Squid Game - Season 2

The second season of Squid Game is a big repeat and doesn't make the impact that season one did, but it's still well-made television. In the fall of 2021, no one could ignore the hype that was Squid Game. The South Korean series in which hundreds of desperate people participated in deadly versions of children's games for an absurdly large prize pool broke viewing records. The guards' masks with squares, triangles and circles became almost as iconic as the Dalí masks and red overalls from La Casa de Papel. Netflix even made a (non-lethal) game show based on the fictional series. A sequel had to come, right?

Season two feels like a repeat of season one. Yet it is exciting.

The question is how you're going to shape that sequel. Are the makers going to do it fundamentally differently than season one? And is the big surprise element of the first season still there? The answer is no in both cases. Just like main character Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae, The Acolyte), you already know what to expect. But it's still a good watch thanks to exciting plot twists and a special design.

In this second season, Gi-hun, the winner of the previous games, wants to put an end to the deadly games once and for all. He searches for a way to rejoin and take out the game leaders from within. At the same time, police officer Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon, Gyeongseong Creature) is desperately searching for the island where the games are held. During their search, they both discover that ending the games is not that easy.

I have to admit that I didn't find the first two episodes particularly interesting. In these episodes, Gi-hun tries to find a way to return to the games. It just didn't appeal to me, which is a shame. It's only from episode three, when the games actually start, that Squid Game becomes exciting and entertaining again. Yes, you know what to expect for the most part, but at the same time we see several surprises and twists that Gi-hun didn't expect either.



It feels very much as if the creator, both in the games and in the motley collection of characters, wanted to get rid of ideas that there was no room for in the first season. For example, we see more of what happens behind the scenes with the masked guards, a mother and son participate in the games together, we are confronted with a North Korean defector and a transgender character plays a significant role.

On the one hand, you might wonder why this wasn’t in the first season. At the same time, these storylines give this season a bit more variety, which makes it still fun to watch. Not every storyline is equally strong (for example, the one about a broke crypto trader), but we’ll just have to let that slide.

The second season feels less urgent and relevant.

Yet this season has less impact than the first, and that is partly due to the timing. When the first season was released in 2021, it managed to strike a chord. It was released at the right time, somewhere between the corona waves, when there was a lot of discontent in society about the difference between rich and poor and how the rich play poor people off against each other. Season two carries a similar message, but because of the times we live in now, this message feels a lot less relevant. The fact that there is a three-year gap between the two seasons doesn't help either.

This second season is very clearly a build-up to the third and final season. Where season one told a more or less completed story, this season ends with a huge cliffhanger. Also, some storylines, such as the one about the North Korean defector and Jun-ho's search for the island, are not concluded nicely. The season does not feel finished. On the other hand, the ending certainly makes you curious about season three, and fortunately that season will be released sometime next year.

The second season of Squid Game does not quite live up to the expectations after the first season. Still, I enjoyed it immensely. It is and remains largely just good television with little wrong with it. Despite the fact that you know more or less what to expect, it is still exciting and beautifully filmed. According to leaked information, the third season should be available in June and I am looking forward to it!