Netflix series: Sequel to “Squid Game”: Darwinism for armchair farters

Television is a simple, deeply predictable medium. If something works here, it is guaranteed to be done there too, and if it works there too, it will be imitated here somehow, until – just one example – from “CSI: Las Vegas”, first Miami, then New York, and finally Cyber and Mittemang CSL, RSI or “Post Mortem”, as the forensic RTL copy was called in this country. It was therefore absolutely foreseeable that “Squid Game” would also receive a spin-off.

The end-time competition, whose losers are not just eliminated but die, brought Netflix record views worldwide in 2021. When it comes to numbers, the streaming service is less transparent than closed highway covers, but figures of 265 million viewers are circulating. That’s even more than “Stranger Things” or “Game of Thrones” could boast. “Squid Game” is therefore predestined for plagiarism of all kinds. “Squid Game: The Challenge” is not just the offshoot of a successful series, the continuation of which is currently being feverishly worked on.

Instead, the new, titular “challenge” is to transform a modern fairy tale into reality TV. While in the original there were 456 South Korean actors playing for victory or death, now there are a corresponding number of Anglo-American ordinary citizens. And with a record winnings of $4.56 million, there’s a lot at stake for them, but it’s not about dying; Those who are eliminated are simply shot with black paint instead of live ammunition.

But that’s just one plot line in the glossy show. At the same time, it’s about the intermediary, i.e. the all-too-human. The survivors of slightly modified Squid games from “Ochs am Berg” to “Sinking Ships” are not only supposed to compete with each other, but also interact. According to the laws of the casting industry, opposites such as the vain muscleman Stephan and the nice senior Leanne, the simple redneck Kyle and the smart fighter Dani have to come to terms with each other in order to get as far as possible.

Game tension and group formation in the rival coercive collective: It is a heathen mix of “Takeshi’s Castle” and “Jungle Camp” that Netflix stages – with an extra portion of cynicism. Three years ago, the fascination with artificial dramatization was due to its absurdity far removed from what was conceivable (in terms of civilization, democracy, the rule of law), but Netflix is ​​now transferring socially critical dystopias such as Wolfgang Menge’s “Millionaire Game” from 1970 or the Hunger Games series “Hunger Games” without a wink Apparent reality of scripted reality.

In view of the current hot fighting in Israel and Gaza, the Ukraine or Syria plus three dozen other hotspots of war, it is at least irritating when the losers of childish games are mowed down here to the delight of the audience and ratings. Television has the right to distract from the world outside. It’s called escapism. What’s really bad, however, is that the humane tendency toward barbarism is never problematized. On the contrary. Here it’s just supposed to be fun!

Whether white or black, poor or rich, hard or tender, stupid or smart, man or woman; The quintessence of such psychosocial social simulations in the laboratory (ergo studio) in 2021 and especially today is to transform the pursuit of profit into denunciation and sheer greed for money into something that could be called egoaltruism: all with all against all. There can only be one. Darwinism for armchair farters.

And because this rat race of unscrupulousness is accompanied by a maximally American cannonade of empathetic PR poses, “Squid Game: The Challenge” is not only cynical but downright malicious in its barrage of feigned tears and “Oh my Gods!” It’s too bad that it’s also incredibly captivating to watch 456 adults saber dance for the Golden Calf in a Plexiglas ball that fills up with bundles of hundreds more with each opponent.

The first race, “Red Light, Green Light,” in which, as in the original, you are not allowed to move on command, decimates the barracked, numbered field of participants by more than half and impressively shows how captivating sadomasochistic contemporary science fiction can be. called Near Future. Meanwhile, the little angel on the left shoulder is constantly urging people to switch off. Unfortunately, the devil on the right is stronger. Now some contestants have sued Netflix for damages due to injuries sustained during filming. The makers are dismissive. Producer Stephen Lambert: “Winning $4.56 million is no picnic.”

“Squid Game: The Challenge”, nine episodes so far, finale on December 6th on Netflix