Essay--Squid Game

Reality television claims to be unscripted and, as the label suggests, real. In actuality, however, the most popular “reality” shows (ie: Survivor, Bachelor, Bachelorette, Real Housewives, etc) are anything but.

The entire reason reality TV exists is because it’s cheap to produce since you don’t have to pay real actors, hire real writers, and have actual production. In short, reality tv is an easy sell to networks because they require so little money.

I personally detest reality tv. There are few occasions (perhaps the great British baking show, or whatever it’s called) where it doesn’t bother me, but for the most part, I know it’s all as fake as my stories.

People get wrapped up in personalities on these shows. They root for or against the heroes or villains as they see them and surely the network figures out how to “suggest” who should win in order to guarantee ratings. During my time in the .bombs, one of my bosses was a massive Survivor fan and would talk about it incessantly. I immediately tuned out the conversation because…there’s no narrative in Survivor. Any and all of the obstacles courses, the “drama” they have you believe in, can be, and probably are, as fake as a 4 dollar bill.

I understand why some folks get wrapped up in it (I liked Deadliest Catch for a season or two) and become complete nerds about whatever show it is they’re watching. While I can’t really fault someone for liking the format and immersing themselves in the fiction, it’s simply not for me. It’s one of the reasons why when I heard about Squid Game on Netflix, I was dubious as to whether or not it would be something I’d be interested in.

I have bad news—it was.

Despite my belief that I was about to watch some new reality TV lampoon, I binged Squid Game and can’t say I regret a moment of it. The South Korean series has compelling characters, dystopic surreal environments, and the tension in the characters’ relationships, as well as their goals, is riveting. You root for some characters, against others, and you know, just know, that someone you like isn’t going to make it. Maybe a whole lot of someones.

While Squid Game might take inspiration from many other tales, what makes it unique is the cadre of broken human beings that enter the game as well as their foibles, and the mystery that surrounded the non-main characters (like Ho Il-Nam). The slow reveal of histories, motivations, and an explanation of the entire conceit kept me watching. After hearing about it, I had the mistaken impression the majority of the story would be the characters being killed off in gory ways. While that does happen, it is most definitely not the majority of the story. Instead, it’s merely the vehicle that our characters are tied to and they follow it where it goes.

The series has a point to make, about entertainment, about wealth, about debt, about human worth in a capitalist society for those who have no money and no financial future. While that particular theme is an undercurrent in every conversation, every interaction, and each grisly death, it didn’t ruin the story. Instead of endless monologues decrying the situation, our characters have much more important things to worry about—like who might help them survive the next game, the next night, and who may betray them.

While the players play, there are other pieces on the board including the people running the game, detectives investigating missing persons, and the secret cabal behind it all. Every episode has movement, drama, and even character growth.

For me, Squid Game’s ending was perfect. Some folks might be disappointed with the ending, but I was perfectly satisfied and hoped they wouldn’t be making a second season. Alas, they are. While I’m sure I’ll check out an ep or two, I doubt it will have the same impact without the secondary characters I grew to love so much, but I could be wrong.

Squid Game is an 8 episode series available on Netflix. If you’re not too bothered by gore and violence, I highly recommend it. Become a patron and get access to published and unpublished books voiced by the author!