Did we need Squid Game Season 2?
Squid Game Season 2 Review
After the cliffhanger season one ended on, did we need a second season of Squid Game? Narratively, yes. We needed to know what happened to Gi-hun and Officer Hwang (because none of us really believed he was gone, right?) and the fate of the games themselves. However, should this have been the case? Or, should Squid Game season one have ended with Gi-hun seeing the man in the suit playing Ddakji and realising that the games are ever continuing and spiralling out of his control, much like the debt most of the other players of the games had?
Back in 2021, this was the tidy ending I wanted for the show. It had such a profound impact on its audience and gave Korean media a shining spotlight in the Western world, I felt any attempt to replicate this impact would dim the light. There’s no point denying that many shows are greenlit for more seasons as cash grabs, even if the views and demand support this. But, for a show that so brutally handles the very real issue of debt in Korea, there was something not quite right about capitalising on that demand - especially when it seemed we would just be getting more of the same.
Has Squid Game season two changed my mind about this? I won’t leave you in the same suspense as the end of episode seven - yes, yes it has and I want to explore a little more into exactly how it did this.
Raising the stakes
Despite how shocking and nail-biting season one of Squid Games was, when rewatching it, we know that only one outcome is possible and not because we’ve seen it before. From the beginning of the games, we know that only one player can walk away with the prize money and their life. Through how the narrative is predominantly framed, there is very little question that this person will be Gi-hun. Any uncertainty in season one comes from Officer Hwang’s mission behind the scenes and his brush(es) with death.
For this reason, when you think back on it, season one of Squid Game could be called predictable. By no means am I saying this is a mark against the season in any way but it sets up season two to be very much the same. I expected an almost carbon copy of season one just with new players and perhaps some new games and shame on me for it. Not only is the plot driving the narrative different from the first but we don’t even get a full playthrough of the games because that is not what this season is about. We now know what the games are and what they represent so even throwing in some new ones would get tired pretty quick.
Instead, Squid Game season two uses the fact that we know as much (and more) as the main characters this time around. Much like Gi-hun, we start the season believing we are ready because it’s something we have faced before. So, we’re also left just as lost in our adrenaline when we enter a games room we’ve never seen before. Adding to this is the inclusion of the Front Man as a player. Now, I could have guessed (or at least hoped) that some of the games would be different but seeing who we come to know as Young-il’s face as he turns around after voting floored me.
In addition to this, the stakes are further raised by some rule changes. As I said before, despite our desperate hope that other favourites from season one would survive, when their time finally came, we knew it was only ever going to end one way. This time, not only are the players prompted to choose whether or not they want to continue after each game, they have the chance to leave with a share of the prize money accumulated so far. This introduces us to a whole host of loveable characters to root for and hold our breath for every time they narrowly escape death.
The games of season two themselves also rely much more on cooperation this time around. Not only is Green Light/Red Light the classic game that anchors the show but it’s a strategic way to eliminate a lot of players in one go. However, with Gi-hun guiding this game’s players, things don’t exactly go according to the game makers’ plans. Or, do they? We have to wonder since the rest of the games in this season require players to trust each others’ skills and will to survive. It was made clear from the beginning with that sadistic rock, paper, scissors game in episode one that these games aren’t about the lengths you’re willing to go to survive but what (and who) you are willing to sacrifice for it, even if that person is yourself.
Season two also went yet another step further and began answering questions the audience has had since 2021; who are the Front Man, the masked managers and the masked guards? Where did they come from? Do they have just as much at stake as the players? Some of these answers come in the form of No-eul, a character we assumed to be a future player but is actually one of the guards tasked with eliminating players and disposing of the bodies. Her story confirms that the guards are everyday people just like the players but that is where the revelations stop…for now. We can only hope season three will give us more insight into the BTS of the games.
While no specific date has been announced yet, a third and final season of Squid Game has been confirmed for 2025. Theories for the release date range from summer to later in autumn but I wonder if it could be even sooner. While season two was jam-packed with suspense and innovation, the last episode's ending fell a little flat. It was tense, for sure, but it was not season finale worthy, closer to a penultimate episode if anything. This could have been intentional, especially if there is a plan to release the next season (or part) a lot closer to the release of season two than we think.
Only time will tell but, for now, season two of Squid Game has managed to not only recreate the phenomenon of its predecessor but push things even further. Season three has a lot to live up to and, after this season, my expectations and hopes are much higher.
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