Yahoo Lifestyle 'Squid Game' Season 2 Ended Too Quickly
This piece contains spoilers for Season 2 of “Squid Game.”
At last, “Squid Game” is back for Season 2 on Netflix.
It’s been three years since audiences were first introduced to the diabolical world of “Squid Game,” the survival drama where 456 contestants compete to win billions of dollars, that is if they can live through the deadly children’s games. The popular Netflix series went on to win several awards and global acclaim, including a historic Emmy Awards for South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae and director Hwang Kong-hyuk.
In Season 2, Seong Gi-hun (Lee) returns on a mission to put Squid Game to an end forever. Detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and The Salesman (Gong Yoo) also reprise their roles. There are a bunch of new faces as well, including Park Gyu-young as No-eul (G, Choi Seung-hyun as Thanos (No. 230), and Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju (No. 120).
“Squid Game” was only meant to be one season, like most South Korean shows, according to The New York Times. But its first season was such a surprise hit that Netflix ordered another season. The second season is seven episodes with the promise that its third and final season is on the way in 2025. The Associated Press reported that Season 3 has already completed filming.
“I originally envisioned Seasons 2 and 3 as a single story. That’s how I wrote it. But in the process, it came out to be too many episodes. So I thought it’d be better to divide it into two,” Hwang told Entertainment Weekly. “I wanted to tell the story of what happened to Gi-hun after where we leave him at the end of Season 1 and what he does, what kind of actions he takes in order to put a stop to these games. As creator, writer, and director, it was almost my mission or my role to further tell that story… the story I wanted to tell came to a full closure at the end of Season 3.”
HuffPost staff members watched all seven episodes of Season 2. Below, we chat about the new characters, how the show stacks up to Season 1 and why we think Season 2 shouldn’t have ended on that cliffhanger.
Let’s Talk About The Cast Of Characters
The writers were faced with an interesting challenge for the second season by introducing us to a new crop of players while also continuing on with Seong Gi-hun and Detective Hwang Jun-ho, whom I absolutely was not expecting to be alive after the way last season ended. The detective’s efforts to find the island and all of the people he roped in to help with those efforts don’t hold my attention much.
When it comes to the participants in the games, it was frustrating at times because I wanted more character development from certain people and less focus on others. For example, the older villainous player who has the largest debt of all of the players, he appeared so often and yet we learned next to nothing about him. They focused a lot on the pill-popping rapper Thanos and his lackey Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won), and it felt like we learned everything we needed to know about that guy in the first episode he was introduced.
We were introduced to the dad who can’t afford to help his sick daughter (No. 246) in the episodes before the games started and then he pretty much got lost in the shuffle once they started. His existence seemed more just to cast doubt in the head of the guard we follow as the games play out. I would love for this show to give us “Lost”-style flashbacks so we could get to know some of the players a little more beyond how they act in the games. It’s hard to really care about the deaths of some of these folks when our time with them was so brief. — Adam
Ooh, I love the idea of some flashbacks for some of the major players. The season mostly just hints at back stories for a lot of the new characters, and it didn’t feel like enough for me to really get invested in each of them with everything else going on. We do get to see Guard 011, No-Eul (Park Gyu-young), previously living out of her car, working in one of those character costumes, and on the search for her baby after she defected from North Korea. It made me more invested in her than any of the other characters to be honest, but then I was pretty confused about her situation once she was in the game. I actually watched these early parts with her twice to figure out why she was at odds with the other guards. Plus, that whole storyline of the other guards harvesting organs was weird to me anyway. Just too convoluted, in my opinion.
There were so many side characters that we could have done without. I absolutely hated the rapper Thanos and how much of a caricature his character seemed to be. Like, sir, why are you poppin’ pills in the middle of a deadly game of Red Light Green Light? The mom-son duo was intriguing to watch, and I felt like the longer the show went on, the more we saw how complicated their relationship truly is. — Erin
Yeah, beyond the core group of characters, I was finding it kind of difficult to follow everyone’s stories. Though, it became clear to me that the ones whose storylines were the most developed were the ones we were meant to pay more attention to. The rest are collateral damage, I think, in the style of many slasher horror movies; highlighting the chaos that can even be bestowed upon the main players. But I do like the idea of some flashbacks. I’m also very sadistically into the psychological paths of people inside these games. And I agree that the detective storyline is unfulfilling.
Whew boy, every time that rapper popped up on screen, I was like, “How come y’all have not killed him yet?” He’s such a nuisance, but also highlights a key personality that’s also involved in the problem with South Korean capitalism: the online star. OMG, Erin, I could not piece together what was going on with Guard 011 in the games. I thought they would explain that more because the series made such a big deal out of her obviously not being well liked once she reentered the games. I actually cared about that character, too.
I also just want to shout out Park Sung-hoon, who plays a transgender woman on the show, though the actor identifies as cisgender. “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk reportedly attempted to find an openly trans actor in Korea for the role, but wasn’t able to. He told The Wrap, “There are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in the Korean society currently the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalized and more neglected.”
