This article contains spoilers for the Netflix show “Squid Game”.

“This is hell. What are the rules in hell?” Deok-Su said, a character from Netflix’s currently most watched show “Squid Game ” after he discovers a horrifying truth about the game.

“Squid Game” is a nine-episode South Korean series released worldwide on Sept. 17, 2021 which became the most watched show on Netflix with 111 million fans as of Oct. 12th. According to Netflix “Squid Game” is about a group of hundreds of players that accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games to win prizes, but the players soon realize that these children’s games are deadly. It is a very violent show with unexpected turns, and has become viral on the internet. 

Mikayla Bilyeu, a fourth-year public health student, said “Squid Game” is a captivating show. She said it gave her some insight about Korean culture, while also being an interesting and unique story.

“I thought it was beautifully shot, and set up viewers to really connect with the characters. I was a bit disappointed in the ending but it’s honestly hard to wrap some shows up in a good way,” Bilyeu said via email.

Bilyeu said her favorite thing about “Squid Game” was the emotion it evokes. She said the show is very emotional and makes the viewers feel for what every character goes through.  

“My least favorite thing was that some of the story was lost in translation due to the language barriers between English and Korean,” Bilyeu said via email. “My Korean friend Dan said that there was important context lost due to the fact that the Korean dialogue could not fully be translated into English subtitles.”

Allison Kemmerer, second-year zoology student, said she is about midway through the show “Squid Game,” and so far it looks very well done and she recommends people to watch it. 

“My favorite part of the show is how absurd the concept is,” Kemmerer said via email. “It’s so wild to imagine being kidnapped and then playing kids’ games with your life at stake. My least favorite part is the plotline with the cop, because it seems like they just threw it in there last minute simply for more drama. I still enjoyed it, it just wasn’t as well done.”

Emerson Chase, fourth-year environmental sciences student, said he has only seen a couple of episodes, but so far he thinks that “Squid Game” has a catching storyline which pulls viewers into the lives of the main characters and the pressures they are up against. 

“My favorite aspect about the show so far is the background information they have captured for every main character in the show, which makes for a more connected experience as a viewer,” Chase said in an email. “My least favorite aspect about the show so far is the realism the storyline reflects on society, and the corruption of economic power within different societies.”

Andy Nguyen, second-year English student, said his favorite part of “Squid Game” was at the beginning when the character Ali saved Gi-hun in round one of the “Squid Game.” 

“I just thought about how Ali is such a great person and had a great character,” Nguyen said via email.

Kemmerer thinks “Squid Game” went viral because Netflix spent a lot of effort advertising it. She also thinks that the show went viral because it explores topics such as gambling, family, addiction, trust, ethics and morality. According to Kemmerer, “Squid Game” is a good show overall and deserves to be viral.