(Warning: This article contains some spoilers about the hit Netflix show) 

What would you do for money? How many people would you sacrifice to put yourself ahead? The Netflix series Squid Game poses and explores those exact questions. 

Released this, Squid Game took the internet and people’s interest by storm. Quickly becoming a trend on social media, it has only gained more traction as the season ended. 

“There were many messages in the show but the main one that recurred during the show was being in debt and people being chased or even killed if they didn’t pay it off,” Senior Alexus McGriggs said. “This shows in today’s world, with some people struggling to pay off credit card or college debt, they don’t know how to pay it off right, which could follow them for the rest of their life.” 

Another student, sophomore Lanaya George believes the show focuses on human greed.

“I believe the message of the show was people will do anything for money whether their life is on the line or not,” she said.

      In the hit series, people dangerously low on cash or severely in debt are targeted and enticed to play a series of reality TV games, where none are guaranteed to survive. 

With the show’s rising popularity, many students at MHS have dived into the series. 

“It Interested me because it’s so different than other shows,” Junior Taylor O’Hara said. “The variety and storyline behind the show is very impactful to where you go through an emotional roller-coaster every episode and gets you on your toes.”

            Sophomore Jazmariah Lee said she started watching because “it was advertised everywhere and everyone was talking about it.”

She said it’s definitely a spot watch. “If you really wanted to, you could binge watch, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

In this world, childish games are not always innocent, as the players find out. 

George’s favorite game was Red Light, Green Light.

“The scene caught my attention because that’s when I realized you lose your life and they have no remorse,” she said. “That’s when I realized that they have no choice to play this game or die due to the circumstances.”

Meanwhile, the glass game stood out to O’Hara.

“It was the most suspenseful one, and a lot of people were clueless about it,” she said. “It was one of the turning points in the situation because there were only three people left.”

      While the show doesn’t revolve around a single character, they all play a vital role in the story. Each character shows an aspect of human behavior, whether it be brutality and lack of morals, or kind-heartedness and caring. 

 “I disliked Sang-Woo the absolute most because he completely betrayed the people who trusted him by killing them,” Sophomore Alyssa Housman said. 

“He literally betrayed and killed Ali even though he had a family and felt bad about potentially killing him. Sang-woo also killed Kang Sae-byeok when she was extremely injured, and after she told Seomg Gi-hun not to kill him. So that’s why he is my least favorite character.”

         From the Dalgona challenge gaining popularity across Youtube to Roblox, to the art being made in surplus across all platforms, the show doesn’t look like it will fizzle out soon. Netflix recently announced that season 2 is already in the works.