Squid Game: Everything You Need to Know About the Number One Show on Netflix
“Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly high stakes.”
I had zero intentions of watching Squid Game but the K-drama sweeping the globe took less than 30-minutes to hook me. At no point after the first 30 minutes did I ever consider not continuing through each of the nine episodes. I started watching Saturday afternoon (9/24) and finished the series Sunday afternoon (9/25).
I had shared a headline in the News News News club on Clubhouse on Friday from Slate.com about the new number one show in the U.S. on Netflix and highlighted the fact Korean content is really making inroads in America. First, there was Parasite, then Minari, obviously BTS, and now a Korean drama holds the number one spot on Netflix.
The fact the Slate headline said it would make me feel gross wasn’t exactly making me want to watch. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen plenty of episodes of Criminal Minds so it’s not like I never watch shows that are darker in nature. However, real-life headlines over the past several years have been quite anxiety-ridden, so choosing to watch something “gross” (aka dark) was not on my radar. By Saturday the headlines were saying Squid Game was number one in 21 countries and number two globally in 70 countries.
That was enough for me. I knew I needed to at least check this K-drama out. As someone who blogs about K-dramas, how could I not? I viewed it as a research mission of sorts. My general rule is to give a K-drama 3-4 episodes before bailing but I was just hoping I could make it through one. As I look back at my K-drama history, Squid Game may have pulled me in faster than any other K-drama—and I’ve seen 65 (five of those were technically K-movies). This doesn’t mean I like it more than any other K-drama—I’m just pointing out how quickly it got my attention—and kept it. I hadn’t binge-watched a K-drama in quite some time but I just kept clicking “next episode” and lucky for me, Squid Game is only nine episodes rather than the traditional 16-20.
If you’ve read anything about this popular K-drama the focus and shock seem to be on the blood and gore. But for me, the blood and gore aren’t what made me squeamish. It was the social commentary that caused me consternation.
Watching people who were willing to put their life on the line for money. Watching them put other people’s lives on the line for money. And ultimately being willing to kill or cause the death of other people—even those who had become allies and friends—for money. And this doesn’t even address how the participants were chosen—the people who were literally targeted to play this game. Squid Game is basically a metaphor for real life. This is what should be making people squirm.
SUBTITLES or DUBBED
진짜? Is this really a discussion we need to have? First things first. I had no idea there was even a dubbed version until I saw debates online about which way to go. Let me tell you right now—you will be missing out if you watch the dubbed version instead of subtitles. Tell me which of your favorite movies you’d recommend someone in Korea to watch as a dubbed version? Star Wars? Harry Potter? 007? Black Panther? Should folks in Korea watch a dubbed version of Bridgerton? If I still haven’t convinced you please know that even if you don’t understand the language there are so many nuances you pick up from hearing the actor’s voices. This is actually one of the first things I will tell anyone who is watching K-dramas. Read the subtitles. Squid Game is great to start with because the dialogue isn’t that overwhelming so it’s not hard to keep up with the subtitles. But another thing I caution when watching a show with subtitles—it requires your full attention. You cannot multitask, you can’t be scrolling or texting on your phone, nor can you get up to get a snack without pushing the pause button. The pause and rewind buttons are there for a reason—use them. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if you have no memory of a scene everyone else is talking about. Unless you have a learning or vision disability you really should watch the original and make the effort to read subtitles. Also make sure you’re not watching English CC. The closed caption is not the same as subtitles and it’s not as accurate.
To hear the difference between subbed and dubbed check out the first two TikTok videos in the Game One section below.
SPOILERS AHEAD
If you haven’t seen Squid Game you may want to stop here and come back. I can’t guarantee there won’t be any spoilers—and honestly, there would really be no point to this post without spoilers. So if you are going to watch—the less you know—the better.
$45.6 BILLION WON
Let’s start with the money. After all, this is why the game even exists. If you’ve seen Squid Game you know everything pretty much revolves around playing kids’ games for money. 456 players are competing to win 45.6 billion won—a million won per player. That amount breaks down to $38,460,271.20 USD, or $84,341.99 USD per player.
