Have you even picked up your phone in the last week if you haven’t gotten a message about Squid Game? The South Korean survival drama currently taking over Netflix is all anyone seems to be talking about – and with good reason.
Released on the 17th September, Squid Game is already set to overtake Bridgerton as Netflix’s most popular show ever. But despite the fanfare, viewers still seem to have A LOT of questions about the show. At least, they do according to Google Trends.
So, from that ending explained to the Squid Game lawsuit Netflix is set to battle, here’s everything you need to know about Squid Game…
What’s Squid Game about?
Netflix describes Squid Game with the following enticing plot: ‘Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly high stakes.’
A drama set in an alternative world where people in debt can compete to win money in deadly games, Squid Game was written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, and stars Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, O Yeong-su, Wi Ha-joon, Jung Ho-yeon, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryoung.
Why is Netflix being sued over Squid Game?
The show has already ran into controversy for Netflix, with South Korean internet provider SK Broadband suing Netflix. Why? Because it’s so damn popular. A spokesperson for SK Broadband told Reuters that they are asking Netflix to pay for costs from increased network traffic and maintenance work after views of the show surged so quickly.
Netflix and Google’s YouTube are the largest traffic generators for South Korea, but are the only two companies not paying network usage fees – which are currently paid by Amazon, Apple and Facebook according to the spokesperson.
A Seoul court has said that Netflix should ‘reasonably’ give the internet provider something in return for network usage, with Netflix stating it would review SK Broadbands claim and explore ways to ensure customers are not affected in the meantime.
Are the Squid Game English subtitles correct?
Another increasing controversy is around the English subtitles on Squid Game. On Twitter, one user claimed that the English subtitles translation was ‘so bad’ that ‘you didn’t really watch the show’ if you can’t understand Korean.
They then posted a scene breakdown on TikTok, that quickly went viral, in an effort to provide examples.
However, numerous people have since defended Netflix, stating that the viewer has confused the English subtitles with English closed caption subtitles. Both are subtitle options on Netflix, ‘English’ alone are translations from Korean dialogue and are created with the assumption that the viewer can hear the audio. Closed caption subtitles, which are under the option ‘English [CC]’, are for deaf or hard of hearing viewers and thus include both the dialogue and other relevant audio. In the case of Squid Came, the closed caption subtitles appear to skew the dialogue further from the initial translation – which is what the initial Twitter user appears to have been using.
What is the Squid Game prize money in GBP?
One of the biggest search queries on Google for Squig Game is about the prize money, with ’45.6million won to gbp’ increasingly Googled. In fact, 45.6billion Korean won converts to £29million.
Why is it called Squid Game?
Another highly Googled question, Squid Game is titled so because it is named after a children's game played on a court that is shaped like a squid. That game is one of six that contestants play in order to leave the island alive.
How can I get a squid game tracksuit?
Naturally, fans of the show are also hoping to dress up as Squid Game characters for Halloween – with ‘Squid game fancy dress’ another breakout search term. Variations of the squid game tracksuit are currently being sold on eBay, Amazon – with Google showing that boohooMAN even has a similar one on sale currently.
How does Squid Game end?
As for the ending of Squid Game - which is another highly searched term under ‘Squid Game ending explained’ – there have been multiple attempts to analyse the finale from TV critics. So, prepare yourself for some BIG spoilers.
Seong Gi-hun wins, and he learns who's really running the game – a plot twist you really don’t want ruined. Gi-hun then dyes his hair bright red and starts to get on a plane for LA to reunite with his young daughter. However, upon doing so he spots the game recruiter who involved him in the game trying to convince another down-on-his-luck man to play. Gi-hun grabs the card, and just before he gets on the plane, calls the number and tells the person who answers he's going to track them down. It’s a big cliff-hanger of course, meaning the finale is perfectly set up for a second season.
Will there be a Squid Game season two?
Considering its success, it’s unlikely Netflix won’t be on Hwang Dong-hyuk’s back for a second season as soon as possible. However, the writer and director has admitted he has no set plans to write a sequel just yet.
‘I don't have well-developed plans for Squid Game 2,’ he told Variety. ‘It is quite tiring just thinking about it. But if I were to do it, I would certainly not do it alone. I'd consider using a writers' room and would want multiple experienced directors.’
Want more Netflix content? Click through for the best period dramas on the streaming platform...
