Squid Game: Season 1 (오징어 게임) 🦑 Was The Mainstream Hype Justified? [No Spoiler Inside]

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I am not generally one that responds to mainstream hype of any kind, and in fact it usually has the opposite effect on me. The only reason I gave Squid Game a chance was due to the fact it wasn't an American series.

Squid Game 🦑 Is Taking Over The World

I'm not a watcher of television, and the only media I consume is basically Hive and podcasts, and several weeks ago I began to hear a lot of chit-chat about Squid Game on various podcasts recently, and although this genre of show is not anything I would normally watch, I recently found myself a little under the weather, so I binge-watched the series in an afternoon.

If you've just watched the above trailer, it might remind you of films/shows such as "Hunger Games," "Saw," "Eyes Wide Shut," "The Maze Runner," or perhaps "Cabin In The Woods." "Squid Game" contains many elements from each of these shows/movies, but it combines them in a very watchable format.

The trailer along gives you some clue as to why this Netflix series has entered the international zeitgeist. There are a lot of cinematic shots, suspenseful moments, and the large-scale sets are reminiscent of the "Truman Show."

The Plot 🙅‍♂️ [No Spoiler]

The show revolves around the game itself, which is arguably a character in this series. All participants in the game are there because they have massive debt or other reasons that might make them desperate for money. Although it isn't made perfectly clear, it appears many participants were lured to the game after playing "ddakji," and below is a scene showing you how the main character got lured into voluntarily joining the game.

Ultimately hundreds of people call the number on the card, are picked up by a van, and upon entry, a gas is released the doors are locked, and they wake up dressed in uniform inside dystopian game world. The participants don't know how bad things will be when playing the first game, so they willingly join.

As you can see, to everyone's surprise, it is actually a game with deadly consequences, and no one was warned of that in the beginning. After their first game, "Red Light, Green Light" is finished, the participants are returned to their living quarters and immediately protest.

Upon hearing the complaints, the guards inform them of the potential prize money, and also remind the participants that if a majority vote is cast to end the games, all participants can return home safely with none of the prize money.

You can guess how the vote goes, otherwise there wouldn't be a show, but there are plenty of more twists and turns in this series. I will stop here as I don't want to ruin the climax and ending of season 1 for any of you who haven't watched this show yet.

My Thoughts 💭

All in all it was a good watch, but not one I will repeat. For me "Squid Game" was a one watch and done show, not like "The Office," which I have watched all seasons multiple times. It's ultra-violent so not suitable for children, even though children seem to be the audience most obsessed with this show.

To those of you that have watched this series, what did you think? Was the mainstream hype justified? I thought it was the first watchable Netflix series in years, but that's not saying much, I really am more of a documentary lover.

🙃 Let's Get Squid Game Silly 📸

To answer a question that no one is asking, here is what I would like as the main character in "Squid Game." It's just as disturbing as it is entertaining.