Here are two of my favorite scenes from the Netflix hit Squid Game, when trying to analyze the show from a Marxist perspective.
Spoilers for episode 2
spoiler
The ending of the episode, when everyone returned to the island. I think this was a great scene to highlight the sham of bourgeois democracy. At the start of the episode, the contestants democratically voted to leave the horrible murder game. But when they come back home they realize that they are actually not any better off since all of them are poor and destitute, in massive debt. So it's actually preferable to them to return the game since they have a chance to win the billion Won price and make their life better.
They all had to "freedom" to leave the game but it turns out if your material conditions are so bad, it's not actually "freedom" at all. You are forced to participate in the system, just like capitalism. Any chance to vote democratically is just an illusion, no matter what you vote for, the underlying system won't bring any actual benefit to you.
Spoilers for episode 3
spoiler
The scene when they are doing the honeycomb game and one of the contestants snaps and holds the guard at gunpoint. Then he yells "What kind of sick game is this? Why do some get an easy shape when others are stuck with difficult ones?"
I thought this was a great line because it sums up how unfair the competition in a capitalist system actually is. Some people are more privileged than others. Your social class, nationality, gender, etc. determinates how easy it's for you to advance in society.
Born in a family of bankers? You'll probably get a cushy job in your dad's company and don't have to work a day in your life. Born in a working-class family? You'll probably have to work grueling hours in a demanding job just to get by.
Just like the contestants had to select the shape without knowing in advance what their task is, the privileges you get in life are determined entirely by chance.
Anyway, I'm not very well versed in Marxist theory so it's possible I misunderstood some of this stuff.
If you haven't watched Squid Game yet, I can highly recommend it. It's cool to see so clear anti-capitalist rhetoric in a major TV show. In addition to having a deep meaning (which many libs will no doubt miss), the show is also really entertaining with impressive and tense action scenes.
spoiler
I think when Gi-hun gets red hair at the end it means he’s a commie now. That’s why he stole the squid game card from the random dude in the subway station and why he almost killed the old guy in his tower. He played the squid game as an individual and won, but still feels fucking awful about it, and has decided to work in solidarity with other workers now to destroy it. Thoughts?
I think Netflix makes every show have a cliff-hanger season 1, because they need to hold out on the chance the show is a hit and can be turned into a season 2.
The hair-color change has a very anime-vibe. Changing one's hair - cutting it, dying it, shaving it, etc - signals a change in the character's personality. But the blood-red color doesn't scream "Communist" on its face, because the main character isn't seemingly out for a revolution. He just seems out for revenge. It isn't even clear that he's adopted solidarity as an ethos. He doesn't go out and round up friends. He decides to go Lone Wolf, in what looks a bit like a suicide mission.
Could be.