Overview of Squid Game

South Korean survival drama television series ‘Squid Game’ was developed by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. In addition to Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Gong Yoo, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryoung are featured in the cast.

The show centres on a covert competition in which 456 contestants, all of whom are experiencing severe financial hardship, put their lives in danger by participating in a series of lethal kiddie games in an effort to win a prize of 45.6 billion won (US$35 million, €33 million, or £29 million as of broadcast). The series’ title is adapted from a Korean children’s game with a similar name which is also titled ‘Squid Game’.

Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director, had developed the concept in response to his own early-life financial hardships, the class divide in South Korea, and capitalism. Though he had first conceived of the idea in 2009, he was unable to secure funding for it until Netflix became interested in it in 2019 as part of their effort to broaden their selection of international programmes.

On 17 September 2021, ‘Squid Game’ received a universal release to positive reviews and interest from throughout the world. It surpassed ‘Bridgerton’ to become Netflix’s most-watched series, becoming the most-watched programme in 94 countries, drawing more than 142 million member homes, and accruing 1.65 billion viewing hours in its first four weeks of release.

A number of awards have also been given to the show, including the ‘Golden Globe’ for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or ‘Television Film’ for O Yeong-su and the ‘Screen Actors Guild Awards’ for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Lee Jung-jae and HoYeon Jung, respectively. All three actors made history by becoming the first Korean actors to win in those categories.

The first season got 14 ‘Primetime Emmy’ nominations, including for Best Drama, making it the first non-English language production to do so. Jung-jae also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, making him the first Asian actor to do so for a non-English production.

The show received a second season renewal in June 2022, and it will air by the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024. In addition, Netflix is creating a reality game show based on Squid Game that will pit 456 participants against each other for a sizable cash reward.

Profile

• Drama: Squid Game
• Genre: Survival Thriller, Horror Drama, Action
• Created by: Hwang Dong-hyuk
• Written by: Hwang Dong-hyuk
• Directed by: Hwang Dong-hyuk
• Number of episodes: 9
• Number of seasons: 1
• Country of origin: South Korea
• Original Language: Korean

Cast

• Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun
• Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo
• HoYeon Jung as Sae-byeok
• Oh Young-soo as Oh Il-nam
• Heo Sung-tae as Jang Deok-su
• Kim Joo-ryung as Han Mi-nyeo
• Anupam Tripathi as Ali Abdul
• Lee Yoo-mi as Ji-yeong
• Yu Seong-ju as the doctor, Byeong-ki
• Lee Byung-hun as The Front Man
• Gong Yoo as The Salesman

Synopsis

A series of kid’s games are offered as an opportunity to win a sizable cash reward, and Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father and debt-ridden gambler who lives with his ailing mother, accepts the invitation. When he accepts the deal, he is driven to an unidentified location with 455 other players who are all in dire financial straits. The Front Man, who wears a black mask and a black uniform, oversees the games while the players are forced to wear green tracksuits and are constantly watched by masked guards wearing pink jumpsuits.

The participants soon learn that losing a game results in their death, and with each death raise the possibility of the grand prize to a whopping 45.6 billion dollars by 100 million. To try to withstand the physical and psychological twists of the games, Gi-hun forms alliances with other participants, including his boyhood buddy Cho Sang-woo and North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok.

What is Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Really about?

It goes without saying that ‘Squid Game’ is an anti-capitalist parody that is a playable version of ‘The Hunger Games’. This decision distinguishes ‘Squid Game’ from other stories of a similar nature.

The basic idea behind ‘Squid Game’ is that a group of debt-ridden individuals who have nothing left to lose are given the “chance” to put their lives in danger in exchange for outrageous reward money. A recruiter selects the players and ritualistically humiliates them to make sure they are desperate enough to play.

‘Squid Game’ has a fantastic cast of cunning strategists, unexpected heroes, deceitful introverts, and insane criminals, all of whom are expertly portrayed by their respective actors. Simply putting a group of strangers together in a series of life-or-death challenges is a compelling enough concept to carry a series.

One thing that unites these disparate characters is a desire to sacrifice everything for victory. The sunk cost fallacy takes hold as the games become more twisted and the players become more evil, willing to continue down the path of murder and madness lest it all be for nothing.

In the second episode, the group votes to leave the game and is given free will, which is one of the most unexpected story turns. Given the severity of the first game’s horrific conclusion—mass murder—it makes sense. Their instinct of self-preservation, however, vanishes as the prize money is revealed—a heap of banknotes stacked within a glittering golden pig. Money appears to be the only depressant that could make these folks put up with such brutality and immorality.

However, when the prize money is revealed—a stack of banknotes heaped within a sparkling golden pig—their instinct for self-preservation disappears. The only thing that could possibly make these people put up with such brutality and immorality seems to be money.

At least playing the games offers a genuine chance to become wealthy; ordinary life simply promises drudgery, hardship, and mounting debt.

As a result, the players genuinely want to go back to the fatal casino, which is a dystopian playground covered in candy pink and blue and where the trigger-happy guards appear to have no face, no personality, and no soul. And it’s all being done for the entertainment of a small group of billionaires who are desensitised from living in luxury and who see opportunity in poverty and entertainment in human suffering.

