An artist’s rendition of the Guard’s from Netflix’s hit Korean television series, Squid Game. Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ‘22
By Anika Singh ’24
Staff Writer; Web Editor
“Squid Game,” a South Korean horror Netflix Original series that dropped on Sept. 17, has quickly become the hottest television show streaming on the platform. It has a stellar 94 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.3/10 on IMDB and has taken the number one spot on Netflix in 90 countries. The show deserves the worldwide recognition and success it has received since its release. It possesses a suspenseful atmosphere, successfully drawing viewers in as the players navigate the games.
“Squid Game” follows the life of Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae), an average man in South Korea who is facing a personal financial crisis. After a handsome stranger on a subway platform challenges him to a game of Ddakji, a children’s game in which players attempt to flip over their opponent’s paper tile, Gi-Hun decides to play, enticed by a large cash sum. He soon finds himself in a tournament of children’s games — but there’s a catch. What looks like a series of innocent competitions turns into a death parade where players are murdered upon losing.
The main characters of the show all face familiar financial problems. Gambler Gi-Hun finds himself in debt after being laid off from his car manufacturing job and failing at his fried chicken business. His childhood friend Sang-Woo (Park Hae Soo), who he reconnects with during the game, also finds himself in debt after making a series of bad stock investments. The show also introduces Ali (Anupam Tripathi), a Pakistani immigrant who desperately needs money after being refused his wages, and Sae-Byeok (Jung Ho-Yeon), a refugee who is trying to get her mother out of North Korea. The audience sees these players work together and separately as they navigate the games and fight for their survival.
“Squid Game” provides its main characters with authentic backstories and encourages viewers to root for them all as they enter a deathmatch. Every character realizes this could be their one chance to receive a tremendous amount of money — 45.6 billion won, or around $38 million USD. The show’s presentation of economic inequality and the trials faced by the characters accurately represents the capitalistic 21st century.
“Squid Game” flawlessly wastes no time in establishing the pace of the show in the first episode. Viewers see participants play their first children’s game, “Red Light, Green Light,” in which players try to cross a finish line, but must stop when the person in charge screams “red light.” If a player is caught moving after the call, they are shot dead. The consequences of losing wreak havoc on the players, and this intense scene is enough to get the audience hooked for the following eight episodes. The show makes for a perfect binge-watch, partly because Director Hwang Dong-hyuk consistently ends episodes with cliffhangers, leaving viewers with no choice but to click the “Next Episode” button.
Hwang Dong-hyuk provides stunning visuals with a vibrant color palette, showing colorful playgrounds juxtaposed with the gory events taking place. These visuals highlight a warm, nostalgic feeling, contrasting with the deaths that follow once players are eliminated.
Fans on social media have compared the show to other survival thrillers like the Japanese animated series “Kaiji” and the Japanese Netflix series “Alice in Borderland,” which came out last year. One Reddit user wrote, “I’m only one episode into Squid Game, but I will watch more of it. It definitely feels like discount Kaiji.” Despite this critique,“Squid Game” sets itself apart from these other thrillers with its close proximity to reality.
“Squid Game” masters the art of characterization and compels the audience to empathize with characters’ struggle for survival. Gi-Hun, specifically, grows on audience members as the show gradually reframes his naivety and incompetence as a lovable dopiness. Throughout the show, Gi-Hun goes down a road of self-discovery, and the audience is likely to support him through his emotional journey.
“Squid Game” is a meticulous and twisted nightmare come to life, and it succeeds as an engaging thriller series. Through its compelling storytelling and multidimensional characters, it definitely has the potential to earn a place as one of the strongest shows of 2021.
“Squid Game” is now available to stream on Netflix.