very much the bridge to get to the finale but i still had fun
not as entertaining as the first season but then, how could it be? we already know the gag so i guess the challenge for this show was to sustain it and i acknowledge that that's hard. i think it still had its charm and fun moments but i did feel like it is very much the middle season. the bridge to get to the climax which means the pacing here really started slow for me. we didn't get new insights to the game or story. we're still almost at the same place we were when the first season ended... pretty much? i mean we got a new perspective with park gyuyoung's character as one of the pink-tracksuit army but again, not enough insight.we got a bunch of new characters. acting-wise, i have no complaints here. they delivered in that category alright but these characters are mostly unforgettable. i think it's a mistake not to give them some sort of background stories just like what they did in the first season, even just a little. instead, a lot of the character are already connected somehow and the background stories are just off the screen. the conflicts and fights didn't feel as impactful and this resulted in me not caring much who dies next. well, i do care (especially to that mom who is also a senior! my queen!) but not as intensely as i wanted to. i want to be moved emotionally and to feel hurt and sad. i guess kang haneul's character might be my favorite one but shout out to TOP (man, i haven't seen this guy in years!). and the controversial one which is park sunghoon's trans woman character. i acknowledge this is a step forward in korean media but overall, they really didn't do much with that storyline so there's nothing much to say anyway. both things can be true.
back in season 1, my favorite parts where the games to be honest because it was just entertaining to watch and fun. the betrayals, the desperation, when characters suddenly switched, the drama and conflicts and chaos etc. that was just fun to watch for me back then (hey it was 2020. i needed entertainment lol). i'm glad they changed some of the games but of course, that first one remained. i get it, it was iconic. i just think this was all creative how they incorporated children's games. and i just love the sets and visuals of it all. but i think i'm in the minority because from what i gathered, the part where the contestants vote whether they continue the game or not is the more popular one because that scenes really got a lot of screen time.
but they did leave some mystery with whatever's happening on that boat with junho and i did like the twist with player 001 being there in the trenches with them. i wish he played more mind games with them to be honest lol still... it had its fun moments despite losing the shock factor. i am still gonna be seated for that third season so
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New Characters, Games, Twists & POV - But No Progress in Storyline | Filler Season
With all the marketing hype around Season 2, I wondered if it was truly remarkable or just overhyped due to a lack of substantial plot. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the latter, feeling more like a bridge to Season 3. As a die-hard fan since Season 1, I eagerly anticipated Season 2 for its deeper story and new character journeys. While it had binge-worthy moments, it ultimately left me feeling a bit cheated, as it answered no questions and the story didn't progress as expected for a sequel.What I Liked in S2
➥ Biggest Thrill: Discovering Player 001 (no spoilers, but it's an early twist and the best one!).
➥ Overall Games/Thrills & Suspense: Maintains the same intensity as Season 1.
➥ New Characters: Offers glimpses into the Pink Soldiers, Front Man, and Recruiter's perspectives. Wi Ha Joon's police character reveals the game's ecosystem is larger than expected.
➥ Relationships: Explores the dynamics of being pitted against family, friends, and lovers in a survival game, highlighting how humanity can deteriorate under pressure.
➥ Best Character: Park Sung Hoon's portrayal of an ex-army man/trans woman is compelling. His character arc and acting are excellent, and the off-game challenges faced by a trans woman are well depicted. Also, kudos to mother/son characters - done well!
What I Disliked:
➥ Lack of Answers: No insights on why the game started, how soldiers are selected, or why Front Man joined. We only get glimpses of their backstories and therefore the story has not made any substantial progress.
➥ Under-utilized Characters: Too many characters, but none leave a strong impression. Big names like Im Siwan, Kang Ha Neul, Park Gyu Young, Lee Jin Wook, and Wi Ha Joon feel underused. Perhaps they’ll have bigger roles in Season 3, but this season lacked enough development time for them.
