‘Squid Game’ season 2 is a torture chamber for its protagonist — but not for audiences
Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in season two of “Squid Game.”
Before “Squid Game” was a cultural phenomenon, it was an astoundingly great television show — and luckily, season two of the Korean-language drama reminds us exactly why.
The South Korean series about a death game for the economically downtrodden exploded after hitting Netflix in September 2021. Not only was it the most-watched non-English hit in Netflix history, it quickly became one of Netflix’s biggest shows ever.
That popularity spilled from the small screen to myriad smaller screens, becoming an internet phenomenon whose major symbols — the pink-clad guards, green jumpsuits, and even star Lee Jung-jae’s beaming face — became inescapable memes eventually divorced from their original meaning.
That’s part of why the return to creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s blistering fever dream is so gripping. “Squid Game” season two brings back the cultural phenomenon and executes the nigh-impossible, continuing what could have been a stand-alone story in a way that’s just as cutting as its predecessor.
Back to the game
In its first season, “Squid Game” struck viewers with sheer novelty: its sharp class satire, grounded in childlike aesthetics, was dissonant in a way that was both disturbing and wildly compelling. While there’s no way to recreate that shock factor in season two, the series doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel to be excellent. In fact, its iterative nature is a thematic strength.
Choi Seung-hyun as Thanos in season two of “Squid Game.”
Back to the game
In its first season, “Squid Game” struck viewers with sheer novelty: its sharp class satire, grounded in childlike aesthetics, was dissonant in a way that was both disturbing and wildly compelling. While there’s no way to recreate that shock factor in season two, the series doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel to be excellent. In fact, its iterative nature is a thematic strength.
The Front Man in season two of “Squid Game.”
That makes season two’s repetition of familiar games, like “Red Light, Green Light,” or character beats, like Gi-hun encountering an old friend in the games, incredibly effective. Even though he’s been dealt the same cards — frankly, better ones, given that he’s no longer bound by his debts — Gi-hun must struggle against human hubris and avarice.
There are, of course, new challenges. Season two introduces several new games that are just as superlatively designed as their predecessors. This cycle’s new mechanic, a chest badge to indicate which players vote to leave or stay in the games, establishes a rote but still compelling division between the players.
New players make an impression
Kang Ae-sim as Geum-ja in season two of “Squid Game.”
Wisely, Gi-hun takes a backseat for much of season two to make room for the show’s captivating cast of new characters.
Choi Seung-hyun (a rapper known by the stage name T.O.P) is an easy standout and sure-to-be fan-favorite as Thanos, a braggadocious rapper burned by a failed crypto investment. Kang Ae-sim is easy to emotionally invest in as Geum-ja, a woman who joined the games to pay off her son’s debts, only to discover he agreed to play as well. A former soldier, Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), is the most compelling of the bunch: a transgender woman, she faced discrimination after transitioning, leaving her in debt after she was fired from her job while pursuing gender-affirming surgeries.
Lee deftly handles the nuances of Gi-hun’s plight and changed circumstances. Most striking are the moments when he falls back into Gi-hun’s childlike innocence from season one, most frequently in response to his former gambling buddy Jung-bae, played by a painfully endearing Lee Seo-hwan. Still, Lee pulls off the determined, beleaguered savior well.
Lee Jung-jae Gi-hun and Lee Seo-hwan as Jung-bae in season two of “Squid Game.”
For the most part, Hwang (who mostly wrote season two himself, this time with a few assistants) juggles the series’ myriad character arcs and plot lines deftly, though some threads don’t hold up as well as others. The weakest of the bunch is Jun-ho’s quest outside the games to locate the island where they’re held and also, presumably, Gi-hun and his brother. While his arc posing as a guard in season one provided valuable insight into the process of the games, this time, his search is mostly a distraction with little payoff in the confines of the season.
Ultimately, though, “Squid Game” manages to live up not only to its predecessor but also to the franchise’s myth. Success can bring crushing pressure and, with it, an impulse to iterate. In this case, though, the iteration works in service of the show’s point: There is no escape—not for the game’s players and certainly not for Gi-hun.
“Squid Game” seasons one and two are now streaming on Netflix.
