'Squid Game: The Challenge' negates original show's message, proves no real fun

In recent years, Netflix has made several questionable decisions — whether it's canceling a beloved show, limiting password sharing or raising their subscription prices, the platform can't seem to get anything right.

The main reason why some subscribers haven't completely abandoned the streaming service is the sheer amount of high-quality work it puts out. Whether you want a sci-fi drama like "Stranger Things" or a horror comedy like "Wednesday," Netflix has something for everyone.

And while the platform has had its fair share of hits over the years, its 2021 breakout show, "Squid Game," was different.

The South Korean program transcended cultural and language barriers, cultivating a worldwide audience through its elaborate sets, which infused a dark twist into familiar childhood games. Its central theme of how economic inequality can drive working-class people to resort to desperate measures made viewers feel acknowledged and understood.

Capitalizing on its success, Netflix recently released a spin-off reality show, "Squid Game: The Challenge," which brings the series to life. The show features an extensive cast of 456 contestants, all vying for a $4.56 million prize — the largest cash prize in reality show history.

Ironically, despite the fact that the original show critiqued the crippling effects of capitalism on the working and middle class, this new reality TV iteration completely misses the point. 

The companion series begins with a montage featuring sprawling shots of meticulously recreated sets, accompanied by cryptic voice-overs from the contestants. It culminates with a final shot, reminding us of what the contestants are here for — a ridiculously large container of money.

Next, the contestants come out for the first challenge, "Red Light, Green Light," with most participants cheering and jumping around, unable to contain their excitement. 

But this initial enthusiasm is brought to an abrupt end with the sound of contestants' dye packs going off as they are caught moving during a "Red Light," meant to simulate the way contestants are shot in the original show. The eliminated contestants are then forced to lie on the ground, pretending they're dead.

This opening scene highlights the issues of the show, particularly its lack of self-awareness and its manipulative nature. While the shocking violence fits the source material's tone, it comes across as cruel and disturbing in the context of reality TV. 

Many aspects of the show feel unnecessary, including the meagerly portioned food included to the challenges themselves. Contestants have claimed post-show that they stood still for hours in cold temperatures during the "Red Light, Green Light" segment.

The overarching issue with "Squid Game: The Challenge" lies in its rigid adherence to its source material. The challenges in "Squid Game" served as a backdrop for the characters, echoing aspects of their storylines. 

For instance, the second challenge involved contestants cutting shapes out of cookies without cracking them, something that served as a pivotal moment for the main character to prove himself.

In "Squid Game: The Challenge," the competitions feel much more arbitrary and pointless, taking up most of each episode's runtime with very little payoff. Without the direction and visuals of the original show, the games become monotonous, especially as they are repeated for hundreds of contestants.

Even though the show only focuses on a fraction of the players, there are still so many that it's impossible to become invested in any of them. Any prominent and eccentric contestants are eliminated early, leaving the latter half of the show feeling especially aimless.

Like the fictional characters of "Squid Game," almost all of the contestants are struggling financially in some way, including standout personalities like a cocky college student and a software engineer dealing with self-perception issues. These people's stories should be equally, if not more, captivating than their made-up counterparts, but they just come across as jumbled and one-note.

How audiences will evaluate "Squid Game: The Challenge" depends on how they view it. If you examine the show at face value, it fits the description of mindless reality TV to a tee. Aside from potentially problematic behind-the-scenes practices and unsettling subtext, the show is mostly unremarkable and inoffensive. 

Realistically, when factoring in Netflix's entire history and projects, "Squid Game: The Challenge" doesn't come close to being the worst thing they've produced — that title would still probably go to "Blonde." 

"Squid Game: The Challenge" is representative of a bigger issue with the company that has come from the shift away from artist-driven work to algorithmic-based content. Netflix has been given all the ingredients for a successful TV show, but they can't replicate the heart and soul that made "Squid Game" such a treat.