Squid Game Season 2

Incomplete and unfinished.

Squid Game S2 introduces a lot of new characters and new plotlines, but it doesn't do enough to make these elements fully engaging. Many of the new players are undeveloped, and their motivations are not explored as deep as they could have been. The pacing begins to slow down in certain episodes and loses some tension that made the first season so good.
…While the season offers some surprises, most of the twists are way more predictable then S1, making the shock value not as strong as before.

This season is still pretty engaging but it doesn't live up to the expectations set by the first season (but most sequels don't). It maintains the suspense and high-stakes but struggles with pacing, character development, and predictability. The season is solid but it doesn't offer the same level of impact or originality that made the first season a cultural phenomenon.

I think the people working on Squid Game realized how well the first season went so they're trying to drag on the plot for as long as possible. If you asked me, I wouldn't recommend this season to anyone, unless you're looking for a sequel of a sequel (season 3).

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A Nice Continuation, But Not the Same Magic

I remember being ecstatic watching this for the first time, and I still think it’s good. The main issue with this season is the feeling that we’ve seen all of this before, just better. All of the elements from the past season are still good, but aren’t as strong. I also think something it struggles with is that it doesn’t flesh out the characters’ stories as well as the first season. We know they’re all here for money, but we aren’t made aware of the specific reasons. The characters simply aren’t as compelling as the first batch, and there are way more. My favorite characters were Gi-hun’s team pretty much. Gong Yoo’s cameo was one of the best parts.

Favorite Episode: Bread and Lottery (S2E1)
Standout Performances: Gong Yoo, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul

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This season can make the story ended with a longer episodes.

I don't know why it should be forced for a 3rd season. I think it could be that the rebellion against the front man and the team could be done in just 1 season. If we have to wait for another season with a long period of time (about a year) after season 2 released, people might forget the story. Characters who die at the end of the episode were not the iconic characters, they can be the forgettable characters. That's the only thing that makes me wonder.

For the acting skill of the actors and actress were excellent! Even Jo Yuri, the rookie actress, makes an impact story and character. The support roles such as Won Ji An (No. 380), Kim Shi Eun (No. 095), and even Oh Dal Soo (Captain Park) were ate! But the make up..... Why weren't they given the same shabby & disheveled makeup as in the first season?

The musics are so obsessed!

Imo, this season is kinda safe for kids (10-15 y.o) to watch. Unlike the first season which contained 18+ scene. Well, that's my + point for the story.

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Squid Game Season 2: A Bold Follow-Up with New Thrills

Here comes the highly anticipated Season 2!
First of all, despite the negative opinions I’ve seen here and there, I really enjoyed this season—even more than the first.

The first two episodes focus on Seong Gi Hun’s hunt for the Recruiter. I particularly liked these episodes because they clearly show Seong Gi Hun's determination and the massive resources he uses to track him down. The three-year time jump was necessary for the drama's coherence, especially considering the actor’s visible aging, which ties perfectly to the trauma of Squid Game that still haunts him. Gong Yoo is phenomenal as the Recruiter, playing the villain to perfection by showing no emotion whatsoever. The game has consumed him so much that it makes you question if he’s even human.
The collaboration between Seong Gi Hun and Jun Ho (somehow alive by sheer luck?) is established, and the games begin.

The two new games are well-designed, adding tension and focusing much more on teamwork and the mental aspects of survival. The new voting rule after each game is brilliant, introducing an additional layer of strategy and tension among the players.

This season introduces characters reminiscent of Season 1: a close friend to Seong Gi, a literal lunatic (like Thanos), the crazy one, and the "different" character (Ali in Season 1, Hyeon Ju in Season 2). Even Player 001’s counterpart appears, a worker in the Squid Game system—it’s surprising Seong Gi doesn’t make the connection at all....

Meanwhile, we follow Kang No Eul working behind the scenes of Squid Game as one of the triangles. It’s always fascinating to see the game from an outsider’s perspective, though his role hasn’t been fully explored yet, much like Hwang Jun Ho, who’s been aimlessly circling the same plotline since the games began. To make matters worse, there’s a traitor in the team… Things might have gone differently if Jun Ho had just told Seong Gi the Front Man’s identity at the start of the season!
Also, the rebellion against the pink-suited soldiers is honestly badass.
On top of that, the production quality remains outstanding, with great actors, beautifully detailed sets, an impactful soundtrack, and top-notch special effects.

This season is clearly part one of a setup for Season 3, laying a solid foundation for future developments. I can’t wait to see where it goes next!

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On the same level as the first one so far.....

I really think this has the same feel as season 1. I enjoyed watching this season even though in the first 2 episodes it does move a little slow. You are following the guy who won in the first season to try to take the people of these games out. You know he is planning on doing this at the end of season 1. Was afraid they were going to use the same games though when I saw them do red light green light, but they did switch the games up which made them more enjoyable then watching them play the same games all over again.

