s/o: Why is a ridiculously, graphically violent show like Squid Game so universally loved?

[Anonymous]

If it was just a handful of navel gazing critics and 13 yr old boys who insist how great it is to watch human beings get realistically shot and machete'd to death, I'd get it. I'd dismiss them, but I get it.

What I don't understand is why the love for this show is nearly universal. wtf is wrong with the whole world, apparently, that everyone enjoys watching people be viscerally gutted each week?

Why is realistic and repeated death so enjoyable for you to watch? It's not even like there's any other plot *other* than gratuitous nasty violence, ala Sorpranos.

[Anonymous]

This is a wild concept, but hear me out - it's almost like we can separate reality and fiction! :mindblown:

[Anonymous]

The show speaks to universal human conditions

1) The allure of money
2) The question of what you would do for a LOT of it, especially if you really really really needed it
3) The struggles people face when they are poor and have bad habits/addictions that magnify that problem and how hard it is to break out from the cycle
4) The importance the human mind places on 'fairness'
5) Nostalgia for youth and childhood innocence

[Anonymous]

For me, a 50 yo white woman, it is the moral and ethical issues which are explored. I also love Korean shows and movies in general. I enjoyed the character development and the relationships among the players. In a random group of strangers, we can all find someone to connect with. Sometimes that person will turn on you, sometimes that person will help you.
Td/lr it is thought provoking and visually stunning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it was just a handful of navel gazing critics and 13 yr old boys who insist how great it is to watch human beings get realistically shot and machete'd to death, I'd get it. I'd dismiss them, but I get it.

What I don't understand is why the love for this show is nearly universal. wtf is wrong with the whole world, apparently, that everyone enjoys watching people be viscerally gutted each week?

Why is realistic and repeated death so enjoyable for you to watch? It's not even like there's any other plot *other* than gratuitous nasty violence, ala Sorpranos.

Have you watched the show?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, a 50 yo white woman, it is the moral and ethical issues which are explored. I also love Korean shows and movies in general. I enjoyed the character development and the relationships among the players. In a random group of strangers, we can all find someone to connect with. Sometimes that person will turn on you, sometimes that person will help you.
Td/lr it is thought provoking and visually stunning.

All of this, plus PP's points.

[Anonymous]

I’m not watching it. I like comedies and heartwarming shows. There’s enough negativity in the world and I don’t need it to invade my precious free time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not watching it. I like comedies and heartwarming shows. There’s enough negativity in the world and I don’t need it to invade my precious free time.

+1
I freely watch documentaries and news reports of harrowing situations. I feel I owe those suffering people my time, even though I'd rather be watching something funny. But made-up drama and violence, I don't have any room for it.

[Anonymous]

I think over-the-top scripted violence actually helps contextualize it in film. I am very sensitive to violence (I refuse to watch any movie with rape), but excessive blood makes the violence less realistic and therefore IMO less terrifying.

[Anonymous]

i think people really identify with the desperation of the players. Life has been such a struggle, especially during this weird covid time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not watching it. I like comedies and heartwarming shows. There’s enough negativity in the world and I don’t need it to invade my precious free time.

It's more thought provoking than negative. There is something special about this show and it shouldn't be reduced to "it's gory violence". The suspenseful atmosphere persists throughout, even though we know only one player will live. There is a sense of hope in a hopeless situation because of the relationships between the players. As I watched, I often thought about what I would do in the various situations.

[Anonymous]

OP here. So it's that the 'pro' column -- excellent writing and cinematography -- outweighs the 'con' column? I do understand that, using my own example of the Sopranos. Or The Wire.

But I think Squid is in its own category here and my more finely pointed question is: How can so. many. people. stand to watch constant, realistic violence?

I'm not asking "But is the writing good and relatable?" I'm asking, "What goes through your pre-frontal cortex as you observe a man get shot in the face? and another man, and another, ooh and this time his arm got hacked off with a close up view!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not watching it. I like comedies and heartwarming shows. There’s enough negativity in the world and I don’t need it to invade my precious free time.

Another +1. Real life is harrowing enough. I prefer light-hearted comedies as a distraction. I find violence and gore quite unsettling, even if it's obviously fake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For me, a 50 yo white woman, it is the moral and ethical issues which are explored. I also love Korean shows and movies in general. I enjoyed the character development and the relationships among the players. In a random group of strangers, we can all find someone to connect with. Sometimes that person will turn on you, sometimes that person will help you.
Td/lr it is thought provoking and visually stunning.

All of this, plus PP's points.

As a 56 yo African American woman, I totally agree. DH and I could not turn it off; we binged watched it until 5AM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So it's that the 'pro' column -- excellent writing and cinematography -- outweighs the 'con' column? I do understand that, using my own example of the Sopranos. Or The Wire.

But I think Squid is in its own category here and my more finely pointed question is: How can so. many. people. stand to watch constant, realistic violence?

I'm not asking "But is the writing good and relatable?" I'm asking, "What goes through your pre-frontal cortex as you observe a man get shot in the face? and another man, and another, ooh and this time his arm got hacked off with a close up view!"

I can only speak for myself, I made the 1-5 list above. I cringe. And flinch. I do not enjoy it. There were some things that were cartoonish and didn't bother me, like when the mobster stabs someone over and over and blood is spurting, like its just comical. But the deaths in the game I found very hard to watch. The tug of war episode was terrible. The deaths were horrific. But the show is thought provoking and interesting and there is compelling tension.

I mean its the same for people who watch horror movies (and I do watch them too actually). You get a little pump of adrenaline, makes you feel alive.