Television Squid Game (Netflix)

elmo said:
Go read Liar Game if you're interested in this sort of genre. Squid Game is basically a dumbed down version of Liar Game.
Click to expand...

I've not seen Squid game so I can't compare them, but I saw another of your comments that Liar Game had been adapted which I didn't know about, so I'm gonna watch that with my little sister when I see her next as she's been obsessed with Squid Game.

Baneofthegame said:
Not sure if you mean Gantz? That was pretty crazy.
Click to expand...

Nah I'd read some of Gantz (and aye it is crazy) when I was younger, but from googling it turns out I was thinking of a manga called "As the Gods will".
The red light green light was one of the games so when my sister described squid game I thought they were related. The adaptation is actually on netflix too apparently but I have no idea if it's any good.
 
NasirTimothy said:
What’s the fact that it’s a foreign language series (in the UK and US) got to do with the price of bread? Is it not also popular in Korea? Bizarre comment.
Click to expand...
Tbf I read an article that it initially received a lukewarm reaction in South Korea before it went viral. And after going viral many in South Korea couldn’t understand the hype. While others just embraced it
 
The story is good. The filming is campy, but I can look past that. If you have not watched Alice in Boarderland, also on Netflix, that is a good production of a similar plot, with the added bonus of hot women instead of a batshit crazy woman.
 
Up to episode 4 - enjoying it. I'm in the original audio with subtitles camp don't find it hard to follow at all.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Whenever I have had the series recommended it has been the first fact mentioned.
Click to expand...
Unless they went like “woah this series is korean so it’s so cool and exotic man” it could be they mentioned it’s korean because most would inform the one they are recommending the series to that it’s in a foreign language.
Even if they go “this korean series im watching lately is so blabla” doesn’t mean it’s conclusive that they mentioned it because it’s the cool thing to do, it’s just mentioning a fact.

Let’s also not forget there have been similar foreign language series released with corresponding topics but noone hyped these to be the biggest thing on the internet.

@Solius said the rest better than me.
 
Last edited:
Ferguson’s Hairdryer said:
Tbf I read an article that it initially received a lukewarm reaction in South Korea before it went viral. And after going viral many in South Korea couldn’t understand the hype. While others just embraced it
Click to expand...

Even so, it makes no sense to say that the hype is due to it being not in English. There’s hundreds and hundreds of shows produced each year that are not in English.
 
DM07 said:
I liked the series as a whole but have some complaints regarding the games.

This was supposed to be an equal opportunity game since outside the world is unfair and unbalanced.

So the tug of war game shouldn't have been played as it immediately puts women and older men at a disadvantage. If the game runners wanted it to be fair maybe they should have selected the teams themselves.

Game number 5 is just incredibly stupid. It's a sure shot death game and if not for the glass expert none of the contestants would have survived. I expected more use of logic and mental strength rather then going in with a probability of surviving close to zero especially for the first few contestants. Also when someone finally figured out the trick they switch off the light which is just plain cruel and unfair again.

I didn't like the fact that they allowed people to kill each other in between the games, especially provoking the first fight by food shortages. In a place that's supposed to be about equal chance you can't have physically weak men and women fighting up against the stronger men. They should have probably had a rule that you cannot touch each other during the duration of the entire game.

Also would have liked some kind of background on the front man. Would have been interesting to watch his story as to what made him join the organisation team.

The fact that there was a impostor working as a soldier and not caught despite there being a camera in the room was also surprising.

The show was a fun watch but wouldn't rate it as an all time classic.
Click to expand...
Games were boring and unfair. Entertainment wise, there's just no value in them.

As a VIP, I'd write the old man a strongly worded letter about the shortcomings of his hosting in Korea. Very poor.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
I thought it's more about how people put money above everything and how the chase for it is detrimental to one's health.

Most people spend the majority of their lives chasing money and ignoring health and then when older, they spend all that money to try fix all the problems their body faces from the neglect of earlier :lol:
Click to expand...
I thought it was more about how people get into debt due to greed even when they know it’s to their detriment. The game is like advertising constantly bombarding people with lifestyle symbols and promises of a better life if you buy this or that etc

And to a lesser extent it’s also a bit about addiction. They all tried it once and they saw the harm it caused and left but then went back to it despite knowing all but one would die.
 
Last edited:
NasirTimothy said:
Even so, it makes no sense to say that the hype is due to it being not in English. There’s hundreds and hundreds of shows produced each year that are not in English.
Click to expand...
That’s definitely true. But most people don’t watch those foreign shows, this one went viral so a lot of people who initially ignored it ended up watching it after seeing it trend on social media or hearing about it etc.

I think the foreign setting, actors most have never heard of before, unique set and costume design plus great characters and message that people could interpret in whatever way they relate to all helped in keeping people glued once they watched the first episode.

It’s something new and different to what most people usually watch.
 
Ferguson’s Hairdryer said:
That’s definitely true. But most people don’t watch those foreign shows, this one went viral so a lot of people who initially ignored it ended up watching it after seeing it trend on social media or hearing about it etc.
Click to expand...

Surely for it to go viral in the first place must mean it already had something going for it?
 
Kevin said:
Surely for it to go viral in the first place must mean it already had something going for it?
Click to expand...
Didn’t say it didn’t. What I’m talking about is why it became popular with the international audience when it wasn’t initially that popular in South Korea. And like I said I think being a foreign (exotic) show with actors unknown in the west, different type of set & costume etc helped but obviously the fact that the characters were great and it has a great story line and message that people can interpret in their own way and spread on social media helped.
 
I watched Russian audio with Korean subtitles. Not sure what this is about.
 
Anyone else feels like this is a pretty big symbolic gesture that America are done as the big superpower out here or am I being silly.
 
