There are some shows that just get released and become so big that you feel like you have to watch it if you weren't already onboard. "Squid Game" is one of those shows as it came out and virtually broke every record in Netflix's book and got people from all around the world hooked on a Korean survival drama. I figured that I would get to it eventually and didn't really think much about it when it first aired, but now I'm gonna try it. So far, so good; the first episode is a great world-builder that sells a sympathetic lead, while asking some big questions.
Hwang Dong-hyuk apparently came up with this idea over a decade ago, but never went ahead with it because he couldn't find financial backing. Luckily, Netflix is in the midst of a big international product expansion and decided to pick it up. The first episode dedicates very little of its time to the actual games, instead focusing on its lead and setting up Seong Gi-hun as a character that we can root for. The writing is very strong off the bat, and it's nice to see that the show is taking a character-focused approach to its premise instead of simply focusing on the action. Lee Jung-jae is also quite brilliant here, playing someone who is very remorseful of the life that he is living, but can't find a way out of it, even though he really wants to for his family. And that brings us to the game aspect of the episode, which is played as a mysterious tournament where it has consequences if you don't play along. There are a lot of questions hanging in the air right now, but it doesn't seem like the show is waiting long to answer them as there are a couple of games that we need to get through and a lot of information spread across the next eight episodes. Dong-hyuk's direction is very effective and his handling of the climatic scene is really a great showcase in how to handle this kind of action. It's a gripping show, so let's see if it can continue to be.
"Red Light, Green Light" is an effective start to a show that seems to be tackling some big subject matters in a very unique fashion. The episode greatly sets up our lead character as someone we can root for, while giving us a glimpse into a world that doesn't seem that easy to escape from.