➥ Non-sensical Antagonists: TOP and Noh Jae Won, and other players who take the role of antagonists felt underused again. Their role seemed more comedic than having the negative aura something that S1 antagonists carried out very well.
Overall:
I really hope the next season provides answers and better utilizes the characters. This one seemed directionless, produced mainly to capitalize on the hype and global sensation the show has become. Even the characters' plans in the show felt futile. While I love the show, its brand, and marketing, a compelling story is crucial for it to succeed and for me to like and rate it higher.
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STAR STUDDED, YET UNDERUSED
this series cast a lot of big-name actors, yet their characters were very underdeveloped, leading to meaningless deaths (Lee Jin Wook’s character, for instance). i didn’t care about any of the characters, which shows just how disconnected they felt. there were also too many annoying, shallow characters this season.the story was extremely underwhelming. the beginning was super slow, although it was interesting to see more of Gong Yoo’s character in episode 1. compared to season 1, there seemed to be more dialogue between characters when they were not in game, but somehow it felt boring and lacked anything heartfelt and meaningful. i skipped many scenes from the last two episodes and didn’t miss any important information. by the end of the series, i had even forgotten about the cop still out at sea, trying to locate and get into the island where the game was held.
it was nice to see glimpses of the soldiers’ perspectives. i’m sure they’ll explore more of that in the next season.
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season 1 shouldve been the end of this series
finished everything bc i skipped a lot... this was mid if not ass, nothing was outstanding nothing was that much interesting and while yes there are new characters and new games, it doesnt compare to season one. also, this is probably gonna get part two which is somehow annoying bc they shouldve released everything in one go. by ep 7, nothing is resolved, no winners and the games arent even finished. even if its a cliffhanger ending, its not even leaving me unsatisfied and anticipating bc nothing was worth anticipating for. if they take time releasing the continuation of this part people would just stop watching and forget about it imo. also, i think this show should've ended with season 1 but thats just meeeWas this review helpful to you?
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Middle seasons are always messy- let's keep patience
I must say, it is yet again proved that middle season's are always messy, feel incomplete and literally like they are going nowhere. Why? Because things start at a standstill and they end at yet another standstill.I felt that there were too many familiar faces, so I was kind of bouncing whenever I saw one of them, as if I have met someone from my apartment -"Oh even he is here, even she is here".
The series was quite engaging (not as crazy as first one) though many parts were quite predictable due to 1st season itself. I feel that the tension about the games was less in this was because- 1. There was someone who knew exactly what the motive of the games was, 2. Unity and cowardly betrayals that didn't give much impact.
(LITTLE SPOILER HERE)
But the highlight of the season and the reason for 1 additional star in all criteria- Park Sung Hoon. I am amazed how he chose this very role as an image breaker. It won my heart for various reasons- it's a transwoman character yet she has charm and depth, next is the person who performed it so well, I was all the while just admiring him with almost tears in my eyes like thanks for not being a psycho here😭.
Second, Gong Yoo. Amazing to watch him being a psycho on the other hand. His eyes robbed all my attention, where I was really wondering what this character is made of, what it's past might really have been.
Overall, I can see why people are disappointed, but this 2nd season is clearly better Gyeongseong creature 2 where I was in utter amazement as to how they could test our patience for this.
I hope the 3rd season comes with maybe not a bang one end, but please with a plausible and convincing end, even if it has death. We'll take it if it is worth it. Unnecessary killings will not be entertained.
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Worth the hype? YES
i watched s1 with no expectations loved it, and watched it with a lot of expectations still loved it from start it starts hooking u never drops in the ways, they added a lot of thinks packed up all are in the right direction some pros and cons are therecons are negligible just few words sit back and watch it ur going to love it
ur going to have the thrill factor, suspense, coincedce as all the satisfying.
some disappointments are
1. there is another season i thought they would finish up here but nope
2. some of the chracters which are negative and postive doesn't have much impact i thought it got wasted.
