South Korean drama Squid Game has captured the interest of audience globally. Within days of its release, the intense thriller has become one of the most watched shows of streaming giant Netflix. It has been trending at number one spot in several countries since its premiere, and memes based on the show have flooded the internet.
Since its release, Squid Game, which Netflix has touted to potentially be their biggest show yet, has blown the collective minds of millions of viewers around the globe. The internet is currently a minefield of spoilers; there are memes, conspiracy theories, rants and excited discussions on every possible online platform delving deep into the Korean show, and justifiably so. Written and directed by Hwang Dong-Hyuk, the nine episodes manage to leave its viewers horrified, yet invested in the show, thanks to the razor-sharp writing and compelling performances by its ensemble cast. The survival K-drama’s premise in a nutshell? We follow 456 debt-ridden contestants as they compete in a series of children’s games for a mind-boggling cash prize. The contestants however soon discover that the stakes are deadly, and when the organisers speak about an ‘elimination’ they mean it.
At some point, the game creators definitely reminded us of some real-life men, who play with people’s lives, as if they were merely toys. The value of human life is evident as you see each man and woman being shot, stabbed, thrown and threatened. Squid Game is popular because it doesn’t hide pain, suffering, and the immense and all-consuming greed of humanity. It shows how many desperate people there are in the world and how, year after year, hundreds of them are cherry-picked and thrown to the proverbial wolves for the entertainment of the rich and famous. It’s obviously fiction, yet also terrifyingly real.
It is both horror and wholesome at the same time. It makes you cry, laugh, be happy and get angry all at once. It has the elements that make a movie/series phenomenal.
If you haven’t watched it, do give it a watch, you won’t regret it.
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