Squid Game review

Warning: This article contains Squid Games spoilers

Scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, you have probably seen trends of people trying to cut umbrellas or triangles out of cookies with needles, along with other Squid Game-related content. Squid Game quickly became one of the most talked about shows of 2021, and it was even the first South Korean series to top Netflix streaming charts across the world. If you have not seen it yet, then I’ll tell you what you need to know. If you have, I hope you come out of reading this article with a different perspective.

First of all, no, there are no squids involved. The show got its namesake from a game that its protagonist, Seong Gi-Hun, played as a child, illustrated in the initial scene of the first episode. We are then brought into the present, when it is revealed that he is in severe debt with a gambling addiction. One day, he encounters a man at the train station who offers him a cash prize to play children’s games with other players — an offer which Gi-Hun accepts. He is then taken to an unknown location in which he is one of 456 debt-ridden players hoping to win the grand prize of 45.6 billion South Korean Won (the equivalent of almost 34 million euros). Each player of the game is worth 100 million won, and whenever one is ‘eliminated,’ that sum is added to the cash prize. Here’s the catch: elimination results in immediate death.

The players do not realize this until the first game, red light green light, when running the red light results in a bullet through one player’s skull. A chilling automated voice then announces, “Player 324, eliminated.” And that’s it. One life lost, 100 million won closer to the prize. Squid Game critiques capitalism’s effects on human life. The system benefits those who are richer and more educated, and therefore the working class is given little to no regard. In Squid Game, only those who are desperate enough to risk their lives in the game to earn the cash prize play. Every player is diminished to a number and a monetary value. However, this is often a higher value (monetarily or emotionally) than the players are given in South Korea’s capitalist society. This is illustrated after the first game, when all of the players are allowed to leave due to the game’s gruesome nature. After going back to their ordinary lives for a few days, most players decide to return to the game because they realize that their life in the outside world is no better than their life (or likely death) within the game.

What makes the series especially eerie, other than its extreme gore when players are eliminated, is the relatability of the main characters. We learn about their stories and become attached, but inevitably, all but one of them are destined to die. The wide range of characters represent the best and worst of humanity, from betrayal to love that is worth dying for. In the most heart wrenching episode of the series, episode 6, the players have to choose a partner to play a dice game with, but in the end, the losing partner will die. Most choose their friends or loved ones, adding a more personal aspect to the non-protagonist players. For instance, a husband and wife chose to compete together in the games, and chose each other as partners, without knowing that one of them would have to die. The fates of other protagonists were also sealed in this game, such as Pakistani immigrant Ali, who was the victim of ultimate betrayal by businessman Sang-Woo. Ali was nothing but good throughout the series, and he was forced to participate in the games to care for his family. To add another layer to his death, Ali’s player number is 199, and the Islmaic Hadith 199 is linked to betrayal and hypocrisy, the exact cause of his death.

The series has many other hidden references, and I suggest that you watch Squid Game yourself to find personal meaning. Despite its gore, this dystopian show tells the story of class division, desperation, violence, betrayal, discrimination, and whatever you decide it means to you. Each character is unique; you will be surprised about which characters will show you pieces of yourself. The characters are dehumanized, then as we learn more about them, they are reconstructed, and then broken down one last time at the time of their death. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the game is being watched by international elite as they enjoy their finely-crafted cocktails. The message of Squid Game is clear: the privileged will always use the poor as pawns for their agendas and entertainment, just like Squid Game is watched for entertainment. True fans of the show should have picked up a lesson or two about the effects of capitalism from the series. Instead, they immediately went to order a Squid Game Halloween costume from Amazon.

- Leila O'Rourke