“Having grown into an adult, the question ‘what would it be like to go back and play those childhood games again?’ was the start to the creation of the entire series.”
GAME ONE
Something we all know—Red Light Green Light. At least that’s what the English subtitle tells us. In Korean it’s actually “mugunghwa ggochi pieot seumnida” (무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다), which translates to “Rose of Sharon has bloomed” and this Korean game is played the same way as Red Light Green Light. This scene is a perfect example of what you’ll miss if you’re watching the dubbed version. It literally sets the tone for what’s to come. You can compare by playing the subbed and dubbed versions below.
It only takes until the first “red light” to realize this is not the game we all remember playing as kids when they start shooting anyone who hasn’t stopped moving. In horror, many of the 456 contestants try to run away but are immediately gunned down. This turn of events actually brings some players together who help each other avoid motion detection, and at one point Ali Abdul literally grabs Seong Gi-hun as he’s falling to the ground and holds him with one hand until the “green light” is given but more than half of the 456 players are eliminated.
Korean Subtitled Version
English Dubbed Version
GAME TWO
After leaving the game once they learned they could be killed, many of the players have willingly returned. Squid Game is one big metaphor for real-life and one reason this K-drama seems to have drawn so many people in is because we can relate—especially since the pandemic and the toll it’s taken on our livelihoods and our mental health.
The players are all told to pick the shape of a circle, triangle, star, or umbrella with no reason given as to why. Once the shapes are chosen they’re given a sewing needle and a tin containing a small round Korean honeycomb candy known as Dalgona or Bbopki (뽑기). The shape they chose is outlined inside the candy disk and the object is to trace the outline until they free their shape without breaking it. It’s no surprise when these wafer-thin candies start crumbling and people start getting shot. Cho Sang-Woo had an easy triangle, while his childhood neighbor friend, Seong Gi-hun ends up with an umbrella that has a thin hook handle. After dripping sweat lands on the disk and begins to melt the candy he realizes he can lick the back of the disk to melt the candy making it easier to carve out the intricate umbrella. Trying to eat the candy by not breaking the shape is a real thing for kids in Korea. See Jae Soh, a professor of film at Seoul Institute of the Arts explain this game in a clip from a Clubhouse room I hosted later in this post.
GAME THREE
By now the remaining players have started to make friends and choose allies—people they trust. Cho Sang-Woo, Seong Gi-hun, and Ali Abdul are fast becoming friends. They’ve convinced Kang Sae-Byeok she’s safer with them even if she doesn’t trust anyone. As all the players are trying to figure out what the next game will be they start looking for strong allies. No one wants player 001, the old man, and the men don’t want more women because they fear their team won’t be physically strong enough.
Whether we realize it or not we are also being influenced to have favorite players and pick sides. We know quite a bit about Seong Gi-hun’s history and how down on his luck he is—not immediately likable but once inside the game we see he stands up for the little guy. Cho Sang-Woo is someone who makes you waver because we see good, bad, and questionable behavior. Jang Deok-Su is shown beating up a woman, using another woman, and then throwing her away—and he’s willing to cheat. Player 001 seems like he doesn’t have a chance—he’s like the kid in gym class who gets picked last for the team every time, but even with dimentia and a brain tumor he’s smart. Ali Abdul is physically strong and loyal, we know he’d have our back. Kang Sae-Byeok is a loner and even though she’s not traditionally likable most of us are probably thinking she’s pretty smart for not trusting anyone. Han Mi-nyeo is annoying to the players and her character is probably meant to get on our nerves too.
The game ends up being tug-of-war so Sang-Woo, Ali, and Gi-hun seem destined to lose when put up against a team of all men because they have three women and the old man. But player 001 tells everyone this game isn’t just about strength, but strategy. I wonder if anyone has actually tried out his strategy to see if it works? BTW, in Squid Game’s version of tug-of-war, winning means pulling the other team till they drop off the high platform plunging to their death below. Unlike the previous games where the guards shoot the players who lose, in order to win this game the players on one team are the ones who are literally tugging the other players to their death.
