If you've been on social media for the past few weeks, you might have noticed that Netflix has hit another inevitable hit with its new show, Squid Game. Crown or Bridgerton, however, is not the case. Created by acclaimed South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk, The Squid Game is a brazenly violent thriller series that has drawn comparisons to The Hunger Games and Battle Royale for its eye-popping gore and nail-biting tension—even if it's real. Cause, becoming a runaway success is its timely message.
In the show, a motley crew of South Koreans - all deeply in debt - are lured to a remote island, where they are asked to play a series of games where the winner will become a multi-millionaire. Soon things take a turn for the dark, starting with Red Light, the most gruesome game of Green Light you've ever seen. A sharp-edged indictment of inequality and economic exploitation in contemporary Korea (and beyond), the squid game's deep resonance—revealed by the powerful performance of its stars—will accompany you until the contests reach their grim conclusion. Will stay
As of last month, the show has reached number one on the Netflix charts in over 90 regions. Despite having such an interesting and different story, this web series had to wait for a long ten years to come before the audience. Yes, for ten years this story got rejections, but its writer and director had faith in their story, which was unbroken for ten years. But then Netflix put $21 million on this story, and today Squid Games has become Netflix's biggest and most-watched series. And has collected more than $900 million, which is a record in itself.
First, let's clarify what the squid game actually is (and no, it doesn't involve actual squid): it's a playground that was popular among kids in South Korea during the 1970s and '80s. So how does this play into the show's brutal series of challenges? Each of the six games played by the contestants is based on classic Korean children's games—some, such as Red Light, Green Light, and tug of war, would be known to Western audiences—and the squid game is the last.
There is a lot—and I mean a lot—a lot of gore.
The cheery, pastel-colored beauty of the various game setups might suggest that the competition is all sunshine and rainbows, but you'll soon find that couldn't be further from the case. Brace yourself for an endless conveyor belt of blood-soaked murders and body horror from the first episode: from stabbings and shootings to particularly belly-churning sequences involving organ harvesting. Still, the most devastating parts of the series are the emotional brutalities and the contestants cheating on each other, as anyone who's watched the episode with the marble game can attest.
It's the performance that steals the show.
While the games provide some of the most thrilling and hair-raising tense scenes on the show, the richly drawn participants—and of course, the spectacular performances that bring them to life—are what have made the squid game such a hit. At first, there is the charming performance of Lee Jung-jae, but ultimately the good-hearted protagonist, Gi-hyun, through whose eyes we largely see the other contestants. Other extraordinary performances come as Gi-hyun's morally ambiguous childhood friend, Sang-woo, and Kim Joo-ryong as a happily-ever-after scammer courtesy of Park Hee-soo, whose inside game attempt with a mobster leads to chaos among the contestants. The show's real breakout star, however, is former model Jang Ho-yeon, who plays a steely North Korean defector hoping to raise enough money to lift his brother out of an orphanage. Don't take our word for it, either: Since the show premiered on Netflix a few weeks ago, Jung's Instagram following has grown from a few hundred thousand to more than 13 million. It's safe to say that this won't be the last time you see him.
It also has a universal (and political) message.
It's not just the high-octane enthusiasm that made the squid game such an international sensation, but the universal themes it explores—particularly its underlying critique of capitalism and class anxiety. Unlike other dystopian thrillers with war-to-death tournaments, here, everyone arrives at the island alternately. Even after witnessing the horrors of these games, most contestants return, out of sheer desperation, to the ground because of the bleak future of living with insurmountable debt. (The series comes at a time when household debt is at record highs not only in Korea but also in the US, and has contributed to a massive mental-health crisis.) "We're here to give you a chance." Put the masked villains overseeing Squid Game's terrifying proceedings in words that clearly echo the neoliberal late capitalism's every-man-itself spirit that's more familiar to Western audiences.
Naturally, memes are coming thick and fast.
Of course, for a new Netflix show to spread like wildfire, it helps to have a little traction on social media; And the Squid game's bleak trend has proved perfect fodder for memes, given that users take the series' most chilling moments and inject them with a dose of chaotic humor. A particularly popular theme has been Red Light, the giant robot doll overseeing the Green Light game (Vulture also runs a satirical interview with her), in which people refer to clips of dolls ranging from Azealia Banks to Beyoncé's "Green Light". Dancing on everything. For a little relief after seeing all those gruesome deaths, you can find some of our favorites here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.