‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Review: Red Light, Green Light Still the Scariest Game

After three years, Squid Game is back with more deadly games to play. The seven-episode second season premieres today on Netflix. By all indications, it’s just as good as the show’s first appearance. However, this isn’t a retread of season 1, and that’s because of Seong Gi-hun’s (Lee Jae) return to the gauntlet that almost killed him.

Why would Gi-hun (aka Player 456) return after the violence he suffered earlier? After all, he won the contest and left the multi-million dollar island. You’d think he’d put this in the rearview forever and move on with his life. When it comes to the lingering impact of trauma, this is easier said than done.

When audiences first met Gi-hun, he was a low-living, aloof man with a gambling habit who was struggling to pay off some huge debts. In short, he had a clear detachment from any significant responsibility. In season 2, Gi-hun is a changed man. A hardened shell of its former self, its sole purpose has changed from paying off debtors to ending the entire mysterious operation entirely.

Instead of starting a new luxurious life with the winnings from the competition, he spends large amounts of money to find the people related to the games. He wants revenge and nothing will stop him from getting it.

Or, paraphrasing Michael Corleone from The Godfather: Part III: Just when we thought he was out, he launched again.

This is the part of the review where I warn you spoilers for the second season of The Squid Game. If you haven’t seen the new episodes, proceed carefully or turn back now.

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It’s not a spoiler that Gi-hun returns to the games; That detail was highlighted in the trailer. On the surface, this new installment is very similar to the first. People who need money are forced to play children’s games for a lot of money while risking their lives. A shadowy figure runs the show with an army of hooded and masked henchmen doing his bidding.

Although all the competitors find themselves in this life-threatening situation together, bonds are forged and conflicts arise. Once again, we are presented with a Lord of the Flies style scenario that shows how easy it is for humanity to become separated from within.

Gi-hun’s determination to put an end to this operation and save as many lives as possible pits him against several competitors. His tenacity and knowledge of the games also bring him new friends, introducing audiences to a collection of new faces, each with their own flaws and nuances.

As expected, Jung-jae delivers another standout performance. All of the players in the broad ensemble deliver on all fronts, from Lee Byung-hun, whose sinister return as leader brings some unexpected new layers to the evil role, and Wi Ha-jun, who returns as detective Hwang Jun-Ho, to Gong Yoo’s delicious retaliation for his role as a sociopathic recruiter, they all do a fantastic job raising the emotional stakes. And that is a necessity.

Let’s remember where we were three years ago when Calamares premiered on Netflix in 2021. At that time, there was a global lockdown and millions of people were stuck at home, looking for entertainment to numb the pain of the pandemic realities they were experiencing. through diary. The Korean series was a hit from the start and quickly became the streamer’s most-watched series.

Emmy Awards were won and careers were made. Series lead Lee Jung-jae got Star Wars momentum with the Disney Plus series The Acolyte. In fact, the spotlight was well received. But after a three-year wait, one has to wonder if the second season of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s global hit scratches the same kind of itch.

He does it. But that’s not the case either. And that’s a good thing.

Squid Game is not the first piece of entertainment to pit people against each other in bloody combat for monetary gain. Titles like Running Man or Battle Royale come to mind. However, the deadly competition here is not a means of popcorn-eating revelry for an audience at home. No, that would be too easy. This deadly children’s game challenge may take place at the whim of a sociopathic man hiding behind a black mask, but it is the competitors themselves who bear the brunt of the trauma.

Season 2 gives everyone a proverbial get-out-of-jail-free card by allowing competitors to vote on whether they should stay or go. However, just like the first season, humanity’s greed counteracts common sense and once again leads the series into a bloodbath. Adding an electoral issue to the mix creates a violent polarity that seems too close, considering our current reality.

Squid Game has changed with the times more than enough to keep it interesting. It’s as scary as it is funny, heartfelt and dramatic. Like Gi-hun, audiences around the world are already familiar with this bloody competition: Red Light, Green Light is still the scariest game, to be honest. So to keep our attention, the story needs to enter a new phase.

The leader and his minions messed up in season 1. Now, it looks like Calamares is in the research stage and I can’t wait to see what comes next.