‘Squid Game’ Season 2 review: Red Light and Green Light is still the scariest game

Three years later, Squid game He is back with more killer games to play. The seven-episode second season premieres today Netflix. By all accounts, it’s every bit as good as the series’ first outing. However, this is not a renewal of the first season, due to Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jae) returning to the challenge that almost killed him.

Why does Ji Hoon (aka Player 456) return after the violence he suffered previously? After all, he won the competition and left the island a billionaire. You’d think he’d put this in the back burner forever and move on with his life. When it comes to the lasting impact of trauma, this is easier said than done.

When the audience first meets Gi-hun, he is living a reclusive life, gambling, and struggling to pay off some huge debts. In short, he had a clear detachment from any meaningful responsibilities. In the second season, Gi Hoon is a changed man. His sole goal has shifted from paying off debtors to completely eliminating the entire shadowy operation.

Instead of starting a new lavish life with his winnings in competitions, he spends huge amounts of money to find people associated with the games. He wants revenge and nothing will stop him.

Or to paraphrase Michael Corleone from The Godfather: Part III: When we thought he was out, he threw himself back in.

This is the part of the review I’m warning you about Spoilers for Squid Season 2. If you haven’t watched the new episodes, tread lightly or turn back now.

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It’s not a spoiler that Gi-hun is returning to gaming. Those details were outstanding In the trailer. On the surface, this new installment looks very similar to the first one. People who need money are forced to play childhood games for big money while putting their lives on the line. A mysterious figure runs the show with an army of masked henchmen who carry out his orders.

Even though the competitors are all in this life-threatening situation together, bonds are formed and conflicts arise. Once again, we are presented with a Lord of the Flies -style scenario that shows how easily humanity can separate itself from within.

Ji Hoon’s determination to finish this operation and save as many lives as possible puts him at odds with a number of rivals. His perseverance and knowledge of gaming also brings new friends his way, introducing the audience to a host of new faces, each with their own flaws and nuances.

As expected, Jung Jae delivers another standout performance. Every player in the expanded ensemble delivers well on all fronts, starting with Lee Byung-hun — whose villainous return as the front man brings some unexpected new layers to the villainous role — and Wi Ha-jun, who returns as Detective Hwang Jun– well , as Gong Yoo’s gleeful revenge on his role as a sociopathic recruit, everyone does a great job of raising the emotional stakes. This is a necessity.

Let’s remember where we were three years ago when The Squid Game premiered on Netflix in 2021. At the time, there was a global lockdown, and millions of people were stuck at home, looking for entertainment to numb the pain of the pandemic reality they were living through. Through daily. The Korean series was a huge success and quickly became the most watched series of all time.

They’ve won Emmy Awards and created careers. Series hero Lee Jung-jae got a Star Wars bump with Disney Plus series The Assistant. The spotlight has actually been well received. But after a three-year wait, one has to wonder if the second season of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s global hit is scratching the same kind of itch.

It is. But it doesn’t either. This is a good thing.

Squid isn’t the first piece of entertainment to pit people against each other in bloody combat for financial gain. Titles like Running Man or Battle Royale come to mind. However, the deadly competition here is no way to celebrate by eating popcorn for an audience at home. No, that would be too easy. This deadly children’s games showdown may occur on the whim of a sociopath hiding behind a black mask – but it is the competitors themselves who bear the majority of the trauma.

Season 2 gives everyone a get out of jail free card by letting competitors vote on whether they should stay or leave. As in the first season, humanity’s greed overrides common sense and once again sends the series into a bloodbath. Adding an election issue to the mix creates a violent polarity that feels a little too close to home, given our current reality.

Squid has changed enough over time to keep it interesting. It’s as terrifying as it is funny, honest and dramatic. Like Ji Hoon, fans everywhere are familiar with this bloody competition – Red Light, Green Light is still the scariest game, honestly. So, in order to maintain our attention, the story must enter a new phase.

The Front Man and his minions messed around in the first season. Right now, it looks like Squid Game is in the discovery phase, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.