Gi Hun was still enjoyable to watch and he still does keep his same nature as in the first one granted I do wish he would be a little wiser to the game. The fact that it is so obvious again that he is being played by the leader of the games. He has already had this done to him before of them getting close to him while playing the game. I really did like the acting of the man who is playing number 001 it made me want to know what he was going to do next, and can't wait for Gi Hun to find that part out just wondering how long that will take him.

I have always been a fan of big bangs music so have to mention T.O.P. I think he did fine with the character he was given. He plays just plain crazy and evil but he did make me laugh at times with his antics. You don't wish well for his character at all and I know some people even found him annoying which is so understandable.
I think there was a lot of great characters in this and the actors have done well portraying them.
So while I did enjoy watching this and can't wait for the next part to come. I still just think this season and 1 are on the same level don't think one is better then the other so I have rated them the same.

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A continuation of the global phenomenom

I really liked the continuation of Squid Games, but... it's not better than season 1.
Season 1 was definitely scarier but the visuals were stunning as usual.

+ I loved the 001 and 456 relation(ship)! It's my favourite aspect of the second season, cause it gives a sense of mystery and creates a very interesting bond between them,
+ new characters that gives the show a new spotlight,
+ GI HUN'S DEVELOPMENT.

- I liked the first season games more :')
- it tends to be slightly repetitive,
- I didn't like the "finding the island" plot part - it felt unnecesary.

Overall, I'm glad that the continuation exists. Can't wait to see the ending.

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A Surprise, and a Delightful One!

Do not listen to the negative masses, I was flabbergasted when I did.

It's a pretty known fact to everyone and their mother, that the first season hit of Squid Game was a well-rounded, self-concluded thriller series that needed to continuation. It has appeared that all plot threads have resolved, the conflict, for the most part has been settled, and of course, the climax the show was leading up to hit all the right screws. But to most people's shock, this reveal of there being a sequel in the works shock so many fans to bits, what seemed like a page turned on everything the series amounted to, classic Netflix strikes again with their complete utter failure of desperate attempts at milking up yet another fandom to the bones.

Oh, man was I wrong and so were so many other people.

Season 2 breaks stereotypes, it’s a massive hit and a proud torch bearded of what the everything the first season perfected and more. More games, more characters, more conflicts, and most of all, more twists. It was a York-New-ean classic that keeps you begging for more at every turn of event, as harsh as may they be.

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Half a decent sequel to the first Season.

Season 2 is engaging but not as complete as Season 1.

It's got the suspense, the thrills of the game, and the fast moving plot like Season 1 (not a single episode was irrelevant to the plot and it's always hitting you with progression!).

My only issue with Season 2 is that it was sliced down the middle of the story and ended abruptly as they have decided to release a Season 3 which seems to just be a Season 2.5. They gave us lesser episodes in Season 2 than in Season 1! Netflix come on, we paid money for your inflated subscription plan. Give use a complete story at least. Don't just split Season 2 into 2 parts and call the 2nd one Season 3!

Do I recommend this thrill ride? Yes, if you can take a cliffhanger and the wait for Season 3. On it's own it's not very satisfying due to the way Season 2 ended.

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If I Had Watched as it Aired the Ending Would Have Made Me Rage Quit and Not Wait for Anything Else

8/10 is my rating

I am probably being generous with the rating because I know I can immediately watch Season 3. If I was watching it as it aired, I think the way it ended would have frustrated me a lot.

Review

I liked Squid Game Season 2 for what it is - which is a solid follow-up to the first season. It is notable that they were able to keep the same intense, cutthroat survival vibe that had me glued to the screen albeit not liking the "icky" way it made me feel in my brain. The early episodes hooked me with all the clever planning by Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) to take down the game’s twisted system. That, for me, was a pleasant departure from the gore. I was so pumped for his strategy that it was disappointing when it didn’t pan out the way I hoped—it felt like all that buildup went nowhere, and the story shifted back to him in the games and it felt like here we are again. It was also hard to understand his feeling about the money on one hand yes it was "blood money" but, on the other hand, not spending it on good things was a slap in the face of all those who played so hard and died. They had the choice to leave and chose not to. So, winning and frivolously giving it away or just sitting on it also felt wrong. It was a dammed if you do, dammed if you don't type situation.

If you loved Season 1, you need to watch this to keep up with the story—it answers some questions—but don’t expect a tidy ending.

Spoilers

Once he was back in the game, I was rooting for him to convince the new players. I wanted them to believe so they could avoid getting hurt and it seemed like there was hope in the red light, green light game where they were listening to him on strategy. He tried so hard to convince everyone it wasn't just these benign children's games. That people would die and that there wouldn't be groups of them making it to the end. But history has shown repeatedly, using the Holocaust as one example, that people will ignore warnings about horrors because it’s easier to buy a pretty lie than face a harsh truth. That whole cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias angle struck home because I have seen it play out in real life both in history and more recently. To me the trans character, Hyun-ju, felt totally forced. I just didn’t see how that character added anything to the story—her connections with players like Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) or Jun-hee didn’t justify her role; it seemed like a diversity checkbox. Same with the druggie character, Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun)—his real-life drug scandal made his role feel like a stunt. He was an over the top almost Batman joker type character. For an actor making a comeback after drug allegations, that seemed like a poor choice as it would take people out of the moment thinking about the real person behind the character. I was disturbed that there was a pregnant girl, Jun-hee, because it felt like they added that just to show there were no depths to their depravity. I saw fans on X ranting about these same issues, so I know it’s not just me. I loved that they mixed up the games, though. The pairing-up game was brutal as hell—imagine hearing people getting taken out and walking through blood pools. The new voting rule after each game kept things fresh and not just a Season 1 rehash. 

