Caption: One of the three official English Netflix Trailers for Squid Game Season 2. The image portrays the main character, Gi-hun, standing in front of all of the new characters.
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Spoiler Warning: This is a review on Season TWO, so I will be discussing previous events seen in season one without filter. If you have not already, go watch the first season before reading this review on the second!
Season two of the infamous Squid Games just dropped, so let’s see if it is a cop or drop.
For a quick little recap, Squid Game is a Netflix series about a group of people who play deadly children’s games for a cash prize. The first season follows Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father who wins the games and uses the money to rebuild his life. In the second season, Gi-hun returns to the games to get revenge on the Front Man and end the games forever.
The second season of the South Korean dystopia survival thriller series Squid Game, marketed as Squid Game 2, was created by Korean television producer and writer Hwang-Dong Hyuk. It was released on Netflix on December 26, 2024. The first episode of season 1 was released on September 17, 2021(USA), and had a total of 10 episodes. Though the budget for season one was only around 21.4 million USD, the series ended up being so successful that the second season budget was allocated over 100 billion won, or $68.6 million.
Within the first three days of release, the second season had 68 million views, exceeding the highest premiere viewership for Netflix held by the first season of Wednesday at 50.1 million views during its premiere week. According to Netflix, the season ranked at No. 1 in 92 countries for days on end.
The season garnered positive reviews from critics, though it was generally deemed inferior to the first season. Some comments from Rotten Tomatoes include: “Squid Game has cannibalized its original message and overstayed its welcome.” “The new season doesn’t avoid falling into the repetition of its formula.” “One of the worst second seasons I’ve watched in my entire life…It doesn’t even make sense, nothing has a real purpose, and nothing works.”
Personally, I think that it’s super over-hated. There are some low points, but it is not to the point where you can just claim it is a terrible season or even that it fails to live up to the hype of its predecessor. I do think the original’s raw impact and social commentary feel diluted, replaced by predictable plot twists and underwhelming character arcs(continuous sidelining). For example, Player 196 was less than 30,000 USD in debt. Why was she even there?! The new games, while visually striking, lack the ingenuity and suspense of the first season. However, Season 2 still delves deeper into the motivations and backstories of returning characters, providing valuable context and emotional depth. The cinematography is stunning, elevating the already visually striking world of Squid Game to new heights. Finally, the show continues to grapple with complex ethical dilemmas, forcing viewers to question the nature of humanity and the lengths people will go to for survival. In my opinion, that is the real essence of the show, and they managed to capture it perfectly.
Overall:
Squid Game Season 2 is a thrilling and thought-provoking continuation of a cultural phenomenon. It’s a must-watch for fans of the original. Though I will not say exactly how, Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger, setting us up for a tense and suspenseful third and final season. The third and final season, which was filmed back-to-back with the second season, will be released in 2025.