When it’s found out some of the players are cheating the front man of the games is furious. I checked the translation of what he said against the hangul (using the Chrome extension Language Reactor) and it’s pretty accurate from what I can tell.
“You ruined the most important aspect of this place. Equality. Everyone is equal while they play this game. Here the players get to play a fair game under the same conditions. Those people suffered from inequality and discrimination out in the world, and we’re giving them the last chance to fight fair and win. And you broke that principle.”
GAME FOUR
They’re told to pick a teammate. This breaks up the team alliance and we see Cho Sang-Woo quickly ask Ali Abdul to be his partner. You can immediately see a pecking order of who values who the most. Of the original allies, Seong Gi-hun is last along with the old man (001, whose name we still don’t know). It seems clear the old man will be a hindrance in a team competition but Gi-hun ends up choosing him even after being approached by several players who appear smarter and stronger. Then the game is revealed as marbles—and the person you’re playing against is the one you just teamed up with. This game is full of heartbreaking scenes as we watch former friends and allies go up against each other knowing the outcome means one from each pair will be “eliminated.” Another interesting look at how far one is willing to go for money—or to save themselves.
GAME FIVE
This game has spectators. As in big-screen viewing with the drinks flowing while women wearing only body paint standby. To watch people die. Yeah, that’s sick. But as someone raised in a recent Clubhouse room, humans have always had some pretty barbaric entertainment, and while we’re tempted to point to the Roman Colosseum we really only need to look no further than this K-drama. After all, isn’t watching TV a form of entertainment? I wonder about the symbolism of the spectators seemingly all being rich white men. I have my thoughts but I’ll just put it out there and let you ponder this. [UPDATE: 10/11 According to an interview in IndieWire with the director my train of thought is on point. It’s also been said some of the actors who portrayed the white VIP males are upset with the criticism of their portrayals saying they were only following the directors instructions. I would say those actors got a very small glimpse of what it feels like as a POC to continually see ourselves depicted as unflattering stereotypes. As the interview with the director noted he was very deliberate in how the VIPs were played.] We’re back to playing an individual game and there’s no limit as to how many people can complete it. The players have to walk across a glass bridge. Each section is made up of two panels, one is tempered glass which they’re told can hold the weight of two people, the other is regular and will shatter when you step on it. Both look identical and the kicker for this game is all the players have to reach the other side within 16 minutes so not a lot of time to try to figure out which is which. There’s a big ticking clock so everyone can see time running down as they wait for those ahead of them to cross and obviously whoever is at the front of the line is at the most immediate risk of choosing the wrong glass panel. Patience is running thin and we see players make some surprising (or not) choices as they pressure one another to move quickly. Seong Gi-hun who took so long choosing a number (which ended up determining their order) finally seems to get a break because he gets to go dead last. Yeah, those two puns are intended.
GAME SIX
Appropriately the final game is the squid game. This is a real game played by kids in Korea in the 70’s and 80’s. It’s called squid game (오징어 게임) because the court it’s played on is shaped like a squid. The final two players are also pretty appropriate. It’s a battle royale as they say, and not without a few twists and turns. In this final game, one player must kill the other in order to win.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM…
It’s true, that phone number really belongs to someone IRL. I couldn’t resist trying to find it on KakaoTalk but alas, it did not lead me to Gong Yoo (suit guy)—or the real owner of the number. I wasn’t actually going to call it. I just wanted to see if the person is on the cute Korean app I use to text and call friends in Korea. ;)
When the pink guards first come into the room with the players they say, “Those who win all six games will get a handsome cash prize.” But the way the game progresses it clearly doesn’t even allow for more than one winner. How is this fair? Would the players have been willing to play if they knew their odds were 1 in 456 at the beginning?
Pretty sure the glass bridge game is not based on any kid’s game—in Korea—or anywhere else. I don’t think it’s a coincidence this is also the game with spectators.
