Editor’s Note: spoilers for both seasons of “Squid Game”
Minutes after the second Season of “Squid Game” was released on Dec. 26, we sat down to watch a show we had been eagerly awaiting since 2021. We were quickly engaged by the way the show demonstrated how external factors bring out man’s inherent trait of selfishness. However, before we knew it, the show was over and we were left with a plethora of questions.
The show’s second series features a setup similar to the first, centering around the Squid Games: deadly competitions where 456 players fight to the death for a massive prize of 45.6 billion won, or approximately 31 million dollars. The players themselves are recruited by the Salesman, played by the actor Gong Yoo.
After the players enter the games, they must change into green tracksuits and compete in six Korean children’s games over six days. In the first season, iconic Korean children’s games like Red Light, Green Light — where players have to stop when a doll says “Red Light” and move forward when it says “Green Light.” If a player fails to follow the rules or doesn’t finish the game in the alloted time limit, they are shot and killed.
The vivid colors and stunning cinematography, paired with the use of children’s games, create a striking contrast between the innocence of childhood fantasy and the harshness of reality.
In the first season, the protagonist, Gi-hun (player 456), joins the game, attempting to pay off his debts. Along the way, he forms connections and friendships with other players, only to lose them one by one to the brutal competition. Ultimately, he emerges as the only survivor and the winner of the games. However, after realizing the fundamental corruption of the games, he rejoins them in the second season to dismantle the system.
Naturally, some of the element of surprise is lost in the second season as viewers are already familiar with the games’ structure. However, Dong-hyuk includes a plot twist that makes up for the lack of mystery, as viewers see the Front Man — played by Lee Byung-hun — as he takes off his mask and joins the games as number 001, deceiving Gi-Hun for the entire season. Throughout the season, Gi-Hun continuously trusts and advocates for Hwang In-Ho, or the front man, making his ultimate betrayal even more devastating.
The second season also avoided a key repetitiveness issue by introducing a voting system, allowing players to decide after each round whether to continue or terminate the games. This added a needed-layer of conflict and suspense.
A plethora of characters appeared in Season 2: bullies, backstabbers, and heroes, and contrary to Season 1, most of the characters survive. Moreover, players such as Jung-Bae, played by Lee Seo-hwan, and Geum-ja, played by Kang Ae-shim, are less self-serving and, in various instances, even root for the survival of others.
For example, during the Six-Legged Pentathlon in Episodes 4 and 5, teams of five compete in pairs. The onlooking players support the teams and cheer if they win. The second season is lighter overall and less grotesque than the first, preserving a sense of hope for the cast.
Comparing the competitive aspects between the first and second season, Season 2 fell short due to the limited number of games played. In Season 1, the first episode ends with the contestants playing “Red Light, Green Light” and there are six games in total; in Season 2, the first and second episodes follow Gi-Hun outside of the games.
While there are games the protagonist plays on the outside such as “Russian Roulette” and “Ddakji” with the Recruiter, the first game in the competition itself — “Red Light Green Light” — only occurs in the third episode.
Reflecting on Season 2, it’s clear that the purpose of “Squid Game 2” is to set up the plot for an already confirmed third season. While there are enough plot twists to keep the audience engaged, the protagonists don’t show much character development and many unnecessary or “filler” scenes are included throughout the season.
However, for a “filler” season, the show exceeded our expectations, due to the suspense, cinematography and a diverse array of characters in competition. In the finale of “Squid Game 2,” In-ho reverts to his frontman role and murders Jung-Bae in cold blood. The show closes out with a chilling cliffhanger. (We won’t say anything more.)
The loose ends at the end of the season leave viewers eagerly anticipating “Squid Game 3,” wondering how Gi-hun’s journey will unfold and what new horrors the games will bring. Season 2 may not have delivered the same shock factor as its predecessor, but it successfully sets the stage for an even more intense continuation — and we can’t wait to see how the next installment will raise the stakes once again.
