Netflix's biggest hit is back, and it's definitely packing a punch. Three years after Squid Game took over our screens and social media feeds, Season 2 dropped on December 26 with seven episodes that should keep you glued to your couch.
With over 265 million views, Squid Game is still Netflix's biggest show ever, and this new season proves why. The Squid Game Season 2 review scores are already rolling in, and most folks are positive. If you thought the first season was intense, get ready.
The Winner's Not Living His Best Life
Seong Gi-hun was our unlikely hero in Season 1, and somehow, winning 45.6 billion hasn't exactly brought him peace. Instead of living it up or joining his daughter in America, he's been hiding away, eaten up by what he saw in the games. But he's got a new mission this time around. He wants to take down the sick minds behind it all.
So he teams up with police officer Hwang Jun-ho, whose brother turns out to be the creepy Front Man running the show. Together, they go back into the nightmare they barely escaped.
New Players, Same Twisted Game
The new season brings in a bunch of fresh faces that'll grab your attention. There's a mother and son who both end up in the game, a crypto influencer, and a rapper who's definitely not there to make friends. But the most interesting newbie might be No-eul, played by Park Gyu-young. She's a North Korean defector who ends up working as one of those pink-suited guards. Her story shows us there's more than one way to get caught up in this mess.
All the stuff that made us love (and fear) the first season is still here, by the way. There's that spooky "Fly Me to the Moon" song, those memorable outfits, and yes, plenty of scenes that'll make you watch through your fingers. The games are even more brutal this time around, with one fight scene that's so intense it might be the most shocking thing you'll see on TV this year.
Season 2 really pulls back the curtain for us to look deeper into the control room. You get to see why people choose to be those creepy guards, and how the folks running the show have only gotten more twisted since we last saw them. Even with all his prize money, Gi-hun finds out that taking down the bad guys isn't as simple as he thought.
Wrapping Up
For anyone wondering who Player 001 was and why he mattered so much in the first season, this new round adds some juicy details through some eye-opening chats with Gi-hun. And if you're already thinking about when Squid Game Season 3 is coming out, you won't have to wait too long. The third season will hit Netflix sometime in 2025.
Lee Jung-jae (who won an Emmy for playing Gi-hun) knocks it out of the park again, and Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man is downright chilling. Sure, some of the voting scenes and shootouts might drag a bit, but these seven episodes mostly fly by. Just wait till you get to the twists at the end.