Squid Game

Text by SADIE IBBOTSON-BROWN High-risk

HIT NETFLIX SHOW “SQUID GAME”

“THANK YOU for playing with me.” Crimson blood splatters stain the dirt of a dingy show’s protagonist, is a divorced father who struggles to make ends meet and provide for his daughter — his efforts consistently inhibited by a tumultuous gambling alleyway, contrasted sharply by the addiction. Invited to participate in the golden-orange light that casts the Squid Game, his unwavering optimism path in a soft glow. In the middle and kind heart make him an unlikely sucof the road are two blue-jumpsuit- cess, and he slowly gathers a small ragtag clad women, sitting on a stairwell group of friends to help him through the as they share what may be the last various challenges. However, in these twistconversation of their lives. ed games, people are never what they seem, Around them, gunshots and Gi-hun soon finds that there’s treachecho through the streets, the ery in everyone — even within himself. taste of violence hanging in the air. You’d think the constant re- Beneath the surface minders of death would give the Although at first glance “Squid Game” scene a terrifying tinge, but in- seems like many other dystopian dramas, stead, the connection of the two director Hwang Dong-hyuk has described women is oddly poignant, a small it as an “allegory for modern capitalist soglimpse of hope in an otherwise ciety.” The Squid Game is presented as an bitter and violent show. extreme competition, comparable in some Such juxtaposition of false ways to the extreme competitiveness we innocence and garish violence often find in our own economy and job is the lifeblood of “Squid markets, and the mentality of worker vs. Game,” a 2021 South Korean worker — shown by the contention and drama produced by Netflix. The backstabbing between the players — only series has become a smash hit in the United States, becoming the streaming service’s most-watched original “If you take a closer look, you’ll see how horrific the implicaserves to benefit the people in charge. Human life is treated as meaningless in the Squid Game, and the blashow, racking up 111 tions really are.” tant disregard for the million viewers during lives of the players its first 29 days on the platform. — GRACE MUMA, senior reflects the deeply flawed and unshakeThe premise of able hierarchy that is the show is horrifyingly dark: hundreds the root of this society. It’s this desire for of people, all in varying states of debt or wealth that defines the Squid Game and the destitution, are invited to participate people who are a part of it. Ultimately, it in a series of children’s games to win speaks to the deeply ingrained human tenenough money to pay back their debts. dency to prioritize our own success over the

The catch? In the Squid Game, losing success of others, only in “Squid Game,” means death, and the players must de- there is a much deadlier result. cide whether the cash prize is worth the The harsh brutality shown almost garrisk. ishly in “Squid Game” speaks to another

Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), the evil — that of spectatorship to violence

Art by MEYA GAO HIERARCHY

PACKS AN EMOTIONAL PUNCH

in both real life and film. In Episode 7, “VIPs,” rich sponsors of the Squid Game are invited to witness several of the many deadly events, providing an extreme example of viewing gore as a form of entertainment. However, this causes the audience to question their own position as viewers, and to wonder: does “Squid Game” glorify the very violence it warns against?

Palo Alto High School senior Grace Muma said the social commentary made by Squid Game encouraged her to think deeper about the show.

“I think that the show did a really good job of showing how horrifying capitalism can be and how money really changes people,” Muma said. “I also thought it was interesting to think about how we as viewers overlap with the VIPs in the show by watching the players fight for money and for their lives.” Skyrocketing to fame

Just as “Squid Game” captivated the nation, the show has become popular with Paly students. Sophomore Sophie Vargha said her favorite aspect of the show is the complexity of its characters.

“What made Squid Game so compelling was the rawness of the characters,” Vargha said. “I was surprised how realistic the characters were. Even though they were in the strange situation of these games, they were very real.”

On one side of the spectrum, the viewers witness players like Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon), a self-proclaimed defector from North Korea whose desire is to win for her younger brother, a seemingly selfless motive that propels her to be one of the game’s most reclusive and secretive players.

On the other hand, a foil to protago-

nist Gi-hun’s positive and kind approach, businessman and child genius Cho Sangwoo (Park Hae-woo) is motivated solely by his own survival. His calculating personality and compulsion to win prove just how evil people can be when they’re desperate. “People can relate to the characters’ situations outside of the Vargha said she believes that these relatable characters are a large contributor to its popularity. game.” “I think the show was so popular in the U.S. not — SOPHIE VARGHA, sophomore only because of the amazing writing and acting, but because of the amount of poverty in this country,” Vargha said. “People can relate to the characters’ situations outside of the game, and see themselves in their decisions.” Hauntingly human Through the eyes of the players, “Squid Game” gives us a vivid, unflinching look at what drives us as humans. We may want to relate more to the upstanding Gi-hun, but if we were truly facing death, how many of us would match more with Sang-woo’s approach of calculating betrayal? In the end, “Squid Game” leaves us with more questions than answers about ourselves, and sparks reflection in its viewers. With its sharp dialogue, eerie musical score and stunning visuals, the show hits all its bases with harsh intensity, and it’s no surprise that its deep themes have resonated with people all over the world. “At first glance, ‘Squid Game’ looks like it could be straight out of a child’s imagination,” Muma said. “But if you take a closer look, you’ll see how horrific the implications really are.” v