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Hero’s Journey Breakdown: Squid Game
How this classic story structure drives the key plot moments in one of Netflix’s most popular ever shows
Warning: if you have not seen Squid Game this article contains spoilers for the entire show.
There’s no question that Squid Game is going to be one of Netflix’s most popular shows ever. As of today, it’s the number 1 streamed show across dozens of countries including the US, UK, and South Korea.
And if we dig into the story structure behind the show, the beating heart of what makes this gem of a series tick, we can start to uncover some of the reasons why it has been such a runaway success.
Simply put, Squid Game is an incredibly well-told story, with a tonne of depth.
But how does Squid Game do it? And how does the hero’s journey help us to understand why the story of this hit show has had such an impact?
Let’s first look at what the hero’s journey is, and why the hero’s journey story structure has resonated so powerfully with audiences throughout history.