Squid Game — A Review

The Cult and The Archetypes

***Spoiler Alert***

Squid Game ( Netflix ) — Image Credit: IMDB

I love Squid Game! If you are reading this, I am sure you do too. Why not, it is an edge of the seat thriller, where good is competing against the evil. While they are at it, it indirectly asks of you too — what would you have done in such a situation. You might start with “ I can do anything for the money “ and it almost always ends with “ Was the ugliness that I chose, worth the money I won in the end?” A similar sentiment that I found being expressed by a Traitor in a first season on Traitors in India.

We are being idealistic here though, when the amount to be won is 45.6 Billion Won, it must take a person to some very dark places psychologically. People are ready to eat their own shit for much less.

The Cult of Squid Game

The Squid game has all the right elements added to it. The identifiable pink dresses, mystery of masks and symbolism, the right amount of cultural nuisance with hand gestures. What really connected with a global audience was pure nostalgia of reliving the games from their childhood. We may call the games by different names but all of us have played them in some shape or form. What added to it was the catchy music, my kid might not know what the show is about, but she sure can sing all songs while correctly pronouncing each word in Korean. Even then these are all just toppings, the heart of it is always the story. Which in case, packs several punches.

Theory behind Squid Game

The main theory on which Squid Game works is — For Rich, value of a poor life is same as that of an insect. They don’t see them as humans anymore and don’t even blink before betting on people’s lives just for the thrill of it. As capitalism is taking over the world, we are becoming more insensitive in that sense. We would happily skip stories of friends talking about miseries of war happening right around us, or just block messages from an NGO asking for help for a child with a terminal disease. In a way we have also become part of this in a way, we might not participate in it but we have become insensitive about it. Even about the violence in the show I was quite nonchalant until my daughter was disturbed by the visuals.

The Narrative Arcs of Squid Game

Even though the insensitivity of the rich was the overarching theme, what was most fascinating for me was to observe what drives people to take such extreme measures of participating in such a gamble of their lives, willingly. Let’s explore them one by one:

1. Greed — The very first of the cardinal sins is greed, Player No. 100 and his partners personify this. They stick with their greed till the end, there is no redemption for them whatsoever. Even when there was enough in their kitty, they couldn’t stop themselves from going for even more. They could have stopped the game at any point, but their greed led them to their deaths.

2. Attachment — Then there are many others who are doing this to give a better life to their loved ones, the mother and son duo, the father who is trying to save her daughter. They are good people who couldn’t find a solution and try giving themselves up as a last resort.

3. Dreamers — The Trans Marine, who wished to live as a woman and could do anything to fulfill her dreams.

4. Intelligence — The Number 333, the crypto genius, till the end he kept thinking that he will outsmart everyone and win both the money and baby for himself. He was too vain about how smart he is, to see his own folly.

5. Saviour — Then comes Number 456, someone good at heart, who has already won the game once, but he came back because he thought he could save people. The point is, even in life, nothing is ever in your control, you can’t change others, you can’t save others, all you could do is make yourself a better person and help someone when they ask for it. He did save the one baby that he could. He became the beacon of humanity throughout.

   
   

The True Game Master 

The Frontman was the most fascinating character for me in the whole series. I kept thinking why did the frontman choose to be in the game even though he was a previous winner. He was the winner, so he had the money with him. He obviously had a family waiting for him, he loved his step brother because he did donate his kidney to him. The front man was essentially a good man. So what made him continue managing the squid game? I think the answer was in what Number 456 did differently than him. Before the last game both him and number 456 were given a weapon to kill their competitors before their games and win it. Where Frontman killed his opponents and won, number 456 chose to play an honest game. Obviously even after winning his game Frontman couldn’t save his wife and child, just like number 456 couldn’t save his mother. Where this event made Frontman bitter and he decided that there is no hope for people as they will always choose their selfish needs over others. Moreover, after what he had done in the game he couldn’t go back to his normal life, this game became the way by which he was justifying to himself whatever he did was right.

Number 456 proved him wrong in the end, where he sacrificed himself for the baby. Hence, became hope for humanity.

The Ending

What I really liked was how the game master always ensured the winner gets their due. He was at least always honest with the rules of the game. He also helped his brother indirectly when he gave the winner of the game, the baby 222, to his brother for safekeep and along with it the money which comes with it. Though apart from this, the whole arc of his brother, the ex-police officer on chase, was pretty unsatisfactory. Especially how he got an elite set of soldiers all of whom were killed by a single person on the boat. In the end, he didn’t really amount to much.

Future Theories

In the end we see Cate Blanchett playing ddakji, the game with homeless folks and recruiting them for the Squid game. This hints for the next season with American participants. I hope the front man still leads the show and the daughter of number 456, after recognising the signs, joins the game to know what actually happened.

Controversy regarding the show

The creators of the show split the second season into two parts so that they can charge more money for it. In a way they are being accused of the same greed which they were cautioning against in the show itself. I would say the maker is going through the arc of a dreamer, where to see his work day of light he is ready to take a short cut. Of course, he knows that these shortcuts seldom pay.

Alternate Ending

For an alternate ending, I would like to reimagine what would have happened if the Number 100, the greedy business man would have won? Because that’s what happens in real life.

What would your alternate ending look like?