Netflix's Best Period Dramas - Grazia
1 of 15The King
Everyone's favourite actor, Timothée Chalamet, plays the wayward Prince Hal who must turn from carouser to warrior king as he faces hostilities from both inside and outside his castle walls in the battle for England.
2 of 15Lady Chatterley's Lover
Is there a hunky, outdoorsy, rugged-looking role on this earth yet that Richard Madden hasn't absolutely owned? In this BBC adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's racy novel (so racy in fact that it was trialled for obscenity in the UK and banned in America when it was originally published), Madden plays everyone's favourite sexy gardener, Oliver Mellors to Holliday Grainger's Lady Chatterley. Safe to say you should prepare yourself for some seriously non-PG scenes...
3 of 15Pride and Prejudice
The 2005 take on Jane Austen's best-loved novel, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, is all well and good, but it's a truth universally acknowledged that this brilliant six-part BBC adaptation will always be the definitive on-screen version. Still best known for the scene in which a soggy Mr. Darcy emerges from a lake - which you definitely won't find in the original text - it's the series that made Colin Firth a national treasure (and gained him a mention in Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary and a role in the eventual films). Lake-dipping aside, screenwriter Andrew Davies lets the novel's sparkling dialogue speak for itself, making this a total joy for dedicated Austenites and for more recent initiates.
4 of 15Poldark
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past five years (in which case, we salute you) you'll doubtless be familiar with one particular image of potential Bond Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark, which may or may not involve scything. From the melodramatic twists and turns of the plot to the gratuitous shots of Turner brooding against the backdrop of the Cornish coast, Poldark is the ultimate period drama guilty pleasure (your mum probably agrees...)
5 of 15Lady J
Throw together an attractive widow, an assumed libertine (with a Marquis title, nonetheless) and put them in 18th century France and what do you get? Our new Netflix originals obsession, of course! But Lady J doesn't follow the traditional trajectory of period drama romance - instead our protagonist finds herself scorned by her lover and goes about seeking her revenge with the help of two prostitutes. In case you hadn't already worked it out: this is your ultimate binge watch for a girls night in...
6 of 15The Crown
Netflix's deep-dive into the personal conflicts, political intrigues and public controversies of Queen Elizabeth II's reign is the streaming service's most expensive original drama to date. Luckily, every penny of The Crown's rumoured £100 million budget appears to have paid off. Claire Foy in the first 2 seasons followed by Olivia Colman in the 3rd and 4th series gives a brilliant, sympathetic performance as Elizabeth, nailing the plummy vowels and poise of the monarch without descending into caricature - but it's Vanessa Kirby's Princess Margaret (and her controversial romance with a divorcé) that will have you gripped.
7 of 15Outlaw King
Chris Pine plays 14th-century Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, who claims the crown and leads a fierce uprising to win back the country's independence from English rule.
8 of 1512 Years A Slave
In this Academy Award-winning film telling the true story of Solomon Northup, a freeborn black man is kidnapped in New York and sold into slavery in the South.
9 of 15Alias Grace
Based on the award-winning novel by Margaret Atwood, which is based on a true story, this drama tells the story of a poor Irish immigrant and domestic servant in Canada who is accused and convicted of the murder of her employer and his housekeeper. She is sentenced to life in prison, where a psychiatrist must decide if she can be pardoned for reasons of insanity.
10 of 15Anne With An E
Based on Anne of Green Gables, follow the drama of a plucky orphan whose passions run deep in her unlikely home with a spinster and her soft-spoken bachelor brother.
11 of 15Pride & Prejudice
More Austen. More Keira. The actress was nominated for an Oscar for her wonderful performance as the iconic Elizabeth. She's rarely been better.
12 of 15Bridgerton
63 million people have already watched the streaming giant's sumptuous 8-parter. Are you one of them? If not, get on it.
13 of 15The Other Boleyn Girl
This is not a subtle film, but it's a lot of fun. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson play two sisters pursued by Henry VIII. We all know how this one ends...
14 of 15Mary Queen of Scots
Saoirse Ronan played the ill-fated nemesis to Margot Robbie's Elizabeth I in this stirring historical interpretation from Josie Rourke. The costumes are particularly sumptuous.
15 of 15Ophelia
Daisy Ridley played the tragic heroine in this reimagining of the Shakespeare play where Hamlet's girlfriend draws the focus. Clive Owen and Naomi Watts co-star.