Squid Game: The Challenge gets grandiose, still dystopian new trailer
A cutthroat Squid Game: The Challenge premieres on Netflix on November 22
There are only so many times we can collectively point out that Netflix’s new reality series, Squid Game: The Challenge, entirely misses the point of Squid Game. Eventually, we have to come to terms with the fact that it’s being unleashed on the world anyway, no matter how much we feel like Walt screaming in the car about it. Squid Game creator Hwan Dong-hyuk says we shouldn’t “take things too seriously” in the entertainment industry, so fine, Squid Game: The Challenge premieres on Netflix on November 22.
The new trailer expands upon the world crafted in the previous teasers, which is to say, the world of Squid Game. This time we get to see more of the contestants at play, and with $4.56 million dollars on the line (the biggest cash prize in reality competition history), the game is of course pretty cutthroat. “Through a series of games, each player will be pushed to their limits and forced to ask themselves just how far they’ll go to win, with opportunistic alliances, cutthroat strategies and timely betrayals to follow,” according to Netflix’s synopsis.
Stirringly set to Sammy Davis Jr.’s “I’ve Gotta Be Me” (a somewhat grandiose choice for a reality series), the trailer highlights contestants forming alliances and breaking them as they fall prey to the whims of the game. “This is a savage game,” says one of the players, while another observes, “You can’t trust anybody in here.”
And okay, try as one might, it’s impossible to ignore the dystopian overtones of the situation. While no contestant was actually killed in the making of this reality show (some were injured!), there’s still a stomach-dropping sensation seeing a failed contestant get dropped beneath the floor. Then there’s a clip of unsuspecting contestants in repose getting unexpectedly shot with paint guns, which, given the whole “state of the world” thing, had to be a little scary. (Even if it is funny to hear one victim give a mild, “Oh, shit.”) But at the end of the day, someone’s going to become mega-rich, so it’s all fun and games, apparently!