When Squid Game premiered on Netflix back in 2021, I had a lot of issues with its final episode. The “twist ending” was the most predictable thing in the world that barely changed how I perceived the series other than hammering down on a theme that wasn’t even subtle, and Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) sudden change of heart to spare Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) in the final game was utterly unearned. However, despite these massive flaws, the last scene of the season finale, in which Gi-hun decides not to board the plane and stay in Korea, made me hopeful and excited to see where season 2 would possibly go. Even if I didn’t think a Season 2 was ultimately necessary, I couldn’t help but imagine where this story could go, as there were endless possibilities.
Perhaps the second season would become like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, in which the previous winners of the past games would compete in a tournament of champions-style battle royale. Another option would be to pursue a V for Vendetta-style revolutionary narrative in which Gi-hun would launch a revolution or war against the Front Man and the people who run the games. There were limitless creative paths a second season could have taken, so as long as this series doesn’t follow the footsteps of literally every Hollywood sequel ever and does the same thing again but bigger, then I would be at least content. So what does Squid Game Season 2 do? It just does the same thing again, but bigger.
Ok, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration because the second season starts with an intense first episode where we see Gi-hun in a much darker yet determined state. Gi-hun is doing everything he can to bring an end to the games once and for all: he trains in firearms and other weaponry, he enlists his former loan shark and his gang to help him find the recruiter, and he teams up with police detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) who has his vendetta against the people running the games. The first episode is filled with many fantastic moments, especially from The Recruiter (Gong Yoo), as he is easily the standout character. The best scene in the show is when The Recruiter challenges Gi-hun to a game of Russian Roulette, as it oozes so much tension and suspense. On a technical level, this scene screams confident filmmaking, as everything from the editing to how the music is incorporated into the game to the excellent performances is all great.
Unfortunately, that is where this new season peaks because the show returns to being the first season of Squid Game again, with almost zero risks or attempts to tell a different story. Once again, Gi-hun is captured and participates in the game, where lots of money is at stake. Yet again, the contestants play Red Light Green Light, and people are shocked when they realize death is a real possibility. We have yet another cast of generic, black-and-white good and bad guys where certain characters are cartoonishly evil, and others are boringly lawful good, except this time there are references to topical subjects like crypto and Thanos that scream major “how do you do, fellow kids” energy. The same random subplot of the Squid Game workers secretly harvesting the organs of dead contestants is back, except this time, it’s even more pointless. The process of characters being able to vote whether or not they should stop returns, except this time, they introduce it at the end of every round, causing the entire show to drag and artificially extend its runtime.
Throughout episodes 2–6, nothing new or creative happens. It is just the same thing audiences saw in the previous season, except frustratingly stretched out because Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that he developed the second and third seasons back-to-back, with Season 3 being the last. The only time the show becomes interesting again is in the final episode, in which Gi-hun launches a revolt against the people running the games by ambushing some guards and stealing their weapons. On top of this being a primarily solid episode with well-presented and engaging gunfights, this show is finally pursuing a gripping storyline that feels like a natural next step of where this story should have gone initially.
Unfortunately, the show just couldn’t help itself but end on a cliffhanger that is both wholly unearned and a harsh reminder that this is only half a story and audiences need to wait until next year to see this story completed. Netflix and the creative team behind Squid Game would seriously rather artificially lengthen a show just to milk the IP for a bit longer rather than letting it run its natural course. It’s sad and frustrating, and this mindset results in a Season 2 that, while having some good ideas and moments, is half a story that ultimately feels risk-free and creatively bankrupt.
Rating: 5/10
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