Squid Game (no spoilers)
I am certainly not the first person to marvel over the global phenomenon that is Squid Game. In fact, it just became the top Netflix show, surpassing Bridgerton (82 million viewers) with 111 million viewers. What a win for Korean creative culture.
I would just like to note that I am particularly vague about the substance of the plot, characters and messages to avoid any potential spoilers. However, external links will likely spoil the show.
When I get into a television show, movie, book series, game, etcetera, I don’t just get really deep into it - I venture to find out everything I possibly can. Thanks to all my hard hours researching (of course, taking priority over exam preparation), I can say with full certainty that this show is deserving of the hype. I say this for reasons far beyond its message, purpose and execution, which are all of stellar quality, so let’s start there.
Without ruining the show for those who are still undecided on whether to watch Squid Game, the actors were all golden choices, the ones that were most impressive to me being first time actress, long time model HoYeon Jung, Anupam Tripathi’s phenomenal performance as a non-Korean performer, and the skills of our experienced main cast, including (but not limited to) Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Park Hae Soo. The essential, as well as supporting, casts kept me gripped by the high-stakes environment that Squid Game hosts.
Every cast member brought to each of their unique characters nuance, performativity and a connection to the audience that, in so many pivotal moments of the story, made me stand up and walk around the couch, to try and protect myself from the emotions that they made me feel.
A cast would be nothing without a set, and Squid Game’s Art Director, Chae Kyung-sun, a woman power-house with unspeakable talents and intelligence, took the show to all new heights. For those who truly love extensive thought, care and design being brought to screen, please read this amazing article (warning: it has spoilers). Her understanding of how to use artforms from cross-cultural inspirations and popular culture is brilliantly executed.
Lastly, Squid Game’s unique take on telling a story about survival, desperation and emotion would not have been an easy feat to do well. In fact, the preliminary knowledge I had about the show before I binged it made me uneasy about whether I would be okay watching it, but I am so glad I did. Hwang Dong-hyuk is a phenomenal writer and creator, whose vision for the show was not only creative, but essential in its message, and confronting in its content. More importantly, and I preface this by noting that I am a novice to Korean popular culture, television and film, Squid Game was not only bolstered by the power of South Korea’s sweeping ‘K-wave’ (which has been soaring since the 1990s - see this YouTube video for a succinct explanation), but has shown viewers that mainstream media should not be a white washed pandemonium of the same cliches and colours, but should, and is starting to more and more, welcome the creativity from Asian cultures as well as other non-Western countries. After all, how can creativity evolve if not for the brilliant minds of those who create such impactful shows?
Creativity is a value that is not racist or biased, but mainstream media and accolades have been promoting, rewarding and endorsing just Western work for centuries (the Oscars have not really fixed its race problem yet). Squid Game is the start of a new era. One where platforms like Netflix support, fund and bring to the forefront its Asia Division to showcase and bring diversity to our screens (another huge current Korean hit at the moment is Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha).
My final reasoning as to why Squid Game is your next watch is a fully FAME LSA endorsed view. The commitment of the Squid Game creators, cast and crew to bring the show to life is astronomical. Hwang Dong-hyuk conceived the show in 2008/2009, and was rejected for years before Netflix took him on. He in fact lost six teeth because of the stress that writing the show overwhelmed him with. But he was committed to his craft and understanding that the importance of his project, and how much it meant to him, was far too great to give up. And that’s the quality I admire most about the creativite communities; commitment, tenacity and of course, creativity.
If you’re anything like me, you love to dissect screen content and try to work out as much about the show in terms of foreshadowing and subliminal messaging as much as you can. Despite my efforts, there were twists, turns and surprises that had me agape in shock. The ingenuity of this show is not to be overlooked with its subtlety, cleverness and ability to amaze you. I rarely ever say that a television show is flawless, but Squid Game takes the cake. The journey behind this project (see this video on Still Watching Netflix - YouTube (spoilers)) speaks volumes to me. The craft of the television series has been brought to new heights.
There are reasons why this is a global phenomenon, and I have only given you a fair few. Head over to Netflix and join the entourage of fans who are making honeycomb cookies and trying to simulate the show online to play. The creators deserve it.
