When the primary season of Squid Recreation premiered on Netflix in 2021, it was a seismic shock to TV followers around the globe — with little to no warning, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk hooked us all on his brutal story of an underground life-or-death competitors, one with an enormous money prize ready on the finish.
Since then, Squid Recreation has maintained its place within the public consciousness in more and more bizarre methods, with the unique message of the present most distorted by final 12 months’s “actual life” Squid Recreation competitors collection, an epic train in lacking the purpose. But the second season of the present reveals that Hwang, not less than, has not overlooked his message: The seven episodes now streaming on Netflix return us to the scene of many, many crimes, with that very same bloodthirsty spirit and even larger stakes.
Season 2 of Squid Recreation retains its deal with Gi-hun (Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae), the victor of Season 1 who, within the last moments of the finale, selected to not get on a airplane and see his daughter in the USA. As a substitute, he stayed in South Korea, decided to try to uncover who, precisely, is behind these video games. Three years later, he’s spent some huge cash however hasn’t made a lot progress — till a fortunate break attracts him again in. Nonetheless, with a view to discover a option to destroy the video games, he may simply should play them once more.
An important factor to know in regards to the season is that issues begin gradual, in a means that appears like a miscalculation — it’s a seven-episode season, and it doesn’t actually really feel like issues absolutely start till Episode 3. For as a substitute of dashing to the motion, Hwang chooses to deal with establishing the world outdoors the sport; quite than stick carefully to Gi-hun’s standpoint, the primary two episodes deal with introducing new characters (ie – fodder for the video games) in a really deliberate means, whereas additionally reaffirming Gi-hun’s dedication to his quest.
As soon as issues get going, every part that made Season 1 so compelling comes roaring again. That mentioned, Season 2 doesn’t observe the identical path as Season 1, holding issues contemporary in a number of methods. There are additionally new, much more devious video games included within the competitors. There are new dynamics throughout the tribes of gamers, in addition to a twist that brings in just a little little bit of The Traitors for taste. And most significantly, there’s much more of a peek behind the scenes of the motion.
The brand new characters introduced collectively for these video games are about as well-developed because the characters from the primary season, which is to say a few of the characterization stays surface-level. Nonetheless, the present is nice at establishing robust personalities proper off the bat, whereas including new dynamics (a mother-son pairing, a pregnant lady). One painfully related replace for 2024: Most of the contestants who be part of this new sport are in monetary peril as a result of they invested — poorly — in crypto.
Within the final three years, it may well’t be mentioned that the world has change into a considerably kinder or easier-to-live-in place, and that vitality feels very current in these new episodes. The character of all of the video games that make up this competitors nonetheless play on that sharp distinction between childhood enjoyable and brutal horror, and the facility of that hasn’t diminished. The vitality, although, is extra determined. Extra vulnerable to boiling over.
Season 2’s greatest flaw is in the end that it’s an incomplete story — these seven episodes definitely take you on a journey, but it surely’s all setup for the third and last season, which has already been greenlit and is about to premiere in 2025. By the top of the seventh episode, you’ll be craving that conclusion, whereas persevering with to surprise on the forces which hold you watching.
What does anybody actually need from a brand new season of Squid Recreation? The best reply may simply be “extra.” What made the primary season so addictive was the best way wherein it wielded the identical tropes of actuality tv however with way more brutal stakes, with out ever shedding the sense of horror that ought to be felt, when watching dozens of individuals at a time be murdered. This was the harmful stability that the next parodies and spinoff video games did not seize, to their detriment — for Hwang’s message feels extra related than ever, particularly by the top of the season. That message stays easy: His dystopia is actual, and it’s occurring now.
Squid Recreation Season 2 is streaming now on Netflix.
