Recap: ‘The Circle’ (Episodes 5-8)

Netflix’s breakout hit The Circle returned for four more episodes last week and it featured four new players, some creepy messages, and ended with one massive cliffhanger.

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of what went down in episodes 5-8:

Episode 5

So full disclosure, I can’t stand “Adam” aka Alex. And this episode will tell you why. In case you forgot, he describes himself as a “big nerd” but is playing the game as a buff, attractive, athletic guy as he says it is the opposite of himself. Right off the bat, he has this attitude that he is better and smarter than the other contestants. He messages Sammi and “Rebecca” aka Seaburn, coming on strong with a pretty sexual conversation right off the bat. You can just tell the girls are pretty uncomfortable but decline to tell him that. 

Adam picks Rebecca to go on a date with and this entire thing just proves why you should be careful if you participate in online dating. The pair are catfishing each other and Seaburn (and the viewers at home) find the whole thing pretty hilarious. I must say, Seaburn has done a good job of playing the part of a girl and no one has suspected up that “Rebecca” is actually a guy to this point. 

A game of #HashtagThis saw the players each pick a new profile photo but they could an ominously comment on each other’s. This really set off Karyn aka Mercedezes, who had comments like #EveryoneKnowsYourFake and #AntonioKnowsTheTruth. She demanded to know who said what and that’s when Joey decides to reply as the episode ends. 

Episode 6

Mercedeze’s defensive reaction to being called out would ultimately be her undoing in this episode, which picks up right where episode five left off. Joey admits to writing one of the hashtags but the fact that all but one player called out Mercedezes for being fake did not sit well with her. It also made the players question if Mercedezes is actually who she said she is. 

This would come back to bite Mercedezes in the butt when the players submitted their second set of ratings for the season. To no one’s surprise, Mercedezes ranked dead last followed by Miranda, who is pretty much too boring for screen time. 

Sammi and Shubham are the influencers this time around and are somewhat conflicted on what to do. Sammi contemplates taking out a popular player like Chris while Shubham has his doubts about Mercedezes. They ultimately decided to block Mercedezes but before she left, she had the chance to meet one player. She chose to meet Chris, who was shocked that Mercedezes was actually Karyn. Chris and Karyn had a nice chat with Chris saying she was a friend for life. What sucks is that this time a week ago, I had said Mercedezes was the winner.

The rest of the episode dealt with more creepy messages from Adam but a new arrival would soon shake things up. 

Episode 7

We start out by meeting two new players. The first is Sean, a 25-year-old plus-sized model. She will be playing the game using her friend’s photos because she says that bigger women are not viewed as beautiful in society today. The second player is Bill, who is playing the game as himself.

The new players are team captains for trivia night, which will help them get to know the group better as a whole. Team Sean wins the game and as a reward, the winning team gets a video message from home.

Get the tissues out as things got emotional. Sammi’s video is from her aunt and the video revealed that her mom actually passed away years ago. Later, she tells this story to Joey. This made me really feel for Sammi, who genuinely seems like a really nice girl. So far, the show has done a great job of showing all sides to her personality. 

This episode was basically filler apart from the next set of ratings. Miranda was rated last followed by Adam and Sammi and Chris tied for fourth place. Shubham was named an influencer for the second straight time and joined this time by Joey. 

Episode 8

The final episode of the week began with a twist. Shubham and Joey each got the chance to save two players each. Joey chose to save Sammi, while Shubham opted to save Rebecca. The guys decided to block Miranda and send her home. Before she left for good, she went to meet Joey. The two talked and shared a very passionate smooch. Aw! I really do hope these two are still together following the show. Joey seems like a good guy, despite his loudness. Plus, they’re just so cute!

With Miranda gone, a new player has been added to the mix. Ed gets introduced and right off the bat, he’s done something that’s never been done in the history of the game. Every player can bring something with them into the apartment, like a pet or game. Ed brought his mom. He is really taking “mama’s boy” to a new level.

Things really picks up towards the end when Sean says she feels guilty about lying. She decides to message all the girls (and Chris) in a group chat, and outs herself, saying she’s been lying about using her pictures. Just as she’s about to show everyone her true self, the episode goes to credits. Why would Sean do this? Will it help or hurt her? We’ll find out in the final four episodes on Wednesday.

What did you think of the episodes? Let me know in the comments below!

The Circle concludes with the final four episodes this Wednesday on Netflix.