Keys to the disturbing series "The Squid Game" 1:02
Editor's Note:
The following story contains minor spoilers for the Netflix series "The Squid Game."
(CNN) -
“The Squid Game” has unleashed its own Hollywood-centric game: trying to explain how (or really, guess why) a South Korean drama that arrived with virtually no fanfare has become what Netflix is billing. as possibly his "most successful show of all time".
After watching all nine episodes, the answers are probably not due to a single factor, but to a series of them.
Among them, the thrill of the public discovering a concept for themselves, without the need for intellectual critics to direct it;
the "Black Mirror" style dystopia of familiar childhood games turned deadly;
and a greater appetite in the United States for internationally produced content, already evident in the Oscar breakthrough of the South Korean film "Parasite" in 2020 and the popularity of other Netflix shows from abroad, such as "Lupine."
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As for the series itself, there is nothing so novel about "The Squid Game" that necessarily explains its explosion on social media, having become the kind of trend that the media, frankly, cannot afford to ignore.
Instead, what screenwriter and director Hwang Dong-hyuk did was pour old wine into a new bottle.
Seen this way, "The Squid Game" presents a visually attractive variation on themes already seen on many occasions, such as making use of the division of classes, and the rich who take advantage of the poor and destitute, at a time when the public might be more receptive to that message.
As is often the case, timing, packaging, and platform (that is, Netflix's more than 200 million subscribers) have combined to create what one executive described to NBC News as "an organic fandom."
As Vulture pointed out, the series took off, however, with little prior criticism and "little marketing in the United States."
Despite the comparisons to "Parasite," which also looked at the issue of economic inequality, there is no shortage of material in the "You Might Like" column when it comes to the darker take on "The Squid Game," in which the rich make the poor risk death for their fun.
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Contestants fight to stay alive on the Netflix series "The Squid Game."
The concept has frequently been in the middle of the show, from "The Hunger Games" to "The Running Man" to the indie film "Series 7," which centered on a
fictional
reality show
that required contestants to participate in a elimination game that involved fighting to the death.
A more recent example released just before the pandemic, Universal's film "The Hunt," sparked controversy with its premise about wealthy liberals creating an elaborate device to hunt down "deplorable."
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In its brief life, the streaming service Quibi also offered "Most Dangerous Game", in which a terminally ill person tried to earn money by allowing himself to be a prey to the "1%" represented by Christoph Waltz.
The plot largely mirrored the 1994 film "Surviving the Game," in which Ice-T played a homeless man kidnapped and hunted by wealthy hunters seeking the ultimate thrill.
Despite its gruesome violence, the social focus of "The Squid Game" is clearly seen, establishing how desperate the players are and how little the "VIPs" behind their suffering value their lives.
At the same time, that element that involves the VIPs could be the weakest link in the series, or at least the most obvious and thunderous when they arrive in the last episodes.
Still, when those elements come into play, viewers are already interested in the fate of the key players and are curious to know when and if the origins and secrets of the game will be revealed.
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Another interesting aspect of "The Squid Game" is the idea that, however ruthless and brutal it may be, the poor souls without resources who participate must be given a fair and equal opportunity.
In a way, that egalitarian streak is also reflected in the popularity of the show, which has crossed cultural barriers and the multitude of streaming offerings to become an unexpected sensation.
Of course, one of the factors mentioned, the public's sense of discovery, is also the most difficult to keep in isolation.
As with any success, speculation has already revolved around what might be done next, and copycats will soon arrive.
Watching something break into the public consciousness shows how unpredictable successes can be, especially in this age of dizzying abundance.
But when a show comes up suddenly, and there's a "fandom," the only certainty is that it won't be long before "The Squid Game" will grow new arms.
Netflix