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He forgot to read "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu
Well, it's complicated.Let me try to explain. The plot was intricate and creative. The characters are all high calibre. However, I found that having finished the series I was unsure if I really enjoyed it or not.
Good storyline, great cliffhanger at the end, plot twists and boring games. It was a good story, just not quite what I was hoping for.
I really enjoyed Squid Game1 and was very excited to watch the sequel. Unfortunately, I found myself really struggling with this series. The atmosphere and tension that made season 1 so compelling is sadly largely absent here. It was well thoughtfully and very obviously well written out and executed, but for me it was too much slowly. It felt kinda dull for most of the show and didn’t really catch my attention until about 3 episode in.
There are some characters and relationships that I liked, but honestly so much of this just fell so disappointingly flat for me.
I guess that is all a matter of personal taste, though.
I'd really like to rate this season one higher, as it had a lot of interesting stuff I enjoyed in it.
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good plot twists but lame strategy..?
As usual like all other season 2 shows, this season focuses more on the backstories and the crossfire moments between the two parties. They were things the show did well and things that were not so good…Firstly, there were some really good plot twists. Number 11, number 001 and the initial battle strategy (won’t go into details). The one point that made this s2 different from other shows and their s2, there was some unexpected moments, so it was not all so predictable. I liked the part where they showed the life of the guards as well. They were also just people desperate for money.
If you watch carefully, they dropped so many "hints" or sneak peaks but never covered it in this season...to be honest, having multiple seasons doesnt always mean a good thing. Dragging for so long can get repetitive. Like i felt there were so many filler scenes which they just had to add.
However, the games…were really quite boring. They spent a lot of time on the pre-game and post game situations which showing once is enough but they showed it so many times it got draggy. This time it isn’t has gruesome as last time its very mild actually.
I honestly, did not expect him to reveal his identity that fast which I thought was very lame cause I expected him to have a better plan since he’s been doing this for 2 years…
There wasn’t any memorable character this time it was very lead focused. They spend so long introducing so many new characters but gave then really little screentime in the actual situation.
The plot twists kinda saved the show. The ending was....not good as well. To leave an opening for S3 they of course couldn't just end everything so...
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season 2 is simply useless and adds absolutely nothing to the main plot
season 2, apparently, was just made to make netflix and the screenwriter/director of this poorly written series even richer.the first episode is promising in starting to explain some things that weren't clear in season 1. it was good to see and give some resolution to gong yoo's character, for example, but what about the rest? what about the police officer's big brother? they waste about 4 episodes in that same nonsense of making people play and die. by the 5th episode i was already tired of watching it because... well, i don't want to see a remake of season 1, i don't want to see finalists in a game that already featured a finalist in the first season, i want to see something different. and they conveniently let this little difference appear in the last episode, giving NO ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION about various plots left along the way of this story. everything was done to trap idi0t viewers like me to give more money to the useless netflix and associates and in about 3 years or 1 decade later they will present a decent explanation for the main reason this game exists.
i can't believe i wasted half an entire day thinking i would see something more interesting, or even minimally interesting. the rehearsal of a revolution in the last episode could have taken a different path, but, no, the screenwriter consciously chooses to tie the story back to the starting point. if so, why does season 2 exist? it doesn't make sense!
and the idiot police officer who doesn't even know how to observe and understand that the boatman is an enemy? did he not suspect that his brother had spared him by shooting him? didn't you think it was too much of a coincidence to have been rescued? what kind of fuck7ng cop is this guy who thinks he's going to be able to solve a shitty game like this if he doesn't know how to put two brain cells together to understand it? you can't have patience with stories like that...
and what's with the boss of all this shit? his wife dies without a transplant and he does all this to arrange and create an underground market for organs? one thing i don't like about SK drama plots is that they exaggerate the actions of villainous characters too much. the guy needs to have a very convincing reason to come up with all this madness. having lost his wife does not seem credible.
