Well, another great series has come and gone… For now. Netflix’s hit new series Squid Game is phenomenal, and a beautiful surprise. The Korean series is one of the most popular shows in Netflix history, and is the most streamed series ever on the platform. When I was told about the show it sounded interesting, more like an Anime brought to life and I was very skeptical of it’s newfound greatness. I didn’t watch a trailer or anything, and went in with no knowledge whatsoever, besides hundreds of photos that were being shared all throughout social media.
This show is far beyond the word “good”… It’s a true masterpiece and should frankly win every Emmy it will surely be nominated for. The acting was amazing, the writing was superb, the cinematography was fascinating since some shots were done in ways that I haven’t seen from American filmmakers before. The directing was also amazing and frankly, this might be one of the ten best shows I have ever seen. I live for the feel of the Twilight Zone and Black Mirror. A feeling of drama done in the most beautiful way where you get a chill when something unexpected happens, or you get goosebumps and your blood starts pumping as the next game is about to begin.
Image VIa: Netflix
The tone of almost a futuristic state, in a way, was what I like. A game which draws undertones from The Hunger Games, and does radiate a LOT of Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone in it as well. I can go on and on all day about this masterpiece, but I’ll move ahead to my review… Which is really just me bending over backwards in praise of the show’s creator/director Hwang Dong-Hyuk. Having the main character, Seong Gi-hun, being a poor divorcee whose life has gone to hell since he was fired from his decent job, and has a 10-year-old daughter, really set the tone of this being a dramatic story about Seong Gu-Hun. While that doesn’t mean I thought he’d live until the end, it was great to see his character development. He went from, well, an idiot, to changing throughout the game, because of the game and of what he saw.
When we first see Seong Gu-Hun in the first game, he was taking it as a joke and all fun and games, that quickly ended when 100 people were killed within half a minute right before his eyes, but even after that game, and games proceeding that one, we see him as a goofball. It’s not until Oh Il-nam dies during the game of marbles that we see Seong Gu-Hun beginning to have a change in his character. After the second to last game with the glass panels, he’s a completely new man. One that would even kill his childhood friend all because he killed a few strangers. It really makes you think about how you would do things in these character’s shoes. Would I try to kill a life-long friend in a game like this after he or she killed a few strangers to survive? Absolutely not. But it all changed when his friend Cho Sang-Woo “put Kang Sae-byeok out of her misery.”
That was probably the most emotional death of the season, and one that had huge ramifications in the show moving forward. I wonder if Seong Gu-Hun thought about how he’d act if all three of them remained in the game. Would he kill Kang Sae-byeok for the 46 billion won? Or would he tap out at the finish line and win nothing?
Image Via: Netflix
One aspect that I really liked, was how the workers (people wearing the square, circle, and triangle masks) probably varied in age, but how one of the squares, the leaders, was in his early twenties. It goes to show how people of all ages, out there in this world, are able to see extreme violence and gore and not flinch an inch for money. It’s an interesting notion, especially with their leader the Front Man being the detective’s brother that he had been in search of since early in the season. That whole scenario threw me for a loop, especially since I love the mystery in some superhero TV shows with having a masked villain for 15+ episodes as you try to think of who they are. With this being a Korean series, I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t recognize the actor, but it was really cool to have the Front Man be someone of importance. And I did in fact recognize the actor behind the Front Man in Lee Byung-hun, for anyone who was curious. If he looked familiar, it’s probably from him being in: Red 2, Terminator Genesis, and The Magnificent Seven.
This is a show that is right up the alley for anyone interested in dramas, thrillers, mysteries, and if you’re a fan of violence. The concept of competing in a game for 46 billion won, roughly 38 million US dollars, and risking your life until the very end is just fascinating. Would I compete in the Squid Game? Yes!
Image Via: Netflix
There have been rumblings of a second season, and I’m willing to bet my life that it will happen. The creator said he’s already been working on it, and Squid Game is one the verge of becoming the most watched property in Netflix history after making the studio $890M off of a $24M budget. How can you not green light a second season after that? The backlash would be heinous and happens to be the exact reason why it WILL be renewed. The creator has said that he’s been working on it, and that the second season would revolve around the Front Man. We’d see his backstory going from contestant, to winner, and to the man who runs the game.
He also mentioned that we’d see his relationship with his brother, who I hope is still is still alive, considering that he was shot in the same spot that he shot the Front Man, who just needed to remove the bullet and put on a few bandages. Killing off the detective would be really weird. We have a great story there with him having intel on the game and evil billionaires who watch it for sport, and he could serve as a key ally to Seong Gu-Hun who will be on the game’s trial in inevitably trying to put a stop to the game once and for all.
Image Via: Entrepreneur
In speaking to IndieWire about Squid Game, the series’ creator/director Hwang Dong-Hyuk was asked about a second season, and had this to say:
“I’m getting a lot of pressure on season 2. I still have the story about the Front Man and his relationship with his brother, the police man. And people are also curious about where Gu-Hun is headed in the finale because he turns away from the plane. I think I do have the obligation to explain it to the fans and I’m thinking about season 2, but at the time, I was so tired after finishing season 1, I couldn’t really think of season 2. But now that it’s become such a big hit, people would hate me if I don’t make a season 2, so I feel a lot of pressure and think I’d have to. The big success of season 1 is a big reward to me, but at the same time it’s given me a lot of pressure.”
