Early Access Extras: Squid Game E1

E1. The hype is real with this one, you guys.

When I first read this show's synopsis and realized this was a death game sort of story, which means lots of violence, blood and death with the territory, I decided that I wasn't interested in watching it. I mean, it's just not my kind of show.

BUT THEN. This show just became more and more popular. Not only are drama fans talking about it, non-drama fans are watching it too, and it's trending on Netflix, worldwide. It even reached #1 on Netflix in the US, which is a first for a kdrama.

Which means I kinda have to watch it now, don't I? Not only am I hugely curious to see for myself what the fuss is about, there's also FOMO, which, as you probably know by now, is that sneaky lil something that tends to get me to watch things I otherwise wouldn't.

One episode in, I'm morbidly fascinated, and yes, I do plan to keep on watching.

On the one hand, Show's set-up feels efficient, and does what most kdramas do so well; it sets the stage in a way that humanizes our protagonist and makes me interested to know what happens to him. Lee Jung Jae is perfectly hapless and frustrating, in this role.

I do feel exasperated with Gi Hoon for being so hopelessly addicted to gambling, but in a way, I feel sorry for him too, because no one actually wants to be held hostage by an addiction. And while I shake my head at the way he steals money from his elderly mother to bet on horses, I do feel his desperation to get out of his situation. And even though I don't exactly like him, I don't want him to be cut up by loansharks either, to have his kidney and eyeball sold for money.

For his mother's sake, and his daughter's, I hope he survives the games, if only so that they won't have to lose him so senselessly.

On the other hand, aside from the morbid fascination of the game set-up, where people literally get killed when they are eliminated from a game, there's a deeply disturbing undercurrent running through this, that these people's lives are cheap and disposable. They were picked up for being financially destitute; so in debt that they wouldn't be able to turn down the chance to play. And as they play and get killed in the droves, the Front Man dude sits with a glass of whiskey, listening to light jazz tunes, while he casually watches all the casual deaths, on his screen.

The thing is, at this stage of the game, these people weren't even told, before playing, that there was a chance they might not survive Round 1.

It really paints a picture of the chasm between the haves and the have-nots. The wealthy  are literally entertained by the deaths of the poor; people who are so destitute that their deaths barely warrant a blip on the screen. It's horrifying that the lives of human beings can be reduced to nothing - and the thing is, this is a metaphor for the real world.

And then there's how people respond, when they find themselves in a life-or-death situation like this. Do they sacrifice others, so that they themselves have a better chance of survival, or do they give a helping hand to someone, just because it's the decent thing to do?

Curiously, the old man with the brain tumor plays the game with a sense of earnestness and almost delight on his face, even after he knows that he could die while playing. It's because he has nothing to lose. He knows he doesn't have much time, and so, to him, the stakes aren't that high anyway. Is this a morbid interpretation of the saying, "Live each day like it's your last"?

Overall, there's something very polished and shiny about this drama world that makes it appealing to the eye. It feels a bit technicolor-esque, and that makes everything feel larger than life.

I'm also quite fascinated by the facility where the games are being held. It reminds me of The Truman Show, where everything in that world had seemed to be part of the real world, but it had just been one gigantic stage.

Last but not least, I was delighted with Gong Yoo's cameo within Show's first 30 minutes. It's been so long since Gong Yoo's graced my screen, and in just these few minutes, he reminds me all over again, why he's a classic k-love of mine. He's sooo handsome in that suit, and he manages to look so friendly and dashing, even as he administers the game with Gi Hoon. I can't help swooning, just a little bit, heh.

Early Access Extras is a bonus look at other shows that I'm watching outside of Patreon, so this is only an E1 first impression. 

This is usually for the Ultimate Tier, but this feels like such a community moment, with the BBC interview, that I thought I'd share it with everyone. I hope you guys enjoy. ❤️