#review: Does Squid Game 2 live up to the hype?

After a three-year gap and a reality spinoff in-between, the most-watched show on Netflix is back. David Ho tunes in and shares his thoughts on Squid Game 2

Originally intended to be a movie, Squid Game was turned into a nine-episode series when creator Hwang Dong-hyuk sold the idea to Netflix. The show, which was then presented as a one and done season, became such an unprecedented success that Hwang felt compelled to complete two more seasons for the streaming platform.

Much like Hwang, Squid Game’s protagonist Seong Gi-hun (aka Player 456) finds himself unable to leave the deadly game behind, even if it drains him. In the newly released second season, we find Seong holed up in a motel ridden with survivor’s guilt. Instead of enjoying his winnings, he uses his newfound resources to find a way back into the games so he can avenge past contestants and put an end to the terror. 

(Mild spoilers ahead)

The second season starts off on a stumble, as it takes two episodes (out of seven) for Seong to finally work his way back into the competition. Since it’s obvious he would rejoin as there wouldn’t be a show otherwise, this part does feel a tad stretched out and lumbers on for a bit more than it should. 

But once Seong is back in the fold, the heart-in-the-throat action begins with games familiar and new. In this setting, we are introduced to a whole new cast of contestants. It’s easy to miss the original season one cast, given how much impact those characters had on viewers. However, the new cast hold their own as compelling characters, with praise for Park Sung-hoon as a transgender woman and a mother-son duo that might have been inspired by the pair that were on Squid Game: The Challenge. 

But many of the new faces fit the archetypes set out before in season one a bit too neatly. Childhood friend of Seong? Checked with Jung-bae aka Player 390. North Korean defector on a heart-breaking mission? Park Gyu-young is present as Kang No-eul, one of the PS controller-faced guards. An organizer going undercover in the game? Lee Byung-hun’s Front Man is in the fray as Player 001. Need a big bully to dominate the game’s social dynamic? T.O.P. from Big Bang has entered the chat as Player 230, the deranged rapper Thanos. If we need another manipulative, loudmouth lady, we see her in Seon-nyeo (Player 044), a self-styled shaman that falls a little flat filling the shoes of Han Mi-nyeo, the charismatic diva who was “good at everything, except the things she can’t do.”

There’s no questioning the excellent performances here by the whole cast. But with so many new faces, a relatively limited runtime, and the shadow of the beloved originals looming, it can be challenging to connect with the new characters as much as before. Though with some of them returning in season three later this year, perhaps we will have a better chance to see them fleshed out and become just as beloved.

What makes Squid Game (or Battle Royale, The Hunger Games and other shows with a similar premise) work wonderfully well is the psychological drama. Whether delving into the individual psyche or how the hive mind works, the show has a way of keeping us on the edge of our seats and holding a mirror to us as to what we’d do when pushed to the brink at the same time. Seong’s mission to challenge the system also comes to us at a compelling time when political happenings and Luigi Mangione’s arrest as a suspected shooter alike have stirred up more eat-the-rich sentiments.

However, it touches on these thought-provoking themes on a largely superficial level that we hope Hwang delves into deeper in the final season. As the Front Man says to Seong, “the game will not end unless the world changes.” Perhaps that is a hint to what will be explored down the road.   

Watching Squid Game 2 feels like seeing half a movie, a trend we’ve seen with recent releases like Wicked and Moana 2. It’s a fast-paced watch that ends on a cliffhanger to leave us wanting more. Our hope is that with this format, they don’t waste time setting up the story again when the third and final season arrives. Despite being in the difficult position of being an in-between season, Hwang has managed to make season two as gripping as the first without diluting what made it tick. 

Much like the voting system in the series, it’s clear that the majority have decided they want to keep the game going on for a bit more, which was why we got two more seasons of the show from Hwang. Fortunately for Netflix, we are voting O for season three after watching this one.  

Verdict: There is no sophomore slump here. Squid Game 2 is an exciting watch that manages to be as addictive as the first one was.

Also see: #review: Is The Substance with Demi Moore a substantial watch?