After nearly five years of anticipation, ‘Squid Game’, an acclaimed and popular series written and directed by South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk, released a second season. The second season of the series became available on Netflix a day after Christmas, on December 26, 2024.
Though the first season seemed to follow a strict plot, the second season introduced various new characters, and subsequently their plot lines. The first season of the show followed the unlucky and often miserable protagonist, Seong Gi-Hun. Gi-Hun, drowning in debts and trying to fight through a divorce, a gambling addiction, and his ill mother, is met with the opportunity of a lifetime. Approached by a salesman in the subways of Seoul, Gi-Hun is challenged to a traditional Korean game of ddjaki. Struggling and desperate for a source of funds, Gi-Hun accepts the proposal and is met with a monetary reward when he eventually beats the salesman. The salesman gives him a business card containing a phone number, which the salesman directs him to call in order to win larger prizes. Gi-Hun does call the number, and is eventually entered into the infamous Squid Games. From there, Gi-Hun is met with a series of fatal games, which prove to be typical childhood games, such as Red Light, Green Light. Throughout the games, a cash prize is increased after another player is eliminated – or murdered – which the winner of the games will earn all of. In addition to Gi-Hun’s intense storyline, it is revealed that the ‘Frontman’ of the games is actually the brother of an investigator of the games, Hwang Jun-Ho. After broken alliances, rioting and violence, and hundreds of deaths, Seong Gi-Hun is named the victor of the Squid Games after he murders his childhood friend in the final game. As a result of the traumatic and horrific experiences he endured at the games, Gi-Hun enters a state of depression and alcoholism. The final scene of the first season shows Gi-Hun turning away from his flight after receiving a mysterious call, which was assumed by many to be from the same number used to recruit participants.
In the second season, the primary focus remained on Gi-Hun, whose hatred and anger towards the games drove him to begin a manhunt to find the recruiter salesman. With the help of Gi-Hun’s loan-shark and his gang, Gi-Hun is able to track down the salesman, only after he has murdered the loan-shark in a game of Russian Roulette. The salesman, who is introduced as a completely psychopathic and cold-blooded killer, challenges Gi-Hun to a game of Russian Roulette. Gi-Hun accepts, in the process learning that the salesman had murdered his own father – who had been a competitor in the games – in order to maintain his position of respect. After an intense scene depicting the high-stakes game between the two, Gi-Hun proves to be the victor, leading the salesman to eliminate himself. Gi-Hun then sends his firing squad, which was by the help of the investigator, Jun-Ho, to a location that was revealed by a card the salesman had been carrying. During an intense scene, Gi-Hun is taken to a car belonging to the ‘Frontman’, where he makes the bold decision to re-enter the games. Though his original plan had been to take down the ‘Frontman’ with the firing squad, he entered the game completely alone, desperate for revenge and righteousness. His second experience in the games proves to be equally as fatal, with new, higher stakes games having been implemented by the creator. Throughout the games, Gi-Hun meets a variety of people, including his childhood friend Park Jung-Bae, a group of violent and heartless players, and most importantly, the ‘Frontman’ who has disguised himself as a player. In addition to the games, a story-line following the investigator unfolds, revealing his plan to discover the island on which the games are being held.
The season not only incorporated humor by including various characters, scenes, and interactions that compromised the serious image the show upholds, but maintained the charm and creativity of the previous season. The depth and variety of characters is what makes ‘Squid Game’ a unique series, particularly those introduced in the sophomore season. The season seemed to get a very positive reaction on social media, with fans immediately creating theories regarding what could potentially unfold in the third season. The season obtained 126.2 million viewers within the first 11 days of release, a remarkable statistic for a Netflix original. It isn’t hard to see why the show got such extreme recognition — the development of characters, story-lines, and the overall concept of the series are both entertaining and remarkable. An element of the second season that stood out against the first was the cinematography, particularly with certain characters and interactions. The talent of both the actors, who were able to convey an impressive range of emotions and scenarios for a nearly unimaginable situation, and the film crew, who depicted these emotions and interactions with even more depth through their usage of effects and coloring, proved to be abundant in the second season.
Overall, the series and the response it received were undeniably positive and remarkable. Though the season was fairly short, with only 7 episodes which averaged at about 55 minutes, the content was extremely heavy and impressive. The second season was a fantastic addition to the already engaging series, and was a successful way to develop it.
