The Netflix series Squid Game was regarded by many as a smash-hit when its first season was released in 2021. It gained worldwide popularity, especially in the West, due to its unique themes about a dystopian South Korean society corrupted by capitalism. The show takes the disfigurement of real-world socioeconomic divides to tell a story that is both compelling and tragically terrifying. Fans were delighted to jump into the second season upon its release in December 2024, to experience the drama, thrill, and pure shock-factor of Squid Game once more.
First, a little recap of season one. The shocking events of the show mostly follow Gi-hun, a previously failed business owner in severe debt. He discovers the canonical ‘Squid Game’ upon playing ddakji—a traditional Korean game—with the game’s recruiter for money. The recruitment process for the Squid Game involves the Salesman targeting vulnerable people in desperate need of a way to pay off their debts. Gi-hun accepts the offer to join the Squid Game, along with a big group of players just like him, but with their own individual motivations. They are told that the winner(s) of a variety of seemingly innocent children’s games will receive a sizable cash prize. However, things turn sour when the players realize that ‘elimination’ from the game actually entails their deaths. With every kill, the amount of money offered to the winner(s) increases, invoking violence among the players. While some of them, like our protagonist, come together and protect one another, others are so money-hungry that they turn against each other.
At the end, we learn that the game is orchestrated by a rich organization of masked members that sickeningly watch the players from behind the scenes. One of the masked members, the Front Man, is the puppetmaster behind the game.
Squid Game season two took the media by storm, exceeding the highest premiere viewership on Netflix within the first three days of its release. The reviews were very optimistic, and with great reason. This season featured a whole new cast of complex and loveable characters while keeping some familiar faces. Be warned, there are spoilers for season one and two ahead!
The main character Gi-hun, having won the competition in season one, is now a shell of a man and hires his previous loan shark to help him track down the Squid Game recruiter. After the recruiter kills the loan shark, he confronts Gi-hun in a game of Russian roulette, ultimately resulting in his own death. The loan shark’s group, along with detective Jun-ho, agree to conduct a search for the mysterious island where the game is being held. Meanwhile, Gi-hun rejoins the game in an attempt to put an end to it for good.
Fans of the series were pleased by the new additions to the cast of Squid Game players. Their personalities, stories, and personal motives were distinctive and refreshing. Some intriguing players of the game this season were Gi-hun’s old friend Jung-Bae, Dae-ho, who is a former member of the marines, a brave transgender woman named Hyun-ju, the charismatically funny Thanos, who is a rapper, and the haunting Front Man who is roleplaying as Player 001. Throughout the series, players divide into two groups; one that votes to keep playing the games, and the other that votes to quit the games and leave with the money that has already been offered. Gi-hun encourages everyone to vote for the game’s end, but many ignore his plea. Those that stand by Gi-hun’s side become his trusted group of players, including the Front Man.
The season was left on quite a cliffhanger, leaving much uncertainty about where the plot could go from here. Overall, the positive response to Squid Game season two was overwhelming, and the anticipation for the next season is through the roof. Season two and three were filmed back-to-back, and season three’s release date is expected to be later in 2025. It will certainly be fascinating to see how this upcoming season devolves from the emotional roller coaster that was season two. What will happen to Gi-hun and the rest of his friends? Will Jun-ho and his group find the island? What is the Front Man’s obsession with Gi-hun? All very real questions being asked by the fans, but only time will tell what happens in this story next!