Netflix's high-stakes epic takes its action to bold new heights

When squid game season two premieres, it's been more than three years since season one hit Netflix like a freight train. It seems outrageous that the streamer waited so long to catch up on international success, but it's the norm. When Stranger Things season 5 premieres, it's been about three years too. Apple TV+ Termination returns in January, nearly two years since the first season premiered to critical acclaim.

When released in 2021, squid game it exploded and became a bona fide word-of-mouth phenomenon. Still the most watched Netflix series of all time-until Wednesday and Stranger Things season 4 wasn't able to take him down. Bloomberg reported in October 2021, just a month after the show's launch, which squid game could add $900 billion in value to Netflix.

In Squid Game, a mysterious invitation to participate in a competition is sent to at-risk people who urgently need money. Four hundred and fifty-six participants from all walks of life are locked in a secret location where they play to win 45.6 billion won. The games are selected from traditional Korean children's games such as Red Light and Green Light, but the consequence of defeat is death. To survive, competitors must choose their alliances carefully - but the further they advance in the competition, the more likely betrayal will appear.

Release date: September 17, 2021
Cast: Wi Ha-joon, Anupam Tripathi, Oh Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Joo-ryoung
Seasons: 2
Writers: Hwang Dong Hyuk
Directors: Hwang Dong Hyuk
Presenter: Hwang Dong Hyuk

That kind of success, of course, puts pressure on any kind of sequel, so it's no wonder that creator Hwang Dong-hyuk took all this time to create new episodes. squid game Seasons 2 and 3 were filmed back-to-back, so the wait between the middle chapter and the finale will be much shorter. In filling that gap, though, Hwang delves deeper into the gaming world while introducing new characters who will play a pivotal role in the show's finale.

So, does Squid Game season two live up to its predecessor?

The short answer is yes

After squid game At the end of the first season, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) intends to disrupt the games and plans to re-enter them to take them down from the inside. With the help of Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), he manages to track down the Salesman (Gong Yoo) and return to the island that houses the games. Gi-hun and Jun-ho's joining forces certainly helps make the outside world more compelling, but it still remains the show's weakest element.

Happily, squid game Season 2 makes up for this by making the games much more interesting, introducing dynamics between new players that allow for more complex stories. More people meet each other this time – a crypto YouTuber finds himself stuck with several people who lost money thanks to his bad financial advice. A mother, who is there to earn money to pay off her son's debts, discovers that her son has also joined the games.

The first season's heavy exploration of income inequality is still present, but these new dynamics raise questions that allow the series to expand its scope.

A pregnant woman, hoping to earn money to start a new life as a single mother, sees her child's father at the games. Most shocking of all, though, is Player #1, who you might recognize as The Front Man (Lee Byund-hun). Fascinated by Gi-hun's desire to return to gaming, The Front Man (aka In-ho) is a trusted ally to the hopeful disruptor, playing along with Gi-hun as he gathers allies.

There are other tertiary characters who ally with Gi-hun and add layers to this season's games, though the main story is really about Gi-hun's relationship with In-ho and another of his friends from the outside world, Jung-bae (Lee Seo -hwan). The first season's heavy exploration of income inequality is still present, but these new dynamics raise questions that allow the series to expand its scope.

There is a clear caste system in gaming, starting, of course, with those who pay to watch them and working their way up to those who participate. It's how this system turns players and guards against each other that's most fascinating. Gi-hun is well aware of this dynamic and knows that the game's "upper class" is sowing division among those who, united, could work together to overthrow them, the fantasy of a class uprising wasted before it can leave their mouths. of those who dreamed.

It's clear that this is what fascinates In-ho about Gi-hun. It's not just his ability to bring people together, but also his passion for seeking justice for all those who died in the games. squid game season two asks what happens when this passion for justice is exposed to constant violence, and what moral and physical sacrifices must be made for what the righteous believe to be the greater good.

This is what makes Gi-hun's position so complicated; When a person decides what is good or right, especially in a situation as extreme as a deadly set of children's games, the idea of justice is distorted into something even uglier. Gi-hun essentially has the fate of over 400 people in his hands and squid game season two is about how he wields that power and how his quest for justice could be his downfall after all.

squid game season two is now streaming on Netflix. The third season will arrive in 2025.

Pros

Squid Game Season 2 expands on the themes and questions posed by the first season.
The games are deadlier and the action more intense.
Compelling dynamics within games allow for more emotional stories.

Cons

The story outside of the games struggles to remain compelling.