With that said, the actor is really good in the role, and the character helps expand the range of humanity inside South Korea right now that is also impacted by capitalism. Also: The addition of the pregnant female character (No. 222) helps broaden the story of the games and heighten the suspense. — Candice
Candice, I, too, am most interested in the psychology behind the players. How did they get there? Was there a pivotal decision that made them consider competing in Squid Game — and most importantly, why some have voted to stay and risk their lives. I think that helps characters stick so much more, especially because of all the new people we’ve been introduced to.
They touch on it with some characters, like the gambling-addicted mama’s boy (No. 007). But like Adam, I really would like to know the backstory of how player 100 got in so much debt. I assume they’ll dive deeper into some of the remaining players’ backgrounds in the next season, but that takes away some of the fun, in my opinion. — Taryn
OMG I can’t believe that mom (No. 149) joined her son in these games! MAMA, NO! — Candice
How Does Season 2 Stack Up To Season 1?
Ugh, I don’t want to say it, but I have to say it. We did not need a second season of this show. Being the mega-hit that it was, I get it. It had to happen, but what didn’t need to happen was a second season that only exists to pave the way for a third season. It was pretty evident when the body count wasn’t rising much after the second game that they were not going to resolve this story this season. Season 1 had the obvious advantage of viewers not having any clue what to expect next. This season, we knew to expect the violence and everything we got from Season 1, so what we needed was more of a reason to care about the people that it was all happening to. They didn’t really deliver on that. — Adam
Well, Adam, I’m glad you said it first. I really was hoping that Season 2 would have the same energy as Season 1. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy some of what we got in these seven episodes. I was definitely glad to be back in this world. But, I kept looking to feel something more. Like, I was so attached to the characters in Season 1, and I barely felt invested in this crew. I also felt like it ended with me having so many questions. It took three years for us to get this season, and now I’m not convinced that I’m invested enough to wait much longer for all these holes from Season 2 to be resolved in a potential next season. — Erin
So here’s the thing for me. I’m not mad that there’s a second season. But I was curious about how they would keep in line with the story while bringing a similar level of excitement that Season 1 had. I like the approach they’re taking with switching up the games, adding the voting component and having Gi-hun lead this rebellion. My biggest gripe with this season is how it ends. A huge part of the fun of Season 1 is that we get to see it through. With it ending at Episode 7 before the third season, it takes away some of the satisfaction I felt in Season 1. — Taryn
So like… going in I knew that this would be an entirely unnecessary season that was only greenlit because we live in a culture where folks just can’t like a successful show one time and let it go away. They have to wait until it’s beaten into the ground and then start to hate. But I told myself that I would watch until I find out why TF anyone would play these games (especially for the second time). Still, I was so invested in this season — more than I thought I would be. But, unlike the first season that had such a great ending, Season 2 ends with so much story just dangling there, and I HATE THAT. This does not need to continue. — Candice
How Were The Season 2 Games?
Before the Season 2 games started, there was the scene where the recruiter went up to all of the unhoused people offering them a scratch-off ticket or a meal, and I thought they were setting up some higher stakes games to come with a lot of really tough choices to be made. The decision not to tell a complete story in Season 2 and, in doing so, sparing the lives of many of the characters, made it so the games were less impactful. Game 1 being Red Light again was necessary to create a false sense of security for Gi-Hun and for people to trust him as their guide.
I definitely preferred the second game consisting of mini-games where each team member had their role over the dalgona game from Season 1. I welcome any opportunity to see these people working together to survive and bonding in the process knowing those bonds will be tested in a later game. I was so excited when they introduced game 3. I wrote in my notes, “This is going to be brutal!” before it all played out and really fizzled. I figured for sure we would lose some established characters, but there really wasn’t much. It succeeded in testing the relationships between a few characters like the mother and son, and the girl who was trying to help the timid boy before he screwed her over…but that game should’ve had more devastating consequences. — Adam
I kind of missed the dalgona game to be honest. I realize that it would have been very boring to watch them play the same games over and over again though. Game 3, which is called Mingle, was so crazy to watch, but it also gave us more insight into the psyches of some of these people. I kept wanting Gi-hun’s friend Jung-bae (No. 390) to tell Gi-hun about 001, also the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) killing a player in the middle of the game! Spill the beans! — Erin
I cannot believe Jung-bae went to his death without telling anyone what he witnessed! I also can’t believe 001 is like… a lowkey lunatic? He seemed sus, but goddamn. Cold-blooded. That’s what I like most about the games, though. They really reveal a lot about people, their alliances and what motivates them when they’re in this kind of situation. Alliances are fake.
I’m probably very alone on this, which I fully accept, but I couldn’t help thinking about the role of democracy in our world and the role of democracy in this series. Like… the fact that all these people here get a vote when they’re going to vote against their own humanity and that of their fellow people — for the mere promise of money? That was so terrifying and devastating to watch, even though we just saw all of that happen in the first season LOL. They are given a choice. And they choose themselves, their greed, every time. Also, as so many of their debts were being exposed in the beginning, I kept screaming at the screen, “What kinds of lives are y’all living when you are billions of dollars in debt?” My gawd, how crippling. And some of the people who are most in debt are huge capitalists and gamblers. Just awful.
