Did I miss the Squid Game topic? *Spoilers maybe after first post*

I'm a little perplexed why people seem to love it so much. I originally wrote the reaction off as being a lot of peoples first asian death game and they are stunned and engrossed in the violence, which is fine. Red Light Green Light is pretty brutal if you aren't expecting it and that can get you pretty invested in watching through to the end. The tenseness of people trying to complete a mundane task and having people brutally murdered next to you can be very impactful, which the first two games delivered on.

But its getting SO many positive reviews everywhere, it's way more than I'd expect. IMO, as someone whos seen a lot of these types of games, the games mostly weren't very interesting themselves - it was only the fact that people are dying and the impact that's having that makes it gripping. So obviously that makes this show look weak compared to something that accomplishes that tenseness while also having interesting games.

But mostly importantly.... the characters and writing were really bad. There's a couple characters that are aight, but the main character in particular is so unbelievably unlikeable - which is fine as a character trait, but he never grows or changes or even really understands anything about the nature of the situation he's in. He just alternates from acting pathetically selfish to pathetically incompetent but optimistic about teamwork. The ending was particularly bad - he fails as a character in so many ways I can't even keep count. Spitting on the memory and wishes of everyone else by going into a catatonic state and not using they money and therefore not helping anybody, completely being unable to have any sort of rational discussion with the old man, not at all stepping up to be a dad to his daughter or to whatshernames brother, then actually deciding to do something with his life... and just dumping the brother on another person to deal with, AND bailing on his daughter again right after getting her hopes up that he's coming to see her, and then finally thinking he's going to do something "badass" by coming after the organization after being clueless and helpless the entire games and completely flopping his opportunity to talk with the person who literally organized the games. What is he going to accomplish? He's the most proven worthless player in the games, but somehow the show wants us to believe other wise. All of these things I just complained about arent' necessarily bad endings for a character like this - a pathetic character can continue to be pathetic. But the show doesn't seem to want us to think he's pathetic - we are supposed to root for this guy and think that he does have genuinely good merits, and that he did the right thing in the end, and that he's actually going to do something about that organization in the sequel bait. Ugh. This is all just a nightmare.