Season 3 of the hit Netflix series Squid Game is out now. As a big fan of the sleeper hit from the “stay at home” pandemic era, over time and after many rewatches, I’ve noticed a lot of social commentary. While it’s fascinating to see how modern society is represented in this dystopian reality, it’s hard to see how a happy ending happens. What are some parallels between the world of Squid Game and the real world we inhabit? Let’s get into it.
Even if You Voted Against it, You’re Playing Anyway
Season 2 introduced the rule where, after each game, the remaining players will vote on whether or not the games will continue. One would think that after witnessing the violence during these games that everyone would want to get out as fast as possible. That’s what a reasonable person would think, right? Well, when you’ve got upwards of 400 people in miserable debt and dangle life-saving money in their faces, the worst traits of humanity will shine through.
Not once did the vote go in favor of those wanting to leave, making sure that everyone who voted, no matter how they voted, has to still play this game. I don’t think I have to explain much about that represents a lot of countries where, no matter what the result, red X or blue O, you’re in this game until it ends. On top of that, you have possibly the most accurate representation of people willingly voting against their own self-interests for the chance and false promises of riches.
Money is the Root of All Evil
One of the main social commentaries from Squid Game that has persisted since the first season is that money does indeed change people. Throughout three seasons of television, there have only been a handful of characters who were good people within the Squid Game, while everyone else is gradually more corrupt and awful the deeper into the games they get. At various points in seasons 2 and 3, the players have enough money to leave and be fine, but they keep insisting on playing “one more game.”
If you’re in any way familiar with addiction, saying that you need just one more of what you’re addicted to is a quick path to destruction. You see this especially with Player 100 in seasons 2 and 3. He is the most in debt and a complete coward when it comes down to it, but talks a big game when he feels like he’s not in danger. Again, he is a complete coward, yet acts tough when it comes to soft targets.
To Change the World, We Must Change Ourselves
If you’re looking for a happy ending with this series, you’re fooling yourself. This series is both well written and well acted, except for the VIPs, where the show absolutely stops whenever they’re on screen. However, Squid Game is not only very entertaining, if you watch it enough times and digest the themes within, you’ll look deep inside of yourself and the world we live in and realize one thing: if we want the world to be better, we have to start with ourselves. The series is about people who are way down on their luck at the brink of financial devastation because of the decisions they make, and the only way out of their situation, the Squid Game, they just have to make the decision to leave.
Squid Game gives the audience the chance to look at ourselves and our situations and makes us question if we’re making the right choices when it comes to being good people. Deep down, human beings are good; however, if pushed to the brink, we’ll do whatever it takes to survive and sometimes that thing is against our own self-interests and fueled by the false promise of favor from a group that sees you as human trash, that’s from the show by the way. To be better, we must do better.
I loved this show and I’m sad to see it go, but luckily, rewatches are a thing and I’ll be watching again soon. Until then, if a stranger stops you and wants to play a game out of nowhere, say no and go home immediately.
