Squid Game season 2 review: It's the beginning of the end and it's upped the ante for the next season!

Squid Game season 2 brings new games, new characters and new plot twists that are totally different in vibe from season 1!

Squid Game season 2 review: Three years ago, the world was hooked to a sinister, uncomfortable and bloodthirsty show called Squid Game. The series was about people drowning in debts participating in a game challenge but the twist was you either do or die. It was an accurate commentary about the class system in Korea and how the economy just beats you down. Hence the world took to it in vast numbers. At the end of season 1, we found a hero in Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae) who was player 456 in the game. The second season starts with exactly where it left us three years ago.

A disturbed Seong Gi-Hun who chooses to not board that plane has now spent two years looking for the guy in the suit who recruits people for the game. He wants to put an end to it all. He uses the same money he won from the previous season or as he likes to call it, the ‘blood money’ to catch the rich VIPs who made this game for their entertainment. He joins hands with Hwang Jun-Ho (Wi Ha-Jun) who is now a police officer, and is also building his own mercenary to fight the red uniform soldiers. His plan takes him right in the middle of the game again and he becomes player 456 once again. When season 1 released, it had our jaws on the floor because we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into.

I can't forget how my stomach dropped when the first red light green light game took place and the ones who lost were shot on site. That’s when I knew Hwang Dong-Hyuk, the maker of the show, had not come to play (pun not intended). Every game from season 1 had us hooked. We screamed at our screens when our favorite players died or when the most ruthless betrayals happened. But season 2 is quite different in nature. This time around, you already expect violence when you start the second chapter. So the room for shock or surprise is lesser and hence inevitably it will not match up to season 1. But Hwang Dong-Hyuk still managed to keep some surprises up his sleeve.

Also Read: Mufasa: The Lion King review: A tear jerking tribute to the Lion King and how it all began in the circle of life

In season 2, the players are a much smarter lot than that were in season 1. They also have an upper hand because Seong Gi-Hun is also inside with them. But the players joke around more often than season 1, they ask more questions and the right ones most importantly. If there’s anything that Squid Game has taught us, it's to not get attached to any character given that they can get ‘eliminated’ at any round. But season 2 is a little low on that energy.

Having said that, one of my favorite characters from this season though is the purple haired pop star, ‘Thanos’ (Choi Seung-Hyun), in a swarm of people who are scared for their lives. Not only will his half English half Korean lingo crack you up but seeing him cheer during the games or win them nonchalantly almost makes you like him even though you know he is an absolute psychopath. Last season's player 001 turned out to be the one who had created this whole God forsaken game and this season's player 001 is someone y’all have seen before as well. In season 1, we had Sae-Byeok (Jung Ho-Yeon) who was a North Korean defector, this season it’s Kang No-Eul (Park Gyu-Young) but there’s so much more to her than we know. This just goes to show that some things in the series will always remain constant. We also see Im Si-Wan in a much more serious avatar than we ever have before. Then there's Park Sung-Hun who we have only seen in villainous characters. In Squid Game, he plays a trans woman and he does a stellar job. His character was also a first in a Korean show that's grabbing eyeballs from around the world. 

This season, the surprise also consists in the new games. Without getting into much detail, I'd say that one gave me the edge of the seat thriller I was looking for and one just made me think what even is going on. You find out which is which! Season 2’s climax ends on a cliffhanger and a jaw dropping one at that. While season 2 took its while to find its footing, when it gets there, it's worth it. The ending has fully upped the ante for the final season of the show and with the stakes being so high, it’s inevitable for the fans’ expectations to be as well!

I think the whole reason why Squid Game is Netflix's most popular series is that it banks on that ‘what if’ feeling. What if I get lucky this time? What if I survive? What if I win? In the beginning of season 2, we see ‘The Salesman’ (Gong-Yoo) going to a park full of homeless people and offering them bread or a scratch card. Most people choose to take the risk over a good meal, which is what most of us would choose as well. It is this human psychology that makes Squid Game stand out as a story and makes you want to binge episode after episode to see if someone finally got lucky!

Squid Game season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix!

For more reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge.