At it's worst, what desperation can mean to many when pushed to the maximum, even at the cost of gambling their lives away in life threatening games. Competing for the grand cash prize of ₩45 Billion (USD38 Million), these contestants know that it is the only way for them to resolve their financial problems which are hounding them incessantly in their daily lives. Hence, the game starts with the famous "Red Light, Green Light" ....followed by a series of childhood games which gets harder and thrilling by each episode. Imagine....as the game starts with 456 contestants, ending with "Squid Game", with ONE last person standing in the end...., how many are 'assassinated' along the way, as each and everyone try to stay alive in whatever means they can.

This genius of a drama is not only able to keep our attention with it's visually and mentally thrilling games, but as it unfolds, it also tells a story of basic human nature of kindness, love, greed, betrayal, sacrifice and much much more depicting the good and bad that exists in each of us. And that, when it comes the time to decide, one can 'choose' to do the right thing.......or not.

Like many, I was also SURPRISED by this survival drama. Not a fan of action dramas and too over-loaded by romance drama, I was not thinking that Squid Game will be a likely choice for me to watch. Thought I'd just watch one episode and call it a day. But, I kept hanging on to it and spent a full day binge watching 9-episodes and after that thought to myself 'dang', what a fabulous show, even till the last drop!

I have not seen Lee Jun Jae since 2010, "The Housemaid", that I nearly forgot what a great actor he is. In Squid Game, he played his character Gi Hun (No. 456) so well, from the gullible, trusting, loser of a guy to a true survivor, is well deserved of an award. His best friend Sang Woo - No. 218 (Park Hae Soo) is no slacker too, who in the drama, is the head of an investment team at a securities company, wanted by police for cheating his clients.

The rest of the cast (1) Sae Byeok-No. 67 (Jung Ho Yeon) North Korean defector, (2) Il-Nam-No. 1 (Oh Yeong Su) elderly man with a brain tumor, (3) Deok Su-No. 101 (Heo Sung-taek-su) a gangster with massive gambling debts, (4) Abdul Ali-No. 199 (Anupam Tripathi) a Pakistani foreign worker, (5) Han Mi-nyeo-No. 212 (Kim Joo-ryoung) a mysterious and manipulative woman who claims to be a poor single mother AND (6) Wi Ha-joon -Guard No. 29 (Hwang Jun-ho) a police officer who sneaks into the Game as a guard to find his missing brother are ALL worth mentioning for their perfect acting. Not a single flaw and had great energy playing off each other's strengths and together with the two main leads.

Such a memorable show. As you watch, there are also many clues from what the actors say and surroundings.....keep a look out on the walls too! This drama has now such a huge global following....kudos to another Korean show that is truly entertaining and well suited for international consumption.

And, finally, last but not the least, having Gong Yoo and Lee Byung Hun in special appearances was the icing on the cake!! Writer and Director Hwang Dong Hyuk (who also directed Gong Yoo in "Silenced") did a fabulous job. Such a genius, I await eagerly for the second season of Squid Game.

Squid Game is a highly recommended watch, don't miss it!