"Squid Game" Is On Its Way To Becoming Netflix's Most Watched Show — Here's Why

“What you're watching is so obviously wrong, and so clearly what's happening is so disgusting, but it's completely compelling.”

On today's episode of BuzzFeed Daily, we broke down the top pop culture headlines AND discussed Netflix's Squid Game. You can listen below or scroll down to read more about the interview!

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So let's dive right into it! On this episode we spoke with gaming and TV critic John Walker about Squid Game and why everyone is obsessed with it.

Buzzfeed Daily: So, Netflix's Squid Game was released a couple of weeks ago and it's become a global sensation. #SquidGame on TikTok has been viewed over 22 billion times, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said the series is on track to be Netflix's most-watched show ever. Without getting into spoiler territory can you explain the basic premise of Squid Game?

Netflix

John Walker: Yeah, I think ultimately it's a program about wealth inequality. But it's also shown through an allegory of a grotesque Battle Royale-like survival game. Debt-ridden adults are competing in children's games for 45.6 billion won. I looked it up, which is $38 million.

Buzzfeed Daily: Now, this isn't the first story about a deadly game where contestants compete for a giant cash prize. It makes me think of Running Man, The Most Dangerous Game, or even something like The Hunger Games. With a show that's about so many people at their lowest of lows, most of whom are getting killed right before our eyes, why is this show so hard to turn off?

Netflix

JW: So, I was looking into about how far back this idea goes. I discovered there's a 1958 science fiction book called The Prize of Peril by someone called Robert Sheckley, and that was about a man who was on a reality TV show — the book predicted reality TV shows — and then he's in a series of high-concept, high-danger shows while going on the run from gangland killers. 

Then it became a German movie called Das Millionenspiel, and then a French film called Le Prix Du Danger, and then The Running Man. So yeah, clearly this idea has been around for a really long time. But okay, so why does it work? I think it's because the satire of it is really easily accessible. What you're watching is so obviously wrong, and so clearly what's happening is so disgusting, but it's completely compelling. So you're unavoidably placed in the center of the wrongness. You're forced to feel both extremes at once. That sort of duality, it forces you to contend with the subject.

Buzzfeed Daily: Another big reason that Squid Game has resonated with so many people is that it's a pretty ruthless satire about wealth inequality and poverty in the 21st century. Some have even called it "a scathing critique of capitalism." You wrote a great piece for Kotaku specifically about this. What is it about the subject matter of Squid Game that seems so relevant today?

JW: I think it's that wealth inequality is now pretty difficult to ignore, especially because it's become so farcical. Like right now, there are millions of people around the world furloughed or out of work following COVID. We're all worrying about [whether we're] going to be able to afford heating this winter as the natural gas prices are soaring. Meanwhile billionaires are going into space for some jollies. That is so idiotic, so extreme that... how can it not be noticed? Even if you're comfortably off, you've got to realize something's wrong. And I think the absurdity of Squid Game, while it's so you know it's a reductio ad absurdum idea, it does feel miserably close.

Buzzfeed Daily: The series has fans all over the world and some that you might not expect. A few days ago Jeff Bezos sent a congratulatory tweet to the team at Netflix and said, "[He] can't wait to watch the show." Twitter took absolutely zero time to roast Jeff Bezos for his complete lack of self-awareness. Did you see his tweet? Where do you think this disconnect comes from?

Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Image

JW: So, I have a theory about billionaires: Do you remember the old Star Treks, where someone would phase out of reality and be able to see everything, but they couldn't interact with any of it? I think that's being a billionaire. They are still here, but they can't actually touch or interact or meaningfully connect with anything that's real other than other billionaires. So the rest of the world just becomes this weird, blurry, confusing-ness to them. And I have a theory that if he did sit and watch it — and I very much doubt he ever will — even then he would not be able to recognize himself as one of the VIPs. I think the detachment is so complete it wouldn't register.

We also discussed how influencer Emma Chamberlain responded to the criticism about her attending the Met Gala.

Mike Coppola / Getty Images

Influencer and YouTuber Emma Chamberlain recently opened up about what it’s been like to enter the world of high fashion — including the backlash she’s received.

In an interview with V Magazine, Emma said: “In a sense, the fashion world itself has been around forever and influencers and digital celebrities are very new and haven't necessarily earned their stripes yet.” 

She added that she thinks not everyone is ready to accept influencers as a new form of celebrity, but also acknowledged that quote “the world of fashion and fame has to evolve in order for it to grow.”

Plus, following the release of an excerpt of Emily Ratajkowski’s upcoming book people are looking back at the problematic “Blurred Lines” video.

Emma McIntyre / Getty Images

After Emily Ratajkowski wrote about allegedly being groped by Robin Thicke on the set of “Blurred Lines” in her new book, My Body, criticism of the song and its music video has been renewed in full force.

In case you forgot, the video features Robin Thicke, Pharrel Williams, and T.I. fully clothed while three almost naked women dance around them to lines like “I know you want it.” Then and now it’s criticized for being deeply misogynistic and perpetuating rape culture.

As always, thanks for listening! And if you ever want to suggest stories or just want to say hi, you can reach us at [e-mail].