Starring: Lee Jung-Jae, Park Hae-soo, Anupam Tripathi, Kim Joo-Ryoung and others.
No. of episodes: 9
No. of seasons: 1
Available on: Netflix
Ratings: 8.2/10 by IMDb and 92% by Rotten Tomatoes
Original language: Korean
In the Squid game, all people are against their will and come together to compete in deadly tournaments in which failure can lead to death. It represents probably the most compelling and emotionally gripping viewing experience.
456 desperate contestants compete with each other in a mysterious and deadly survival game involving multiple rounds of childhood games to win 45.6 Billion prize money that can help pull them out of their misery.
It is a jaw-dropping series that always has something in every episode, which will have you shocked on the edge of your seat and just feeling the intensity that comes with the stakes.
The show centres around a middle-aged loser named Gaeun who lives with his elderly mother in South Korea. He’s divorced and works in a dead-end job. Gauen drinks too much, and he’s racked up a string of gambling debts that he can’t begin to pay off. However, when his life seems to have hit rock bottom, he is given a chance to participate in a series of games with a promise of a life-changing amount of money if he makes up to the end.
With no other options, he reluctantly accepts the offer and soon finds himself whisked away to a remote compound along with hundreds of other people from all walks of life. Everyone is from hot shock stock traders to petty criminals, teachers, refugees from the north and frail older men with terminal illnesses. Still, whatever their background, they all have one thing in common: they are desperate enough to risk everything for a chance to get rich.
As the first game kicks off, it quickly becomes apparent that being eliminated means more than just getting sent Home early. Just like a game of thrones, you either win or die. As the series progresses and the contestants get whittled down by increasingly brutal games, tensions rise amongst the survivors.
The alliances and rivalries start to form as suspicion and paranoia set in, almost with no violence restrictions.
As each episode eventually has a life-and-death situation, it is probably what makes you want to continue watching all nine episodes till the end. The challenges of surviving beyond the actual game force every participant to either defend themselves or go right ahead and attack their most significant threats. Everyone can watch this show in Korean, with English subtitles, or go for English as the preferred audio.
A squid game is a series that needs to be experienced. It is one of those series that you’ll never regret watching.
