"Squid Game" is Tops in the Design Department
Like most of the rest of the country I am watching the Netflix show "Squid Game". My dad told me about it a week ago, he has since finished and I am five episodes deep as of this writing. I talked to RD today and he has watched the first episode as well. This show has made it to number one in America on Netflix for a reason. People are talking about it.
I am not going to spoil a thing in the blog today. Seriously people, you need to watch this show ASAP. It is one of the most interesting and cool and unique and innovative shows that I have ever seen. It will blow your mind. I also suggest that you watch it with the English dub if you do not speak or know Korean. I tried to watch with subtitles, but the show is so involved, there is a ton of dialogue and since I am a dumb American it is easier for me to follow along watching the dubbed version. Other than that, the only other recommendation I would give is to avoid any and all spoilers and just watch the show without knowing anything going in.
I do want to point out one thing I think this show does better than almost any other show out there, and it has no spoilers at all. "Squid Game" has, I believe, the best set design in television. I have been blown away as much by the design as the plot. I see all these humongous set pieces and I am awed. Seeing all the colors, it is like the greatest set of crayons you could ever get. Seeing the playground equipment, how big and menacing it is, it is a sight to behold. The bed rooms the contestants have is so grimy and absolutely perfect. The places where the games take place are brightly lit and beautifully shot. I feel like that has a ton to do with how they designed the set.
But the crème de la crème is the humongous piggy bank they have in the warehouse where they live. This is not a spoiler because it shows up midway through the first episode, and it is a mainstay. The piggy bank plays a big role in the show. The piggy bank is clear, but it has ears, a nose and eyes, it is a perfect looking piggy bank. It is like the childhood banks people in my generation had in their rooms. I had a few piggy banks that looked exactly like the one they use in the show, just not clear. Making it clear was a presumptive idea, and it has totally paid off. To see what is inside, the amount of cash after that first episode makes it all the better. The fact that it is the only light in the warehouse at nighttime, when they shut the lights off, makes the piggy bank almost inviting and menacing. It is so perfect and so cool. I love seeing it. I would 100 percent wear a t-shirt with this exact piggy bank on it. I think they should use the piggy bank as the symbol for the show. When you turn on Netflix and go to find "Squid Game", I want it to be this enormous bank. That would make the show even more enticing in my opinion.
"Squid Game" does everything perfectly. The show is amazing. It is wild, it is crazy, it is a mind f. And the set design, particularly this piggy bank, make this one of the best shows on TV, streaming or otherwise. These sets are a treasure for the viewer. Watch this show for so many reasons. But if you need an entry, check it out to see the amazing set pieces they have. They are incredible.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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