Thread by @BritishGQ

The South Korean megahit about a group of down-and-outers competing for life-altering sums of money (with the added risk of death) is bonkers and addictive but also, crucially, emotionally resonant, writes @tom_usher_. #SquidGame
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#SquidGame is currently Netflix’s most-watched show in 90 countries (including the UK), and the streaming service announced today that it is on track to become its most popular series of all time, meaning it would dethrone current champion Bridgerton.
bit.ly/GQSquidGame

In the unlucky group of 456 contestants, the main hero is 456 (they are referred to predominantly by their designated number), or Seong Gi-Hun (played by Lee Jung-Jae), a gambling addict who lives with his mum. bit.ly/GQSquidGame #SquidGame

But along the way, we meet a North Korean defector, a disgraced ex-gang member, a dodgy investor on the run & a terminally ill old man (amongst others), all playing fast & loose with the hero, antihero & villain boundaries, often within a single episode. bit.ly/GQSquidGame

From the opening episode, where players are mercilessly gunned down while playing ‘Red Light Green Light’ (or Grandma’s Footsteps as it’s known in the UK), it’s pretty clear the show is going to be a wild one.
bit.ly/GQSquidGame #SquidGame

Instead of the brash, comic deaths that you often see in dystopian survival game films & TV shows like The Hunger Games or Battle Royale though, each contestant’s death feels like a punch in the gut because they feel like fully realised human beings. bit.ly/GQSquidGame

#SquidGame is a vivid, shocking & hugely enjoyable show, & it’s all the better for not treating its audience like idiots, even if it does, conversely, want to make them feel like children. It’s enough to make you want to cry.
We advise you watch it. Now.
bit.ly/GQSquidGame