Review: Squid Game's Season 2 Comes with Intense Drama

Since the release of the second season ‘Squid Game’, the series has been trending in the Top 10 TV shows globally.

The second season came after three years and opened with Seong Gi Hun (Lee Jung Jae) ditching his plans to go to the US to take revenge on the Front Man (Lee Byung Hun.
Along the way, he is joined by Hwang Jun Ho (Wi Ha Joon). However, their plan to kidnap the Front Man fails, which leads to Gi Hun returning to the games.

The second season’s plot is as intriguing, intense, and thrilling as the first thanks to creator and director Hwang Dang Hyuk. Gi Hun’s story in this season is that of a messiah trying to save his people; he is like Neo from ‘The Matrix’, trying to help people break free from the simulation.

This affects the development of the plot and leads to a revolution by the participants against the games in the climax, which is a twist the viewers do not expect after Gi Hun relents to playing the games again.

This season introduces some new characters whose stories you get emotionally invested in.  They have nuanced arcs throughout the series, keeping viewers invested in their stories, which is important since they make it to the end of the season and are bound to appear in the third season.

The actors Kang Ha Neul, Park Sung Hoon, Jo Yu Ri, Kang Ae Shim, Yang Dong Geun, and Park Gyu Young have done a fine job conveying their distinct personalities. They have conveyed the personal conflicts and anxieties of their characters with the right balance of subtlety and emotionality.

Jun Ho is focused on the fruitless search for the island throughout the season. With his knowledge about the Front Man and the games, he should have a better understanding of how to conduct this search, but he does not.

With the season ending on a big cliffhanger, one hopes to see Jun Ho able to find the island and put an end to the games once and for all. Wi Ha Joon is a fine actor, but his role was not done justice this season.

The creators have maintained consistency with the set design for the games, which reinforces the childlike nature of the games, deceiving the participants.

Composer Jung Jae Il returned to compose the score for the second season, creating some eerie pieces that heighten the tension during the scenes.

The creators have used some internationally renowned pieces like a remix version of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, ‘Nessun Dorma’ by Giacomo Puccini, and ‘Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. Although these pieces contradicted the dark nature of the scenes, that juxtaposition amplified the tension and darkness of the scenes.

Since the second season ended with a cliffhanger, there remain a lot of questions for the third season that is supposed to come out in 2025. A post-credit scene reveals the ‘Green Light, Red Light’ game with the large girl doll and a new boy doll, hinting at a more perilous game. Squid Game’s season two definitely delivered on its promise, but there are greater expectations from the third season.