In the middle of the glass bridge game, the spectators are mad when one contestant figures out how to tell the panes apart because he worked in a glass factory. They immediately turn off the lights before the final two panes so he can no longer tell the panes apart because it just wasn’t entertaining enough. How is this fair? If they’re supposed to be getting the equal playing field inside they didn’t get IRL, how is it fair to change it at the very end of the game? Was that ironic real-life metaphor intentional?
At any point during these games, the players could stop the games by simply having a majority of them agree to stop. The money would go to the families of those already eliminated instead of the players left. Early in the series, the players choose to do just that. But after we see what they go through in the real world we have a better understanding of why so many chose to return. Squid Game may be fiction but the issues we’re shown are too close for comfort when it comes to real-life situations so many find themselves in.
Was Oh Il-nam really in danger of being killed during the game? At the very least it seems he probably had insider info—how was that fair to the other players? How is that equality?
Squid Game is like Survivor on steroids. Outwit, Outplay, Outlast—Outlive. The reality show with a million-dollar prize has definitely given us a look at social behavior and just like Squid Game, has many of us scratching our heads at the choices players make.
NUMBER ONE ON NETFLIX
Squid Game is now on track to become the most popular show EVER on Netflix—a spot currently held by Bridgerton. The Washington Post reports “South Koreans are using the survival drama to talk about inequality.” We all know S. Korea isn’t the only one who needs to have this conversation. Especially as the world tries to get back on its feet after the coronavirus pandemic.
Squid Game is so popular in S. Korea the internet company SK is suing Netflix asking them, “to pay for costs from increased network traffic and maintenance work because of a surge of viewers to the U.S. firm's content.” Americans tend to think SK is just greedy but let’s take a closer look at the big picture. S. Korea has the fastest internet in the world and their citizens pay a lot less than in the U.S.—on average about $30 per month. Anyone watching BTS try to go live from their hotel in NYC a couple of weeks ago when they were here to speak at the UN saw their frustration at how slow the internet is in the U.S. when they were on V-Live. S. Korea also has FREE and FAST wifi on public transportation, in public buildings, and streets. 97.6% of the population in S. Korea owns a smartphone—the highest in the world. Even if you are without a home and on the streets—if you have a smartphone you have free access to the internet. Considering the story playing out in Squid Game, no access to free WiFi doesn’t begin to solve poverty and inequity issues but access to the internet is huge even in trying to navigate some of the smallest tasks many of us take for granted. If you think this is a frivolous lawsuit, in another case involving Netflix, a District Court in Seoul back in June said the internet company provided a service at a cost and it is "reasonable" for Netflix to be "obligated to provide something in return for the service.” Netflix and YouTube are the only major companies that aren’t currently paying a fee to S. Korean internet providers. And FYI—here in the U.S. Netflix pays Comcast to stream their content faster.
SET DESIGN
Another thing grabbing viewers’ attention is the set design. It’s more than just a pretty set—a lot of thought went into every detail, down to including putting weeds in the neighborhood for the marble game scenes. Will we see the art director nominated for an Emmy? You can learn more about the set design in the video below but also scroll further down the page to see the art director and cast really break down the series and speak specifically about creating the sets and how they impacted the actors.
“The sets are majestic, magical — you go there, you become the character. That’s the kind of stage they have created. It helped everybody to evolve better. ”
Squid Game: Behind the Scenes
SEASON TWO
Lots of people are hoping for a season two—I’m not one of them. Not because I didn’t “like” Squid Game but I’ve seen enough. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk has said Squid Game was originally supposed to be a movie. In an interview with Variety he said it wasn’t something he was planning to repeat.
“I don’t have well developed plans for ‘Squid Game 2.’ It is quite tiring just thinking about it. But if I were to do it, I would certainly not do it alone. I’d consider using a writers’ room and would want multiple experienced directors.”
황동혁씨, if you’re listening, I say leave Squid Game to stand on its own and don’t be lured in by a big payout. When has a season two ever lived up to the first?
