Did you hear? Squid Game Season 2 is releasing in a few days on December 26th, 2024.
So, in preparation for the new release, let’s refresh our minds on the last season and discuss the cultural phenomenon of Squid Game.
Can you still recall?
For those who have never watched Squid Game (very few) and those who may have forgotten the events (many), Squid Game follows the story of Gi-hun, a man who enters “Squid Game”, a game where 456 players risk their lives to complete in a series of mini-games where the ultimate winner has the chance to win $38 million.
Though he ends up winning the game at the end of Season 1, he is deeply dissatisfied with the inhumane nature of the game. This sets up the plot well for Season 2, where he will be re-entering the game to attempt to stop it.
What was so special about Squid Game?
It’s hard to say what makes a show an internet sensation, as the virality of shows is certainly arbitrary. Many shows are critically acclaimed, yet garner no public fame or attention. Other shows are deemed as “hot trash” by critics but are loved by the public.
However, Squid Game is one of those shows that is both respected by critics for its deep social commentary and woefully loved by the public.
Though some still disagree on whether Squid Game deserved the hype it received, the one thing that no one can deny is its profound impact on media, pop culture, and society.
Squid Game’s Impact on Society: The Larger Cultural Implications of Squid Game’s Success
I still distinctly remember the online sphere when Squid Game first came out in 2021 – it was quite literally a cultural phenomenon.
Prior to Squid Game, when I, as an avid Kdrama (Korean Drama) watcher, would recommend a Kdrama to my friends, many of them would ask me what a Kdrama was. This was the norm back then, as before Squid Game, Korean Dramas were not popular in the West.
However, Squid Game shook the entire sphere of Western media. Suddenly, the most viral show wasn’t a Western or European production, but instead, a Korean one.
To many casual watchers, Squid Game may have just been a viral show. But in the sphere of film and media, it was the show that popularized Korean productions.
Suddenly, new Korean releases such as Business Proposal and All Of Us Are Dead were in Netflix’s ‘Top 10’, and people would look for Kdramas to watch instead of browsing the Western catalogue.
In this regard, Squid Game’s success was instrumental in popularizing Korean Dramas amongst Western watchers.
It catapulted the popularity of Korean Dramas and introduced millions to dozens of amazing productions that otherwise wouldn’t have received international attention.
In conclusion, Squid Game (2021) was more than just a show: it was the window of opportunity that allowed Korean Dramas to find their place in the sphere of Western media. It was the coming together of millions of fans globally to enjoy a thrilling, dystopian TV series from an otherwise under-recognized genre.
The question now is will Squid Game Season 2 experience the same virality as Season 1, and can we expect it to send forth a new wave of Korean Drama popularity? Only time will tell.
For now, I’m setting a countdown for December 26th and getting ready to revisit an old classic!