Netflix’s Squid Game was invigorating to say the least. From jumping on my couch Tom Cruise style to eating almost all the snacks in my cupboard in distress, Hwang Dong-hyuk struck gold with this amazing series that he wrote and directed himself. Watching a violent twist to the childhood games I once played brought about an insane amount of memories, but by the end of the show I was in awe and strangely in tears. The underlying message of the dangers of capitalism was very blatant in the show, but what should be applauded is how these dangers are exhibited by the various actors and actresses themselves via their characters. Everyone associated with bringing this show alive deserves a great meal and extremely loud applause! But on that note, here are my highlights:
EAT THE RICH:
There’s always some rich bastard who uses the poor to fill his coffers, but this was just sick. To invent a game out of boredom in order to test if there was any goodness in humanity. I mean, just thinking of this game should have given you that answer! Oh Il-nam was definitely giving Lady Olenna’s “Tell her it was me” vibes at the end. With no regrets till the end, I could not understand anyone’s defense of Player 1. When you deliberately withhold information about the true nature of your games, you are the villain. He and his partners/workers targeted desperate people for their amusement—there is nothing valuable in that. I knew his character was definitely significant to the story, but I was blown away at the end!
Abdul Ali:
To say Ali was done DIRTY is an understatement! But as sad as his death was, it was necessary. The capitalistic society that we live in breeds competition and in turn competition breeds bad behavior. Everyone wants to live comfortably, or rather the good life, and sometimes being good-hearted leaves you vulnerable to the vultures. I believe that we were brought along through every aspect of the betrayal so that we the viewers could feel the gravity of the situation. Ali’s death could have been prevented, but nonetheless, in capitalism innocence does not allow for you to stay untouched.
P.S: Ali’s demise was his own fault; WHY would you trust people you’ve just met in a game for money?!?
A Bastard, A Loser, A Winner: SANG-WOO
Sang-Woo is the perfect example of someone with little to no morals. From the beginning of the game, he springs into action and manipulates those around him who were too blind or naive to see the truth. While one can applaud him for using his brute force and manipulative wit and actually winning Squid Game, it is safe to say that Sang-Woo will remain a loser in the end for these same reasons. Everyone in the game had their reasons for wanting the money and some were very transparent about how far they would go. But like a snake in the grass, Sang-Woo chose to lie, manipulate, and betray those who would have done their very best to help and protect him. I loved his character because we have all met, worked with, befriended, and quite possibly dated a Sang-Woo. He is capitalism’s cheerleader! Distasteful.
Photo Credit: squid-game-insights-character-analysis
The Man With The Flaming Hair: Seong Gi-hun
I live for a good character development in almost every show and movie that I watch, so I waited patiently for Seong Gi-hun to grow on me as a character. Although the hype of the games is understandable, what is left behind are the destroyed lives that Seong Gi-hun is responsible for. His gambling addiction alienated himself from his daughter and former wife, and although he was tricked and forced to join the games, once cannot help but lay blame to him for being in that position in the first place. Anyone who knows someone that is going through addiction knows the dangers that come with it, and for this I curled my nose up at Seong Gi-hun in the beginning. His imperfectness mixed with his good-naturedness was alluring but maddening to say the least. But he is the perfect cure for capitalism. Someone who is willing to not play the game and find a moral way out, and for that he is a true winner. Not to mention that flaming red hair that is just a hint at the anger burning inside of him.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Thanks to https://acidcow.com/pics/138223-squid-game-movie-tweets-31-pics.html for the memes!
A spectacular show to say the least! Can’t wait for season 2!
The Junction Journal 