DID YOU KNOW?
While everyone is pondering whether there will be a season two did you know the Seong Gi-hun and the Cho Sang-woo characters are named after director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s old friends? Also, similar to Gi-hun’s mom, Dong-hyuk’s grandmother would lay out a mat at the market to sell vegetables. Il-nam is the name of another of Director Hwang’s friends.
“They represent the two sides of me. Like Gi-hun, I was raised by a single mother in a financially troubled enviornmnet in Ssangmun-dong. At the same time, like Sang-woo, I went to Seoul National University and my entire neighborhood praised me and had high expectations fo me.”
Talk about pressure. In that same CNN interview Director, Hwang Dong-hyuk said producing the show so stressful it caused him to lose six teeth while filming! The difficulty and stress is why he was reluctant to do a season two but with each interview you can see he is beginning to contemplate what that next season would look like. I don’t want to see another Squid Game—as in more people playing the game. But if he goes the route of developing the characters and letting us see how the Front Man got where he is and the relationship between he and his brother Hwang Jun-Ho, or how the Suit Guy came to be—and of course Oh Il-nam’s role before the game—I have to admit I would be curious enough to watch.
Hwang Dong-hyuk went in depth about Squid Game on CNN Film School.
IT’S PERSONAL
The success of Squid Game makes me proud. Whether you like this specific K-drama or not it’s one more thing that is putting Korea on the map. Growing up as a Korean adoptee in Iowa people would always ask me if I was Chinese or Japanese. When I would say I was Korean most kids didn’t know what I was talking about (I ran into plenty of adults where this was also the case). My kids have had similar experiences with their peers not really knowing much about Korea. We couldn’t be more surprised—or thrilled that everything Korean is on-trend. K-dramas, K-pop, K-beauty, K-food, K-language—and everyone wants to go to Korea! It feels pretty good these days to say I’m Korean and not have to explain anything. Squid Game is one more glaring example that people are not only willing to watch a show with Asian people, but many will even watch nine hours of subtitles because the story and the people telling the story are that engaging. ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION HOLLYWOOD?
GET TO KNOW THE CAST
Who is the the guy who gives out the business card with the phone number? We only see him in two episodes—the first and the last. But Gong Yoo is a K-drama fan favorite. In fact, for those of you who Squid Game is your first K-drama if you’d like to know more about the rest of the cast check them out here. Several of them can be seen in other K-dramas currently available on Netflix.
Which actor started as a model and has starred in more than 30 movies, 11 K-dramas, and even directed the movie, Hunt?
Which actor has starred in 25 K-dramas, and 36 movies including G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra as Storm Shadow, Red 2 with Bruce Willis, and Terminator Genisys as the T-100 cyborg?
Which actor won a scholarship to Korea National University of Arts?
Which actor is one of Korea’s top supermodels?
Which actor loves the Golden State Warriors?
Which actor is in two other current Netflix K-drama’s, The King: Eternal Monarch & Hometown Cha Cha?
Which actor can be seen on Netflix in Something in the Rain and Romance is a Bonus Book?
Which actor can be seen as Berlin in the K-drama version of Money Heist, The House of Paper?
Where can you see the giant doll featured in Squid Game?
Behind the scenes photos from the set of Squid Game!
Would I watch it again? Yes. But I want to clarify a couple of things. I liked Squid Game but the definition of like isn’t the same as when I say I liked Crash Landing On You. It thoroughly kept my attention and what resonated with me was the social commentary. Fascinating and heartwrenching are a couple of terms I use when I recommend others to watch. I feel the story was well told in every sense of the word—from the cast to the set design and everything in-between. I would rewatch this K-drama to catch the things I missed the first time around because Squid Game has so many things to ponder. Check out this article about 13 details you might have missed in 'Squid Game' and see if it makes you want to re-watch as well.
What about you? Did you watch it? What did you think of Squid Game? Let me know in the comments after you deep dive into the cast and some of the other elements of Squid Game.
