Squid Game : The new "surprise" Korean Drama Series, Squid Game on Netflix, was something no one saw coming would do so well on the platform.
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Netflix has even said that if the current rate of views stays the same, it might even emerge to be the biggest show ever on the platform. It has taken the OTT world by storm, and unless you are living under a rock, there's a good chance you have heard of it too.
Here are 10 things to know about the series -
Squid Game released on Netflix on September 17, 2021, and is a Korean Drama, which are widely popular shows particular to the Korean language, usually faring between 16-20 episodes. Ever since it's release, Squid Games quickly became one of the biggest hits, with its views, Twitter, memes, everything.
The show stars popular Korean actors like Lee Jung Jae as Seong Gi-Hun, who owes money to loan sharks, and needs to take care of his mother and daughter, Park Hae Soo as Cho Sang-Woo, an Investment contractor who has stolen from his clients, and model Jung Ho Yeon who plays Kang Sae-Byeok, a North Korean defector who needs money to support her brother in lead roles, with cameos by well known actors like Gong Yoo and Lee Byung Hun.
The show revolves around a game, the "Squid Game" that picks hundreds of players, particularly people who are ridden with debts and are in dire need of money. The players are given a chance to compete in a series of children's games, as simple as Red Light Green Light (also known as the "statue" game) and also some traditional Korean ones. The person who emerges as the winner, gets a huge cash prize of 45.6 billion Korean won, which is approximately over 280 crore rupees.
The catch? The players who lose in each game are "eliminated" in the real sense. Yes, they are killed. With literal survival in question, the players are willing to do anything for the money, and it quickly turns into a brutal and gruesome fight for survival.
Along with the players, even the audience is left on the edge of their seats waiting to find out what the next game will be, who will be killed and how players survive. One can feel the fear in the eyes of the players when they make a mistake and can sense the impending death, waiting for them.
At times when audiences feel bad for the victims, the show makes it a point to remind us that the players themselves have chosen to participate, with their free will. The show also emphasizes on the entire process being "democratic" and that everyone is treated equal there.
With an interesting side plot that follows a policeman trying to uncover the secrets behind the game, we are also introduced to the workings behind the game, given a deeper insight into what the strange masked men that run the show are up to.
The real turning point comes after the players realise how the prize money is accumulated, and after that, pure chaos ensues, the players fighting amongst themselves. While the savage nature and gore is too much for some, one can't help but be entertained watching the simplicity of the games, and the dire situations the players are put in.
With shocking twists and betrayals, the show provides a very realistic insight into how the human mind works, and what people will do for survival and money. While it is all fictional, one is really faced with wondering if the same would happen in reality, and honestly the answers are surprising for many.
The nine-episode series is available on Netflix, and makes a short, interesting watch for all, and leaves one with many questions to ponder upon.
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