[In-Depth Review] What If There Was No Episode 2 in 'Ojingeo Game'...

"What changes if we leave? It's the same hell." This line appears in episode 2 of 'Ojingeo Game' (Squid Game). People who joined the game with their last hope at the edge of life learn in episode 1 that elimination means brutal death, and they try to stop the game through a vote. However, their resolve wavers when the final prize money of a staggering 45.6 billion won is announced. Even those who begged to be let out immediately change their attitude, shouting that the outside world is just as much a hell as the game.

When 'Ojingeo Game' was first released, domestic viewers' reactions were not all positive. The first controversy to arise was the plagiarism allegation. Many pointed out that it reminded them of representative works in the 'death game' genre, which depict contestants risking their lives in survival games. In fact, director Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that he was inspired by works such as 'Battle Royale,' 'Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji' (Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji), and 'Liar Game.'

Now, a month after its release, amid an intensifying global phenomenon, evaluations of 'Ojingeo Game' have completely changed. Especially, positive reviews focusing on its distinctiveness rather than its similarities to existing death game genre works have increased. Unlike works that drive the plot with the tension of the game itself, attention has shifted to the suffocating reality outside the game, which is even more brutal. Episode 2 clearly reveals this characteristic.

Returning to the story, despite some agitation to continue the game, the majority chooses to stop after much deliberation. According to the vote, even those opposed are forced to leave the game. Episode 2 unfolds as a story where the participants who returned to the world realize anew how hellish the reality surrounding them is. In the winner-takes-all structure of capitalist society, the lower strata face harsher realities. Representative examples include Saebyeok (Jung Ho-yeon), a North Korean defector who was scammed by a broker and had to leave her younger sibling in an orphanage while earning money by any means, and Ali (Anupam Tripathi), a migrant worker who lost a finger in a factory accident but received neither hospital bills nor overdue wages.

Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who is in a relatively less discriminated position than them, also has no hope. After graduating from a technical high school and working as a laborer at a car company, his life spiraled downward when he was laid off due to company restructuring. He ventured into self-employment but failed repeatedly and even got divorced, separating from his daughter. The private loans he took out due to business failures kept increasing, and he eventually signed a physical waiver. Gi-hun's despair is even more tragic because it proves that once one falls into economic vulnerability, recovering their previous life becomes impossible in society.

Those who criticize 'Ojingeo Game' for being looser and less intense in brain games than other death game genre works often say episode 2 is the most boring. However, episode 2 is the definitive statement of the theme that the bare face behind the mask of the death game is the cruel reality of capitalist society. The main game truly begins when those who have felt the hopeless reality return to the game arena. They fight to avoid returning to the real hell beyond the guns in front of them. The excellence of 'Ojingeo Game' lies in its heavy awareness of the harsh reality outside the game.

Kim Sun-young, Popular Culture Critic