By SYDNEY PELOQUIN/Talon Contributor
Netflix’s most-watched series, “Squid Game,” showcases cash strapped contestants competing in children’s games with the only outcomes being millions in cash or death in
an instant. After being released for a little over a month, the show has reached over 111 million viewers.
Taking inspiration from the simple childhood games played in Korea and the fight-to-death style of other works such as Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games,” the show
presents an organization that recruits indebted people to play in life-or-death versions with a generous cash award for the final one standing.
The director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, was known in Korea before being globally recognized for “Squid Game.” His second film, “Silencer,” was a box-office hit in Korea with over 4.7
million viewers tuning in to witness the disturbing events detailed in the film.
“Squid Game” takes his ability to develop cruel, arbitrary events to a new level as he weaves the intense nature of the games with the growing bonds of main and supporting
characters.
“Squid Game” presents the story of 456 indebted citizens as they are invited to play in a competition for a generous cash prize. As the games unfold, players learn they’re not only playing for money, but their lives too.
In the first game, “Red Light Green Light,” we learn that failing to comply to the rules of a game will cause a player’s literal elimination from the competition: death.
Reality slaps players in the face as they find the accumulation of players ’deaths generate the cash being fought for. Each player is worth around $85,000. With only one left standing, the winner has a chance of making $38.6 million.
The show isn’t the first to introduce a high-risk, high-reward thriller. In similar plots, such as “The Hunger Games,” the last person standing wins a lifetime of fame and
fortune in the dystopian society being presented.
However, players in “Squid Game” are everyday citizens who join willingly because of failure in life. The series ’ability to touch on universal themes like family, kindness, friendship, and sacrifice, is what makes it so unique to the genre, despite cultural barriers.
“Squid Game” offers character development and progression, specifically surrounding the main protagonist, Gi-hun. These opportunities shape the show’s characters as we see Gi-hun building alliances with players, ranging from a childhood friend to an elderly man with a growing brain tumor, and even a woman who pick-pocketed him prior to the games.
His ability to humanize other players rather than demoting them to pure opponents creates the bonds that viewers grow to root for beyond the thrill of the games.
An ongoing strength in the show is its ability to effectively, yet subliminally, foreshadow through symbolism. Prior to the games, we see Gi-hun struggling to win a claw-machine toy for his daughter’s birthday gift.
The present gained is none other than a toy gun, symbolizing the weapon used by guards in the games. Viewers also see that the pink ribbon tied around her gift is eerily similar to those on eliminated players ’caskets. Other instances are less obvious, such as players being killed in ways reminiscent of the actions that put them in debt.
The drawback with “Squid Game” is the game’s slight inconsistencies. The goal is to give one indebted citizen a fresh start through a fair series of games. However, the
game makers allow inequality and violence to seep into outside aspects. During one episode, a group of players sneakily receive second meals, essentially
stealing from four other players who go without.
When one of the hungry players confronts the group, they beat him to death. The guards do not try to end it or provide aid. This immediately shows players they’re just as vulnerable outside of the games as inside, despite “fair” guidelines.
Regardless of the minor inconsistencies presented, “Squid Game” provides viewers with the perfect juxtaposition of heart-wrenching stories and gory action scenes.
The moments of sacrifice, betrayal, and friendship further the show’s narrative, making it less about the action of the games and more about the people playing them. This
distinct feature of the show kept me coming back for more.
Regardless of the minor inconsistencies presented, “Squid Game” provides viewers with the perfect juxtaposition of heart-wrenching stories and gory action scenes.
The moments of sacrifice, betrayal, and friendship further the show’s narrative, making it less about the action of the games and more about the people playing them. This distinct feature of the show kept me coming back for more.
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