Photo Courtesy of CNET
On Friday, Sept. 17, the Korean drama “Squid Game” was released by Netflix with barely any warning or promotion. Yet, just a few weeks later, the show is now number one in the U.S. and 89 other countries and is now Netflix’s biggest original series of all time. So, what makes it so special?
“Squid Game” aims to tackle major issues such as classism under a capitalist society and the moral quandaries that are created under such a political system. Its messaging is easy enough to catch on to while not being heavy-handed and still creates an intriguing, easily binge-watchable world to get lost in for nine episodes. The show revolves around a group of lower-class people who are recruited under mysterious circumstances to play a series of children’s games for a grand prize of 45.6 billion won, which is about $38.4 million in U.S. dollars. However, the stakes are raised tremendously when the group quickly realizes that each player who is “eliminated” for not passing a game will get killed.
The show raises the question: How can one act morally when competing under an immoral system? As the 456 players that the games begin with quickly dwindle further and further, violence between the players becomes more and more frequent. Even those players who do not actively participate in the harm of others are, by the nature of the game, complicit in their deaths. So how much blame for their actions should get put on people who are acting under such severe circumstances?
These questions can easily be applied to the competitive and cut-throat nature of capitalist societies around the world, where lower class citizens are forced to compete for jobs, and therefore money and basic needs such as food, housing and health care.
Aside from being thematically relevant, “Squid Game” is also visually arresting. A giant singing doll kicks off the games with Red Light Green Light; her innocence mixed with heartlessness is chilling to the bone. The masked uniforms that the soldiers in charge of the game wear create an uncanny uneasiness in the viewer. So, when that mask is removed, it immediately humanizes whoever was wearing it, taking away their power. Golden animal masks are used to code the VIP guests who come and watch the games later in the season, contrasting their wealth with their animalistic ways.
All these visuals, combined with the messaging of the show, set an enthralling stage for the actors to skillfully play on – and they do. Standout performances from the show include Lee Jung-jae, who delivers a heart wrenching arc for protagonist Seong Gi-hun, taking him from a deadbeat dad to a hero. Jung Ho-yeon has also received fanfare for her captivating take on Sae-byeok, a girl who wishes to use the prize money to reunite her family.
Although director and writer of the series Hwang Dong-hyuk had been trying to get the show greenlit for years without success, it seems “Squid Game” found its audience at just the right time. With the wealth disparity between the upper and lower classes becoming increasingly larger in capitalist countries every day, more people are becoming receptive to stories like this one. So how far off in possibility is a game like “Squid Game?” That remains up to the viewer.
