AUTHOR: EMILY RAE-BRINSDEN
A quick warning before we begin: the show we’re discussing today contains frequent depictions of violence, sex and suicide.
I had an… interesting conversation with my parents the other day. In short: my mother mentioned Squid Game and I was absolutely floored – as I always am when my parents mention something I’m interested in. I asked her if she was interested in it and began telling her (and my dad) about the first episode of the show. I was just explaining to them about how a player, if discovered moving in ‘Red Light Green Light’, would be shot and killed when I heard my mum gasp.
Turns out, she thought that Squid Game was a new – and popular – Korean reality show.
Dear readers, I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that Squid Game is not, in fact, a reality show. Or even based on a true story! It comes entirely from the mind of writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who has created several short films in the past as well as the films My Father/Mai Padeo (2007), The Crucible/Silenced/Dogani (2011), Miss Granny/Suspicious Girl/Susanghan Geunyeo (2014) and The Fortress/Namhansanseong (2017).
In interviews about the show, Hwang Dong-hyuk has stated that he wanted the show—initially written as a movie—to reflect the competitive capitalist society present in modern day Korea. As such, debt is the main motivator for the competitors in the game; and while none of the players can be seen as true villains, those with money and power cast a dark shadow over the otherwise pastel-coloured landscape of the game and its arenas.
While an initial glance at the popular show may make it seem like any other ‘survival’ or ‘death-survival’ show out there, Squid Game has many factorsthat set it apart from its competitors—the main one being its characters. While the game is the underlying link that ties many of the show’s characters together, it takes a backseat in the story after the first episode. The show instead choosing to focus on its characters and their emotions, experiences and relationships with one another.
Out of all the characters on the show, I’d have to say that my favourites are Kang Sae-byeok (067), Ji-yeong (240) and Abdul Ali (199) – the three being played by HoYeon Jung, Lee Yoo-mi and Anupam Tripathi respectively. I love these characters for a variety of reasons and, story aside, were some of my motivators to keep watching the show. I was desperate to see what would happen to them all—and while some of their experiences devastated me, I can’t say I wasn’t satisfied with how they progressed. Because I wholly, truly was.
In writing this article, I reached out to two of my friends who had also seen and enjoyed the show to get some of their opinions—both of whom wish to remain anonymous. The first, who I will be calling ‘V’, agreed with me. V said that despite the many upsetting moments in the show, they couldn’t help but keep watching. And that characters like Sae-byeok and Ali made the show infinitely better.
Another interesting part of Squid Game is the fact that, as a Korean show, its popularity is surprising for many Westerners—particularly those who have never seen or interacted with k-dramas before. Squid Game is the first Korean show to rank first on Netflix in Western countries such as Australia and America, doing so at an amazing speed.
I asked both of my friends about Squid Game’s Korean background, and both had very interesting thoughts on it.
The aforementioned V had never seen a k-drama before but thought that Squid Game was a very good introduction to them—maybe inspiring them to go on and watch more in the future. While I have seen a few myself, I haven’t watched one in a while, and I hope that the popularity of Squid Game will inspire Netflix to add more k-dramas to their—Australian—platform, as I’d love to check them out.
The other friend I asked, who I will be calling ‘J,’ has seen many k-dramas in the past, also being a fan of k-pop. He stated that Squid Game is another piece of Korean media helping to break down stigmas towards the country in the West, showing that South Korea has just as much talent and creativity as the Western shows many of us are used to watching. J said that he ‘hope[s] people can continue to open their minds so that they don’t miss out on great works like [Squid Game].’
All in all, Squid Game is an amazing show that I highly recommend! Even if you don’t think it’s for you, checking out the first episode just to know what everyone is talking about can’t hurt! You might really enjoy it!
And besides, the more people overcome their problems with subtitles, the more amazing and inspiring stories they will be able to consume in the future.