You Should Be Watching: Squid Game
For the past couple of weeks people have been coming up to me at work and asking, “have you seen that Squid Games show?” The response I gave the first couple of people was, “no, I don’t watch much ocean-based programming” but as a fan of Korean cinema I really knew exactly what they were talking about. The thing that puzzled me was that there is apparently some TikTok deal where people are doing some Squid Game parody or something and I have absolutely no desire to investigate further what is happening. I did, however, have some interest in another wild and unpredictable Korean series.
Squid Game is the new Netflix series which released with 9 episodes just recently and has taken the social media world by storm. I even saw some lame, half-assed parody of it when I was watching football the other day. Nothing screams “look how relevant we are!” like some 50-something former athletes who have no idea what they’re talking about bringing up a Korean show full of murder on network television.
The first thing you’ll notice while watching Squid Game is just how unprepared you are for such a show. It’s already a bonkers idea of a television series and one of the reasons that it has taken the States by storm is that it uses that tried and true method of “not giving a shit” that Korean cinema has become so good at over the years. It’s not some cookie cutter Marvel film where you know exactly what is going to happen from the word “go”. It keeps you on your toes and makes you really want to watch that next episode. In fact, the worst thing about it being on Netflix is that it’s so easy to binge the entire series.
The show certainly keeps you guessing as to what might happen. They simple concept of it having mysterious games that they play under the threat of death does well to build the tension along with the dread. Dozens of participants die all the while we watch and plot how exactly we would play the game. Not only does the show make you want to see but it almost teases you into playing it yourself. The thought that a game so easy as “red light, green light” or “tug of war” is so recognizable lends us to the idea that we could easily survive these situations. That’s when Squid Game has you. It lures you in like a mouse trap, dangling an easy treat right in front of you, then it snaps down your neck, severing your spine and rendering your brain inoperable. What a fun show….
