“Squid Game,” the newest trending Netflix show has caught the attention of global viewers and will leave you on the edge of your seat. The Korean thriller show, which started with little to no advertisement, surprisingly gained popularity quickly. Almost 111 million Netflix watchers have streamed the show only a month after its premiere. It stars actor Lee Jung-Jae, who plays Seong Gi-hun, alongside the rest of the 455 actors and actresses who play the show’s contestants. 

The compelling and gruesome show follows the storyline of a troubled South-Korean man who falls into an insurmountable debt. After being given the opportunity to win a large sum of money, Seong Gi-hun mysteriously ends up in a strange isolated building surrounded by 455 other confused people who have one thing in common: they are in debt and in some desperate need of money. 

Soon after waking up, the contestants are instructed on how to win the money. They must successfully participate in six South Korean childhood games. When the first game begins, contestants are confident that they will pass the easy “red light-green light” game, however they soon discover that the games they are playing have a deadly twist. After the first game, the viewers are introduced to seven of the main characters that the plot centers around. The show reveals each character’s background, and why they are competing in the games. The show puts the watchers into an emotional rollercoaster by diving deeper into current world and human issues. Without any spoilers, the majority of the show deals with fear, anticipation, and sorrow. 

The show contains a total of  nine episodes that are usually fifty minutes to an hour long. The show is rated TV-MA due to severe violence and inappropriate language. I do not recommend watching this show if you have any sensitivity towards those topics, however, feel free to recommend the show to someone who enjoys very gory scenes.

I enjoy watching shows that leave watchers ready to binge the rest of the season, and personally I believe that “Squid Game” is the perfect candidate for your next binge-show. It not only follows an interesting and scary plot line, but also connects the viewers to a different perspective on how capitalism affects people’s willingness to bargain with their lives.