Squid Game

[afleitch]

Strange that no one has mentioned it yet.

Finally had the time to sit down and watch what was an exceptional one off piece of television. The brutality while tense was staged in such a way it was less unnerving than when they weren't playing the game which I thought was fantastic. Lots of layers and definitely worth a re-watch.

[politicallefty]

I watched it last weekend. Yes, brutal and very intense. The marble episode really disturbed me. I definitely thought it was worth a re-watch, but the marble one struck a nerve for me. The musical themes were kind of haunting.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I want to know what the appeal is. To me it seems a lot like torture porn, and I have never been much of a fan of those kinds of movies or television show.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

It was garbage. 

[Bootes Void]

Squid Game officially becomes Netflix's most-watched show with 111 million views

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/10/13/squid-game-officially-becomes-netflixs-most-watched-show-with-111-million-views

Squid Game, Netflix’s critically acclaimed South Korean drama, has officially become the streaming platform’s most-watched show after hitting 111 million views less than a month after its premiere.

"Squid Game has officially reached 111 million fans – making it our biggest series launch ever!” said Netflix in a tweet.

The show became the first Korean drama to top Netflix's top 10 weekly most-watched TV show charts globally and reached No. 1 in 90 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, even though Netflix did not promote the show heavily in these countries.

One of the show’s cast members, model, and actress Jung Ho-Yeon was appointed one of Louis Vuitton’s new global ambassadors. Jung’s Instagram account has grown by 12.5 million followers since the show launched. It grew from 410k followers on September 17, to 13m followers on October 4, according to HypeAuditor.

This makes Jung’s Instagram account the fastest-growing account in the world, since September 17th, surpassing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Kylie Jenner, in terms of followers growth. She is now the most followed Korean actress on Instagram.

[Meclazine for Israel]

South Korea's Digital Auschwitz.

Not recommended for people under 18, yet 90% of people watching it will be under 18.

[Progressive Pessimist]

South Korea's Digital Auschwitz.

Not recommended for people under 18, yet 90% of people watching it will be under 18.

My mom works at a middle school and she says that the students are obsessed with the show. This is why I always raise an eyebrow when people say kids are too sensitive these days.

[Senator-elect Spark]

Watching it now. I'll let you know my review later.

[Alben Barkley]

OK so I gave into the hype and watched one episode. And it… sucks? Like it’s the same exact premise that’s been done over and over again, except unintentionally(?) hilarious due to campy nonsense like the Playstation button bad guys and the childish “games” they are playing. It’s like some bizarre mash-up of The Hunger Games, Parasite, Saw, and some anime s—t. Also the acting is hilariously bad and the whole thing is just too over the top to take seriously.

I have no idea why this is so popular. Not original, not unique, not clever, not particularly well-made. Not even that exciting, so far at least; I was just bored most of the way through the first episode.

Well, I guess I can add this to a long and growing list of things that get insanely hyped up and which just don’t do it for me at all. Game of Thrones being the most notable example before this; I f—king hated that show and felt VERY redeemed when everyone else finally hated it at the end and pretended they never watched it, as if they hadn’t spent years badgering me to watch it.

[Alben Barkley]

South Korea's Digital Auschwitz.

Not recommended for people under 18, yet 90% of people watching it will be under 18.

It would make sense I guess if the primary appeal of this is to Fortnite obsessed teenagers who think it is cutting edge because they’ve never seen any of the dozens of other movies or shows it is ripping off. Despite the gore and violence, the show seems very juvenile to me. And let’s be honest, most kids these days are desensitized very early; they have access to hardcore internet porn and snuff films in their pockets 24/7, this is nothing for them.

[Xing]

I watched it and my feelings are mixed. There are definitely some interesting narrative threads and the commentary on class, as well as the depiction of the very wealthy caring only about their own entertainment above all else was powerful. However, I do think it relies too much on brutality for audience retention above all else (some of it just seemed inserted in to replace more character growth), though obviously that's the show knowing its audience, since most people would rather see lots of blood and guts than character development. Also, some parts of the show were just not interesting (what was the point of the cop subplot?), and I wasn't a big fan of the twist.

[Sestak]

I watched it and my feelings are mixed. There are definitely some interesting narrative threads and the commentary on class, as well as the depiction of the very wealthy caring only about their own entertainment above all else was powerful. However, I do think it relies too much on brutality for audience retention above all else (some of it just seemed inserted in to replace more character growth), though obviously that's the show knowing its audience, since most people would rather see lots of blood and guts than character development. Also, some parts of the show were just not interesting (what was the point of the cop subplot?), and I wasn't a big fan of the twist.

The last three episodes especially were a big letdown. Lots of setups and subplots end up going nowhere and they end up messing up the main plot etc. through random deus ex machina and then the forced season 2 setup.  The show peaked at the marble episode, which was great, and then completely flopped right after that.

[Chips]

I watched all 9 episodes. It's a pretty good show but not the best television I've ever watched in my opinion.

[Conservatopia]

Octopuses (not octopii) are much more interesting animals than squids. Some species can grow over 5m and they are so big they need three hearts.

[SnowLabrador]

It seems like I'm in the minority here, but I LOVED Squid Game. My brother and I were texting about it, and he says it's like a better Battle Royale, and I have to agree.

In addition, I've spoken with a woman whose 10-year-old son keeps hearing about Squid Game from streamers he watches on YouTube. While I'm not the type of person who thinks everything remotely problematic should be censored and that violent media causes violence in real life, I do think that 10-year-olds should not be watching Squid Game.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Much better than I expected going in. The cringe viral marketing and components that people are obsessed with are not interesting, and it's hugely concerning to see that precisely zero influencers promoting the show seem to have gotten anything from its core message and simply love it because it's exciting.

It's not particularly exciting though, and there really doesn't feel like a moment of suspense where you don't know exactly what is going to happen 20 minutes before it does. As noted by others, every single B-plot is atrocious. And to be frank, there is not one moment of thought-provoking dialogue throughout the series to help hit home the message. Clearly the reason for its mass popularity is that it's easy watching that you can watch mindlessly - even in a foreign language!

Still, liked it more than I expected going in. But every hyped up piece of modern culture always seems to be so overrated.

[It’s so Joever]

I see Atlas still hasn’t gotten over the “everything popular is overrated” shtick.