"We are not horses": How the world missed the true point of Squid Game
I’m writing this review almost a year after the final season’s release. I don’t want to go into the plot, the pros, or the cons—all of that has already been said in other reviews, and I completely agree with them. I want to talk about how such a profound and relevant story (especially in today’s world) was turned into a joke, a TikTok trend, and memes. So...
"Squid Game" was never truly understood in the way it was intended. Many couldn’t understand the characters’ actions, including those of Gi Hun. "We are not horses, we are humans" —these final words of the protagonist carry a meaning that only a small fraction of fans truly understood.
Many see only death and violence in this story, turning the characters’ tragedies into a "cool meme scene," forgetting that these deaths, the fear of living on, the fear of dying, and the loss of loved ones are about real human pain, not entertainment. These people died, but for what? Their problems fell onto their families, who now live with the feeling that they were deliberately abandoned. No one tried to truly understand Nam Gyu, Thanos, Min Su, Sang Woo, and the others —their deaths were turned into a pitiful joke.
Gi Hun didn’t die “for the sake of a baby”, he saw no point in living, saw no point in that money —he simply couldn’t take it anymore. He returned the second time to end it all, he wanted to stop the game and save everyone. But when everyone died, he was overwhelmed by guilt, hatred, and depression. He promised Jun Hee he would save the baby at any cost —and he did.
"Squid Game" was never truly understood in the way it was intended. Many couldn’t understand the characters’ actions, including those of Gi Hun. "We are not horses, we are humans" —these final words of the protagonist carry a meaning that only a small fraction of fans truly understood.
Many see only death and violence in this story, turning the characters’ tragedies into a "cool meme scene," forgetting that these deaths, the fear of living on, the fear of dying, and the loss of loved ones are about real human pain, not entertainment. These people died, but for what? Their problems fell onto their families, who now live with the feeling that they were deliberately abandoned. No one tried to truly understand Nam Gyu, Thanos, Min Su, Sang Woo, and the others —their deaths were turned into a pitiful joke.
Gi Hun didn’t die “for the sake of a baby”, he saw no point in living, saw no point in that money —he simply couldn’t take it anymore. He returned the second time to end it all, he wanted to stop the game and save everyone. But when everyone died, he was overwhelmed by guilt, hatred, and depression. He promised Jun Hee he would save the baby at any cost —and he did.
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