“Squid Game” is an exhilarating Korean drama that has been catapulted into the global spotlight after becoming Netflix’s most popular show. The show revolves around the idea of playing Korean children’s games for money. Lose, and the player is eliminated, with the final consequence being killed by those in charge of the game. Fair warning, this review will contain some spoilers.
The main theme of “Squid Game” is financial inequality. All of the contestants in the game are financially devastated, having joined the game for the chance to win the cash prize. They’re enticed by the possibility of making money that would possibly save them from their financial troubles.
Players are valued at 100 million won each, which is about 85,000 US dollars. When a player dies, their value is added to the greater cash pool. This incentivizes participants to kill the other players in order to further increase the pool’s value and decrease their competition. As we see later on in the show, this is all for the entertainment of the creators of the game. It’s revealed that multibillionaires created the game, as they – quite selfishly – couldn’t find anything entertaining to watch anymore.
The first game played by those involved in the competition is instantly recognizable, as it isn’t unique to South Korea. This allows audience members to understand the premise of the show and what exactly the players will be doing, which is helpful considering the show’s underlying complexity. The players participate in the game red light, green light. The objective of this game is to get to the other side when there is a “green light” and to stop and stand perfectly still when it is “red light.” Since this is the first game of the competition, the players do not know that they will die if they lose until they actually begin to play. Due to this surprise, many players are quickly eliminated.
The next games are less well known, but they are still very tense with brutal consequences for those who fail. The fact that the players are still willing to participate in the game just for a chance to win the cash prize is telling about how much money truly matters in society. Those with the money who are running the games and have the ability to change the players’ lives are instead spending their time watching the players run around helplessly with their lives on the line. This brings attention to the fact that billionaires do have the ability to change many people’s lives with simple donations but often don’t make the time or put in the effort to do so. The amount of money offered in “Squid Game” is large, but it isn’t much compared to the grand salaries of the top 1%.
The show has a lot of strengths, but there are a few parts I felt were lacking. The main one is the finale, which felt more like it was just trying to set up a second season than close the first, as the final game played just turned into a fight. Another weakness was the subplot, in which a police officer managed to infiltrate the games and collect meaningful evidence of the offenses committed by those in charge. However, his plans were compromised by a spotty internet connection. Though the officer subplot was interesting, the ending of it, just like the ending of the central plot, put me off. It is possible that the subplot returns in a second season, but to me, it seems highly unlikely.
With the show being a Korean drama, there were complaints by viewers about some of the more delicate meanings and details of the show being lost in translation. While watching, I did feel like I was able to understand most of the show, and while there were definitely some details I missed, it didn’t seem to be anything major. I first watched the show in Korean with English subtitles and then a second time dubbed in English. Some of the more accurate comments that I do agree with, however, were that Netflix censored most of the subtitle translations. I do feel that this is true, as there was a surprising lack of swearing in one of the dramatic life or death scenarios.
Overall, “Squid Game” is a very entertaining show. It asks the question: “What would you risk for a chance to win millions?” Some characters are willing to kill others directly, while others deceive people into losing. This makes for interesting plotlines and complex characters that really give the show its edge, ultimately leading to its well-deserved international success.
