I tried Squid Game - and gave up before he even went to the Games, or halfway through the first episode. Mainly because it is heavy very dark violent satire. My mood is so not there at the moment.
So I think I know why? Squid Game doesn't feel real. (Heavy Satire rarely does). It's like watching a video game - violence wise. And the characters aren't likable or even all that relatable (we have people who are addicted to gambling, selfish and greedy and would do anything for money). So your emotions aren't engaged. On some level it's kind of hard to care what happens to them. Satire is like that - the viewer or reader rarely cares about the characters in satire - it engages the intellect not the emotions.
Bake Off in stark contrast, does feel real. The characters are relatable. Likable. And the viewer actually cares about them. It engages the emotions not the intellect. It's the exact opposite of Squid Game. In Squid Game you don't really care because you know its not real and the characters don't mean anything to you. In Bake-Off you do care, the character are real, they aren't characters, and feel like members of your family.
I understand about not wanting to deal with the violence etc. Squid Game *is* an incredibly rich show, however, and the characters are fantastically well drawn. How did they end up where they are, in such desperate circumstances? Sure some are just greedy, but the reasons are many and varied. The violence is grotesque, but I didn't find it unrealistic - quite the opposite. It's a biting, bitter commentary on capitalism. Part of me wants to say metaphor, but it's not that - it's far too plausible to call it a metaphor. What saves it from being unremittingly grim is the humanity (both the good and the bad).
Bake Off is delightful reality TV and comfort food, and I love it to pieces.
Squid Game is the opposite - it shines a harsh light on the world we live in and does not flinch at the grim reality it uncovers.
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So I think I know why? Squid Game doesn't feel real. (Heavy Satire rarely does). It's like watching a video game - violence wise. And the characters aren't likable or even all that relatable (we have people who are addicted to gambling, selfish and greedy and would do anything for money). So your emotions aren't engaged. On some level it's kind of hard to care what happens to them. Satire is like that - the viewer or reader rarely cares about the characters in satire - it engages the intellect not the emotions.
Bake Off in stark contrast, does feel real. The characters are relatable. Likable. And the viewer actually cares about them. It engages the emotions not the intellect. It's the exact opposite of Squid Game. In Squid Game you don't really care because you know its not real and the characters don't mean anything to you. In Bake-Off you do care, the character are real, they aren't characters, and feel like members of your family.
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Bake Off is delightful reality TV and comfort food, and I love it to pieces.
Squid Game is the opposite - it shines a harsh light on the world we live in and does not flinch at the grim reality it uncovers.
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I'll write about it in my own journal.
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