Squid Game Season 2 (Spoiler-Free Review)

Season 3 is confirmed too.

When it was released in 2021, the Squid Game changed our lives. The new and weird game of killings made our boring pandemic lives interesting. Thus, squid game review season 2 begins:

Viewers were interested in watching Squid Game because of its thrilling storyline and eye-catching cinematography.

In S01 we saw Gi Hun losing everything in life but winning the amount of 45.6 billion won at the end.

However, the moment he came out of the game, he had his one aim set “to put an end to this game and the people for good”.

In S02, that’s where the spotlight is.

You’ll see the characters and storyline evolve and build towards finding the culprit behind the game and ending it for good. Gi Hun begins his journey to end the game and somehow gets stuck in playing the game again.

Here’s why I think Season 2 is worth watching for:

Gong Yo’s Insane Acting Skills

The Squid Game 2 begins with Gi-hun (the protagonist) choosing not to take the flight after winning the game money. The first episode portrays his look of ‘pink hair’ and the ‘no pain’ attitude.

Hwang Jun Ho (The Police) is now a traffic officer with a backstory. How he failed to save his brother and went to an island (Season 1) and now all he is left with is the memories of it. It is shown that he is still looking for the island in his own secret ways.

You should know that Ep-1 of S02 is all about Gong-Yo who is the salesman or the ‘recruiter’ that recruits people to play the next game. In the S01, his appearance was limited to a few minutes, but this time he is more than here to stay.

Gong Yoo plays ‘ddakji’ with people using ‘blue’ and ‘red’ tiles, a traditional Korean game. In this episode, his back story of entering into this business is explained.

What truly stands out in this episode is his incredible acting skills.

The first episode is a thrilling start depicting the suffering, emotionless resolve, and laser-focussed performances. With Gong Yo’s insane acting, the episode sets a powerful tone for the series.

Player 001

Yes, the player 001 is different this time.

In S01, we all saw ‘Oh Il-nam’ the oldest person playing and then in the end we found out about his secrets of being one of the creators of the game. As he died in the first season, it is not possible to have him again in S02.

But, we do have someone who is taking part in the games as 001 (shhhh a secret member). And you will never guess it! So, watch Squid Game 2 and let me know in the comments if you were shocked to see him.

Player 001 is smartly placed with a member in Season 1 because the last vote had to go through with this player — or an insider.

They start voting from the last of the players i.e., 456 and end at 001. It is systematically designed to help the 001 make the last decision because he might be in the game to manipulate or just influence it as one of the organizers.

In season 02, you will enjoy picking up on 001 indulging and manipulating the game, because you will already know that he is the manipulator, unlike season 01.

New Characters, New Games, Interesting Connection

Squid Game S02 brings new characters — an old lady and her son, a transgender, a drug addict, a pregnant woman and her ex, a best friend, and a melodramatic shaman.

There are two interesting games added which are interesting and thrilling. The first game red light green light is intact because they know the public demand of that game. Even Google is popping up the Red light Green light game for the netizens.

Have you played it yet?

Moreover, there are interesting connections shown between one person to another, relationships are built, and feelings of belongingness are generated.

Impressive Casting

The casting is great in this season because if you are a kdrama addict, you will already recognize the faces.

#Park Sung Hoon — The Versatile actor — From ‘The Queen’, ‘Glory’, and to ‘Squid Game’ as a transgender role — he is killing it.

#Park Gyu-young — From ‘Celebrity’ ‘It’s okay to be not okay’ ‘A good day to be a dog’ — she has surprised with her character in this series.

#T.O.P — South Korean Singer — Choi Seung Hyun — Amazing ‘Thanos’ character who is going places with little drops of heaven in this series.

And there are more that awaits.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐

I would rate it 3 stars with 7 episodes because it was incomplete. The creators could have introduced it as Part-1 and Part-2 but they decided to bring a season 3 where the story will get completed. They ended it abruptly in the 7th episode. The series had an engaging start and maintained a decent pace overall, but it struggled to deliver the emotional depth that truly resonates with the audience. While some moments also felt slow, during certain games, others seemed rushed, which I think was a lack of balance. Though it had strengths, this uneven execution left me a bit disappointed in the makers. I hope I can increase the ratings after the rest of the episodes in the form of S03 are released in 2025.

Note: Don’t keep your hopes high for the ending/finale because it is a broad cliffhanger.

How to watch?

You can binge-watch them on Netflix and wait for season 3 for next year.

Or, you can just wait for season 3 to watch it altogether if you are someone who cannot hold out eagerness and curiosity.