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Squid Game Overestimated Us
The South Korean phenomenon never quite figured out how to make us root for life in the same way we grasped for its gamification of death.
This was a show inspired by South Korea’s pervasive household debt, but series creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk crafted such strongly archetypal characters — struggling laid-off workers, taken-advantage-of immigrants, and downtrodden gamblers — that their relatability transcended national identity. Netflix released an hourlong virtual fireplace styled like the Front Man’s private quarters so people could spend their holidays experiencing “the sweet taste of power” at home, and invited viewers into the arena through the immersive Squid Game: The Experience. In season three, these elites are impossible to see as anything but derogatory audience stand-ins, foreigners who delight in dressing up as pink-jumpsuited guards, placing bets on which players will live or die, and providing tedious running commentary on character motivations.
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