BINGE IT!: ‘Squid Game’ becomes Netflix’s must-watch drama

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Bingers, this month we are focused on a show that is guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat.

“Squid Game,” made in South Korea, became an overnight sensation and is now one of Netflix’s most-watched programs. It topped Netflix’s top 10 weekly most-watched TV shows charts globally, reaching number one in 90 counties.

The survival drama aired on Netflix in September and instantly had the world talking about the lengths one would go to just for a large sum of cash.

The series also received a 95% on the Average Tomatometer, according to Rotten Tomatoes with critics saying, “it really is an excellent distillation of how predatory capitalism works.”

Be warned, Squid Game is violent and children should not be in the room for this type of excitement. The series is rated TV-MA for intense violence and language.

Let’s play a game and unravel the physical and psychological twists of Squid Game.

Review:

Down on his luck, Seong Gi-hun was financially struggling to support his daughter and mother. The gambling chip on his shoulder made it worse for him at every turn.

One day, a mysterious man offered him the chance to play a game and win a large sum of money.

After accepting the offer, he was taken to a secret location where he soon finds out he isn’t the only one yearning for the money.

Over 400 players from different walks of life are kept in this secret location under the watch of masked guards in pink suits and the “Front Man.”

Each player has to pass six rounds of children’s games in order to walk away with the prize money.

The prize: $45.6 billion, which translates to $38 million U.S. dollars.

Now at the beginning of the first game, “Red Light, Green Light,” the players didn’t realize how dangerous these games are by brushing it off and thinking that it was just an easy children’s game.

They soon realized that being eliminated resulted in death — and each death adds money to the piggy bank.

The group desired to leave the dangerous games but the money pulled them back in.

After this realization, things started to heat up. Cliques were formed and backstabbing arose. Each game became a matter of life and death — literally.

Gi-hun finds his crew, which included a childhood friend and an old man with a brain tumor, and continues to barely pass through each round.

As the games continue, a police officer sneaks into the facility hoping to find his long-lost brother, coming face-to-face with reality in the end.

Each game resulted in fewer players until the last players battle it out for the prize.

Kim's Binge It! rating:

Kim’s rating system is simple and straight to the point:

1 – Hard to finish: It may be new but it’s not good. Definitely hard to finish the season.
2 – Boring: I finished the season, but it wasn’t that exciting or engaging.
3 – At least the storyline was decent: It was good, but the show didn’t pull me in.
4 – It was good: The show was engaging and interesting.
5 – I was hooked: I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.

Squid Game received a 4 in our Binge It! series.

The drama catches your attention with the first episode. Each game consists of twists and turns that leave you wondering how far will people go for money. Though the players are competing with child games, the series puts an adult spin on it by adding in deception, manipulation, but also teamwork. The show brings light to the world of capitalism and the worst of humanity. Though it’s very violent and can get gruesome in some scenes, the show is very well-written and the idea of it is mind-blowing.

You can also catch up on previous reviews in the “BINGE IT! with Kim” series below: