Who is watching Squid Game on Netflix?

The head of Netflix said that Squid Game may surpass Bridgerton as Netflix's most watched show. It's become a phenomenon literally overnight.

It’s a phenomenon

Just what the world did not need.

It's a show that will do well because its full of constant gratuitous violence but operates at a level a child could follow. There's no strategy or character development, there are just occasional plot revelations that keep things interesting.

I lasted about five minutes. The dubbing was too distracting and I felt like I was watching a kung fu movie from 1973.

So it's a game show or actual drama?

I am watching it as I type this. I am enjoying it so far.

My mom loved it so it must cater to the 50+ audience too.

I think people like it’s because “Korean” and they’re woke.

Freaky and probably not good for my soul but I’m liking it.

[quote]I think people like it’s because “Korean” and they’re woke.

Oh, stop! Sometimes people just like things because they like them. There are hundreds of Korean shows with hundreds of episodes on Netflix. This one got attention because there were things to like here that could have applied to any cast, no matter the color.

It was simple and binges on horror. It reminded me of the Saw movies. You didn't need to be a genius to follow it.

When they watch these shows they imagine themselves in the game and wonder if they would survive.

It's a way of getting the audience to participate in what they're watching.

See: The Exam.

The same people that like this genre now would have liked it if it had a white cast.

I like it - it's like a rollercoaster ride with highs and lows and I don't even like rollercoaster. Just enjoy the ride.

It's too intense. My heart was racing during the first episode's game.

The actors playing the VIP guests were terrible.

Its like Hunger Games using broke ass Korean people instead of children as contestants, but not as good IMHO. And too much of that screaming old whore lady! She needs to stfu already.

More mindless crap.

I saw a commercial for a Frogger game show. No creativity left.

I watch a lot of Kdramas ( have for years) I find them pleasant and not taxing. This looked odd to me but I might check it out.

Kdramas.

Unlicensed Halloween costumes are already available on Amazon.

[quote] The dubbing was too distracting and I felt like I was watching a kung fu movie from 1973.

Why not turn the dubbing off, R5?

A DLer is watching with dubbing? Jeeze, how lame. Too many flyovers here now.

I clicked on it and there was dubbing. I don’t watch enough Netflix to know that it could be turned off, so now I have my bf AND Datalounge laughing at me.

Cunts!

Yes Kdramas . That is what a Korean drama show is called dumbass

First episode blew me away bro

I just finished it!! Very good...so many great characters!

I can never watch a foreign language film/tv series with dubbing...just no!

Some of the cast will be on Jimmy Fallon on Oct 6th.

So far into episode six. Very good

This is worth a watch. It’s very violent and full of gratuitous shooting of innocent people, so it should please an American audience.

It’s a global hit

Episode 6 scarred me for life. So painful and sad.

Dang. I’m just starting it

And there's an openly gay character to boot. He is white, grotesquely obese, loser, and butt of jokes. But at least he got his priorities straight - choosing cock over the game.

Such great story telling. So sad at the end.

I was shocked by how bad the VIP actors were. Easily the worst part of the show.

Starting episode 9 now!

This sounds like the kind of thing I would've definitely watched about 10 years ago but now I think it would just disturb me too much in a way that I don't want. As I get older, I get softer. I'll probably read all about it instead of watching it, which I find easier, and will read everyone's opinions here too.

I suspected the end (won’t spoil it) involving the head guy.

Great show. Agree that the VIPs were the weakest - I preferred NOT seeing the behind the scenes players (with the exception of the host) and they kinda ruined it. It didn’t help that they all had purses falling out of their mouths… Why did they all have to be so camp? Change that and I think it was pretty damn good.

Up to episode 8. At least it’s short

I recognized Emily Kuroda, who is one of the best things about Gilmore Girls.

The last episode

Finished!

Started watching it today. I’m hooked ! Love it.

Holy crap, just finished, started on Friday. It was amazing and I don’t usually do violence. I loved some of those characters so much and can’t wait to see who shows up on jimmy Fallon this week!

Ali is bae

You aren't the only one who fell for that r5. Netflix defaults to dubbing thanks to dumb Americans so you have to manually switch from the horrible dub to watching things in the original language with subtitles.

I shed a few tears for episode 6

I watched it with the dubbing because I was working when I watched it. Administrative, repetitive stuff, so I was able to pay attention to the show, but not mindless enough that I could read subtitles. The dubbing was indeed terrible. Even just some of the choices for the voices were awful. Don't have a young woman dub the voice of an old woman, it just sounds completely wrong, have an old woman dub the voice. There are great voice actors out there, do they cost too much to hire them to dub a show? Dubbed voices are usually incredibly hammy. Video games have better voice acting than dubbed shows.

The best dubbing I have heard on a Netflix show was Dark, and even that wasn't very good. I plan to re-watch that series in November, and will do so with subtitles.

I don’t understand why someone would watch a show dubbed if they can hear the original language it was meant to be heard in .Don’t watch it at all . You don’t deserve to watch anything .

I think the voice acting work for dubbing is often pretty bad, it's so commonly a rushed affair. And then you also have dialogue not matching facial movements of the actors.

But yes, subtitles take away your ability to do other stuff. You have to put down your phone/laptop and pay attention. I think a good thing for our society, but a lot of people are not okay with so want dubs.

Why doesn't Netflix put out their shows on a weekly basis? It's a lot of time investment to watch these shows at one sitting. It becomes like homework.

I prefer weekly release format as well r51. It generates so much more discussion and engagement about a show. Everybody can talk about it after each ep and be on the same page.

I used to love that Netflix let's you binge, but I realized the old format is better. Its why other streaming platforms aren't doing binging.

I was bummed at the twist/reveal in the final episode.

While watching, I was not thrilled with the final episode, but I am at peace with it after thinking about it all day

R52, it depends on the show. They have a few shows that are released weekly however those are the minority. Drag Race is one of those shows...

You must be a non-American r55, as Netflix doesn’t drag race here.

Drag Race is released weekly by VH1, Netflix then shares it next day to some countries around the world but they have no choice but to air it weekly because that is how VH1 delivers it.

The speech in the final episode on Floor 7 just went oooooooooon.

Loved it, though I did have to look away during the games, it was too much for me.

I don't know, after the world showed its ass during Covid, if I agree with the thesis of the piece, but it made for a nice story.

It’s the biggest show in netflix history. There will be subsequent seasons. Yes seasons

For now, the creator-director says that there won't be anymore seasons. He has other projects. That's class.

r27 Just press pause and change the settings to Korean with subtitles. takes about two seconds and you can switch back and forth to see what you like better.

R56, hahaha...I'm born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn...but go on...

It was violent but it had me hooked after the first episode. I usually get bored and switch channels but this was riveting. There was always a surprise or a catch in each episode.

[quote]Why doesn't Netflix put out their shows on a weekly basis? It's a lot of time investment to watch these shows at one sitting. It becomes like homework.

Had no idea that once you started watching, Netflix required to watch all episodes in one sitting.

The genius of the show was the second episode where they all freaking chose to go back knowing everything they knew. That's what separates it from YA stuff like Hunger Games, not the violence. Really haunting stuff.

Alice in Borderland is better.

Yikes r35.

I just got to that episode and the actors playing the VIPs were HORRID. That was community theater in Kansas level acting.

What an embarrassment for the show. I know finding American actors in Korea is probably not easy, but fly some decent actors in.

Gong Yoo, who plays “The Salesman” is sooooo hot.

Hey, buster, R67! I've seen very good community theater in Kansas! Those VIP guys were horrid. The masks were fantastic though.

I found the subway salesman very striking. Here's a better pic. Like most Asians, he looks much younger for someone over 40.

^ He has been a popular star

The guy who played the cop is hot too

R67, the show was shot during covid. It was probably hard to find decent foreign actors in Korea at that time

I loved it! The end was especially great when they came out in Halston and did a big musical Kpop number.

Did they have to make all of the watchers ambiguously gay? Or unambiguously, in the case of the fat guy.

I'm on the fence. Strong parabole for what capitalism does to the lower classes, but Parasite did it better.

No. I won't watch anything with asians in it.

[quote]The guy who played the cop is hot too

Poor navel placement.

Not too sure I understood the end though. Did he call the number at the airport because he wants to go back and confronts the organisers? Why would he do that (apart from being the starting point for a second season)? Why simply not telling the police? He’s not using the prize money anyway. And agreed, both the salesman and cop were hot as fuck.

The character would rather throw away all the money and neglect his daughter just to play the game again. This is why he hasn't been successful in life, he's self-destructive. The Squid Game was the only thing he has been successful at.

Didn’t y’all see Train to Busan? Gong Yoo is the star of that movie

Train to Busan was great and Gong Yoo was adorable in it. I’m going to rewatch it later.

I thought the guy playing the main guy’s friend was hot, too. He looked cute in the beginning with his glasses, but haf at the end in the tux.

Ali is hot

Here he is with the cute cop. The cop has a great smile. I’d like to see more of him.

I liked the show, but I don’t want a sequel. It’ll be about the guy (and probably the cop, who you know survived) trying to take down the organization yada yada.

I think it works fine as a one and done. Guy should’ve gotten on the plane and visited his daughter.

Liking something Korean, ie non-American, is definitely virtue signalling. Also woke, and thus utterly without value:

Jane Austen

James Baldwin

Jesus Christ

Agatha Christie

Diana, Princess of Wales

Alexandre Dumas

George Eliot

Kazuo Ishiguro

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr

Armistead Maupin

Margaret Mitchell

Sappho

Sun Tzu

Oscar Wilde

What about Margaret Cho, R85? She's American AND Korean.

Woman AND Asian? Then she’s woke by default, r86. Plumpness and latent dykiness do not cancel out the facts.

R84, agreed. A second season along those lines would be silly. Although I wouldn’t mind seeing more of the hot cop, whom we know survived. After all he was only shot in the shoulder. Considering this is Netflix’ most popular show ever, we can be sure there will be more seasons though.

[quote]the show was shot during covid. It was probably hard to find decent foreign actors in Korea at that time

Ah! This explains a lot. Those guys were truly terrible.

The salesman and the cop were hot as hell. If there must be a sequel (and I don't want there to be) it should about those two running away to Hawaii, becoming a gay couple and staying at the White Lotus.

It's helped NFLX reach blue-sky territory. According to some traders.

[quote]… and staying at the White Lotus.

Burn it with fire.

Korean thirst

R9, Go back and watch your lily-white movies from the 1950s. You are so boring.

Campus police

Thankfully I have r9 on ignore

I would lose my shit if that happened to me randomly in public, R94. The Tug of War was clever, but Red Light Green Light will haunt me until I am dead. Hopefully, not from a robot doll.

Run a Train on me to Busan

HBCU

I can’t believe some people haven’t seen Train to Busan. It’s impeccable

I've never had a Korean

Bodybuilder

Grey sweatpants

It wasn't some twist out of nowhere, there were a lot of hints that was coming r53. If you missed it the first time I'm sure you'll notice it if you rewatch.

Plot twist *spoiler alert

That’s not really a plot twist.

Though, I did think it was the girl at first. Maybe it was the party line, idk.

Brawl!

Did anyone here think the old man was his father? Some theories was the old man's number was 001, the first number and Gi-Hun's number was 456, the very last number and he wanted to connect with his long lost son before he died. They shared the same memories about their neighborhood. IMO, Gi-Hun was programmed to win. That was the father's money and Gi-Hun will be the front man in the next season.

Just saw first there episodes. That tomboy girl is gorgeous.

She won the equivalent to Korea's Top Model previous to this. Squid Game was her first time acting.

She’s really good.

I guessed who the the old man was from the first scene but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

Everyone’s talking about the cop and the Salesman, but what about the Front Man, played by Byung Hun Lee? Now there’s a perfect man!

The actor who played Gi Hun was pretty hot. Interesting about the dubbing. I didn’t mind it (I also didn’t know you could turn it off) but maybe I’ll watch again with subtitles.

Gong Yoo is so hot

Do try watching it with the subtitles. For starters it’s a subtly different translation and, frankly, it’s better. The dubbed translation is shortened and/or lengthened to fit the movements of the actors' mouths and so the lines are sometimes slightly inaccurate.

R122 Makes sense - I will try.

I have to say the dubbed voice of the robot doll was very CREEPY.

R112 I meant

One thing to be said about the dubbing - the old man’s voice was very good.

I concur

The whole thing with pink soldiers and organ harvesting in episodes 4 and 5 was so stupid. I didn't know who was who. How were we supposed to know under which mask the policeman was? Especially when he was switching the masks.

Never had a problem telling which one was the cop.

R118 It was the one in a pink suit and a black fencing mask, right?

Why did all the VIPs sounded gay? And were portrayed by terrible actors? If they couldn't find better actors, they should have find people who would do convincing voiceovers. We could see them when they talked, anyway. Plus they were all Americans? There are no scummy millionaires and billionaires in other countries? And they came all the way from USA to watch the games on a big screen? They could have done that from home.

I think it was posited upthread that during the pandemic they didn’t exactly have access to a wide foreign talent pool. I have American friends who work in SKorean theatre and the quarantine rules for foreigners even now are insane.

[quote]Why did all the VIPs sounded gay?

I've not seen the show, so I might be talking out of turn here:

Is there an implication that gayness is somehow linked to evil? Kind of like an old fashioned version of what evil is, femininity in male being associated with gayness and bad behaviour?

One thing I don't believe many people really know about South Korea is that it's very much a Christian country. I wonder if that plays into it here. It'd be a shame, they are making some great art, but if they're going to have this whole retro attitude towards gays popping up, well...

The world’s largest church, an Assemblies of God church, is in Seoul. It has hundreds of thousands of members

That’s why the VIPs rubbed me the wrong way - if any of the “good guys” had been gay, then I wouldn’t have had a problem. It was just the fact that the villains were all extremely…camp.

Felt like it was on purpose.

So the old man faked his own death in the game with marbles. How would he fake his own death if he moved in the first game or in the rope pulling?

R125 with the first game, they (snipers) must’ve known not to shoot him. Not sure how he could avoid death in the tug of war.

Maybe he really want to play - for real. Risking death made him feel alive again. He sure looked thrilled during the first game.

The VIP actor in the water buffalo (?) mask regularly presents cum gutters and pube veins on Instagram.

I just thought you should know.

The VIPs were extremely effeminate

Hahahaha only on Datalounge could we track that guy down!

The VIPs weren't all American. There was a Russian and a Chinese guy.

I agree that the VIP actors were horrible. And though I think they were trying to pass for Americans, there was something off about their English. There was no obvious accent but their sentences didn't have the right cadence. It was bizarre sounding to my ears.

And the VIP dialogue itself was awful. Written by a Korean trying too hard to sound American I imagine.

During the final game one VIP taught the others a Chinese phase and had an Asian accent. The one wearing the stag mask. And there was at least one Russian or Eastern European.

Where can one buy a pink jumpsuit? Athletic fit

I personally know that scene a bit and some 'foreign models and actors' in Korea... who could never really worked and made money as such back home with such awful non-existent talent or looks.

There's already a ton of unofficial Squid Game Halloween costumes on Amazon. Wow.

An unpaid performance by the VIP who flounced off to the champagne room with the cop:

[quote]EXCLUSIVE: Geoffrey Giuliano, 63, had been visiting a Big-C supermarket in Pattaya, Thailand, when he alleged barged in front of a customer and started ranting at him. Giuliano - wearing several press passes with his name on - said: 'You're not intimidating me by that camera, I'm an actor.' He swore at the man, saying 'go f*** yourself' and telling him 'I'm an American, I do what I want, we're the kings of the world, OK.' Giuliano has starred in a number of movies including Dragonwolf, Scorpion King 3, The Sixth Element and Jules Vernes The Mysterious Island among others.

Prep

The VIP guests represent 5 countries that have veto power in UN. The Security Council has five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—collectively known as the P5. Any one of them can veto a resolution.

[quote] I think they were trying to pass for Americans, there was something off about their English trying to pass for Americans/.

And here I thought some sounded like Australians. There are people other than Americans that are arrogant and super-wealthy like Rupert Murdoch and that Packard billionaire.

SPOILER ALERT They tried to give the show too much twists and shock moments in the last episode. Or last two. Seong Gi-hun's best friend turning psycho, killing the girl, killing himself, the front man being the policeman's brother, old man being the brain behind the whole thing, Seong Gi-hun not going on a plane and returning. The policeman and his brother was the worst. He heard him talk several times when he was hiding and he didn't recognize his own brother's voice. And then at the end standing right in front of him and still not recognizing him. And the whole reveal was stupid. We didn't even know how his brother was supposed to look like and didn't know bit was him untill the cop called his name. And we had no backstory to them, unlike Seong Gi-hun and old man, so it wasn't emotional or shocking bit anything that the writers were hoping for. It just came out of nowhere and was done in a minute.

If they couldn't find the good actors during Covid, they could have find good voiceover people. You can do that stuff from Hollywood, you don't need to travel to South Korea. Put the voices over shitty actors. They had masks, we couldn't see their mouths anyway.

R137 " 'I'm an American, I do what I want" What a piece of shit. He sounds exactly like the character he portrayed. And in Thailand of all places. The center of sex tourism. I guess he didn't need to act on the show, he was being his true self. That's why he was the only convincing one out of the VIPs.

[quote]They tried to give the show too much twists and shock moments in the last episode. Or last two. Seong Gi-hun's best friend turning psycho, killing the girl, killing himself, the front man being the policeman's brother, old man being the brain behind the whole thing, Seong Gi-hun not going on a plane and returning.

Not a single on of those things was a "shock" or "twist moment." All of them were foreshadowed throughout the series. The only one that surprised me in the slightest was the old man, but it was more of a satisfying "ah-ha!" moment than a shock.

R144 The "I saw the ending first few minutes in, so predictable" guy.

In North Korea, this would be a documentary.

R145 The "I didn't get the ending even after I watched it" guy.

For the poster who asked why the cop didn’t recognize his brother’s voice, I think the mask altered it. When In-Ho took off his mask, his voice sounded different, more normal.

R147 Get the ending? What was there to get? It wasn't some deep, complicated thing to get. It was pretty simple and straight forward. I don't know what ending you have watched.

The two things about the last episode that bugged me the most:

Gi-hun’s best friend’s mom leaving the suitcase full of 💵 💵 💵 wide open in the street. I was yelling at her through the TV!

Gi-hun’s choice of hair color. No, gurl! Do not embarrass your daughter again with that mess.

R150 He's not going to embarrass his daughter since he didn't enter the plane, meaning he didn't change and stayed the old shitty dad he always has been.

How easy is for a complete stranger to get the kid out of the orphanage just like that? And leave the child with a random woman to take care of him. No papers signed, no nothing. What a dumb plan on his part. What if the old lady dies in a week?

R152, with money, you can do anything. We’re supposed to watch him sign papers?

R153 That granny never signed anything or ever saw the kid before. So he just left the kid that he adopted with a complete (elderly) stranger?

r154 She isn't a stranger to him. She is like a mother figure to him. He knew she'd take care of the kid. Whether leaving her all that money was a good idea or not, i don't know.

R155 She was not like a mother figure to him. He had a mother. She was his childhood best friend's mom. That's it. What I meant, she was a complete stranger to the kid. She just met him a few seconds ago, before he abandon him

r150 people don't steal to the same extent in the RoK like they do in other places. There was also no one around.

I watched it with subtitles, and then dubbed in English. The dubbing is done by Korean American actors, notably Emily Kuroda, and it seemed to 'improve' a few of the performances for me.

I never watch shows with English dub but I made an exception here. I’m with r12/r13 in that I found it just a little bit too intense, so the awful dub actually added some levity to it.

[quote] Gi-hun’s choice of hair color. No, gurl! Do not embarrass your daughter again with that mess.

By our standards, yeah; cringe. On the other hand, if you ever go to Seoul, that’s actually a pretty hip look. It suggests he’s a successful man. At least he didn’t get a face lift.

I usually hate dubs, R159, but I had nothing better to do than watch it again, and it was well done.

Love

K Thirst

Stop posting fucking TikTok videos, you child.

Is there a form of expression (let alone communication) more puerile or tiresome than TikTok? Give the internet another year or two and I’m sure they’ll find one.

Lesbian thirst

Sweatpants

Hot damn we have a TikTok troll.

When the cop was searching through the records, didn’t he discover that his brother had won a past season? Why serve as front man if he has all that money?

The brothers are very close. The cop gave him a kidney and risked his job and life to search for him. Then they just shoot each other? What a letdown.

Battle Royale did it all funnier, more violent and a fuck load quicker.

R170 I’m thinking he blew through his winnings. You’d have to imagine he was bad with money like the other players. I don’t think he wants to be there.

R172, some of us want a bit more story than that overrated crap.

Writing on this show wasn't the best, I agree

R175, did you write for The Sopranos? There's a screenwriter somewhere here, if I recall correctly.

The show may not the best out there but I must admit it was the most fun and thrilling ride I've had watching a tv show in a while.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

They’re “villains” for watching the same thing we watched?

How could the brother blow through tens of millions of dollars without the detective noticing?

R170.

We don't know much about him, but if he won the game he is probably has a ruthless streak and secretly enjoyed the games. Im guessing he found life boring trying to return to the normal world, so wanted to stay involved in the games.

The fact that we don’t know much about him is a major flaw in the series. They built up the search for the brother into a major plot and then never explained his behavior.

[quote] The brothers are very close. The cop gave him a kidney and risked his job and life to search for him. Then they just shoot each other? What a letdown.

Agreed. I know the series creator says no second season, and that’s probably a good thing, but that last episode was written as if they had a second season in mind.

With its immense popularity it wouldn’t surprise me if they reverse that decision - much like Big Little Lies and now possibly Mare of Easttown.

To me it's okay to have some mystery and not tie everything up in a neat little bow r182. We know the brother won the games, and then became involved in running it. I can fill in some dots from there.

I wouldn't be surprised if they give into the money offered r183, but I hope they don't. Does anyone really think a second season would be as entertaining as the first? Especially if the writers don't feel inspired to write one, but are just pressured into it.

It's okay to end things, leave the audience wanting more.

The hero getting off the plane in the end seemed like a cliffhanger for Season 2. I’m surprised they don’t intend to continue.

To me I looked at it as at the end of the story he is basically the same character r185.

When faced with the ability to go have a nice, simple time with his family, he chooses to run off and live dangerously and gamble. The same choice he makes in the pilot. Except this time instead of horse betting he is playing an even more dangerous game. And I don't think this would end any better for him than it did in the pilot.

How I took that ending at least.

R182 Agree. The whole story of a cop and his brother was unnecessary.

R186 - I didn’t read it as him going back to play again but to try to end the games and avenge his friends who died. You are probably right, though.

Well yes not to play "The Games" again r188, but trying to go after the people is a new game he is deciding to play. And one he doesn't have to, he could just get on the plane and have a nice time with his daughter.

But he likes the thrill, it's that compulsion which got him into that situation in the first place.

Evidently the Front Man’s file states he too was a cop. Who knows what dirty business he was caught up in, or whether he was a gambler, etc. Also, he won five years ago; maybe the prize money wasn’t nearly as much as it is now.

I liked the story of the brothers. I guessed who the old man was immediately but I never saw that brother connection coming.

Clearly, the second season is going to be about Mare and Seong Gi-hun teaming up to take down the cop's brother. Seems like kind of a no-brainer.

[quote] I know the series creator says no second season

Seriously? This is Netflix biggest show, surpassing Bridgerton by miles worldwide. It's been the number 1 show for 4 weeks.

I recently read that Netflix wants a second season and they will probably pay Big Bucks to see that done. Money talks.

Deadline: Squid Game drew 111 million viewers in its first month on the platform, per internal Netflix estimates, becoming the biggest launch in the streaming giant’s history.

That tally through the first 28 days shatters the previous mark set by Bridgerton, which was seen by 82 million households after its debut last Christmas. Netflix counts any sampling of at least two minutes of any episode as an official view.

The writer-director said he doesn't presently have plans for a second season but he's open to it. He's just busy with other stuff at present. I'm sure there'll be a second season–just not anytime soon.

There’s no way Netflix won’t shove a second season down our throats. And a third. And a fourth. And a spin off. And a movie. And a whole freaking multiverse.

Of course

[quote] There’s no way Netflix won’t shove a second season down our throats. And a third. And a fourth. And a spin off. And a movie. And a whole freaking multiverse.

Actually I wish Netflix was more like this rather than canceling a show after 2 seasons based on their fucking algorithm.

Black women are having a K-craze moment

A lot of the actors in this are former models. It’s a real bone structure parade.

There were four attractive men (the salesman, the cop, the cop’s brother and the childhood best friend). Other than that a lot of fug.

Ali was pretty cute

Ali was cute, but there was something cringey and pandering about his character. I wonder how he was received by the S. Korean audience.

Gong Yoo is bae

Lilly, r203?

Young Gi-hun could get it too.

Nice Korean nipple placement.

We need a Korean hottie thread

R200 what about the gangster and the main character?!

Eeewwww. The gangster guy was repellent.

He was

K-hotties

The gangster wasn’t hot, but he had nice lips

I thought the gangster was sexy.

Not my type. But there were others who are

What a difference a haircut makes. I thought Gong Yoo was hot as hell as the salesman, but in most pictures I've found of him online I don't find him attractive at all.

Lee Jung Jae is pretty hot, though he’s past his prime now.

That husband and wife were idiots for signing up together, since they were not only risking their individual lives, they were risking their lives as a couple. And given that the top prize is split among winners, there was no financial advantage in both of them sharing the top prize between themselves over one of them winning it alone. I suppose under the scenario where they had to share the prize with other people that it would yield a higher payout if they both had a winning share, but they would have to be ridiculously greedy to find that incentivizing, given that a smaller payout would be more money than they would know what to do with anyway.

I am shocked that it is so big, the premise has been done to dead in various movies and manga, it is hair raising to think that they will beat this dead horse premise again. Either way, I am irked by how they show a certain homosex flavor among the VIPs, implying homosexuality is foreign, immoral, and cringe. Meanwhile, a bunch of K-drama shows do have same sex couple, the K-boy bands do have gay baiting.

R218, you sound like a miserable fuck. Jesus.

R219 Maybe R218 went to SNU and is still broke.

I do agree with r218 that it isn't great that the only time homosexuality comes up in the series is in this very negative connotation

If a hit Malaysian/Indonesian/Egyptian series did the same with homosexuality, no one would say anything out of respect for Islam (and for some journalists, out of fear for their own safety). You freely bitch and moan about the Korean series because you're ignorant of, and/or don't respect the culture, which is still very Confucian: sexual minorities aren't by default depicted as virtuous in the media.

Neocolonial (most likely American) idiots: no one told you to watch the show. If you don't like it, don't watch.

You're no different from airhead woke American teenagers who complain that the only "representation" of "body art" in the series is on a gangster, and there were no trans or gender-nonconforming characters. Just STFU.

^fuck you.

R218, K-pop boy groups don't engage in "gay baiting": they're not trying to lure a gay following. They show same-sex affection because it's normal in the culture, and in the clearly contrived and intense cases, because they're entertaining straight girls.

That may have true in the past, but now they are keenly aware of the homoerotic interpretation and appeal to global audiences, and accordingly, often cater to them

R225, they're still not doing it to target gay men. Note who makes all the fan compilations in English on YouTube shipping one member with another: girls. They know the shipping titillates girls both at home and abroad.

You're probably not a stan anyway, so what do you really know?

Lies, all lies! There is NOTHING gay about BTS. They're all notorious pussyhounds.

I thought it made those guys even more terrifying. They aren’t super geniuses, they’re just selfish frat boys.

Sure, but even playing a selfish frat boy type there is a way to do it with skill, and a way to do it as an amateur r229. Those line readings were amateurish. The dialogue already was pretty mundane in their defense, but it became even worse when these guys tried to deliver it.

They were kind of goofy, but also the lines weren’t great. I hope we get more VIPs in season 2. I found the scenes with them really disturbing.

If there is a Season 2 the VIP characters will be played by top notch western actors. Guarantee it. This show is a big hit, they wouldn't just go with whatever white guys they could find again.

Hot

You're welcome.

r229, now that you mention it, their bad delivery did rather give the scene a Clockwork Orange effect.

That’s what he said.

The main VIP, that is. His YouTube channel is….something.

Thanks r236, I feel totally validated!

Giveon

R234 He is breathtaking!

We need NOT need to see Jeffrey Giuliano naked!

(or the two "villains" shagging in the toilet stall).

Other than that, no complaints. Well, other than the fact that the dudes who should have been nude, weren't.

The reason Gi-hun dyed his hair red and got off the plane. According to the director.

I think something was lost in translation.

What the fuck does that mean?

He’s enraged

More hot Koreans!

The director's explanation of the ending doesn't make sense.

Edmund G. Brown, governor of California

Jerry Brown, governor of California

oops, sorry,, wrong thread

Jerry Brown is one of the VIPs?!? What a twist!

They like throwing it into our face what's going on in the world for real.

R236 Bunch of excuses. The VIPs have been terrible cause they are terrible actors. But to be honest, he was the only one someone decent among them.

Yes, r250. I’d love to see what Daniel Day Lewis could have done with the role.

The main reason this show is so popular is because it's non-woke.

It’s socialist propaganda.

I was cross-checking the SG actors for other stuff on Netflix and there is a shit ton of Korean fare to stream.

I'm starting "Prison Playbook" starring Park Hae-Soo (the runner-up on SG).

Someone should create a reboot spinoff called "Match Game," with Brett, Charles, Fannie, McLean, Joyce & Richard battling to the death armed only with double entendres & double scotches.

r256 Those pathetic excuses for actors must never see a screen again. Utterly awful.

Maybe in the minority but I enjoy how corny the VIPs are. They're campy-bad, made me laugh.

Noting with great interest that new DL Non-Fave Geoffrey Giuliano is now a resident of Thailand.

I love the Beatles but 32 books’ worth of material?

R259 Did you see the video where he gets into a fight with someone from Thailand in a store and he keeps going on about he's an American and Americans always get what they want and so on?

I've been watching the dub because my partner is dyslexic and can't keep up with subtitles; I don't mind it for the most part, although some of the dialogue is really stilted and un-idiomatic in service of the lip sync. I wonder if eventually some AI wizard will figure out a way to digitally sync the actors' lip movements to the dialogue rather than the other way around.

Scarlet Innocence

For me, the dubbing is bad because of the hysterical laughter and the overly-excited responses when the actor’s face is somewhat calm. Or added grunts when in real life there wouldn’t t be any or they’d be soft and short. When the woman was opening the suitcase full of money, it sounded like she was lifting a car.

So why watch the dubbed version?

Most use dub because they don’t wanna read. Many want to be able to do other stuff (including check social media, clean, cook) while watching a movie, and close captioning doesn’t allow it.

Exactly. Also, I find it difficult to catch the action and facial expressions while reading subtitles. People swear they can catch it all, but I can't. If it is something I really want to watch and it is only subtitled, I will do it. Otherwise, dub.

Dubbing is for lazy morons

Why did the guy turnaround in the end? WTF can he do? He will get killed in S2. Also, what happened to the policeman? That was not a kill shot (shoulder) and he fell in the water.

It’s fiction

I'm 5 minutes into it and the acting is bad I don't know if I can keep watching.