Season 2 of “Squid Games” continues to captivate audiences with its intense and gripping storyline. Season 1, released in 2021, introduced a world where desperate people either in debt or in poverty met a man with a suitcase offering them a way to wealth. 456 of them end up agreed to join and were taken for six days where they play games. Soon enough the people realized that these games have a slight twist- If they lose the game, they are eliminated…quite literally. At the end of season 1, player 456 (Seong Gi-hun) won and received 45.6 billion won ($31 million). However, instead of continuing with his life, season 1 ended with him embarking on a mission of finding the people in charge of the game and doing whatever it takes to stop them, which is where season 2 picked up with its December 2024 release.
Though many have said the pacing is slower than in the first season since they have to build up the narrative and develop the characters further, season 2 still holds its intensity and high stakes, even more so with the main mission now being Seong Gi-hun trying to stop these games once and for all. Another criticism was that while the new games are exciting and still enthralling, they don’t give the same shock value as the originals did, as season 2 viewers know what to expect. Now they give a different surprise and a new concept: one big twist of the early episodes is Seong realizing that the games are not the same as the originals. If anything they are more complex and bring most people to the edge of their seats. Another welcome addition is that after each game there is a vote cast between the players on whether they should continue on to “one more game,” creating a sense of war and painstaking continuation. The new season also offers more background on how the game started and the focus on a new character, one of the game henchmen, offers a window into the behind-the-scenes of the game as well. Though slower-paced, the new season offers its own insane twists that are sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Overall, season 2 of “Squid Games” successfully expands on the world created in the first season, offering a compelling and thought-provoking thrill all the way to the very end.
