The satire of Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ isn’t too far removed from reality.
It’s not surprising that Squid Game has proved to be one of Netflix’s biggest hits; the highs and excruciating lows of the game have proved strangely relatable to audiences. Spoilers Ahead It goes without saying that Squid Game is anti-capitalist satire, a version of The Hunger Games where the players choose to participate. It is this choice that sets Squid Game apart from similar stories. The premise of Squid Game is simple — a group of people who are drowning in debt, with nothing left to lose, are offered the “opportunity” to risk their lives for an obscene amount of prize money. The players are chosen by a recruiter who ritualistically humiliates them, ensuring that they are desperate enough to participate. Simply placing a group of strangers together in a series of life-or-death challenges is a compelling enough concept to carry a series, and Squid Game has a fantastic cast of ruthless strategists, unexpected heroes, deceitful introverts, and unhinged criminals, all played perfectly by their respective actors. These contrasting personalities share only one thing in common; a willingness to do whatever it takes to win. As the games grow more twisted, the sunk cost fallacy sinks in, as the players become increasingly depraved, willing to continue down the road of murder and madness, lest it all be for nothing. One of the most unexpected plot twists comes early on, in the second episode, when the group votes to exit the game, and are allowed to walk free. It’s an understandable reaction to the horror of the first game, which ends in mass slaughter. However, once the prize money is revealed, stacks of bills piled inside a shiny golden pig, their sense of self-preservation fades away.
