nightmare Fuel at once. On the ladder aspect, Liam is completely stranded on Airy’s world without any way of getting out and had zero knowledge of how to work the computer, so he has no way as of now to assist his friends from getting out of The Plane. So, for now, everyone is forced into a Fate Worse than Death that seemingly never ends until further notice.
