If you like the idea of The Hunger Games mixed with Black Mirror, then Squid Game is the show for you.
Squid Game has broken records, overtaking Bridgerton to become Netflix’s most watched series ever. It has had 111 million people from over eighty countries gripped onto every episode.
Created and set in South Korea,Squid Game encapsulates the lives of people living in debt with nothing left to lose.
The protagonist Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae) and other desperate civilians are enticed to take part in six childhood games to win an enormous cash prize and remove the shackles of debt, but with a macabre twist – if they fail in the games, they are killed.
Unlike some series which have a mundane build up to the main event, viewers are immediately catapulted into Squid Game’s dystopian setting.
Credit has to be given to the writer Hwang Dong-hyuk, who cleverly encapsulates the darkness of capitalism and the devastating effects it has on each character.
Even if the players wanted to leave the games, the outside world is no better.
As the games go on, viewers witness money being a catalyst for greed, murder and intense rivalry. The players become more and more desperate, and will do anything to make sure they win.
Players see no option but to take measures into their own hands and form groups, killing anyone who gets in their way. The groups that are formed uncover other pressing issues that dominate society, like class and gender.
With today’s shows often having a lack of originality, Squid Game has been a breath of fresh air with its mixture of surprises, comedy and sadness.
Social media has been flooded with videos of people attempting some of the shows games, like the Dalgona Candy challenge. This involves trying to carve a shape out of a honeycomb biscuit without it snapping.
Places like Abu Dhabi have even recreated the games, minus the death.
Squid Game is a simple concept with great delivery, and there may be talks of a second season.
It could not come soon enough.
