Director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s (“The Fortress””) show “Squid Game” has quickly become Netflix’s newest viral hit of the fall 2021 season, with millions talking about it on social media. The hype is definitely well deserved, as “Squid Game” is as good as the internet has made it out to be.

Following the protagonist, Seong Gi-hun also known as player 456 (Lee Jung-jae, “Chief of Staff”) and a wide cast of characters, “Squid Game’s” thrilling element is that of a death game. Every participant must complete increasingly difficult children’s games, but if they fail, they die. However, if they win they will receive a massive monetary prize. As the players dwindle, stakes increase and so does the tension. Every game leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat as you wait and see who lives and dies each time. The deaths are not spectacular, but are shocking and effective, despite their simplicity. The violence is also not so egregious that it detracts from what is going on. In the episodes that do not include a game, the b-plot is full of mystery and intrigue as detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum and Midnight”) infiltrates the facility where the games take place and finds out what is going on behind the scenes.

Story aside, the characters are definitely where “Squid Game” shines. While many of the people in the games are nameless and are there just to be on-screen deaths, two main crews form and you learn their motivations for participating. Every participant is in financial ruin, and all have their reasons for vying for this prize and risking their lives. Gi-hun has serious debt and a daughter to support. As he allies with a small group, their backstories make you wish they could all win. Opposing them is Jang Deok-su also known as player 101, (Heo Sung-tae “The Age of Shadows”) a gangster with gambling debts who forms a gang to terrorize the characters during and between games, and they manipulative Han Mi-neyo/player 212 (Kim Ju-ryoung “When My Love Blooms”), who will play for whatever side will help her win. As the lines become clearer, you grow to love the group Gi-hun creates and loathe Deok-su’s gang. Mi-neyo’s antics are always surprising too, as it is always a matter of if, not when she will throw her allies under the bus. But these villains show depth, and as much as they are terrible people, it is hard not to love them. 

Another well done part of this show is its sets and locations. Outside of the games, you have a realistic portrayal of life in the poorer parts of South Korea, with street vendors, tiny, messy apartments and urban decay. Inside the complex the games are hosted, it is almost surreal, with hallways resembling an Escher painting turned candy colored, giant playgrounds with painted skies and dark, almost cavernous warehouse spaces turned into death traps. It adds to both the grim reality of the participants’ lives and the absurdity of the games. 

The story itself is well written outside of the simple thrills, as it shifts away from the games themselves in the latter half of the series and to the interpersonal drama of the contestants and Jun-ho’s investigation of the games themselves. It is here where a lot of the drama ensues, and there is a lot of it. It begins to get extremely twisty here, and honestly this is one of the series’ faults; some of the later reveals are definitely odd choices on the writer’s part. However, these choices do not ruin the series completely and are only minor issues. Outside of this, “Squid Game” is an absolute must-watch. 

Image from Netflix via YouTube