Brennan Smith. Podcast Desk Lead for The Powderhorn
Hwang Dong-hyuk’s “Squid Game Season Two” is a South Korean drama and thriller series that serves as the highly anticipated sequel to the world-renowned “Squid Game”. The series continues with the extreme and high-stakes theme of season one, and dives into the complexity of the deadly games and their contestants. The season had huge shoes to fill as its first rendition was an instant success, attracting viewers worldwide.
Season two didn't disappoint, blowing up online, with many claiming the new season to be well worth the wait. “Squid Game Season Two” quickly climbed the charts, becoming the number-one watched show on the platform and trending on nearly every social media platform. The season also rated extremely well with critics, scoring 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8/10 on IMDb.
The season starts with its beloved protagonist, Gi-hun, using the money he earned by winning the games in the previous season to hunt down the creators of “Squid Game”. After three summers of searching, Gi-hun spots the recruiter of the games, confronting him about their immoral and dangerous nature. To Gi-hun’s surprise, he obtains an address that eventually leads him to speak with the Frontman, the leader of “Squid Game”. After the conversation, a revenge-driven Gi-hun offers to reenter the games as a previous winner, wanting to end the games once and for all.
Before the season was released, many viewers feared it would be a replica of season one, mostly focusing only on the deadly games and the eventual winner. However, season two came as a pleasant surprise to its audience. Instead of “copy-pasting” its proven formula, the show took on a full 180, focusing on the connections made between the characters and the psychological toll the games had on the contestants. The season expanded far beyond just the games, featuring the trauma, fear, and dilemmas faced by the participants. Viewers were not just exposed to the lethal games but also to the characters' internal battles.
Hwang Dong-hyuk did an amazing job highlighting human greed throughout this season. During the season, there was a new addition to the games: contestants could vote after each game to leave and split the earnings if they wanted. After the first game, even with the casualties, the majority of contestants voted to stay in the games. This remained constant throughout the season because, no matter how many died, they would vote to stay in danger, holding out for the cash prize to increase—the temptation of unimaginable wealth serving as the motivator. In doing this, Dong-hyuk showed a cynical attitude, demonstrating how people can potentially commit to unnecessary risks for money.
Although the show did an amazing job highlighting the characters' internal battles and the games, it did have one fatal flaw: its subplot. Season two’s subplot consisted of Gi-hun’s mercenaries trying to hunt down the island the games were on. This subplot felt extremely frivolous at times because it achieved nothing throughout the season. Every time the show would switch to the subplot, they would just search an island, find nothing, and then search another island. The pointless cycle also didn't go unnoticed by viewers, with many questioning if it might even come into play in season three, or if it was just filler.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the second season. The emotional depth and complexity added an entirely new layer to the story, evolving it into something far more than a traditional thriller. The writers' ability to blend the drama with the thought-provoking theme of greed is exactly what made “Squid Game Season Two” a must-watch.
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