Spoiler alert: This article is meant for the millions of people who’ve watched “Squid Game” already. Go jump on the bandwagon and binge the show before reading this; you won’t regret it.
Squid Game has rocked the world in many ways. It had the largest series debut ever on Netflix, caused a skyrocket in sales of white slip-on Vans and provided international fame to Korean stars. The show’s intriguing concept drew a huge audience, but its ultra-popular status is ultimately due to the writing of its characters. Through only nine episodes, the six main characters are developed extraordinarily well, and this is what made each of them compelling to watch.
- Seong Gi-hun
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Although Gi-Hun’s parenting style leaves a lot to be desired, his morally-evolving character creates a likable and fascinating protagonist. We meet Gi-Hun as a compulsive gambler who has placed himself in a staggering amount of debt because of his thoughtless and unwise behavior. During the game, he makes progress towards thinking outside of himself and with some strategy. For example, Gi-hun allies with Sae-byeok and seeks to protect her from Jang Deok-su. However, during the last episode, when Il-nam is revealed to be the originator of Squid Game, Gi-Hun does not pass the old man’s test of human goodness. Yes, someone stops to help the drunk man lying in the street right as the clock strikes twelve, but Gi-Hun could have proved the old man wrong immediately by going to help the man himself, showing he still doesn’t know how to think selflessly. Furthermore, during the marble game, moments after choosing to partner with the old man, helping him while he was sick and giving him his jacket, Gi-Hun quickly takes advantage of Il-nam’s apparent mental fog by tricking the old man into allowing him to win. Through his imperfection and inconsistency, Gi-Hun provides a realistic picture of human nature. Although he tries to follow his moral compass, at the end of the day, self-preservation is his first priority.
- Cho Sang-woo
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Sang-woo was a successful financial professional before he illegally used his clients’ money to make investments which buried him in substantial debt. He’s a relatable character in many ways, as his internal flaws don’t line up with his seemingly perfect exterior. Although we see him perform a few good deeds near the beginning of his on-screen presence, and he chooses to die so that Gi-hun will receive the cash prize, Sang-woo exclusively looks out for himself. If an action that benefits him happens to benefit others, that’s fine, but he is willing to literally slit throats if it means he profits (see the way he cheats Ali, kills Sae-byeok and doesn’t tell the group about the dalgona game). Even his final act of suicide was somewhat self-seeking, as he didn’t want to live with the murderous choices he had made.
- Kang sae-byeok
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An escapee from North Korea, Sae-byeok is a heroine who will do whatever it takes to help her family. Although she challenges a black and white view of morality with her pick-pocketing and violent tendencies, she only commits crimes to survive, and ultimately help her mother and brother. Unlike many others inside the game, Sae-byeok is unwilling to harm the innocent to achieve her objective, but she fights to win solely for the benefit of her family.
- abdul ali
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Although all of the participants in Squid Game are victims of horrific treatment, manipulation and deception, Ali is the character who garners the most sympathy. An immigrant from Pakistan looking for a better life, his time in South Korea before entering the game consisted of being cheated out of wages for harsh manual labor. All he wants is to provide for his wife and one-year-old son, and, like Sae-byeok, he enters the game not because he has made poor decisions, (like the majority of participants) but because he’s desperate to help his family. Ali’s morality remains constant the entire series, and his pure intentions never waver, which makes his wrongful death at the hands of Sang-woo particularly devastating. His tragic end hammers home the fact that most people don’t transcend primal survival instincts, and the few good ones who do are taken advantage of by the majority. In a selfish world, the selfish succeed.
- oh il-nam
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The wealthy mastermind behind the sadistic Squid Game is revealed to be the old man with a brain tumor whom we’ve known through the entire show. He and his elite buddies found themselves bored after achieving great financial success and decided to remedy this boredom by gambling on the lives of those in financial ruin. Il-nam doesn’t try to make a practical case for the murder of thousands but argues he desired to “play” again and decided the adrenaline rush he wanted could only be found in betting on players in life-or-death children’s games. The sick sadist argues that all the victims of the game are there of their own volition, but consent does not nullify the intrinsic value of human life. Finally, the old man seems to justify his behavior with the notion that all people are fully evil and selfish, as shown by his bet to Gi-hun that no one would help the man lying on the cold sidewalk that night. No matter the outcome of his wager, Il-nam’s disturbing joy at watching desperate people die cannot be justified.
- hwang jun-ho
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Although we don’t know much about the detective Jun-ho, other than his occupation and that he fiercely loves his brother, his storyline holds the audience on the edge of their seats. He begins his journey to find his brother by immediately murdering one of the game workers and taking his place to infiltrate the employees. The detective may have a morally good end goal, but his means to get to that goal are violent from the beginning. These workers may be as much victims as the game participants, and he disposes of multiple during the show. Furthermore, although his devotion to his brother is admirable, he seems to be emotionally unaffected by the thousands of deaths of other game participants. In conclusion, his tenacious pursuit of the truth is very respectable, but the trail of carnage he leaves may not be defensible.
Although Squid Game could have been a rip-off of The Hunger Games, its interesting characters prevented it from being a gory and unoriginal show. Their complexity and moral dilemmas keep them human and heighten my conflicted feelings about them. Becoming a viral hit is no easy feat, and Squid Game largely owes that status to the writing of its characters.