Squid Game
I’m late to the party, but we recently watched ‘Squid Game’ on Netflix and it was awesome. So, what’s all the hype about? Well, I’m here to tell you all about it.
How I came to watch it
So, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on social media and 9gag about Squid Game, not knowing what people were going on about. I also didn’t have the time to care about it as we got ready for our big move.
When our mandatory hotel quarantine in Australia began, my husband and I flicked through Netflix and saw the title there. I said that we should check it out since people were freaking about it. FOMO is real when you’re bored.
What’s it about?
Imagine ‘The hunger games’ but instead of a bunch of horny teenagers killing each other off, it’s a bunch of horny adults killing each other off, but it’s self-inflicted because there’s a huge amount of prize money at stake.
A better description of what it’s about
The nine-episode series takes place in Seoul, Korea. The story begins with Seong Gi-hun, a divorcee who works as a chauffeur. He also has a daughter that he sees seldomly and lives with his mother whose health is deteriorating. He accepts the invitation to join Squid Game and is kidnapped taken to an unknown location.1
Again, it’s basically about a group of 456 people who are in huge financial trouble who are then invited to take part in a deadly competition. Do note that they enter the competition at free will. They’re in it for the money, and the winner(s) get a huge cash prize – about 40 million US dollars.1,2
Six games take place over six days. Seems simple, right? Wrong. The players learn that if they lose at the game, they not only forfeit the money but their lives as well.1
The players are monitored by masked men in pink/red suits and the chief guard, the Front Man.1 We later learn that they are controlled by a boss higher up (which turns into a massive plot twist).
The main characters
Sang-woo was a childhood friend of Gi-hun and was a gifted child. He went far in the financial sector but ran into trouble when he was caught stealing money from his clients.1
Jun-ho is a police officer but sneaks into the game disguised as a guard. He is searching for his brother whom he suspects fell victim to the game.1
Sae-byeok is a badass young woman who entered the games hoping to use the money to care for her young brother and smuggle her last family members to South Korea from North Korea.1
Il-nam is a seemingly senile old man who entered the game by choice. He has a brain tumour and prefers to die in the game than waiting to die from the brain tumour.1
Deok-su is a gangster who ended up in the game as a means to pay his debt due to gambling.1
Abdul Ali is a Pakistani man who wants to win the game to take care of his wife and young child. He is also wanted because he assaulted his boss for withholding wages.1
Han Mi-nyeo is one crazy bitch. She’s manipulative and has something going on with Deok-su for a while, but he betrays her. We’re not exactly sure what her story is, but apparently, she is a single mother who is struggling financially.1
What I liked about it
I loved the strong characterisation and plot. The subplots were also enticing, so the story kept my interest throughout.
There were so many twists and turns so it made for a great binge watch. Actually, you can’t help but binge-watch it because it’s just so good.
I also like that the story sends a strong social message about how money corrupts. I can imagine something like this story really happening because rich people are messed up. Just think about Epstein (who definitely didn’t kill himself) and the story there.
Squid Game was quite gruesome, but even I could stomach it. I feel like it wasn’t gruesome for the sake of being gruesome, but it actually contributed to the storyline.
Speaking of which …
The reception so far
Many schools have warned parents that their children should not watch the series as it is so violent.2 (Do you know kids? They’ll do what they want, whether you like it or not. And the more you tell them not to do something, the more they’ll do it.)
Also, there have been concerns that the translation and dubbing weren’t as true to the original dialogue, but that can be expected as there are many restrictions with subtitles and dubbing.2
All in all, the series was well-received around the world.
Lastly
Have you watched Squid Game? What did you think? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Michelle
P.S. If you’d like to contact me, feel free to comment below, send an email to thatmichelleperson@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @M_ClutterBox.
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid_Game
- https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/08/the-guide-squid-game
