Squid Game Season 2 Review: A Thrilling Return to the Deadly Games

For three long years, fans of Squid Game eagerly awaited the return of Gi-Hun and his mission to end the deadly games. We mourned the loss of favorite characters, debated the themes of classism and money monopolies, and scrolled through endless fan theories. Merrily the thrilling news came that Squid Game Season 2 would return just after Christmas 2024, the perfect gift for fans! SPOILERS AHEAD!

New Challenges and Even Deadlier Games

The vibrant, seven-episode season introduces fresh faces, new alliances, and even more deadly games. From the cast to the concept, Season 2 doesn’t disappoint. However, it leaves several open-ended questions for fans to ponder as we eagerly await the confirmed June 2025 premiere of Season 3.

Lee Jung-Jae returns as Seong Gi-Hun, but this time, he’s no longer gambling away his life savings. He enlists the help of Korea’s most powerful mafia to track down The Salesman (Gong Yoo), four years after the events of Season 1. With the games set to return, Gi-Hun races against time.

The mafia locates The Salesman but soon learns he’s forcing ordinary people to play smaller games for small rewards. When The Salesman realizes Gi-Hun is onto him, he sets up a deadly game of Russian Roulette. Gi-Hun is captured and sent back into the games. His ultimate goal? Overthrow the masked masterminds behind the cruel spectacle.

New Players, New Stakes

This season introduces a host of compelling new characters, many of whom enter the games to pay off massive debts. K-pop rapper T.O.P (Choi Seung-Hyun) returns to acting as Player 230, Thanos—a rapper and addict who loses everything in a failed cryptocurrency scheme. He’s drawn into the game by Player 333, Myeong-Gi (Yim Si-wan of ZE:A).

Myeong-Gi, desperate to win back his fortune, discovers that his pregnant ex-girlfriend Joon-he, Player 222 (played by Jo Yuri, former IZ*ONE), is also in the game. Joon-he forms an unlikely bond with Player 149—a mother who enters the games to pay off her son’s debts. But she soon learns her son is also a contestant: Player 007, played by rapper Yang Dong-Geun (YDG).

The emotional stakes soar, especially in Game 3. The grandmother’s separation from her son nearly costs her life. Luckily, she’s saved by Gi-Hun and Player 001.

A Shocking Reveal and A Mysterious New Ally

That’s right! Guess who’s back? Player 001—except this time, he’s not the frail old man we knew. He’s Il In-ho, the Front Man. The enigmatic ringmaster and brother of officer Jun-Ho, infiltrates the games as Player 001 to keep an eye on Gi-Hun. He learns more about Gi-Hun’s plan to end the games.

Gi-Hun remains unaware of the Front Man’s true identity. Yet, his trust in Player 001 feels misplaced. Given Player 001’s role in the original Squid Game, why isn’t Gi-Hun more suspicious? This feels like a missed opportunity to increase tension and suspicion.

But perhaps Gi-Hun isn’t the only person in the games with a motive to end them. Pink Guard 011, played by Park Gyu-young, adds another layer of intrigue. Initially introduced as a theme park worker, No-eul later joins the games as Guard 011. She’s not just an ordinary guard, though. No-eul has a hidden agenda involving the organ-harvesting operation introduced in Season 1.

Guard 011 goes to extreme lengths, even killing players to stop their organs from being harvested. But why? Speculation suggests she’s connected to someone higher up in the game’s hierarchy. But who?

Squid Game Season 2 Review: A Powerful Finale, But What’s Next?

Season 2 ends with a barrage of cliffhangers and unresolved plot threads, leaving fans on edge for the next season. From the mysterious fisherman to the aftermath of the shootout between the guards and players, there’s much to look forward to.

In the end, Squid Game Season 2 delivers pulse-pounding action, emotional depth, and more psychological complexity. Yet, it raises important questions that will define the future of the series. Who is really pulling the strings behind the games? What secrets do the mysterious players like Guard 011 and Player 001 hold? Most importantly, will Gi-Hun’s mission to end the games succeed, or will it cost him everything?

As we count down the days until Season 3, one thing is certain: Squid Game remains a masterclass in suspense and storytelling. Its final chapters promise to be even more explosive than we can imagine.