Squid Game, the new dystopian South-Korean TV show, has taken the world by storm. It has become Netflix’s biggest series, with more than 111 million views and has became the #1 show in 90 different countries. 

The disturbing show tells the story of Seong Gi-Hun, a divorced father who is a persistent gambler and needs money to get custody of his daughter. One day, he’s riding the subway when he meets a man who offers to play a game with him. Gi-Hun accepts, and eventually wins. At the end, the man gives him an opportunity to join a competition for more money. Seeing no other options, Gi-Hun accepts. There, he discovers that he will be competing with 455 other contestants for the grand prize of about 45.6 million won (38 million dollars) (USD). What he and the other contestants don’t know, however, is that if they lose, they die. The contestants are then told that they will be competing in a total of six different South-Korean children’s games. A few of them being Red Light Green Light, Ppogi (Honey Comb), and Tug of War. As he moves through the competition, Seong Gi-Hun discovers his childhood friend Cho Sang-Woo is also playing the games. Gi-Hun also meets an old man called Il-nam and a young man that saves his life, Ali. Gi-Hun manages to survive leading up to the final round, where he has to compete against his friend, Cho Sang-Woo. The last game, Squid Game, is where the show got its name from. The Squid Game is like a South-Korean version of tag, except for the fact that there is one person defending a circle and one person trying to get in the circle. If you let the other person step into the circle, you lose, and if you step into the circle, you win. In the end, Seong Gi-Hun offers Cho Sang-Woo a chance to step out of the game, following the rule that if the majority agrees to leave, they can both leave alive. Cho Sang-Woo denies and Ji-Hun manages to win. The high stakes throughout the series cause tense relationships, with every character, leading people to kill, cheat and take advantage of others. Squid Game isn’t just a game for those who are stronger; it is also a mind game. The biggest competition isn’t just the games — it’s those around you. There’s nothing more risky than pitting yourself against 455 other people who are greedy and willing to sacrifice anything for a chance at money.

Journalist Comments

Squid Game is a thrilling survival series that has many concepts from real life. Shown throughout the story are the epitomes of human greed and what people will sacrifice to get money. I highly recommend watching it, it brought me on a whirlwind of emotions throughout every episode. – Bella Ma

I have not watched Squid Games yet, but from what I have heard it is a very thrilling and violent show. It also seems like a very original show, and I have never heard of anything like it. When it comes to recommending it, I have not watched it so I don’t know what to say. But, I think it is entirely up to you to decide to watch it. – Olivia Tanouye

Considering the fact that the first season took eleven years to make, viewers will have to patiently wait for season 2. That being said, there has been lots of speculation, and different theories have already been created. Some of these include Gi-Hun going back to stop the games, Kang Sae-Byeok’s little brother joining the games, the next Squid Game being located in a different country, Jun-Ho and Gi-Hun will team up to stop the games, or the next season will focus on a past game. But of course, these are all just theories and we won’t know what is going to happen next until season 2 comes out. Until then, all of the Squid Game fans will have to sit tight and wonder what will happen next.