Netflix’s Squid Game Season One Review

The title of Squid Game is one that is sure to draw viewers in even before they realize what it’s about. And that’s a great something whether or not it was merely excellent marketing or the writer was having a brilliant nostalgic moment. In the end, one thing rings true: if viewers get caught in the vicious grip that is Squid Game, they are likely to find themselves either craving for more or be reviled. When it comes to this series, there is no middle ground.

Squid Game results from writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s personal experiences being heavily in debt while living in a Manhwabang in South Korea. It is these true-life elements that make the series as entertaining as it is. He struggled to write the first two episodes and was turned away from multiple studios when he tried to shop the series around for potential buyers. It came close to never becoming anything more than an idea. Somehow that sense of hopelessness that the creator felt during this process found a way to seep itself into his writing, raising the interesting subject matter to a level nobody could have predicted.

Squid Game focuses on several characters who are all heavily in debt. One by one, they are drawn into participating in a game in the hopes that will rid them of their debt and render them extremely rich. Sounds too good to be true? Once the competitors are introduced to their first game, that hidden “catch” is revealed and it is one that will certainly not be one for the feint of heart. The series may feature a significant amount of violence and blood but those are necessary to tell this story. These characters are desperate already and once a phenomenal amount of money is brought into the mix, it turns ordinary, trustworthy people into psychopaths.

Why does one gravitate towards a series like Squid Game? As violent and chaotic as it is, the series serves as a stark reminder of just how destructive addiction (and debt) can become. And as individuals, some will choose to continue to suffer and prolong the suffering of others instead of following the straight and narrow road to recovery.

The sets for Squid Game seem unique. It’s interesting because unless one has grown up in South Korea, one wouldn’t recognize many of the games that the participants are required to play. However, once the games begin, there are similarities between these games and the same games most viewers may have played as a child which may or may not have been a purposeful choice, creepy or not. But it works to a significant effect.

From episode to episode, many of the intense feelings of failure and desperation are experienced by various characters which was an ongoing theme throughout Squid Game. Everything is dialed up a notch for the impact, with varying results that are to sure to impact some viewers more than others. Once they become familiar with the key players, it is easy to see one’s self in most of them and that crucial connection is impossible to ignore to the point that they will find themselves making choices about who they think should or shouldn’t win. Survival is the only thing that matters. Even the main character (and a good guy), gambler Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) finds himself in an impossible situation.

At the end of the day, those looking for shock value will find that in droves here. Anyone who has seen Battle Royale and enjoyed it will love Squid Game.

still courtesy of Netflix

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