Hello there!
I'll be honest, I was skeptical about diving into The Squid Game after its initial release. But, with a third season out, I figured it was time to give it a shot and see if it lived up to the hype. Keep in mind, this review might contain some spoilers for the first season.
I'm not usually a fan of thrillers or horror shows, but I found myself getting hooked on this one.
There are 3 seasons in total, with varying episode counts, but a total of 22 episodes. Each episode clocks in at around 55-57 minutes. No surprise here – the show was made in South Korea.
**The Plot**
The show's all about how far people will go when they're in deep financial trouble and have lost everything. These folks are willing to kill or die for millions.
Squid Game
Squid GameWhat struck me about this show is the way a group of wealthy individuals, who've lost touch with reality, decide to spice up their lives by watching poor people play kids' games, die, and kill each other. At some point, they're given the chance to participate and take out the losers.
Squid Game
Squid GameEach game involves 456 players, with only 1 survivor taking home 45.6 billion won. If you break the rules or lose, you're out – literally dead. The games themselves are kids' stuff, but the aftermath is always brutal. I think it's worth breaking down each season individually.
Season 1
I've got to say, the main character in this show is Son Ki Hoon. The story starts off by showing us what his life is like, and let me tell you, it's not a pretty picture. His mom's struggling with cancer and working her butt off, while he's over here making reckless bets on horse racing, living with his ex-wife, and barely seeing his daughter. He's in a tight spot and needs some cash.
Game of Calm / Ojingeo geimThen, out of the blue, he meets a recruiter in the subway who offers him a chance to play a game. The stakes are high - win 100 thousand, lose a punch in the face, or lose 100 thousand if he can't afford it. The young guy hands him a business card with the date and time of their next meeting, complete with a bunch of symbols: ⏺️🔼⏹️.
Game of Calm / Ojingeo geimApparently, this game consists of 6 mini-games, and people have no idea they're actually going to die. They think it's just a bunch of kids' games. Son Ki Hoon takes the bait, and each player's got a number - his is 456.
Season 2
Squid Game / Ojingeo geimSquid Game / Ojingeo geimWinning the money didn't bring Seong Gi-hun any happiness. He doesn't consider this win his and doesn't spend it, or at least, he does, but it's all going towards preparing and punishing the bad guys. He's stalking the guy from the metro, hiring experts to do it. But the game master, who Seong wants to settle the score with, outsmarted 456 players. In the end, Seong joins the games again. This season seamlessly transitions into season 3.
Squid Game / Ojingeo geim
Squid Game / Ojingeo geimThe game master unexpectedly switches roles and becomes player number 001, also known as Oh Il-nam. That's a pretty unexpected turn, but it's interesting.
Squid Game
Squid Game3 seasonI'm still playing along. Gi-hun is still caught up in the game. He's given up on fighting the evil forces. Gi-hun is tied to his bed with handcuffs. He's not even bothering to vote on whether to continue the game or not. He's exhausted and knows it's never going to end. All he can do is keep playing and help out some of the other players.
Squid Game
Squid GameMeet the main characters
Each season has its main characters and secondary ones. The secondary characters get taken out quick and quietly, but we learn more about the main characters - their stories and their destinies. After the first round, people get spooked and want to quit, but as soon as they find out that a million is awarded to each player who gets taken out, they're eager to keep playing and even kill others to get more money.
Ojingeo geim / Squid Game Ojingeo geim / Squid GameEvery season has its standout characters. I want to give a shoutout to some of them, starting with the first season.Song Ki-hun. I've already mentioned him a bit. At first, Song seems like a reckless troublemaker, but as the games go on, he becomes more human, kind, and empathetic. He's always trying to help others.
Ojingeo geim / Squid GameGi-hun's friend, Kang Sae-byeok. She's from North Korea, and Song calls her a scammer. She needs money to bring her mom to South Korea and rescue her brother from an orphanage.
O Il-nam. I felt a range of emotions while watching him in the first season. I cried when they were about to shoot him, and I was stunned by the season finale.
Ojingeo geim / Squid GameCho Sang-woo. Song's friend (the son of his mom's friend). Song looked up to him as a role model, but Cho turned out to be ruthless, cunning, and manipulative.
Squid Game / Ojingeo geim
Squid Game / Ojingeo geimHee Jong Yoon. She's the unhinged girl from season 1. At first, she seemed normal, but then she started freaking me out. She's always screaming for attention, super possessive.
Squid Game / Ojingeo geimIm Chong Dae. He's the annoying old dude - that's the only way to describe him. He's player 100, always looking for ways to extend the game and manipulate others into doing the same. He's sly and ruthless.Can Oh Yeol. She lost her kid, hit rock bottom, and then joined the games as a triangle player. She's a killer and takes out the losers, but she's got a soft spot for player 246 because his daughter's sick.
Squid Game / Ojingeo geimKim Jung Hyi. She's a pregnant young girl who got dumped by her boyfriend. She needs money for the kid, so she ends up giving birth during the games.
