Junior Deborah Wall watches the first episode of Squid Game in the comfort of her home, enjoying the plot twists and storyline
At this point, most people have heard of the Netflix sensation Squid Game. Even those who are yet to watch the show haven’t been able to escape conversations about the commentary it is making on society at large. The show is set in a modern-day society in South Korea. The first episode starts with the main protagonist ending up in a secret game event with others who share the same financial struggles and desire to eliminate their financial woes. They are obligated to battle against each other for the chance of winning a prize.
Squid Game was released on Netflix was September 17, 2021, and in the first twenty-eight days of the release, it logged 111 million views. The series is rated TV-MA and targeted at people who are 16 and older. The show has an average rating of 8.5/10 and a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The creator of Squid Game, Hwang Dong-Hyuk, made this series based on his economic struggles early in life as well as the social classes in South Korea. In the 1950s, over five million citizens perished during the Korean War, which devastated the nation's economy. Although poverty has decreased in modern-day South Korea, it is still widespread among nonworkers, and elderly people and these realities are mirrored in the show.
At the start of the first episode, the protagonist, Seong Gi-Hun, lives under his mother’s house with no job despite being 47. He is depicted as the kind of person who is too comfortable where they are in life, not progressing or achieving any goals. Further, into the episode, Seong steals his mother’s debit card without her knowing and went off to exchange it for cash that he gambles away recklessly at a horse race. As the first episode progresses, he is caught by loan sharks and beaten almost to death. Rather than killing off Seong, the loan sharks settle on his paying the money back within a month. This helps to establish that he has had long-standing gambling addiction, one that led to his wife and child leaving him because of the insane debts.
Episode one takes place on Gi-Hun's daughter’s birthday. With the little money he has left, he gambles on a kid's claw machine in hopes of getting her a stuffed toy. As the episode concludes, Gi-Hun is heading home after spending time with his daughter and is approached by a stranger who challenges him to a gamble of Ddakji.
Before leaving, the stranger offered Seong Gi-Hun a business card without saying a word about it. Seong can’t resist the temptation and calls the number on the card and is admitted as the final contestant into the competition serving as the show’s premise: squid games. The story centers around eight players: Oh Il-Nam (001), Kang Sae-Byeok (067), Deok-Su (101), Ali Abdul (199), Mi-Nyeo (212), Cho Sang-Woo (218), Ji-Yeong (240), and then finally Gi-Hun (456). They are in the race to win a financial award as they compete against 457 players in six games: Red Light Green Light, Honeycomb, Tug of War, Marbles, Glass Stepping Stones, and then finally, Squid Game. They are all based on childhood games that originated in South Korea. The reward is 45,600,000,000 won, which is $38,460,271.20 in USD. However, if they lose, they are eliminated by death. These competitors have one thing in common: they all are either gamblers, in-debt, or on the run from the law all competing in a life-or-death match. Overall, this action thriller survival drama series is the show to put on your watch list for mystery, gore, survival, teamwork, friendship, and so much more.
Squid Game’s popularity is likely because many people feel that they can relate to the lifestyle struggles being portrayed on the show. “People around the world, especially during the pandemic, have a lot of stress psychologically and financially and talking about debt, financial inequality, and capitalism is even more relatable to younger people,” said Amy Lu. The show’s depiction of the struggles accurately represents the economic hardships and debt crisis facing South Korean citizens. The creator of Squid Game does not overlook any minor details when it comes to the plotline or the history behind the people who are playing in the games.
Squid Game has been all over social media with people reenacting scenes, bawling over their favorite characters, or describing deep speculation on what will happen after the whole ordeal pans out. Overall, I think the show is intriguing and has many mysteries yet to unfold. One of the few characteristics that I enjoyed was the humanity shown on the show: the producers aren’t afraid to go heavy on the things that most people are afraid of realizing themselves. There are many things in life that people might not be proud of, or regret and Squid Games hyperbolize, rather than sugar coats, these struggles.
Another reason I liked the show was the psychological side of the story which depicts people reacting in different ways based on the realities of their life and their unique personalities. Over the course of the games, the true colors of all the main characters are exposed.
One of the many ways this series stands out is the little moments that made it worthwhile under the cold bloodshed. For example, during Red Light Green Light, Seong Gi-Hun was almost eliminated and would have been if it wasn’t for Ali Abdul saving him by the skin of his teeth. Abdul had nothing to gain from this heroic action; if he let Seong Gi-Hun fail, he would have one less person to deal with. It was only his sense of humanity that saved Gi-Hun and viewers are left to wonder whether this demonstration of empathy will prove useful for the character or eventually lead to his demise.
Another moment that I thought was charming from later episodes was when Seong Gi-Hun gave his milk to Ali Abdul and when Cho Sang-Woo gave Ali bread. That created trust and friendship between the three of them, which I thought was heartwarming. However, I can understand that this show isn’t for everyone. It does have a lot of gore, sexual scenes, mental and physical abuse. For me, these more questionable aspects didn’t stop me from genuinely enjoying the complex plot line, true-to-life characters, and so much more.
Will we discover the true story? Who is ultimately the mastermind behind these cruel games? Why was this game created? We have many questions that might be answered later. What are you looking forward to in Squid Game? Please leave a comment down below!
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