"Squid Game" kills Netflix records
Claudia Sherman, Centerspread Editor
“Squid Game”, the Korean Netflix original series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk and released on Sept. 17, is on track to become Netflix’s most watched series ever. To say that this show has taken the world by storm would be an understatement. The show is a jarring, and at times incredibly disturbing, critique of the capitalist world. The series of deadly games that the characters are forced to play, act as a criticism of the ideology that human lives are disposable and a worthy sacrifice to make for profit. It is an incredibly entertaining watch, but it ultimately falls short on delivering its message.
The immense popularity of “Squid Game” follows a trend of Korean media making its way into the American mainstream. K-Pop, Korean movies and K-dramas have all become much more well known among western audiences. It is astonishing seeing foreign media get the recognition it deserves, and the show itself is something of a cultural breath of fresh air. Its cast is almost exclusively people of color, and it shares stories and perspectives of marginalized groups that almost never get much attention in Western media. “Squid Game” is a relatively quick binge, and is an easy-to-understand introduction to Korean entertainment.
The show follows a cast of characters on the brink of financial ruin. Promised with the opportunity to win money, 456 people participate in a series of games with a prize of $456 billion won, approximately $384 million US dollars. These games, such as red light green light and marbles, are designed to resemble childhood playground games. The seemingly innocent games, however, eventually reveal themselves to be deadly. Through the behaviors of its characters during and in between the games,“Squid Game” makes the message that money makes people evil incredibly obvious. There are two distinctly different groups of characters in “Squid Game” : the desperately poor, who are willing to literally kill one another in attempts to obtain money, and the voyeuristic and perverted western elites. The staunchly different behaviors of these two classes, however, is a somewhat on the nose critique of the contemporary Korean political climate.
While “Squid Game” is admittedly incredibly entertaining, its message feels contrived and ultimately falls short. The plot devices used to push this message that money is a motive for hate start off intriguing, but as the show progresses, they become predictable and uninteresting. The show relies heavily on certain tropes, most of which are used on the same character. The clear antagonist, Cho Sangwoo, played by Hae-soo Park, behaves exactly like one would expect someone corrupted by money to act. He is violent, selfish and a backstabber. Cho Sangwoo’s reverse character arc is the most obvious way that “Squid Game” pushes its message. As the game progresses, he becomes more and more merciless. While using this one character as a vessel to deliver the message is undoubtedly effective, considering viewers picked up on this message almost immediately, the negative progression of his character and his devious actions felt contrived and predictable.
While it is flawed, “Squid Game'' is not a bad show. The lack of nuance in some characters is made up for by the complexity and fascinating stories of others. Through the character Ali Abdul (Anupam Tripathi), the show explores the hardships of immigration, and provides a glimpse into the political and socio-economic climate of Pakistan. Through Kang Sae Byeok (HoYeon Jung), viewers are able to see through an oft underrepresented perspective: that of a North Korean refugee. If more time had been spent on the tragic stories of Sae Byeok and Abdul, the argument that money is an inherent evil would have been much stronger.
“Squid Game” is riddled with somewhat predictable plot twists and cliche character tropes, and is not nearly a perfect show. But this does not make it bad. The message it sends, and the incredible performances, shine through, and make the small flawed parts of this show more forgivable. Perfection is not necessary when a show is thought provoking and entertaining as “Squid Game” is.
Photo from Netflix