I’m not a gore fan, and chilling with straight-up evil characters isn’t my thing, but knowing the show’s vibe, I always brace for the worst-case scenario. If I think, “Could this happen? Could something worse happen?”—yup, the worse thing’s probably coming. That dulled the shock a bit, in this second season relative to the first.

The ending, though? Just straight up infuriating. It’s not a cliffhanger—it’s a middle finger. No closure on major characters or plotlines, leaving you hanging with nothing. Netflix’s greedy, profit-driven model is killing what makes K-dramas great: those tight 16-episode seasons that tie everything up. Fans on X are pissed, and I get why—some ditched the show entirely. I waited to binge, which saved me some rage since I know Season 3’s is already available. But if I’d watched this as they came out, I’d be fuming. I mean nothing ended tidy - it was mostly left wide open. Park Gyeong-seok (Lee Jin-wook), the dad helped by North Korean defector guard Kang No-eul (Park Gyu-young) for his sick daughter, ends up at gunpoint after the rebellion flops. She suggests saving him but how? And what happens to both of them? Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) never finds the right island because the captain sabotages drones and kills mercenaries, confirming his role in the game’s corruption. But, they did find a hatch and it blew some of them up so they must have been in the right place. Are they still coming? The fates of surviving players are left totally up in the air, making the cliffhanger feel like a cheap ploy to string us along. Which would not have been so bad if it wasn't Netflix. Netflix will just end a show if the profit isn't there. They also create these cliffhangers in a way that only serves to ensure true fans will be looking for another. It is completely profit over people.

Synopsis

Season 2, which dropped on December 26, 2024, packs **7 episodes** with an average runtime of **65 minutes** each, ramping up the psychological warfare and brotherly betrayals while introducing a vibrant new cast of misfits in games that probe deeper into themes of revenge, identity, and the inescapability of systemic cruelty. Fans of the original's intensity will devour this escalation, but newcomers might want to start at the beginning—it's darker, more introspective, and ends on a cliffhanger that demands the finale.

Three years after his pyrrhic victory, a haunted Gi-hun abandons escape to America and launches a vengeful crusade to dismantle the Squid Game's elusive architects, only to find himself back in the arena amid a fresh batch of 456 broken dreamers facing deadlier evolutions of the childhood gauntlet—now laced with votes to quit or continue, testing fragile alliances and buried guilts.

**Major Characters:**
**Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) (Lee Jung-jae)**: Scarred by survivor's remorse, the once-bumbling everyman evolves into a steely avenger, infiltrating the new games to end them forever, his fractured psyche fueling both heroic resolve and self-destructive rage.
**Hwang In-ho / The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun)**: The enigmatic game master, revealed as the 2015 winner and a disillusioned architect of despair, grapples with his brother's pursuit while enforcing order, his stoic facade cracking under familial ties and moral erosion.
**Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon)**: The tenacious detective, still reeling from Season 1's revelations, goes rogue in a high-risk infiltration to expose the operation, his loyalty to family clashing with the deadly risks of getting too close to the truth.
**The Recruiter (Gong Yoo)**: Returning with expanded menace, the slick ddakji dealer expands his predatory recruitment, his polished exterior hiding a web of manipulations that draw even more souls into the abyss.
**Myung-gi (Player 333) / Thanos (T.O.P.)**: A fallen K-pop rapper turned crypto scammer, cocky and self-serving, whose online infamy follows him into the games, where his manipulative charm unravels amid paranoia and desperate bids for relevance.
**Hyun-ju (Player 120) (Park Sung-hoon)**: A resilient transgender woman and former sex worker fighting for her child's future, bringing fierce vulnerability and unapologetic authenticity to the arena, challenging prejudices in a fight for dignity and survival.
**Geum-ja (Player 149) (Kang Ae-sim)**: A cunning, foul-mouthed grandmother and con artist, whose street-smart savvy and maternal ferocity forge unlikely bonds, turning her into a wildcard ally in the chaos of betrayal.
**Yong-sik (Player 007) (Yang Dong-geun)**: A jittery, tech-obsessed young gamer burdened by his mother's debts, whose awkward innocence and quick wits shine in puzzle-like challenges, highlighting the games' toll on the digital generation.
**Seon-nyeo (Player 044) (Chae Kuk-hee)**: A faded shaman whose eerie prophecies and spiritual rituals unsettle the players, blending mysticism with sharp survival instincts in a bid to divine escape from the mortal coil.
**No-eul (Player 149) (Park Gyu-young)**: A stoic North Korean defector and soldier, hardened by defection and loss, who allies with Gi-hun with disciplined precision, her quiet strength masking a storm of unresolved trauma.

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