Released: September 17, 2021, Episodes: 9
Cast: Lee Jung-Jae Seong Gi-Hun, Park Hae-Soo Cho Sang-Woo, Oh Young-Soo Oh Il-Nam, Jung Ho-Yeon Kang Sae-Byeok, Heo Sung-Tae Jang Deok-Soo, Kim Joo-Ryung Han Mi-Nyeo, Anupam Tripathi Ali Abdul, Wi Ha-Joon Hwang Jun-Ho, FULL CAST
Gong Yoo 공지철 for Calvin Klein—No Suit Here 😉
Lee Jung-Jae Montage of Roles Before Seong Gi-Hun
Lee Jung Jae 이정재 on Instagram
Park Hae-Soo 박해소 on Instagram
Lee Byung-Hun 이병헌 on Instagram
Lee Byung-Hun in Terminator Genesis
Anupam Tripathi Shares His K-Dream
Anupam Tripathi on Instagram
Jung Ho-yeon as Kang Sae-byeok
Jung Ho-yeon 정호연 on Instagram
Wi Ha-Jun 위하준 on Instagram
Kim Joo-Ryoung 김주령 on Instagram
Lee Yoo-Mi 이유미 on Instagram
Heo Sung-tae 허성태 on Instagram
Christian Lagahit (#276) on Instagram
Christian Lagahit (#276) & Anupam Tripathi (Ali)
Squid Game Director, Art Director and Cast Breakdown the Series: Must watch for any Squid Game fan!
Squid Game Headlines
(click on any photo to see full story)
Lost in Translation…
Learn to Speak Korean by Watching Squid Game
My native Korean friend & teacher Shichan shows you how to say “Would you like to play a game with me?”
Non-Creepy Version of “Red Light Green Light”
무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다 🌸
How to Make a Ddakji 딱지
Might Want to Wait For a Green Light!
How to Make Korean Honeycomb Candy - Dalgona Bbopgi 뽑기
Watch the making of dalgona and see the cast try the hand at the game!
Public Service Announcement from my friend Choi Jae-hyo
Squid Game: Discover Korea
A unique virtual game put on by a host in Korea. If you want to test your knowledge about Korea or learn more about the country this is a fun, engaging, and interactive experience!
As you can see by the photo below I have participated in this Squid Game experience and it was a lot of fun! I think everyone was smiling most of the time if not laughing out loud. Jay kept everyone engaged throughout the event and it was a great way to learn some interesting facts about Korea and meet people from around the world. I could also see this being a fun experience to do as an online company event, or with family or a group of friends. The unique thing about this experience is being able to talk and interact with Jay, who is a native Korean living in S. Korea. How cool is that?
If you would like more info or to play this Squid Game experience click here.
*No one was harmed in this version of Squid Game and now we know more about Korea!
LET’S TALK
Everyone wants to discuss Squid Game—including me. I was invited to be on a panel in the Debunking Asian Stereotypes club on Clubhouse, then I joined Maya Watson’s spontaneous room in her club Maya’s House, and I also hosted my own room. I had a great panel helping lead the discussion in Because I Want to Talk, including a film professor at Seoul Institute of the Arts, a features editor, and writer for Soompi, a co-founder of the News News News club on Clubhouse, and a SAG actor, screenwriter and fellow K-Adoptee. Two of these rooms went on for over two hours, the other for 1.5 hours, and all of them had quite a few people still engaged when the rooms closed down. See the gallery below for some of the highlights.
Clubhouse Co-host Jae Soh Talking Squid Game
Be sure to click arrow > on right side above to hear all three clips of Jae speaking.↑
Accapella Group May Tree’s Take on Squid Game
SQUID GAME OST
Squid Game Trailer
SQUID GAME MERCH
This section contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links—which helps support this blog—but at no additional cost to you!
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Dalgona/Bbopki Candy Making Kit
All the tools you need to make the honeycomb candy featured in Squid Game! $18.20 + FREE SHIP with $25+ order or Prime.
