Article contains spoilers for Season 1 and 2 of “Squid Game.”
Following the success of “Squid Game” Season 1, Netflix released the second season of the South Korean dystopian thriller on Dec. 26, 2024. Produced and written by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the first season followed the desperate main character Seong Gi-hun (456), played by Lee Jang-jae, as he agrees to take part in a deadly game, experiencing frightening challenges, heart-wrenching betrayals and a win, awarding him with 45.6 billion won as the only survivor.
At the end of the first season, some of the truth behind the games comes to the surface, causing Gi-hun to think deeper about the individuals and reasoning behind the game — a preface to the events that unfold in season two.
The first two episodes of the season consist of Gi-hun’s life three years after he won Squid Game. Gi-hun chooses to remain in South Korea in order to return to the games and stop them once and for all with the help of specially trained individuals.
Gi-hun hires men to track down the “Recruiter” who gathers individuals for the games. To return to the island where the game takes place, Gi-hun allows himself to be taken by members of the game.
At the games, Gi-hun believes all the games will be the same, warning new players. After making it through “Red Light, Green Light,” Gi-hun realizes the second game is different, meaning he and his fellow players are unaware of what’s to come.
The next episodes introduce new players, the game’s backstory and ultimately ends with a cliffhanger in episode seven, with Gi-hun and his friends attacking the guards in an attempt to infiltrate the games. Leading up to the climax of the season, audiences learn that Gi-hun’s newest ally in the game, Player 001, is the “Frontman” who plays a large part in the first season and at the end of season two.
With new motives and new information, audiences learn about the creation of the Squid Game, this season has a different feel than the previous. While the last season focused more on the games and Gi-hun’s ultimate win, this season shows how the games affected Gi-hun and why he is so obsessed with stopping the games.
Gi-hun’s “zero to hero” story carries into the second season as he plays the games intending to help other players. Although, in later episodes, he seems less hopeful which makes other characters shine more and makes Gi-hun not as appealing as he was in the first season. New characters, such as Thanos (230) and Kim Jun-hee (222), add new subplots and an interesting diversity of characters.
Along with new characters, the players participate in new games that make Season 2 vastly different from the first. Players participate in the Six-Legged Pentathlon and Mingle, which prove to be extremely deadly. Mingle is the perfect mix of strategy and collaboration, but the deadly nature of the game only results in one important death.
It seems that throughout this season, heart-wrenching deaths were pushed behind character building, maybe to make the deaths of favorable characters more extreme and feel more personal in the upcoming season.
The exact date of the release of Season 3 of “Squid Game” has not officially been confirmed, but an accidental “leak” from Netflix Korea’s official YouTube channel shows a teaser video for Season 3 with the premiere date set for June 27. The video was quickly deleted, but fans can look forward to another season full of action, betrayals and lots of exciting plot twists.