But back to the games, Mingle had me so shook. I was like, a lot of y’all aren’t going to make this one. Again, there are no real alliances here. — Candice
Adam, I actually thought showing the recruiter offering the choice of food or a scratch off ticket to homeless folks was a really great way of setting up the theme of choice going into the games. (Also really sick on the recruiter’s part as it seems he was doing it for fun). I think it’s the most compelling theme this season, honestly. The players have to make a similar decision when they vote after each game and instead of hunger being a potential consequence, death is.
I loved that they switched up the games because I would’ve been mentally checked out if they were about to play tug of war again. I think Mingle was the most interesting, too, Erin. Front Man had been dropping hints about who he actually was (which, I don’t know how Gi-hun didn’t notice) but that’s where we really see how cutthroat he is. I am surprised, however, that we didn’t lose more main characters during that game. — Taryn
What Were The Highlights Of This Season?
The sadistic personality of the recruiter/salesman drew me back in once he started playing games with people and really drilling home the cruel nature of what this organization does to people. I was so pumped for where the season would take us when Episode 1 ended with his death. The repeating of the voting process was an interesting change from Season 1. The added tension of players switching sides and potentially keeping others from the prize money or from going home tee’d up the inevitable bathroom brawl nicely, which had me yelling at my TV. Overall, I like most of what they took time to set up this season, and I will watch further to see where it goes. — Adam
Yeah, totally agree here. Plus, I really liked the added suspense of the senior and the pregnant mother, and the inclusivity of the trans character. — Candice
Ditto on all this. I also loved that we got to see that Sae-byeok’s younger brother (Sae-byeok died in Season 1) was thriving with Gi-hun’s mom’s friend. It was a brief moment, but very satisfying that they closed that loop. — Erin
Where Did This Season Miss The Mark?
The entire police investigation storyline was falling flat for me. It seemed like they just kept trying the same tactic over and over again hoping for different results. I also felt cheated by the way most of the meaningful deaths happened in a brief chunk of the final episode of the season, and they were done in such an abrupt way, the audience doesn’t even have much time to process.
I’m not sold on Gi-hun’s evolution. Gi-hun stepping into a leadership role in the games was a complete 180. I’m not sure I buy that all of his trauma was enough to transform him into this charismatic leader who leads a full-on uprising against the game organizers. Similarly, Jun-ho went from being a detective slick enough to infiltrate the games and still escape with his life to someone who can’t even manage to carry out a sting operation without it completely falling apart. — Adam
Yea, I was only paying partial attention to the investigation. It felt very dead-end. The only thing that somewhat brought me back was that we found out the Captain is a mole. So I’m assuming the investigation ramps up in the next season and the team continues what the rebellious players couldn’t. — Taryn
I agree with everything Adam said about the detective storyline and Jun-ho’s character. It was very interesting in the first and second episode, but every time they cut away from the games to, like, this boat situation, it was a bore. I also don’t like that the season has no resolution. — Candice
That’s the biggest thing for me, too, Candice. I finished the season and had a nagging feeling that I had missed something earlier on in the episodes. It felt like a lot of build up to just cut us off right then. I was happy to read, though, that Season 3 has already been filmed, and we will get it in 2025. I hope Season 3 answers all the questions bobbing around in my head about what the hell happened in Season 2. Also, less Thanos. He was so annoying. — Erin
Let’s Talk About The End
I feel kind of duped and frustrated by how that all played out. If they dropped this season on us and said, “This is part I. Part II of Season 2 is coming in January,” I’d be fine with it. But that’s not how that went down. Gi-hun has so much blood on his hands right now. Every death that happened in that uprising is his fault because he was too stupid to realize they’ve been in control the entire time. Going into Season 3, I’m more interested in what goes down in the sleeping quarters with Hyun-Ju preparing to take on the guards herself but the older woman attempting to keep her from doing something that will get her killed.
I get the feeling they will just treat the uprising as an unofficial fourth game used to thin out the herd, and they will just force everyone to keep competing. Also, perhaps I missed something but where was guard 11 during the entire uprising? Her character was one of the most intriguing parts of the season and yet she was totally MIA in the final pivotal episode. — Adam
Again, Netflix is dead wrong for ending this like this. I’m sure they do it to play a numbers game and it may work for some shows, but it does this one a huge disservice. Especially since we waited three years for a new season. — Taryn
The Hyun-Ju situation with the guards has me really on edge and the very likely threat that Gi-hun will get his ass kicked has set my mind on fire. Like everyone else in these games and despite him saying otherwise, he really is only thinking about his own motivation: revenge. No one else is in these games for that. It’s enraging. So yeah, I’ll keep watching to see how all of that unfolds LOL.
I also really don’t care about this mole on a boat situation. It had such a lousy setup. Leaving that as a cliffhanger for the next season might also be overestimating people’s interest in that storyline. — Candice
I read the screener letter a couple times to make sure Netflix had given us all the episodes. I feel like even just one more episode would have helped me actually feel satisfied after watching the season. I desperately hope we don’t have to wait too long into 2025 for the final chapter of this story. I need it now. — Erin
