in the three years since squid game Became Netflix's biggest assetIt's easy to forget why it was so popular in the beginning. The uncompromising story of class struggle, which included iconic scenes, school plays and a nihilistic view of humanity, has been largely buried. ill-conceived reality shows, impressive knockoff, cartoon-ish mobile gamesAnd all kinds of brand tie-ins. right before the show Returning for season 2, Netflix outlines a surprise series squid game Collaborationcovering everything from Duty From Domino's to Crocs to Johnnie Walker. If you really want you can buy it squid game-Branded beef jerky.
Luckily, what Netflix seems to have forgotten squid game What it's really about – or, more likely, was simply blinded by dollar signs – series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk certainly isn't. The second season doesn't explore a lot of new territory thematically, but rather, cleverly expands squid game The universe is offering up a thriller that plays like an even more brutal remix of the original.
The new season begins a few years after the first event, starring Seong Gi-hun, better known as Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae, who later became known as Player 456). squid game with fame a major role in star wars And His directorial debut), won the opening game. This meant he earned a prize of ₩45.6 billion, but he also had to remain as the sole survivor in a group of 456 people.
Season 1 ended with Gi-hun not only becoming rich but also discovering that the elderly Oh Il-nam, Player 001 (Oh Yeong-su), was actually the creator of the games and that he and his fellow ultrarich individuals. A group of people used it. Murder and mayhem are purely a way to relieve their boredom. In the final moments of the season, Gi-hun had a choice: hop on a plane to reunite with his estranged family, or stay and do something about the games. He doesn't board the plane.
The second season sees Gi-hun in a very different place. He has spent the last few years alone and paranoid, planning how to use his wealth to shut down the games forever. First: finding out exactly where they occur. By paying a network of criminals to systematically search Seoul's subway system, he eventually finds the salesman (Gong Yoo), whom you'll remember as the guy wearing a suit who challenges strangers to a game of dadukji. gives and is very good at slappingThe hope is that by finding him, they will be able to locate the mysterious island where the games take place.
But Gi-hun is not the only one looking for them. Hwang Joon-ho (Wi Ha-joon) – the detective who went undercover in Season 1 to find his brother who was participating in the games – is similarly obsessed with searching for water for the island. Working with a local fisherman. Eventually, the two unite and put a plan into motion, only to bring Gi-hun back into the games as a contestant once again.
The first few episodes don't really touch on the game much – and instead offer a deeper look at the rest of the game. squid gameIt's a strange world. This means learning a lot about the mysterious and implacable salesman who takes perverse pleasure in terrorizing the poor and destitute. There is also some information about the guards patrolling the games. We learn that they themselves are not all that different from the competitors: desperate people doing desperate things inside a financial system that has failed them.
After a few episodes, the show turns back to sports and starts feeling very familiar. There are armed guards in green tracksuits, bright pink jumpsuits, and a giant piggy bank that fills with cash as more people die. But instead of rehashing past events, these episodes are more like a remix of Season 1. The games have been changed, and because Gi-hun is the only returning player, there is an entirely new cast. And, like the original, it has a great mix of compelling stories, with characters who have been pushed to the brink and left with few other options.
These include a young mother looking to start a new life, a trans woman who needs money to pay for gender-affirming care, and a mother and son who signed up to pay off their gambling debts , tragically unaware that the other had also participated in the games. , There are also some great new villains, like a purple-haired rapper who's having the time of his life amid the bloodshed, and a cold-hearted crypto influencer who's lost all kinds of money – both himself and his audience. And once again, Squid is a secret member of the game management who is trying to manipulate the game from the inside.
The game seems different this time because of Gi-hun, who tries his best to save people while playing and convince them to leave after the match is over. After each game, all surviving players can vote to continue, and these moments of counting hundreds of X's and O's are extremely tense. But greed leads people to make bad choices again and again, and it's hard not to be disappointed with Gi-hun. But for many players, death in the school game is better than death coming out. Gi-hun has completed his task to convince the other contestants that their real enemies are not each other, but the system that has forced them here to fight for money. Things eventually culminate in a bloody massacre that pushes squid game It has become more frightening than ever.
From there, the show builds to a conclusion that promises to finally shake up the games — but it never actually reaches that big moment. Instead, it neatly sets up the third and final season Which will come on Netflix in 2025While the cliffhanger (and the wait that followed) may have been disappointing, it's a relief that, unlike everyone else, Hwang and his team haven't lost sight of what they did. squid game Very special in the beginning. Season 2 may not be as big a surprise as the original, but it makes up for it with clever twists on the formula and story that become even more dangerous. Even better: the promise of a conclusion that knows where it's going.
squid game Season 2 begins December 26 on Netflix.