Squid Game, the South Korean dystopian thriller series released in 2021, was a global hit because of its unique concept and intense storytelling that captivated viewers around the world. It became the first Korean drama to top Netflix’s weekly most-watched TV charts worldwide, reaching number one in 94 countries, including the U.S. and U.K. In just 28 days, it racked up over 1.56 billion viewing hours, making it the most-watched show of its time.
Netflix’s internal reports revealed that Squid Game was incredibly profitable. It generated $900 million while costing only $21.4 million to produce. Critics and audiences alike praised the show, earning it a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.2/10 on Google. Unsurprisingly, its success led creator Hwang Dong-hyuk to develop a highly anticipated second season.
However, season two, released late last year, has failed to live up to the original’s standards, with too many sub-plots that drag out the show. After three years of waiting, many fans feel the creators ruined what made the show special – its originality, brutality and gripping tension. Instead, the new season leans heavily into unnecessary woke elements, attempting to deliver messages of inclusivity, such as casting a male actor (who identifies as ‘cisgender’) to portray Hyun-ju, a transgender ‘woman’.
The creator explained that including a trans character was a bold effort to raise awareness about the challenges and prejudices faced by gender minorities in South Korea. Clearly, Hyun-ju serves as a mouthpiece for Hwang’s feelings about the LGBTQ+ community, aiming to push for its greater acceptance and visibility in society.
Unfortunately, Hyun-ju’s character feels forced into the spotlight. He gets almost as much screen time as the protagonist and his interactions with other characters slow the pace of the show. Many of these conversations seem designed to deliver didactic social messages. For example, an older character initially criticises him, only to later apologise and launch into a monologue about tolerance and regret.
Hyun-ju’s backstory is explored in endless depth, revealing that his reason for joining the deadly competition at the centre of the drama is to pay for a sex change operation. One scene even depicts his discomfort with his own body, asking others to look away because he still has a penis. This moment feels like a clear attempt to advocate such surgeries, despite the real-life risks associated with procedures like penectomy, which can lead to serious complications like cancer and infections.
Unsurprisingly, backlash has followed. Season two’s ratings have dropped significantly from the first season. On Rotten Tomatoes, its score slipped from 95% to 86%, and audience approval plummeted from 84% to 62%. Even though the debut shattered records, fans complained about the wasted potential, the weak side plots and a shift away from the original’s nail-biting tension. There’s far less game-time now, stripping away the edge-of-your-seat appeal that made millions binge-watch.
It’s likely that the ratings decline is linked to the show’s woke turn and heavy-handed didacticism, with one Reddit user lamenting: “The magic is gone – there’s too much preaching and not enough tension.” For comparison, look at the recent success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a non-woke film that skyrocketed to the top of global box office charts.
Squid Game’s decision to embrace radical progressive ideology seems to have backfired – once again proving that when a show goes woke, it goes broke.
Jack Watson is a 16 year-old schoolboy in Year 11. You can read his Substack about following Hull City FC here. Follow him on X here.
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Damn, I was looking forward to this. Looks like I’ll be giving it the swerve.
First of all, what are you doing watching a show that clearly has an 18 rating?
I’ve seen the whole season (it isn’t finished – the next season is coming later this year), and thought it was ok. The woke story line (not really a story line) about the trans person came across as hamfisted and, dare I say it, retarded. It doesn’t dominate the show at all.
Obvs the novelty value isn’t there any more if you watched the first season, but I thought the games themselves were plenty thrilling. If you enjoyed the first one then you should enjoy the second one as long as you put your finger in your ears and go ‘la la la’ during the woke bits.
You never tried to sneak into an 18? Wierdo!
If you enjoyed the first one then you should enjoy the second one as long as you put your finger in your ears and go ‘la la la’ during the woke bits.
And that’s exactly what you shouldn’t be doing.
The creator explained that including a trans character was a bold effort to raise awareness about the challenges and prejudices faced by gender minorities in South Korea.
First, that’s probably a lie: The creator was almost certainly paid to including this walking (as I assume) propaganda vehicle and didn’t do this because he actually cared about it. Otherwise, the character hadn’t magically appeared once the show had proven to be successful enough to consider it for delivering propaganda camouflaged as entertainment.
