Squid Game, Foundation, and the next James Bond

Earthbound and celestial dystopia, plus some 007 speculation

Oct 05, 2021

Hello!

On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss Squid Game and Foundation, two shows about the folly of human nature.

Click here to listen to the full episode on the web

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NOTE: Sorry for the audio quality on MY end, it was a freak accident, the cause of which is still unknown (but could very well be human error, I’m an idiot).

03:20 Korean survival drama Squid Game, streaming on Netflix, is a word-of-mouth sensation, an international hit, and thrilling as fuck.

If you picture a perfectly watchable show, this would be it: episode-to-episode cliffhangers, built-in high stakes, an ultimate victor to be crowned. Add in exceptional production value, bold art direction (s/o Chae Kyoung-sun), the juxtaposition of childhood innocence and adult brutality, and a cast of different characters to relate to and/or hate and/or root for, some cynicism about money and human nature, and you have a truly winning combination.

Like everyone else, you gotta watch it. And congrats to all shows and films with a one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles!

24:13 Sci-fi epic Foundation, new on Apple TV+, faces an uphill battle in adapting Isaac Asimov’s sprawling galactic saga for the small screen.

Despite all the changes that have been made from the original stories, this show is buckling a bit under the weight of its hefty source material. Caught between speaking to existing fans and drawing in people who are completely new to Foundation, the resulting series (so far, at least) has sacrificed character development and clear storytelling for the sake of world building and expedited narrative.

That said, the world building is pretty intriguing so far, as are the uncannier, more fantasy elements of this galaxy. If only the more human elements can catch up. (And they still might! We’re only three episodes in.)