the NK girl: she is useless. they created her character to bring some drama behind the scenes of the game, showing that the guys who kill also have some conscience or some criteria when doing what they are doing, lol. at the end, the father of that child with cancer simply dies like a cockroach and we don't know what the point of this parallel story existing within this crappy poorly written sequence. and no, she's still bad even though she doesn't leave her half-alive to have her organs removed. f7ck if she has a daughter in NK and does everything to see her again. killing people is immoral. period.
about photography: same thing
about the soundtrack: same thing
about the plot: it's more of the same, with the exception of episode 1 with gong yoo's character.
it will be easy to watch season 1 and skip straight to the future season 3 when it comes out in a decade.
about the performances in general: most are good, including TOP, who is a relief point in the plot
about this series: it's overrated and the screenwriter lost track of how to resolve what he presented in season 1. the last episode is extremely ridiculous. is it some analogy to the impossibility of beating the system, whatever it may be? maybe, but it seemed more like a war movie plot with so much tiring shooting.
summary: don't waste your time. the show is overrated and the writer and netflix just want you to give them your money. it's an unnecessary continuation that certainly won't be needed when they decide to make season 3. there are better series that respect the viewer's time and intelligence.
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kinda felt like a mat being laid out for season3 that's to come in 2025
felt like a filler season for S3. kinda skipped through it alot and didnt get attacged to the characters as much as season1. i miss sae byeok, ali and others. anyways, this one really felt like a bridge that'll lead us up to S3 storyline. couldve been way better. alot of things from last season were repeated like the characters had similar nature to the old characters. also, the front man coming down to play himself is so strange, like why did he want to come all the way to play when he couldve just watched?also, a really big cliffhanger ending as they killed the one single person i liked out of all the new players, Jung bae. i felt like he was the past warmhearted and kind personality of Gi hun before he won the game.
Also, the recruiter played by Gong yoo was a total psycopath and a nutjob. like the bread scene, the russian roulette and the way he killed himself. also this little detail that they included of the recruiter being a scared for a few secs before be actually killed himself, this showed that he was actually human but this game twisted him up to such extent that theres no coming back from it now.
Also, the acting was top notch, the cast was amazing!! Hyun-ju was so badass. Park Sung hoon really popped off in this one!! Only issue is that the season could be longer and a better ending could've been given.
Also, the rebellion was useless and stupid. like the people with guns were only 7-8, and the soldiers are more than the total players. easily about 100-200 soldiers could be there even more I guess. idrk what were they thinking becoming the hero with limited ammo.
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...Bit frustrating at few points but it's alright.
I'll make it short and to the point. Even if they decided to release s2, i guess it was worth it, the story is good for revenge, but all of this mess should have ended in this season. I enjoyed watching this but imo s1 was damn good as this season, also first 2 episodes were really good, i mean the perfect starting...but it got a lil boring by mid episodes. Few deaths by the last episodes were really frustrating and not good but on the other hand few deaths were satisfying 😂😭. And if you ask me to say if it's worth watching, it is if you have watched s1 obviously. I mean it's NOT MUCH frustrating..it's okay, not good not bad...the wait was worth it but they could have ended in a better way. Loved the acting and cast. Episode 7 was not boring it was really good for me but the ending is neither satisfying nor bad bcz they gonna release s3, i never thought it would end like this but anyways, overall, it's good. At some points it was boring but at the end and beginning it was really good. You can give it a try atleast.Was this review helpful to you?
Precursor to the final season
I will start off by saying the cast was great and it was fun to go back into the story. I enjoyed seeing how they expanded the world.Overall this season felt like a precursor to the final one. In the end my friends and I found ourselves saying, "Oh, that's it. Alright well..." One of my friends voiced that they should have released this season and the 3rd season as one season in two parts and I agree. It feels to long of a time.
I will save my opinions on the ending since I don't want spoilers on this review.
I would recommend going into the show with no expectations. With that I feel as though you can enjoy the show more. Or better yet, waiting until the next season drops next year.
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