Squid Game!

It's the TV series of the year. The most streamed, most downloaded, and most viewed series in the last quarter of 2021 and yes, the most fussed about on the internet and on social media: Squid Game.

It has sparked insatiable attention, with a cosplay site selling out of the villain costume, Parisian teenagers fighting outside a Squid Game pop-up shop, and thousands of hours of behind-the-scenes revelation, with actors recalling the “dreamlike terror” of filming it and technicians describing their awe at the sinister, cartoonish sets.

Created by Korean movie writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the 9-episode series centers on a group of 456 people in dire financial crisis and debt, who join a contest for prize money to clear their debts. But what seemed to be a harmless children’s games contest quickly takes a violent, bloody turn in the last 15 minutes of the first episode and continues throughout the series till the very end.

As the series unfolds, we see the main character Gi-Hun (and really every other character) try his best to survive the innocent but bloody game rounds, player fights, and betrayals to win the prize money of 45.6 billion won.

No question the show has a dark theme and blood spurts freely. Watching children’s games turned into deadly battles is unnerving, and it’s not for everyone. But the characters are well-developed and the action moves quickly and never lets up for long.

The characters are swiftly and cleanly introduced, and then the games begin. It’s difficult not to return for more after seeing an episode, even if it’s merely to see who survives the next twisted game. Then there was that ending.

For the most part, writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s blend of high and low components works brilliantly. The first two episodes are largely devoted to depicting the desperate lives of gambling addict Gi-hun (Lee Jung-Jae), disgraced embezzler Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), North Korean defector Kang Sae-Byeok (Jung Ho-Yeon), and the other players, as well as explaining why each of them would participate despite learning of the game’s deadly stakes via a red light–green light contest involving a giant robot and sniper rifles. The action and suspense are relentless as the action settles down on the game’s island stronghold, making Squid Game the ultimate Netflix binge.

If you enjoyed watching The Hunger Games, Alice in Borderland, or any other game-inspired movie or series, then this is definitely the show for you.

This show is not just about survival. It primarily focuses on the economic suffering people go through, when they gamble, waste money, or are just born poor. No contestant was given the terms and conditions of the game, the venue, or details, but still agreed to a man who gave a few dollars for playing a game.

If you’re yet to watch the series (which I strongly recommend) available on Netflix, I would strongly suggest not having an emotional attachment to any of the characters because this could leave you heartbroken.

Personally, I enjoyed watching the series in its original language (Korean) with English subtitles just because it helped me relate with the characters better, but you can watch it in an English (or any other language you prefer) dubbed version.

Once you have watched the entire series, do not hold up hope for a second season, as writer-director Hwan Dong-hyuk says he may return to doing other big-screen movies before thinking about a sequel.

And of course, you should keep an eye out for all the Squid Game-inspired events that are going to pop up before the year ends.

Overall, a must-watch series!