The players alter once they agree to the rules of the game, even though the metaphor is not subtle. Morality has no significance or value when everyone’s lives are at stake and only one can survive. A brutal betrayal becomes a business transaction.

Since the incentives are always shifting—the tug of war promotes teamwork, while a game of marbles mercilessly punishes the participants for showing concern for one another—love and friendship simply cannot exist in this setting.

Every connection turns into a calculation, and every life spared or cut is an investment. Seung Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), the protagonist, is introduced as a slacker who has failed to uphold his obligations. He is an absent father whose elderly mother pays the bills while he gambles her money away.

Seung Gi-hun, however, is one of the few gamers that genuinely cherishes friendship and human life. In stark contrast to the cold, calculating mentality of his fellow players, he is forgiving, sympathetic, and self-sacrificing.

Really, he shouldn’t win (indeed, the game ends up being rigged in his favour, to some degree, as his elderly father figure is later revealed to be one of the masterminds behind the games).

Seung Gi-hun discovers that his mother passed away while he was away after winning the game and having millions of dollars to spend. His newfound wealth can do anything but bring her back. Seung Gi-hun’s life has been consumed by the quest for wealth; the only thing left for him to do is foster the bonds between his remaining family.

The marketplace and the games, both created by remote, nameless billionaires, dehumanise and humiliate their users, shattering interpersonal bonds and transforming straightforward acts of kindness into expensive, self-destructive activities. Seung Gi-story hun’s has an uncertain ending; despite having the option to spend more time with his daughter, he seems unable to move past his trauma and is intent on finding the billionaires who run the game.

‘Squid Game’ Ending Explained in Detail

Friends Turned Foes

The ‘Squid Game’ ends up being the last match between Gi-hun and Sang-woo. Gi-hun decides to go offensive after winning the toss. The two of them dispute while playing the game about how they got here and how they decided to play the game.

Gi-hun responds, claiming that despite being so smart, Sang-woo made many stupid mistakes that caused him to descend to the level of the simpletons who were compelled to play this game. Sang-woo brands Gi-hun a simpleton who cannot survive on his own in the real world.

After a fierce fight, Gi-hun manages to prevail, but just as he’s about to claim victory, he changes his mind and tries to persuade Sang-woo to withdraw from the contest. Sang-woo gives himself up so Gi-hun will swear to look after his mother since he doesn’t want to return to the life he had outside.

Out Of The Shadows

Gi-hun certifies that he has the prize money in his account before being transported back into the city with an ATM card. He leaves for home to see his mother feeling guilty. He regrettably discovers her cold, lifeless body on the floor and sobs in sorrow.

The plot jumps forward a full year, showing Gi-hun continuing to lead a challenging life while keeping his earnings from the game. He gets a card in the style of a gaming invitation requesting him to visit a specific location, and it’s signed by a startling acquaintance.

Il-nam is lying in a hospital bed when the man arrives at the address. Il-nam admits that he was the true author of the games since he eventually grew tired of his current way of life. He was completely clueless about what to do with all of his money. Gi-hun chastises him for having no morals, but Il-nam stands by his assertion that everyone who chose to participate did so voluntarily and that he did not force anyone to stay.

Before taking his last breath and passing away, Il-nam asks Gi-hun if, after everything he has been through, he still believes that there is kindness on this earth.

A Man On A Mission

Gi-hun eventually makes the decision to change his ways and begin managing his fortune responsibly. As he had promised, he locates Se-byeok’s younger brother and gives him to Sang-woo’s mother. Along with leaving a suitcase full of cash, he also leaves her with a note explaining that it is the money he owes Sang-woo.

Then, he plans to travel to the US to see his daughter, but on the way there, he sees the suit-wearing man playing a game with another man. Despite his haste, he is unable to reach the man in time. He takes the player’s card and dials the number.

He threatens them, but the person on the other end of the line advises him to keep his mouth shut. Before opting not to take the flight to meet his daughter, he makes the promise that he will discover their identities and put an end to the game once and for all.

Interesting Facts about ‘Squid Game’

1. Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ has interesting details and moments of foreshadowing you might have missed.
2. Most of the main characters’ deaths were foreshadowed when the players returned to real life.
3. The coffins look identical to the business-card box in In-ho’s room.
4. Jun-ho’s phone might not appear to be silent, but in South Korea, you can’t silence the camera on your phone.
5. Plus player one is not included in the files for the current game.
6. Il-nam gives Gi-hun his 001 jacket which could foreshadow his win.

FAQs

1. Where can ‘Squid Game’ be watched?
   All nine episodes of ‘Squid Game’ are available to watch on Netflix, with subtitles in several languages.
2. Is there a ‘Squid Game’ video game?
   There currently is no official ‘Squid Game’ video game.
3. Is ‘Squid Game’ dubbed in English?
   Netflix does have the option to watch ‘Squid Game’ dubbed in English.
4. What Kind of Shoes Do They Wear in ‘Squid Game’?
   In the show, the contestants all wear white Vans slip-ons, or a similar style of shoe.
5. What is the Instagram ID of HoYeon Jung?
   The Instagram ID of @hoooooyeony.