Squid Game Season 2 builds on the global hit Netflix series Squid Game Season 1. Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, who directed and wrote the gripping series has made it an international hit with a gripping storyline, character development and simple games that are rooted in our childhood memories. We all have played them; perhaps with different names but with the same emotions and zeal. Backed by Netflix and significant international investors, the show’s worldwide success has been seen to be amplified by innovative marketing strategies all over the world. From immersive campaigns and viral challenges to a ferry carrying 300 guards and the Young-hee doll at Luna Park in Sydney, this Netflix K-drama definitely created a significant buzz. And look at your Google Search page! That’s massive!
After all, we all needed a little nudge to remember what was going to happen on 26 December 2024. This is not just for Season 2 but for Squid Game Season 3 as well, which will hit soon somewhere in 2025.
Season 1 premiered on September 17, 2021, captivating audiences with its thrilling narrative and social commentary. Squid Game Season 2 marked its release on 26 December 2024 – just after Christmas. What a time to begin with!
Season 2 also focuses on forlorn souls who have been hit hard by the reality called life and are ready to leave it. It showcases how people behave generally when they are at their wits’ end. This is the time when the creator(s) of the game takes the help of our handsome Goblin aka Gong Yoo (the salesman) to contact such people and offer them the Squid Game invites.
Was anything different in Squid Game 2024?
Natürlich!
Complete Review: Squid Game Season 2 in 2024
We have been somewhat prepared for what will come in season 2. This time, the storyline dives deeper into the dark, high-stakes world of deadly games (taken from the Korean childhood games’ list), picking up where the first season left off with new twists and higher stakes. This season is also a complete blend of suspense, social commentary, and visceral thrills, returned with a fresh set of contestants, except Player 456, who must navigate morally complex challenges to understand the harsh truth of humanity. This blood-pumping season comes up with shocking new character developments.
Three years after winning Squid Game, Gi-hun hasn’t exactly turned his life around, thinking what could have been done and how the players were manipulated solely by the game creators. He’s a paranoid, emotionally wrecked shell of his former self, holed up in isolation like a pro at avoiding social events (of course, to avoid citing from the creators). Forget chasing his daughter to America, Gi-hun’s new mission is to find his salvage by putting a stop to this game, ultimately helping humanity.
In the process, he found a former player as well Hwang Jun-ho, the rogue cop who once infiltrated the game to find his missing brother, now working as a traffic police. Together, they dive headfirst back into the chaos they barely escaped, with the hope of putting an end to the madness.
But the question is:
Are the game creators the main culprits?
Are we humans the ones to be blamed?
Or are they really manipulating the players, bringing their greed and dark side?
Let’s see the rainbow introductions of the characters in this season and the fantastic purgatorial path of our protagonist through them.
Pied Piper of Paupers – A Psychological State of The Poors
Season after season, we repeatedly observe the participants’ psychology. Once hit hard by fate, lying burdened on the road with debt or money-related problems, they are given a shining chance to win a seemingly simple cluster of games. Even I would have said, ‘Bring it on, because why not!’
The astonishing part is that even after understanding the seriousness and brutality of the game design, most participants chose to continue. They fueled the game in a sense, perpetuating the vicious cycle of killing, gluttony, and deception, driven by their own desperation and fear of scarcity. The perfect balance of good and evil is strikingly seen in Player No. 007, who jumped to vote ‘yes, more games,’ instead of realizing the tenuous chance of his mother returning home alive. Similarly, Player No. 120 was inclined to vote for the continuation of the games, even after being keenly persuaded by a younger girl and an Oma to collect a handsome amount for her surgery.
Many, like Player No. 100, exhibit extreme greed, reflecting a survival mindset where trust and compassion become unaffordable luxuries. He showed zero remorse for a massive debt of 10 billion won and engaged in hyperbole, claiming that no one lends such an amount unless you’re already a high-profile individual.
This in-depth portrayal of the paupers’ mentality underscores how systemic inequality fosters not only material deprivation but also a psychological state where survival overshadows morality. This pauper mindset is evident in every episode, manipulating human behaviour, turning solidarity into rivalry, and perpetuating the very conditions that keep the poor trapped in Squid Game 2024.
Sharp Representation of the LGBTQ Community
Park Sung-hoon, a cisgender actor, played the transgender character Cho Hyun-ju (Player 120) in Squid Game Season 2, garnering both criticism and applause around the globe.
Kudos to the creator and producer for coming together to showcase LGBTQ representation in a country where such portrayals are still rare. Despite this bold move, many fans questioned their intentions, with Korean audiences particularly expressing annoyance at depicting Player 120 as a former special forces officer.
Nevertheless, Park Sung-hoon’s performance successfully shattered stereotypes. Many fans stand firmly in Unni’s team, admiring her struggle, bravery, wit, and wisdom.
The creator of Squid Game recently acknowledged that Korea has “close to no actors who are openly trans,” which led him to cast a cisgender actor. Park Sung-hoon, known for his role in The Glory, delivered a commendable performance.
Mundane Time of Influencers, Celebrities & Their Blind Followers
In Season 2, the series critically explores society’s blind faith in influencers. Characters like Players 196 and 120 stand out as prominent figures, with 120 notably swaying a significant number of stock market enthusiasts. His misguided advice led many to invest heavily in poor stock choices, resulting in substantial financial losses. Some of these disillusioned investors find themselves in the game, entirely blaming 120 for their downfall.
This perfect portrayal of our society highlights the pervasive issue of uncritical acceptance in today’s society. People readily trust and follow influencers without being sceptical or conducting any further research, often neglecting personal accountability for their actions and decisions.
Neo-Modern Capitalist Mindset & Power-Driven Culture
Squid Game 2 profusely shows a neo-modern capitalist mindset and how the VIPs are rolling on a power-driven culture, followed by others. It took centre stage, illustrating the relentless pursuit of dominance and wealth.
The series serves as a microcosm of modern society, where survival depends not on morality but on strategy, manipulation, and self-interest. This mindset is embodied by players who exploit alliances and betray trust to secure advantages, such as in Player 124 (Nam Gyu, a fan of Thanos), and Player 044 (Seon-nyeo, the Shaman). Such players mirrored real-world corporate cutthroat tactics. The contestants, such as Player 100 were seen equating wealth with status and worth, perpetuating a culture that values pseudo-ambition over empathy.
The game organizers themselves, representing elite capitalists, manipulate the system for personal amusement, dehumanizing the system to the core.
Squid Game 2 unravels the dark consequences of a society where humans are reduced to commodities, and survival becomes a zero-sum game. Squid Game successfully exposed the fragility of ethics in the face of greed and systemic inequality.
Will we have anything different in Squid Game 3? Is there any reason behind Player 456 being 456 for the second time? Allegedly, Squid Game Season 3 will hit on Netflix screens in the second quarter of 2025 and then perhaps, we will have our answers. Or maybe more questions…!
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