Spoiler Alert: Squid game season two.
“Red light, green light.”
The infamous K-Drama “Squid Game” finally released its long-awaited second season on December 26th, showcasing seven new episodes. It is currently labeled as Netflix’s third most-watched series, reaching 165.7 million views in just three and a half weeks. The cast contains many Korean celebrities like former K-POP star Choi Seung-hyun as “Thanos (Player 230),” famous Korean actor and previous star in “The Glory” Park Sung-hoon as “Hyun-ju (Player 120),” and soloist as well as former member of the K-POP group “Iz*One” Jo Yuri as “Jun-hee (Player 222).” The show currently sits at an 8/10 on IMDb and a score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Today, clips of the new season have been traveling throughout social media, with content ranging from thirst trap edits to reaction videos surfacing on every platform.
Season one follows a group of financially struggling individuals who are invited to play a survival game for a huge cash prize. These games consist of violent versions of traditional Korean childhood games, forcing players to play to the death until one player remains. The season ends with Gi-hun (Player 456) winning 45.6 billion won (around $31.5 million USD) as the sole survivor. Season two starts with a clip of Gi-hun at the airport on the phone. From there, he is brought back to the violent games, where new contestants must survive the dangerous tasks. Characters like Hyun-ju (Player 120) must fight through the devastating losses such as witnessing a close friend die in order to persevere, while others like Thanos (Player 230) must suffer the consequences of being arrogant. Zooming into the dynamics between characters, The Front Man, the Squid Games supervisor, seems to have connections with Hwang Jun-ho, and even towards Gi-hun. Together, the characters fight to survive and expose the organization behind these games, leaving a cliffhanger that hints at a season three where characters take down the corrupt organization running the Squid Games. The second season of “Squid Game” explores the themes of greed, gambling, and the limits of human connection, capturing the attention of viewers worldwide. CHS freshman Avery Kurera shared her review.
“I thought this new season was better than the first one,” Kurera said. “I like how there were more unique characters, and I felt that it was a bit more fun.”
From the millions of edits about Thanos to the intense details and character developments throughout the show, Squid game season two has been a big hit– something that fans will continue to cherish for the coming years.
