Squid Game captures the attention of a worldwide audience
"The backstories for each character and how they got to the island are all very interesting. Knowing their stories, it’s great to see how their characters develop over the span of only six episodes. Although, like any other dystopian drama, it’s advised not to get too attached to any of them."
Posted Oct. 26, 2021
Staff Editor
Netflix released their newest Korean action-packed drama series, Squid Game, on Sept. 17; which centers around 456 players forced to play a series of children’s games with deadly consequences.
Hundreds of poverty-stricken contestants have accepted invitations to compete in Korean children’s games for a tempting prize, but the stakes are deadly. The winners of these games can move on to the next round, but the losers die. These games range from Red Light, Green Light to the Squid Game itself. The show topped Netflix’s Top 10 and You’s newest season since its release.
Watching the show, everything mesmerized me into watching it all the way through. The sets were absolutely beautiful and the actors did an amazing job portraying their characters. I’ve always believed that if a character can irritate me, the actors are doing their job.
The director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, did a great job spreading Korean culture and how they grew up on the playground. Or even how they might live in poverty compared to the upper class, like the VIPs.
The backstories for each character and how they got to the island are all very interesting. Knowing their stories, it’s great to see how their characters develop over the span of only six episodes. Although, like any other dystopian drama, it’s advised not to get too attached to any of them.
Despite the fact that it is a dystopian drama, it ties in with normal life. The wealthy have this hold over the poor and those in debt, making them do the imaginable for the prize money. Although everyday life may not be as extreme as life or death Tug of War, viewers continue to see the impact of capitalism.
Although all episodes were interesting, episode one was a great way to pull viewers in and is my personal favorite. Running scenes are known for their spine-chilling feeling in movies and TV shows, and this episode’s running scene will definitely leave you with goosebumps as well. As a “Fly Me To The Moon'' cover by Joo Won plays in the background, the contestants either make it across the finish line or, unfortunately, face their doom.