More Than Just a Game

Squid Game was something I was looking forward to post Devil Game. I enjoy thrillers with an edge that offer social commentary and it doesn't disappoint. I think that is why it resonates so much with American audiences. The games: convened by bored rich people at the expense of the desperate ordinary people trying to get by, some for noble reasons, all at the end of their rope; are supposedly a great leveler, offering a way out that is an equal opportunity. Inequity is a hot button topic everywhere, but here income inequality has grown so grea tly that we have situations where some people die for want of medical care while others are killing for amusement. This could be happening right now for all we know.

They quickly find out that it's more than money on the line, and yet such is their desperation that they continue forward, despite knowing that every game is whittling down the players, some of whom have formed alliances with and become bonded to in that way that only survivors of trauma can.

We learn about the characters of the individuals playing the games in bits and pieces by the choices they make, flashes of backstory and when they occasionally share some information with someone else. You have an incomplete picture for some people the entire time, while you can see some clearly from the beginning. Others you discover facets of their character only in extremis.

This makes for GRIPPING viewing. I was so grateful Netflix put up all episodes at once so I was able to binge watch it over 2 days. Mostly one day, and the finale the next morning. I just couldn't stop once I got started, it's that compelling.

Some shows you have to force yourself to finish, others you have wait for weekly releases, some you even savor every slowly released episode knowing that it brings you closer to the end and you just don't want that to happen. (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is like that.) But this one, just plan to let yourself watch as many episodes back to back as you can.

I've seen some people commenting on an extremely brief scene that takes place in a bathroom during a sexual interlude. Both people are clothed as far as the camera can see, the bulk of the content in the sequence is dialogue, and it just seems ridiculous to me to object to such a minor sexual setting in a series that has about 8 -9 straight hours of extreme violence. But heads up, please watch that part and don't skip it, it's important to the story. Apparently some people were so offended they skipped it. Perhaps they were underage or something.

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