*SPOILERS FROM EPISODE ONE BELOW*

If you haven’t heard of “Squid Games” then you’re at least over 40 because this show is the biggest thing to hit Netflix since “Bridgerton”. It’s release drew over 142 million streamers within the four weeks after being debuted on Sept. 17 for the first time in the US. 

This show was written by Hwang Dong-hyuk and takes place in South Korea, following 456 players as they enter the Squid Games. The show is rated R and certainly requires maturity due to the graphic language, smoking, and most importantly the intense depictions of violence throughout the season. Each episode contains its own psychologically twisted scenes of gore and brutality, but these moments move the show forward necessarily. 

When I first began watching the show, the initial detail that stood out to me was how well it was all produced. Every scene could be captured as art– with the set designs, wardrobes, and camera angles all coming together to make this show quite aesthetically pleasing.  The soundtrack and scene transitions work together flawlessly, making the show flow seamlessly from scene to scene.

This attention to detail has a large impact on the quality of the show, as it makes the story incredibly sequential and smooth. Despite the large cast of lead characters, each of their stories are intermingled strategically to give the show a harmonious feel.

While Squid Games begins with a general focus on Seong-Gi Hun, the 456th contestant, as the storyline picks up the other character’s backgrounds are revealed. Each contestant’s motivation for joining the games is disclosed piece by piece which helps craft a more engaging plot. 

In the games people sign away their life rights at the chance of winning 45.6 billion won, or $38 billion USD. This immense prize draws hundreds of players who are all deeply drowning in debt from various circumstances. But as the contests begin our players discover that they are being asked to play exaggerated versions of children’s games – and the cost of elimination is a bullet to the head. 

This intense drama works to display the wealth disparity existing in the world and the desperation that cultivates. It is a call out to capitalism and the issues existing within that system, as people’s poverty draws them to risk a brutal death in the hopes of erasing their debt. 

It’s no surprise this show has jumped to the top of the world’s watchlist, as it is a complex and binge worthy tale of the human struggle for security. The overt violence is a tad overwhelming, but the core message is provoking and has clearly struck a cord around the globe. I felt as though the show was a bit too much, but I found if you close your eyes when the scenes get bloody it can still be very entertaining.