Nobody expected it Squid game to become a multi-season (and multimedia) show in the image of its own creator, Hwang Dong-Hyuk. The creator and showrunner of the South Korean Netflix series previously said that when he wrote the first season, he “didn’t think about doing another one.” But as things change in the entertainment industry, Once a network or streaming service gets a story right, it won’t stop until it wears it out. So here is Netflix with season 2 of Squid game.

The overall situation around Hwang is rather bleak, in that the production of season 1 has been so overwhelming that he claims to have lost teeth and is only writing the last two seasons for payment, since he doesn’t received only the initial payment from Netflix for season 1. Squid game is one of the biggest shows on Netflix right now, which means Hwang has lost untold royalties. But most of the special behind-the-scenes circumstances don’t manifest in Season 2. Squid gameThe second season misses the crisis by a wide margin, justifying its focus in a story told through a more disturbing dystopian lens.

Squid Game Season 2 pushes the boundaries – for better and for worse

The season takes the games, storyline and violence to untapped places

Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) is back for his second shot Squid gamebut not for the same reasons he signed up three years ago. In the previous season, Gi-hun was an unlucky loser with a serious gambling problem, so he joined the deadly children’s game series with the promise that he could win big money. This time around, Gi-hun is armed with a hero’s mentality and a slight death wish, although he wouldn’t necessarily admit the latter. Gi-hun’s average hairstyle and depressed manner are the result of his years of searching for the island that houses the games, to which he returns in hopes of eliminating them once and for all. As he tells the other players during his second round of play, it’s the VIPs and Front Man they should be fighting, not each other for blood money.

Squid game Season 2 is smart about its priorities, increasing the urgency of exposing the people behind the masks rather than winning the actual games. The shift in perspective continues a different narrative for the series led by police officer Hwang Jun-ho, this time focusing on detective work that navigates a gray area of ​​legality. It takes a few episodes to reach the games themselves, which on paper would frustrate viewers who enjoyed the instant gratification of the first season. That said, the first two episodes of season 2 assert their existence by building stories and filling in the gaps of time spent off-screen.

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Considering the life and death circumstances related to games, Squid game always recognizes the essential role they play. Gi-hun continually finds himself tested by exciting new games that are relatively easy, but psychologically destroy a person when their life is on the line. Behind the walls of the arena lies a revealing story through the eyes of a soldier and his choice to join the games in a different role. The sympathetic light on this particular character sheds some of the vicious and bloodthirsty imagery that the masked pink soldiers previously had, but she’s not completely innocent either.

Squid game However, Season 2’s boundary-pushing isn’t always for the better. The violence dial is turned up considerably, and much of it results in haunting portraits of human indecency. A scene where a player commits suicide is an insensitive moment on the director’s part, as the camera never turns away from the act and there are no trigger warnings to alert viewers in advance to the gratuity. The problem here is not the act of suicide itself or other moments of extreme violence, but the fact that they are presented in an almost exploitative manner. Given how much the series as a whole sympathizes with players, it can be jarring to see them die for little more than shock value.

Squid Game Season 2 does the same tricks, but doesn’t disappoint

The commentaries, characters and visuals of the season sometimes lack originality

Ironically, Squid game The novelty of Season 2 wears off a bit once Gi-hun returns to the series’ iconic games. That’s when it becomes clear that Hwang really has doesn’t I plan to make it a multi-season series. Many new players are introduced, many of whom fit the archetypes of previous characters who died during Season 1. Many scenes from Season 1 are recreated or referenced for dramatic effect, consciously pointing to the history that repeats itself when the people are at their lowest. The repeat might work for those who haven’t watched the first season since its 2021 release, but for those following a marathon binge, the on-the-nose mirroring can quickly become stale.

That said, there is still nothing boring Squid game Season 2. There’s a good mix of likable, frustrating, and downright nasty players to follow. Squid game proves its timelessness by exploring the modern financial struggles that push younger generations to join the games, which can be considered cryptocurrency debt metaphors in reality. The inclusion of a transgender female character (played by cis-male actor Park Sung-hoon) starts a much-needed conversation about the financial and societal challenges of getting gender-affirming surgery not only in South Korea, but in the world.

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Squid game Season 2 also greatly improves on Season 1’s poignant allegory about capitalism creating the extreme competition that is life. The voting process is a central point of the season, giving players the illusion that they have freedom of choice. The public knows that, while not technically rigged, the voting process reflects a larger system that makes it nearly impossible for people to win in life. But most players are blind to unfairness (either unknowingly or by choice), making it harder for them to press “X” when more money falls into the gigantic ball. To say that Squid game Season 2 is about the moment, to put it mildly.

Squid Game season 2 is just the first part of a bigger story

The season ends with more questions and teasers than answers

Squid game Season 2 is still a series that questions the value of human life when money is on the line. But it also exploits survivor trauma and guilt. Squid game alludes to characters who have endured real wars, often in amusing ways to expose the ridiculousness of the violent, feverish childhood dream they currently live in. But for someone like Gi-hun, this trauma is deeply rooted in self-hatred. It is a thoughtful analysis of how a person’s life and identity can be instantly uprooted by a traumatic event. Lee makes Gi-hun a totally unrecognizable person overcome with anger, delivering, once again, another fantastic performance.

The season as a whole is obviously just the first part of the end of the series., which matches Hwang’s previous statements that Seasons 2 and 3 were initially envisioned as one story. Many scenes are entirely stretched out and desperately need to be cut. Because of this, Squid game Season 2 returns to its most interesting plot halfway through, only to wait until the last minute to pick up at a detrimental point. The season finale doesn’t necessarily end at an inappropriate time, but with an inconclusive cliffhanger that feels like there’s unfinished business that can’t wait a few more years.

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Although his sophomore outing feels more incomplete and artificially padded than it should have been, Squid game is always a property that keeps its promises. If the series had having a second season, that would be the best result Hwang could produce. Each new character is as captivating as the much-missed characters from Season 1, and the continuing characters – especially Front Man – only benefit from an expanding story. It’s cleverly designed so that each game is a whirlwind of surprise and can naturally flow into moments grounded in character building.

That said, Squid game Season 2 is also incredibly uncomfortable, both in a good way and a bad way. Squid game brilliantly provokes some nervousness when people intentionally uncover a hidden darkness within themselves for the sake of money. But when it gets too explicitly rough around the edges, things start to get scary. Has the fast-tracking of another spin-off or season made the public the enemy Gi-hun is trying to defeat? Did we ask too much of a series that flowed perfectly with just one turn?

Squid Game Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix. A third and final season is in development.

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Hundreds of cash-strapped gamers accept a strange invitation to participate in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly stakes: a survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion won prize at stake.

Release date

September 17, 2021

Final year

November 30, 2024

Cast

Wi Ha-joon, Anupam Tripathi, Oh Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Joo-ryoung

Seasons

2

Writers

Hwang Dong-hyuk

Directors

Hwang Dong-hyuk

Showrunner

Hwang Dong-hyuk

Benefits

• Squid Game keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with new characters and games in season 2.
• Gi-hun’s struggles with survivor’s guilt are an excellent depiction of trauma.
• The plot to eliminate the Front Man and the VIPs is a thrilling detective story.

Disadvantages

• Some of the violence is gratuitous and occurs without necessary warning.
• Season 2 recycles character archetypes and scenes from Season 1.

Develop