TV Review: SQUID GAME Season 2

Cassie Holguin

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Gi-hun in his green jumpsuit looks concerned and exhausted against a blue sky background in Squid Game Season 2.

DISCLAIMER: This article contains spoilers for Squid Game Seasons 1 and 2. 

Squid Game took the world by storm in 2021 and quickly became Netflix’s most-watched television series. The dystopian thriller written by Hwang Dong-hyuk takes place in Seoul, South Korea. Here, we meet Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a gambler who has finally bitten off more than he can chew. In his most desperate moment, he is approached by a recruiter for a competition offering a hard-to-resist cash prize.

The iconic, enormous doll, Young-he stands in front of a creepy dead tree. Two soldiers in pink jumpsuits stand on either side of her.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Four hundred fifty-six players have been brought to an unknown location and told they will play children’s games for an obscene amount of cash. Easy money, right? Unfortunately, Gi-hun quickly discovers that nothing comes easy and that these games are life-or-death.

Throughout Season 1, Gi-hun fights for his life through one game after another as the mysterious origins of the games are revealed. Although Seong ultimately wins the game, he does not get out unscathed. The trauma of the games resulted in PTSD and has manifested into an unhealthy obsession with shutting the game down for good. 

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Squid Game Season 2

Season 2 of Squid Game joins Seong Gi-hun three years after winning the game and the massive cash prize. A now traumatized Gi-hun is hell-bent on finding the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and ending the games. In the last few years, Seong has been strategically spending his ill-gotten fortune searching for a way back in. He has built a base of operations, accumulated a small armory, and hired a crew to search tirelessly for clues.

Gi-hun even teams up with detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun), who is also looking for the Front Man, or as Jun-ho knows him, brother. Eventually, Seong Gi-hun finds his way back into the game, once again as player 456. However, things are different this time because Gi-hun has played before and attempts to keep everyone alive by offering insight.

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Unbeknownst to our returning player, the Front Man is playing in the games as a false ally working to thwart Gi-hun’s efforts. Does Player 456 have what it takes to survive the games again? Can Seong Gi-hun bring down such a massive operation? 

Tone It Down

The tone of this season is significantly different because Gi-hun has rallied the players together. That is, until those in control find a way to reveal what they believe is true human nature. Ironically, they do so by introducing a democratic voting mechanic to the game. If the majority of players vote to go home, the game will end. However, when it comes time to vote, the players immediately split into two groups and viciously turn on each other. 

From Squid Game Season 2, Gi-hun stands in front of the voting machine that looks like a turquoise gift box with a black bow. Behind him all of the players are separated into two groups, blue circles who want to stay in the games and the red x group who wants to leave.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Also contributing to the change in tone is the new group of players consisting of several eccentric characters. Their stories and personalities are more interesting and diverse this time around. Rather than your typical gamblers, swindlers, and criminals, Season 2’s victims include a rapper and the failed cryptocurrency tycoon who helped bankrupt him.

RELATED: New Squid Game Season 2 Poster Makes Bold Statement: The Game Will Not Stop

Also on the roster are a pregnant young woman, a shaman, and even a mother-and-son duo. Another refreshing perspective is that of Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), a former soldier playing the game to fund her gender transition. She becomes a pivotal part of Gi-hun’s revolution, and this will hopefully continue in Season 3. 

Several of the main players in Squid Game Season 2 run toward the camera frantically, led by a determined Gi-hun.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Lastly, several of the characters already know each other, which changes the dynamic as well. Previously established relationships influence the way the players interact and play the game. For example, Player 333 (Yim Si-wan), the Bitcoin kid, is now trapped in a deadly game surrounded by victims of his schemes. Spoiler alert: this does not go well for him … or them. There are plenty of other connections, but I don’t want to ruin all the twists and turns. It’s Squid Game, so basically, everything is terrible for everyone. 

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Standout Performances

In Season 2, we see a drastically different Seong Gi-hun. When we first meet Gi-hun, he is a goofy and careless but kind individual. For me, it was love at first sight because of his lovable personality and charming smile. However, after the games, much of the life has been sucked out of Gi-hun, and I feel for him.

Sadly, he has traded his sparkling smile for a contemplative frown and lost all traces of his former self. Consequently, one of my favorite interactions of the entire season is when Gi-hun reminisces with his friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan). It was tear-jerking to finally see a glimpse of the carefree Gi-hun that we fell in love with in Season 1. Once again, Lee Jung-jae shows his versatility with a brilliant performance that takes Squid Game to the next level.  

Jung-bae laughs as he talks to Gi-hun.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Gong Yoo, who plays the Recruiter, shows some serious acting chops, especially when he and Gi-hun face off. Many fans have pointed out the actor’s impressive ability to portray a different emotion on each side of his face simultaneously. Gong delivers a chilling monologue that shows the truly unhinged nature of the character. Although the Recruiter is a small part of the big picture, Gong Yoo’s performance demands attention and deserves recognition. 

The Recruiter smiles directly at the camera.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun) is the character that you love to hate. However, he is one of the more exciting characters to watch because he is so unpredictable. Especially since he is on drugs every time he plays a game. This makes him a wild card that certainly keeps things interesting. Every time I saw Thanos onscreen, I’d think, “What is he going to do this time?”

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Odds and (Loose) Ends

Several other things are happening while Gi-hun participates in the games. Hwang Jun-ho searches for the island where the games take place after losing track of Gi-hun. Throughout most of the season, he searches with his Captain comrade who is definitely not who he seems. 

A completely fresh storyline is that of Kang No-eul (Park Gyu-young), a North Korean defector and now a soldier in the games. She has a deeper connection to the game and seems familiar with the higher-ups, like the Officer. However, No-eul quietly sabotages the game despite threats from other soldiers.

No-eul looks down the scope of a gun.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Fans finally get to see a little more about the soldiers, and I cannot wait to learn more about No-eul. Both of these plotlines seem to be building up to something huge that will certainly culminate in Season 3.

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Looking Forward to Season 3

Overall, Squid Game Season 2 is a much slower burn than the first. Nearly half of the second season focuses on Gi-hun gaining access to the games. Even after the game begins, the focus is less on the games and more on things like character and plot development.

For example, we learn a lot more about the characters’ backgrounds than the previous season. Even the Front Man turned mole has a pretty elaborate (although fake) sob story. Rather than simply coasting on the horror of the games, the writers chose to develop the characters, create loads of drama, and even throw in some bizarre humor. Much like the first season, Squid Game Season 2 is an emotional rollercoaster ride.

A huge pile of Won.
Photo courtesy of IMDb.

While Season 1 grabs you by the marbles with shock value, Season 2 seems to be building up to a grand finale in the third and final act. Although I didn’t find this season quite as consistently exciting, the dynamic characters and loose ends have me impatiently waiting for some closure in Season 3. 

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Seasons 1 and 2 of Squid Game are now streaming exclusively on Netflix. The third and final season is expected to be released sometime in 2025. Check out the Official Squid Game Season 2 trailer below.

Mobile Game Monday: SQUID GAME: UNLEASHED

Cassie Holguin