Random TV Season Review - Squid Game (Season 1)

 

Yes the time has come for me to talk about Squid Game. Now known as the most-watched Netflix original (at the time of writing this), this is a very interesting series. Originally the idea came about in 2009 by one Hwang Dong-hyuk who made this based on his economic struggles early in his life. Not many companies or studios were interested for a long time and then Netflix came along, took an interest and allowed him to make it for their platform as part of their drive to expand their foreign market offerings. Similar to The Hunger Games in a way, but very different, so let's take a look:

Although the show has multiple characters that it focuses on, the main focus is on divorced father and indebted gambler Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae who got his breakout role through this show) who lives with his elderly mother. One night, he is offered a chance to play a series of children's games to win lots of money. He accepts this offer, only to be taking to a remote unknown location and is among 456 players who like him are also in large amounts of debt. They all take part in the games in which failure results in death and extra money added onto the grand prize. Who knows who will win, but one thing is for sure; life won't be quite the same at the end.

Ignoring the issues around the subtitles and English audio not matching, this is as I say very similar to the Hunger Games. But more around paying off debts than representing a certain district. I personally will never see these children's games in quite the same way again, but it is a fun show with intensity, great performances (though some can be a bit over-the-top) and perfect for binge-watching. I hope we get another season because it is really great stuff. 9/10