Done with Squid Game and to be honest I was really disappointed.

Watched too many films/dramas until I can guess almost all plot points/twists most of the time now... Could see plot twists coming from a long way out and character motivations were not convincing at all either from the get-go. Even the amount of prize money at stake was not convincing to me. The westernized scenes were really unnecessary. Objectively speaking, the religious references were also highly unnecessary? We really do not need such references to flesh out humans' self-righteousness. Satire throughout the drama could have been done much more tastefully but everything just felt like they were afterthoughts.

Many Korean stylistic elements that I enjoy which make up great Korean productions' scripts so far were sadly missing from Squid Games' script which I am also disappointed about. Character motivations and development are so important for such survival games genre so this was really shocking for me since most of the time Korean dramas do not fail in this aspect... Especially shocking for a K-drama this hyped about.

Performances by Park Hae Soo and Heo Sung Tae and the production value were the only redeeming points. Lee Jung Jae was good as usual but his character was not as distinctive as Park's and sometimes felt sidelined in comparison even though he was the main character? His character was really a wasted opportunity in the script. I also felt the series could have been shortened by 2 episodes.

The final plot twist was bad too in my opinion. Trying to pull a Christopher Nolan Joker world view but again it did not work for me or even felt convincing.

Minor spoiler - And also, what is with the lack of diversity among the VIPs?

Expected much more from the critically acclaimed Korean writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk who directed and wrote the impactful and disturbing film Silenced (2011). Netflix probably had some influence over the creative work here I feel... But I did enjoy the cameos though.

Beyond Evil is really so so much better in comparison. The Hunger Games films too.

Squid Game - 6.5/10

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The best Korean drama in years

Beyond Evil is an intricate psychological mystery thriller redefining itself with every twist and turn before driving it home with its finale bombshell. The script is so well-woven and nuanced that almost every line contributes to the plot and character development and it is filled with Easter eggs that come out to punch you in the gut (or pelt you) when you least expected it. We are all monsters (the Korean name of the drama is literally “Monster”) regardless of the extent of our sins. While revealing the sins of others, we have to cover up our own sins too.

Many things are not black and white or fair in this world. Life is full of injustice, grievances, stereotypes and discrimination, sometimes through no fault of our own. Sometimes, we just become victims without reason. While many crime dramas usually focus on the spectacle and evil of serial murders, Beyond Evil looks far beyond this and lets us into the painful world of missing persons’ families who are left behind. Without a corpse, there is no crime and there can be no closure. Yet, within their pain, there is still hope. Hope in that one day their family member will return again alive and well. Hope in that one day justice will be served to the perpetrators of their pain. And it is probably this hope that has carried them till this day.

The plot, character development and character parallels in this Korean drama are near impeccable and it is not until the final scene where you really see everything and almost every character come full circle. I have never seen any other K-drama do all these without any major plot and character loopholes. This drama definitely deserves all the accolades it got from this year’s Baeksang Arts Awards, the biggest TV award show in Korea - “Best Drama”, “Best Screenplay” for the brilliant female scriptwriter Kim Su Jin and “Best Actor” for the phenomenal lead actor Shin Ha Kyun.

It is also with these reasons that Lee Dong Sik is my favourite TV male character till date. He is such a layered character that was acted so masterfully by Shin Ha Kyun. When I heard about this drama, almost everyone was raving about Shin’s acting online. I started watching this drama with humble expectations for his acting since great reviews are usually overrated to me and I have only seen him in small though notable special appearances on the Korean films I have watched previously (The Thieves, Extreme Job). But Shin really blew it out of the park for me. Never in my wildest imagination did I expect to become his fan from this drama and I just feel sad that I came to his party this late. Beyond Evil is Shin’s acting masterclass and is probably his best performance in his 23-year long career. It really is no surprise that he is known as “The God of Acting” in Korea. If you watch his interviews, his real personality is a far cry from Lee Dong Sik or any of his other characters. He is a quiet, shy and humble man of a few words known amongst reporters to be difficult to interview. But a whole load of acting talent (which he never admits to) lies beneath all of his shyness. I now sincerely struggle to thoroughly enjoy the acting of other Korean male lead actors in K-dramas after Beyond Evil. This is how good he was in the drama.

With such casting perfection, it is only under the deft hands of the gifted female director Shim Na Yeon (who is a fan of Shin) that almost every nuanced expression of Shin was captured with all their unflinching instability, brokenness and even beauty. The cinematography of this drama is just so immaculate and even contributes to misdirecting the audience on many occasions. I am sure this young and talented director will go far.

The supporting cast was also amazing overall, especially Choi Dae Hoon as Park Jeong Je and Heo Sung Tae as Lee Chang Jin (many will recognise him from the The Age of Shadows film and Squid Game). I will definitely be watching out for them in future productions.

The drama’s original soundtracks are also amongst the best I have listened to so far and they have been on replay for 5 months now. The OSTs were always on point during the drama and added flavour to the world of Manyang and its people.

Beyond Evil is a story about human nature, morality, justice, grief, self-sacrifice, redemption and hope. But it is also a story about what being a family really means. Set in a small-town world of serial murders, it was surprising how much heart there is in this drama. Yet, it refuses to be cliched and predictable with the constant plot twists dropping your jaw and derailing you almost every single time.

“Eat well, sleep well, poop well.” is a powerful line which recurred twice in the drama. In Shin Ha Kyun’s words, “In reality, that’s all it is. That’s what life is all about.”.

It is a real pity how such a quiet masterpiece is not getting the international recognition it truly deserves although it is on Netflix (not a Netflix original). Nevertheless, Beyond Evil is my favourite Korean drama till date and will be a tough one to beat. This drama burns deep within my heart and soul. But it is only with pain that there can be hope.

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