Squid Game Overestimated Us

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Light spoilers follow for season three of Squid Game, which debuted on Netflix on June 27. 

Instead of becoming a three-season disappointment after its initial success on Netflix in September 2021, Squid Game could have been a one-hit wonder. The South Korean series, featuring a competition designed by the wealthy where debtors play deadly games for a huge prize, seemed to burst onto the scene but resonated with many viewers. Its cultural specificity was crucial to its storytelling – dalgona candy, the ddakji game, and the country’s island landscapes were all integral parts of the world it created. However, its exploration of economic imbalance and portrayal of widespread financial struggles gave it universal appeal. Though inspired by South Korea’s high household debt, the series creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk developed such universally relatable characters – jobless former workers, exploited immigrants, and downtrodden gamblers – that their stories transcended national boundaries.

In the opening episode of “Squid Game,” Hwang delayed the first player’s elimination for 45 minutes, gradually exposing the gruesome ordeal awaiting the characters. However, once that was over, it was a non-stop thrill ride as the series progressed, featuring grotesque adaptations of children’s games and ultimately crowning its lone survivor. Each episode ended on a cliffhanger, leaving us eager for more. The set design was bizarre yet captivating, reminiscent of Willy Wonka learning interior decoration from Ed Gein. Lee Jung-jae portrayed the protagonist Seong Gi-hun with an expressive face that mirrored the intense demands and emotional turmoil of the games.

“Squid Game” commanded our focus, then shattered our hearts as it mercilessly eliminated nearly all of its characters. Its political message was clear: greed is devastating, and society needs reform. The show didn’t debate its viewpoint; instead, it brutally enforced it. For instance, when friends betrayed each other in “Gganbu,” when the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) murdered his own brother to conceal the games, or when the cunning mastermind behind the competition, Il-nam (O Yeong-su), mocked Gi-hun’s faith in humanity.

Despite the first season ending with Gi-hun deciding to reenter the games to shut them down, his decision offered a mere glimmer of hope for individual action within the series’ established ideology. The show emphasized that one hero cannot change the world; instead, it suggested that fundamental change is necessary, and the world, according to “Squid Game,” desperately needed it.

In the TV show “Squid Game,” we follow Gi-hun’s struggle to escape a deadly competition he initially survived. The show continually devised methods to undermine the players, such as introducing “democratic voting” to sow discord, promoting deceit and treachery, and embedding murder into the games. All of this was intended to highlight how capitalism is unfairly biased against those at the bottom, with more losers than winners being created. If this theme becomes repetitive across the show’s three seasons, that’s part of the message. Changing people and systems is difficult, and that’s the challenge presented in “Squid Game.”

When “Squid Game” first immersed us in its bleak world, challenging the established order served as the show’s driving force, and its narrative pace mirrored the tense excitement of the early rounds of Red Light, Green Light. However, the series underestimated how quickly we, like the game’s players, would find enjoyment in the violence it presented instead of interpreting it as an allegory. Despite introducing a child character in its final season to remind us of humanity’s inherent purity, “Squid Game” struggled to make us cheer for life as easily as we craved the series’ portrayal of death as a game.

The reasons behind the success of a show like Squid Game can sometimes be hard to pinpoint, but it’s clear that a combination of its unsettling themes, engaging storyline, and class struggle narrative played a significant role. The first season spent nearly a month at the top of Netflix’s charts, remained in the top ten for over two months, and garnered 265.2 million views worldwide. Netflix has even labeled it as their most popular show to date, with critical reception generally positive. While the meaning or message of a work no longer belongs solely to its creators after release, and watching TV doesn’t equate to political action, there was an apparent disparity between the cynical and anti-capitalist perspective of Squid Game and the swiftness with which merchandise based on the series appeared.

This show explored how easily people can embrace the trends and beliefs of their oppressors, as evidenced by merchandise such as branded tracksuits, Halloween costumes, and Squid Game doll cosplay outfits becoming available for purchase. Netflix created a virtual fireplace styled after the Front Man’s private quarters for people to enjoy the sensation of power at home during holidays, and offered an immersive experience called Squid Game: The Experience. For prices ranging from $44 to $94, fans could participate in challenges similar to those in the series, explore recreated sets, and compete for a top spot on a live leaderboard. This event took place inside Manhattan Mall, adding an ironic touch to the show’s message.

The most ironic aspect of Squid Game was its spin-off reality show, Squid Game: The Challenge, which aired in November 2023. In this show, 456 superfans competed in non-lethal versions of the games for a $4.56 million prize. While people willingly betraying each other on TV for money is not a new concept, it seemed particularly insensitive and cynical under the Squid Game banner. Despite this, viewers tuned in, causing Squid Game to re-enter Netflix’s top ten when The Challenge debuted.

During this period, the show “Squid Game” was renewed for a second season; Netflix confirmed this in June 2022. In a recent interview, creator Hwang admitted to neglecting his health while working on the first season and was motivated by Netflix to produce two more seasons of the series. The new season will consist of 13 episodes, with the first seven set to release on December 26, 2024, followed by the final six on June 27. This pressure is palpable in these additional episodes, giving the impression that “Squid Game” has already exhausted its themes and is merely reiterating them rather than further developing them. The massive piggy bank in the contestants’ dormitory once again accumulates money, the Red Light, Green Light course is tainted with blood again, and the competitors find themselves hurting each other once more. As in the first season, Gi-hun distances himself from his opponents as he recognizes their ease in using weapons against one another rather than the game’s managers, even after a failed rebellion. Similar to other shows initially conceived for a single season that were unexpectedly renewed (such as “Big Little Lies,” “The End of the Fing World,” and “Bad Sisters”), there is an increasing sense of repetition in how “Squid Game” unfolds, with a rehashing of its original concept rather than a deeper exploration of it.

Essentially, what makes Squid Game truly intriguing lies in its exploration of why it persists, even as a series, beyond the initial seasons. It challenges the notion that democracy can accurately determine people’s desires, and dismisses the idea that replaying the game (or watching the show) would yield different results. The voting scenes become more cynical and pessimistic about the integrity of the electoral process; Gi-hun’s adversaries become increasingly scornful towards those who prioritize pleasure over sustenance. The payoff comes in the subtext, as Squid Game directs its disdain outward, using its own popularity as an existential predicament.

In a more recent portrayal of the VIP characters, we see masked individuals secretly reveling in the suffering of others during the games, mirroring how some viewers might find enjoyment rather than critiquing the show’s grim themes. In season three, these elites are depicted as callous spectators, enjoying their roles as pink-uniformed guards, gambling on contestants’ lives, and offering commentary on character dynamics. (Insert the “Is this play about us?” meme from Euphoria here.) This suggests that Squid Game views these VIPs, not Gi-hun, as stand-ins for the audience. The series implies that one of these groups is on the wrong side of progress, and it’s not the man who’s ready to risk his life to help others.

Among all the characters from Squid Game, Gi-hun stands out as one of the most selfless: a victor who risked himself again and again for strangers he barely knew, taking hits that were meant for them, because he strongly believed that within everyone lies the capacity to make the right decision. Despite the show’s penchant for glamorizing violence and desensitizing viewers to gore, making us yearn for more than we required, Squid Game leaves Gi-hun’s final thoughts about human nature unresolved in the series finale. Instead, this series invites us to contemplate our own beliefs about what humans truly are.

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2025-06-27 10:54