Ferguson’s Hairdryer said:
I thought it was more about how people get into debt due to greed even when they know it’s to their detriment. The game is like advertising constantly bombarding people with lifestyle symbols and promises of a better life if you buy this or that etc

And to a lesser extent it’s also a bit about addiction. They all tried it once and they saw the harm it caused and left but then went back to it despite knowing all but one would die.
Click to expand...
I liked this take a lot.
 
Cascarino said:
I've not seen Squid game so I can't compare them, but I saw another of your comments that Liar Game had been adapted which I didn't know about, so I'm gonna watch that with my little sister when I see her next as she's been obsessed with Squid Game.



Nah I'd read some of Gantz (and aye it is crazy) when I was younger, but from googling it turns out I was thinking of a manga called "As the Gods will".
The red light green light was one of the games so when my sister described squid game I thought they were related. The adaptation is actually on netflix too apparently but I have no idea if it's any good.
Click to expand...
As gods will is the closest one for sure.
The doll from the green light game there was creepy as fuk.
 
I highly recommend for anyone that watches this to watch it with Korean langauge and English subtitles. So much of the intensity and local feel of the show is lost when its not portrayed in its original langauge.

Overall, very refreshing and fun show, I like how it doesn't hold back but at the same time I would have wanted a lot more time with some of the characters. That's not on the writer though, rather the nature of the show itself.

I would have liked some plot lines to have gone further, but I suspect the writer didn't want to leave too much unanswered since he only wrote 1 season.

There's a few interesting elements to a possible season 2 that I won't discuss since they're major plot spoilers. I just hope that a Season 2 is still a Squid Game.
 
Ferguson’s Hairdryer said:
I thought it was more about how people get into debt due to greed even when they know it’s to their detriment. The game is like advertising constantly bombarding people with lifestyle symbols and promises of a better life if you buy this or that etc

And to a lesser extent it’s also a bit about addiction. They all tried it once and they saw the harm it caused and left but then went back to it despite knowing all but one would die.
Click to expand...

I actually don't think this was the case. Especially with the married couple who returned. I believe the shared premise is that they all share the prize if they make it to the end. Which turns out to be a mistake. The married couple who returned in particular. Since the first game was a "win on your own merit" type of game, the contestants would probably have assumed that the only thing they would have to do, was beat the game.

To me this is a lot about people willing to take great risks on behalf of others. His mothers stall, the daughter who's being taken away, the little broher in the orphanage, Ali's family. Most of the characters we know are there because they want to rigth a wrong in some way
 
Tom Cato said:
To me this is a lot about people willing to take great risks on behalf of others. His mothers stall, the daughter who's being taken away, the little broher in the orphanage, Ali's family. Most of the characters we know are there because
they want to rigth a wrong in some way
Click to expand...

That shows the nature of debt and financial problems some people get into problems because of their own fault while others get into problems due to misfortune and no fault of their own.

It’s like comparing the person in debt due to medical bills or losing his/her job Vs the person in debt because they were living beyond their means
Few Bad Luck Characters
Ali = Bad luck, got screwed by his boss for 6 months

Sae-Byeok = Bad luck just trying to escape a bad country got screwed by traffickers

Gi-Hon = Bad Luck being made redundant

Own fault due to greed

Sang-Woo great job got into financial debt due greed and committing fraud and white collar crime. Has himself to blame.

Deok-Su stole from bosses and basically on the run. imself to blame.


 
Tom Cato said:
I highly recommend for anyone that watches this to watch it with Korean langauge and English subtitles. So much of the intensity and local feel of the show is lost when its not portrayed in its original langauge.
Click to expand...
I wanted to watch it in Korean. Wifey gave me the stare.
squid-game-doll.jpg
 
If Premier League football managers were Squid Game characters

Oh II-Nam = Klopp acts like he’s at a disadvantage but really he’s a boss spending £160m on CB and GK.

Sang-Woo = Pep, strategic, dresses to impress but wins or losses biggest tests through deception.

Ali = Ole, clueless, grateful to just be in the team and will get sacrificed by his friends when it suits them

Mi-Nyeo = Bielsa, will get betrayed by what he chases

Sae-Byeok = Tunchel, mysterious, goes up against anyone no matter how big, clever and deep down good.

Ranieri = Gi-Hun,
doesn’t take himself too seriously appears a bit silly but usually gets much further than people expect.

Deok-Su = Sam Allardyce
no explanation needed, but not currently managing, so Sean Dyce for the way he’s team plays.
 
kouroux said:
The kinda friend who saves your life while taking a risk on his own.
Click to expand...
Something that says a lot about people are the reasons why they’d want someone like Ali as a ‘friend’. When the first thing they say is the most selfish reason there can be it makes you wonder what their definition of “friends” is.

Example. I’ve not read anyone say “man got screwed over for 6 months without pay yet stayed good etc, I’d love to know that kind of soul” or “I’d love to help him” everything is about his willingness to save others.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Technically it would be foreign language anywhere but Korea, and I have no idea if it's popular there.

But really it's not that complicated. The fact that it's a Korean series adds to the hype because it makes it more unique and exotic. I am betting more people gave this series a watch because of that fact alone. Whenever I have had the series recommended it has been the first fact mentioned.
Click to expand...

Dude, there’s like 50 Korean dramas on Netflix alone right now. What are you talking about?!
 
Ferguson’s Hairdryer said:
Something that says a lot about people are the reasons why they’d want someone like Ali as a ‘friend’. When the first thing they say is the most selfish reason there can be it makes you wonder what their definition of “friends” is.

Example. I’ve not read anyone say “man got screwed over for 6 months without pay yet stayed good etc, I’d love to know that kind of soul” or “I’d love to help him” everything is about his willingness to save others.
Click to expand...
I was waiting for you to say it all out loud for me
 
You must log in or register to reply here.