10 Things We Liked, and 3 We Didn’t, AboutSquid Game 2

In the fall of 2021,Squid Gamearrived on Netflix with minimum fanfare , and apparently overnight became the pennant ’s most - watch series of all prison term . Its popularity take to vital acclaim and major awarding , including an Emmy for starLee Jung - jae , and paved the agency for an inevitable return . time of year two has finally get , and it subsist up to the drama , excitement , and ferocity of season one , whilerevealing moreof theSquid Gameworld and furthering the first time of year ’s thought - molest themes .

With that in thinker , we binged it eagerly — so here ’s what we liked ( and a few thing we did n’t ) aboutSquid Game 2 .

Liked: The Russian roulette scene—and that it takes awhile to get into the actual games

We knew that Player 456 was perish to get back into the game . That was the tease at the end of last season , his ultimate end — and honestly , it was in the trailers . But we did n’t quite think about what , exactly , that would entail . It ’s not like these game are publicized . So it was fascinating to view him spend vast chunks of his winnings , engage people to scour the subways , looking for the Salesman , the one clue he had . It was , in a fashion , his very ownSquid Game . A bighearted citywide game of needle in a haystack . It was great .

Then , once he found him , the secret plan of Russian line roulette the two play was absolutely terrifying and revealing . We see so much about both human being and while , sure , we knew the main character of the show was n’t going to die , his willingness to do so told us everything we needed to about his mindset this time of year . Finally , killing off the Salesman illustrates that anything can , and will , befall on the show .

In tandem , time of year two really roleplay with your outlook , making us increasingly anxious and excited to get back to the island and back to the games .

Squidgame Review Topart

Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun in Squid Game season two. Photo: No Ju-han/Netflix

Liked: Thanos

Squid Gameloves a baddie and season two ’s most memorable scoundrel is , of course , Thanos . play by actor Choi Seung - hyun , Thanos is the wannabe doorknocker and social medium influencer who ’ll stop at nothing to win the money for himself . He ’s remorseless , he ’s diabolical , and he ’s hilarious and sorcerous as he does it . The fact he slips into English from metre to time works to illustrate his wide appeal , and the fact he paint his fingernails like Infinity Stones establish how fully he embraces his grapheme .

What we maybe love most about the magnetic , entertain villain though is that he ’s also kind of dumb . In the comics and motion picture Thanos was of course very evil . But at least he had a code . This Thanos does not , and the fact he does n’t quite grasp his own character is an excellent option to make the reference that much more specific and memorable .

Liked: Player 120

Player 120 , real name Hyun - ju , isSquid Game‘s first trans fictional character . A former soldier , she ’s there to gain enough cash to complete her sexuality - sustain surgery , and hopes to start a new life in Thailand where she can escape the favoritism she faces in South Korea . It ’s something we see her endure within the microcosm of the game .

Ideally , Hyun - ju would have been played by a trans woman . But asSquid Gamecreator Hwang Dong - hyukhas explicate , he cast Park Sung - hoon , a cis male player , after agnise the natural endowment pool in Korea has almost no performer who are openly trans , or even openly queer . That makes Hyun - ju ’s presence here feel even more important , especially after you get to eff her and it ’s made perfectly clear she has n’t just been written in to make a statement about variety . Far from it ! She ’s one of the standout novel fictitious character , a true leader whowillslap some sense into you if you take off freak out out at a essential moment , and who maintains a good sense of compassion while also being a full badass .

Liked: No-eul and getting more insight into guard life

In time of year one , we scantily convey any idea of who the pink jump suit - endure Squid Game guards really are . We know they will bolt down on command — and that some of them make superfluous immediate payment harvest home Hammond organ from the bodies of dead ( or almost - deadened ) competitors .

In season two , we see that safety machine life isalmostas grim as player life sentence ; they catch some Z’s in severe quarters that resemble jail cubicle , and must follow a stern schedule and obey all orders without interrogative sentence . Though they ’re all armed , there ’s a sense that violence could break out at any moment , and they wo n’t be protected by anything except their own weapon system ; they ’re just as disposable as the Squid Game participant .

That ’s why No - eul — Guard 011 — is such an exciting young type . Some time prior , she escaped North Korea and feel deep regret over result her daughter behind , as we learn in a poignant backstory leading up to her Squid Game employment . She may be ruthless ( she ’s absolutelydeadlyaccurate with a rifle , thanks to her military training ) , but she ’s also not a robot , and her disregard for rule has already gotten her into problem . We have a impression she ’ll play an even greater importance in season three , and we ca n’t wait to see what this refreshfully irregular character does next .

io9 spoiler bar

Gong Yoo as the Salesman and Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun. © No Ju-han/Netflix

Liked: The new relationships formed during the games

One of the many things that makesSquid Gameso effective is the odd conjugation and relationship that this whole scenario create . squeeze to fight for their lives , the character finish up teaming up with people they unremarkably would n’t tie in with . And , in turn , that make even more memorable moments .

That trend persist in this time of year . The swelled one , of course , is the Front Man entering the game ( more on that by and by ) and how he befriends and uses 456 . But the female parent and son are fantastic , lend an interesting dash of household to it all . The man pretending to be a military ex-serviceman is pitiful but interesting and his worship of the existent former soldier is powerful . The fact that one man have it off 456 in real life is coolheaded . Player 120 ’s dynamic in the radical really shines . And up and down the list we could go .

Liked: The ensemble is huge, but all of the players are distinctive and memorable

In a quality that carries over from the firstSquid Gameseason , despite the fact that the show has oodles of fibre , and you suffer most of them very quickly once the game get going , andthey’re all clip alike , everyone is distinctive and memorable . That they fall apart Book of Numbers on their cap help differentiate everyone , of course , especially when the contender picks up . But the array of personality and backstories represented among the players feel both diverse and realistic . Most everyone is desperate to get rich , but under that umbrella there ’s a significant unseasoned woman , a mother and son team , a shaman , a crypto grifter , and so many more — let in , as we already mentioned , an obnoxious rapper named Thanos .

