Years beforeSquid Gamehit Netflix, another dystopian series on the platform combined social commentary and thrilling gameplay.3%shares its biggest strength with theKorean hit showin highlighting how different individuals respond to the games and exploring the different ways the human mind cansolve the puzzles in front of them.However, unlikeSquid Game, elimination from the game doesn’t result in instant death; instead, players who are eliminated lose the opportunity for a better future. Both shows have an insular feel, with the participants stayingunder the same roof even outside of challenges,meaning the audience gains an intimate insight into the players and the relationship that develops between them.Morality, loyalty and human sensibility are explored and tested, so fans ofSquid Gamewill find recognizable tropeswithin the Brazilian seriesand be able to feed their desire for something similar.
What Is ‘3%’ About?
3%centers arounda competition known as “The Process,“with success promising a place on the coveted offshore, an affluent society that promises luxury and freedom. The show’s initial shots show how the inland, where the rest of the population lives, is rife with poverty and deprivation, therefore highlighting the incentive of reaching the offshore. The Process is shown as the singular way to escape the inland, and there is one opportunity to participate when citizens reach 20 years old. Immediately, the welcome to The Process cuts between multiple contestants, highlighting the absence of a central protagonist, which helps the show’s unpredictability; no one truly feels protected by plot armor.
Much likeSquid Game,the games themselves are fairly simple in explanation.The show doesn’t bog itself down with complicated rulesand instead allows its characters to drive the intrigue. The first game involves making enough cubes out of smaller cubes and the second is an escape room scenario where, in groups, the participants must figure out the details of the incident in front of them. Thestripped-backed nature of the gamesmeans they are simple to follow, allowing3%to focus on highlighting the personalities of its cast by how they respond to each challenge.
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‘3%’ Has an Unpredictable Conspiracy Surrounding Its Competition
The moments outside the challenges are just as important in3%, with the show cutting between game sequences and those who are running the games. However,unlikeSquid Game, the identity of the head of The Process is not a mystery. There is no intrigue in the anonymity of those in control, but rather the layered conspiracy surrounding the authorities. It allows the progression of the show to leave the process and explore the society created. Thedystopian exploration of meritocracyis a huge theme throughout the show’s four seasons, and being able to see behind the scenes of The Process so blatantly allows for the way this is exploited to be a major plot point that only grows with the show.
3%is plagued with gray morality, there are no true heroes and villains as every single contestant has merits and flaws. The diversity of the cast allows anexploration of different motivationsand how they reflect each player’s individual strengths. The variety of the games, with some physical and some mental, means it is not the games themselves that are interesting, it is the way they are played. However,what makes3%so compelling is how grounded in reality it is, despite the dystopian technology, the characters arebuilt around the human conditionand the way hierarchy and power form.
Characters are hungry for the chance at a better life, and the lack of pre-existing relationships means they often don’t have any issue with stepping on others to get there. It has thegames that make Squid Game so compulsively watchable, albeit the set pieces are not as grandiose. However, the rich social commentary that runs throughSquid Gameis a huge aspect of3%, withboth shows having a diverse cast in genetics and behavior.Both shows treat morality as a spectrum, having overtly mean-spirited characters, yet also having slyly self-motivated individuals and even having their more likable characters making ethically questionable decisions.3%is bleak, but that’s what makes it so realistic and dystopian. If you’re looking for something to binge after finishing the new season ofSquid Game,3%should be at the top of your list.
All episodes of3%are available to stream on Netflix.
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