So definitely go ahead and watch the show if you haven’t seen it yet. I’d give it a 9/10!
Here I’m going to be sharing some thoughts from some of my friends on what they thought of Squid Game.
First up is Jake Goldberg:
Rating: 10/10
Squid games is an amazing binge worthy series probably best series I’ve watched on Netflix hands down. Even with the language barrier from it being a Korean film it was still such a good series. I also love how many conspiracy theories you could come up with by gathering clues from different episodes. Like for example how a lot of people knew that the old man was bad or how people thought the old man was the main characters dad I just find that very fascinating when shows do that in my opinion it pulls the viewers in and it makes you want to watch more!! 10/10 recommended watching this !!!
Peter Alves:
Rating: 7/10
Right out of the gate I want to say that Squid Game was a great show but I wish that I didn’t hear all of the hype around it first. I thought the concept was like a hunger games knock off but def had some twists. I wish that 457 didn’t win, I saw that coming from a mile away because he’s the main character. I know at the end was a set up for season 2 but it doesn’t make any sense that he left the plane to not see his daughter and stop the games from happening again. There’s so many conspiracy theories about the show which I love but I want to know if they wrote the ending, knowing a season 2 was already coming out. However, I didn’t see the old man being the creator of the games, although I should have after rewatching it for the second time. Like Parasite (another Korean movie) I liked it but it did not live up to the hype that other people were bringing it up to be. And a side note from your favorite Korean on the Daily Goat, the only right way to watch this movie is the original Korean language and English subtitles. If you use the English Dub, you’re dead to me!
Julia Noone:
Rating: 9/10
When people think of Squid Game, they think about the gruesome games the characters are forced to play -- not necessarily the mental journey they go through.
Throughout the series, the sole protagonist is Gi-Hun and as viewers, we follow his every move in and out of the games. That being said, within my own personal watch, I found myself invested in not only Gi-Hun's journey, but all of his peers. People like the scheming Sang-Woo, the badass Sae-byeok, the enigmatic Il-nam, and of course, Ali who deserved SO MUCH better -- just to name a few. When people think of Squid Game, they think about the the gruesome childhood games that the characters are forced to play -- not necessarily the mental journey each of them go through. From the first episode, the show establishes our protagonist, Gi-Hun, and as the audience we follow his every move in and out of the games. That being said, within my own personal watch, I found myself obviously invested in Gi-Hun's journey, but also all of his peers as these characters were extremely well-written and complex. A few examples include the scheming Sang-Woo, the badass Sae-byeok, the enigmatic Il-nam, and of course, Ali who deserved SO MUCH better. (SPOILER WARNING!) The first season eventually ends with our protagonist's sole win, which as an avid television watcher, I expected from the beginning. What I did not expect however, was how it came about -- this was not an easy win for Gi-Hun, going head-to-head with his childhood best friend and the villain of the game, Sang-Woo. The two had played completely different game-styles, as Sang-Woo was merciful and often killed a number of other players to win the money, such as Ali, meanwhile Gi-Hun played much more respectfully despite the life and death consequences of losing. When the two of them went into the game, at first they played as a team with the other players I have mentioned; however, by the season finale, it is evident how complex their mental journeys were and how they affected their endgame (for lack of a better word). What I mean is that post-game, Gi-Hun felt extremely guilty and uninterested in the cash prize he won fairly; meanwhile Sang-Woo was the last die in-game, though not at the hands of his childhood friend, rather himself. I found this twist to be incredibly insightful, since the audience has seen Sang-Woo so vicious throughout; especially because it was almost redeeming the way that he eventually took fate into his own hands and practically gave the money to Gi-Hun, even though Sang-Woo had made it VERY clear that he needed that money. Now, my final thoughts about this incredible television show is simply that everyone needs to see it. The concept of this series is quite generic, it made me think of the famous short story written by Richard Connell "The Most Dangerous Game" and even the more recent Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, however the depth given to each and every character in this series is what makes it stand apart from all of the rest.
Becca Olshan:
I went into the show not knowing what to expect, but what I found was both deeply compelling and moving. The show delves into greater moral questions, like what to do when you are pitted against your equals for something you all need and/or deserve. I loved
the dynamic between the characters as well as their own individual moral dilemmas as they navigate the games and ask themselves what matters more: their own success, or protecting the other players? The direct comparison between Sang-Woo and Gi-Hun illustrates this well. Squid Game was not only outstanding in the sense that it broke Netflix records and explored a uniquely riveting storyline, but it is also a strong attempt at bridging the gap between American and Korean media. As an American I find that I often fall into the trap of only seeing American and other English media, but successful shows like Squid Game remind us that there are so many amazing films and tv shows to discover that can be found outside of our American bubble.