Squid Game Lee Jung Jae. The guy who left his pregnant girlfriend. He's a blogger, scammed his followers, and convinced them to invest in a doomed scheme.
Tang Joo Su (the purple-haired guy). A rapper who came to the games to make some cash. He blew it and lost money because of Lee Jung Jae. They clash a lot. Tang Joo Su's antics had me laughing out loud in many moments in the first four episodes. He's always high, always dancing – it's absurd and hilarious.
Squid Game Pak Seo Joo. Came to the game with his mom, but they had no idea they'd run into each other. His son's in debt, and his mom wants to fix it. His mom's a kind and caring woman, but his son...
Squid Game Hwang Jun Ho. A cop who snuck into the game to find his brother. But he discovers his brother's not a participant – he's the mastermind behind the whole thing. He still wants to get to the truth.
Squid Game
Squid Game***Games***
I've got to give a shout-out to a couple of games that really stuck with me and I want to talk about them. All of these games are classics from my childhood.
Squid Game
Squid GameOf course, there's the game 'Red Light, Green Light'. You've got to run as fast as you can while the giant doll sings a song, and then freeze in place when she stops.
Squid Game Squid Game Squid GameOne of my favorite games from Season 1 was Honeycomb, where you had to carefully cut out a figure from a honeycomb without breaking it. I loved the level of precision required.
Squid GameThe glass bridge game was another thrilling one. You'd have to step on glass blocks, and if they were tempered, you'd make it through, but if they were regular glass, you'd shatter them. It was such an intense and dramatic episode.
Squid Game / Ojingeo geim Squid Game / Ojingeo geim The second season had a massive game called the '"Pentagamal"'. It consisted of five kids' games: ttakchi, bisikgi, gonggi, spinning top, and jegi. I won't go into details about each game. The idea was that in a team of five, each player would play one of these games. You had to complete it all within 30 minutes.
Squid Game / Ojingeo geim The game '"Red Light, Green Light"' was something like a glass bridge. It was just as thrilling and caught many players off guard, literally. At this point, it's impossible to hold back tears. There were many other interesting games like tug-of-war and hide-and-seek, and so on.
A Squid Game a Day Keeps the Worries at Bay A Squid Game a Day Keeps the Worries at Bay A Squid Game a Day Keeps the Worries at Bay My Takeaways
I have to say, each season left me with some strong emotions. If the first one left me speechless and even a bit repulsed, then the subsequent ones kept me on the edge of my seat, eager to see what would happen next.
Squid Game / Ojingeo geim Squid Game / Ojingeo geim Squid Game / Ojingeo geimThere are some seriously brutal scenes that kept me up at night. The second season toned it down a bit, but the third season ramps up the intensity again, with some scenes being particularly hard to watch. I'm talking about the ones with the newborn baby - it's a real emotional punch. You can't help but feel for the characters and their struggles.And don't even get me started on the organ removal scenes - they're just not something you can watch without feeling queasy.
Ojingeo geimOjingeo geimOjingeo geimI've got to give credit where credit is due – the set design is insane. Those coffins with the pink ribbons give me the chills.
Ojingeo geimOjingeo geim
Ojingeo geimThe massive game rooms look super pricey and even mesmerizing. And can you believe the number of costumes they had for all the characters? <\/a> Ojingeo geim / Squid Game\<\/div> <\/a> Ojingeo geim / Squid Game\<\/div><\/p>
<\/a> Ojingeo geim / Squid Game\<\/div> I've got to say, I loved the soundtrack\. The music in these games is always intense, but in a kid-friendly way. The battle tracks are like something out of a thriller movie.<\/p> <\/a> Ojingeo geim / Squid Game\<\/div> <\/a> Ojingeo geim / Squid Game\<\/div> <\/a> Ojingeo geim / Squid Game\<\/div> Each season has its good guys\, who don't want to cause bloodshed. And then there are the crazy ones\, who actually enjoy it. One thing that really stands out is the casting in this show - the actors are perfectly chosen.<\/p><\/p> Ojingeo geim Ojingeo geim Ojingeo geim I'm still trying to wrap my head around the police role in this show, especially in season 2. They're just cruising around the ocean, searching for this island. No other action was taken, it was pretty bizarre.
Ojingeo geim Ojingeo geim
Ojingeo geim / Squid Game One thing that bothered me about the series, apart from the excessive brutality, was the predictability of the second season. From the very start, we knew that Seong Gi-hun would be the main character, and it made sense that he'd survive and come out on top so the show could keep going. But, of course, he'd have to lose friends and family, and become disillusioned with people. And then the ending happened, and I was left reeling. I was sobbing like a baby.
Ojingeo geim / Squid Game Ojingeo geim / Squid Game Ojingeo geim / Squid Game The finale was incomplete again. So, we'll just have to wait for season 4, I guess. ***My Verdict***
Ojingeo geim / Squid Game initially freaked me out. I wanted to give up on the show, but I was curious. Then it got a bit funny. And then it was back to the blood, brutality, and hatred between people. They're willing to do whatever it takes for money, which they'll probably never even enjoy.
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