Second, the message behind this is clear. The first season was an entertainment show with characters the audience wanted to identify with going through a challenging, suspenseful story. A conventional design for the entertainment industry, so to say. But this has now changed. Characters are now forced onto the supposedly already hooked audience because they ought to identify with them in order to lecture them about somebody’s preferred pseudo-medical treatment for something that’s – at best – a disturbing and somewhat disgusting mental health issue affecting a tiny minority of the population and – at worst – simply a scam to make $$$ by harming vulnerable children (eg, depressed or autistic).
If you don’t roundly reject that because “the special effects are still so cool!” (I made that one up) you’re proving to be exactly the kind of target person (in the opinions of the people behind this scheme) whose brain is to be put through the propaganda ironing machine in order to make interpret the world in the proper way, this to be done by programming memories into it.
This may be entirely harmless because it may not work. But I’m not convinced of this and I’d never consciously let these people install anything into my brain because I want it to remain mine.
You could be talking about Eastenders!
Steyn on the ten years anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks
“To be honest, it makes me vomit to see people holding these Princess Dianafied candlelit vigils, and using the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie – I am Charlie -and in effect appropriating these guys’ sacrifice for this bogus solidarity. It makes me sick to see all these ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ cartoons that have appeared in newspapers all over the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Australia, everywhere, from other cartoonists, again expressing solidarity with these very brave men – but not doing what they did…
I’ve been on enough events in Europe with less famous cartoonists than these who live under death threats, live under armed guard, have had their family restaurant firebombed – it’s happened to a Norwegian comedienne I know – have come home and found their home burned, as a Swedish artist I know happened to. And all these people doing the phony hashtag solidarity, screw your phony hashtag solidarity. Let’s have some real solidarity – or if not, at least have the good taste to stay the hell out of it.”
Off-T
Two episodes of “Accused: The Fake Grooming Scandal” are showing on Channel 4 tonight. The second one features Tommy Robinson.
Very timely; suspiciously so.
My concerns:
Channel 4 – in total lockstep with tin eared, two tier Keir
We watched about 20 minutes then binned it. Anyone want me to spoil the new Day of the Jackal? That really boiled our piss to steam.
What a great expression!
Sorry mate, not a clue what this is about?
Please don’t try to explain, again sorry, squid game isn’t my greatest priority!
I don’t watch TV or any movies. For me, entertainment is music¹ and books and I make a conscious effort to stay away from anything I (for myself) refer to as activist’s prose. If I want to inform myself about a certain topic, I’ll buy a or some non-fiction books dealing with it. If not, then I don’t and I don’t want people who want to ‘inform’ me about stuff I don’t want to learn anything about sneak it into my brain through the back door. Should I discover something like this in a book I’m reading (happens sometimes), I’ll usually immediately stop and throw it away.
¹ In case someone cares about this. Here’s a track from a nice, current EP of a London-based death metal outfit (I have this on CD, obviously).
https://decrepid.bandcamp.com/track/vortex-of-chaos
I love music and books
Currently reading the new “Smiley” novel by Le Carre’s son. It’s reasonably well done but the son has introduced lots of females into the story – there were many fewer females in the Le Carre Smiley books, presumably because that was an accurate reflection of the reality of a world that the author knew well. A bit disappointing- back to Dostoyevsky after this.
Remember stumbling across a Mills & Boon book, quite raunchy!
Obituary is a well known death band. Here is a British thrash band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8-5Ya_OTMs
See also: John Tardy is a wuss!¹
Unfortunately, I think Xentrix is about as exciting as an old sock lost in some corner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgNqvxQD9RI
¹ Because he uses (or used to use) a harmonizer for his vocals.
Just started watching it, already into the 3rd or 4th episode of season 1, I am getting bored with the mellowdrama.
One dimensional, in-substantial, excessively violent. Perfect for the Tik-tokkers
Good young writer is Jack Watson, however, I suggest that one stops watching banal programmes like this and read a good book
My goodness you shouldn’t be watching things with people dressed up like that it isn’t right.