Credit ’s due to the performers , who craft detailed characters despite receive only scattered moments of screen time , and Divine Hwang Dong - hyuk , who like an expert step each episode to ensure the show ’s high - tension action and emotional resonance stay on adequate footing .

Liked: The Front Man’s new role

The reveal that Lee Byung - hun ’s malevolent Front Man has entered the competition is adeliciousmoment at the terminal of an episode list for his imitation identicalness : Player 001 . The fact that he ’s wear 001 , taking afterOh Il - nam — season one ’s secret puppeteer — somehow does n’t call up any alarm bells for Gi - hun . In fact the two humanity become trusted mate … or at least Gi - hun believe so . The Front Man ’s two - faced ( or three - faced , even , if you reckon his third identity as Jun - ho ’s lacking brother ) scheme anchors season two with its carefully fine-tune fraudulence , giving Lee a juicy part to plunge into after spending most of season one behind a mask .

Season three is going to be Brobdingnagian for this type , and we ca n’t wait to see what happens when , inevitably , the truth comes out .

Liked:Gi-hun’s evolution

When we converge him at the start ofSquid Gameseason one , Gi - hun was a gambling addict who had zero trouble steal from his female parent and count cash intended for his daughter ’s natal day at the racetrack . Being thrust into a life - or - death incubus quickly facilitate him formulate a moral orbit , and in the time of year one finale we saw him decide it ’s time to hold back the Squid Game from doing any more harm , even if it stand for giving up his own freedom and felicity .

In season two , which picks up two years later , he ’s struggling with a mountain of survivor ’s guilt , and his bozo trend have been wholly erased ; instead , he ’s a man who ’s as haunted by his past as he is dictated to do what he can to adjust affair right . Lee Jung - jae once again adeptly handles all of Gi - hun ’s deeply felt emotion , with a much , much dark intensity to his personality this time around .

Liked: The voting

Obviously the games inSquid Gameare the chief effect . It ’s right there in the deed . But bring in the ripple of letting everyone vote , out in the open , about whether or not to keep trifle or not was a masterstroke . What honest way to set up dueling factions as well as some very vivid dramatic play in between the games ? If you ’re like us , you stand out out of your tail when a character you look to vote one mode voted another . You cheered people on as they attempted to politic those on the other side of the gangway like a cruel game of government . Plus , the balloting really appropriate us to think about the repercussions and morality of what ’s happening in the biz on a whole new level . An A+ addition this season .

Liked: The player rebellion

With fewer episodes this time around , we had a sense we were n’t going to finish the games . So what could happen that ’s unexampled and exciting ? Well , how about a group of player overthrowing the guards and attempt to take over the games ? The players literally conk to war with the game tot not just action and escapade but a whole novel level of play .

We knew , and mayhap the character knew it too , that this was an impossible task . There are too many guards and too few players who choose to partake . But we cheered and watched eagerly as 456 and his Quaker continued to make headway . Sure , at long last , it was a loser — thanks in large part to the Front Man being a betrayer — but it ’s just another example ofSquid Gamegoing against expectations in delicious and exciting way .

Didn’t like: Too much time on the boat

We had a good feel Jun - ho , the cop who infiltrate the game in season one while searching for his missing sidekick , would resurface . Sure , he was shot and vanish over a cliff , but we didn’tseehim conk out — and after the expectant reveals that his brother was a ) a retiring Squid Game victor , and b ) the masked Front Man , it seemed obvious that Jun - ho would be back on the hunt in time of year two .

We did like that he join forces with Gi - hun ( or more specifically , Gi - hun ’s money ) and a bunch of gangsters ( Gi - hun ’s greedy associate ) to try and find the game ’ secret island location . But once Gi - hun is whisked back into the competition , we get a few too many scenes of Jun - ho and his squad on their fruitless hunting . Near the end of the season , we study why their quest has been so stillborn — the captain who Ji - hun believes he met by luck isnoton their side , and has been counteract their travail . The dual - cross whirl is fun , but not enough to make up for all that clip spent being boring at ocean .

Didn’t like: The games themselves

One of the main delight in season one ofSquid Gamewas just how big and diabolic the games got . “ Red Light , Green Light ” was the service line as things got either great or increasingly dangerous . This season we copy that biz for some intellect while the others are just kind of — okay . The huge version of musical chairs unquestionably allowed for some playfulness grouping and scenarios , but it did n’t really take too much strategy or skill . And the six - legged slipstream , while also allow for plenty of drama and machination , was just a crew of miniskirt - games in one . We did n’t detest the new game , they just underwhelmed when compared to things like a elephantine game of towboat of warfare or a political platform where you have to prove your luck on glass that may or may not shatter beneath your feet .

Didn’t like: It hadEmpire Strikes Backmiddle-story syndrome

After wait almost four eld forSquid Gameto return , to allow for us once again on a cliffhanger was a bummer . What will happen to 456 and his live friends ? And are we just go to leave that whole other plot line on the gravy boat in the end ? Surely these questions and more will be answer in season three , but time of year two really did n’t answer anything from the first season . The cop and the Front Man do n’t reunite . We do n’t see any procession that could result in the games being shut out down or exposed . It ’s all just set up — entertaining set up , but set up none the less — for a third and last season we , hopefully , wo n’t have to await as long for .

Squid Gameseason two is now stream on Netflix .

Want more io9 news ? chink out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on moving-picture show and TV , and everything you involve to know about the future ofDoctor Who .

Squidgame Roulette