Squid Game, Season 2 - (Netflix)
By: Rachel Brodeur
It’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt, and Netflix’s dystopian series Squid Game sure knows how to rack up a body count. The games may be childlike, but the consequences are deadly, as desperate contestants hope to erase their mountains of personal debt by risking their lives trying to win a dangerous series of games. But much in the same way that contestants fail to recapture the spirit of their youth in these games, Netflix falls a bit short in recapturing the magic of the first season.
To its credit, the first season of Squid Game was near perfect television. Assuming viewers had a stomach for violence, the series managed to lure viewers in with action, but keep them hooked with engaging human stories revealing layers of depth through flashbacks and classic storytelling. Each episode was compelling, emotional and surprising. In season two, South Korean show creator and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, returns, but there seems to be a fundamental difference in approach. First season, the contestants, for the most part, seemed similar, men and women, only distinguishable by their assigned number, all there for similar reasons, with few outliers. The show then uncovered their humanity and viewers started to care about some of them and have favorites. Season two, while everyone is still in the same numbered jumpsuits, there are more obvious differences from the onslaught. There are men and women of course, more elderly than before, and additional caricatures of a social media rapper, a pregnant teen, a mother - son combo, and a trans person. To the show’s credit, as it progresses, most of these people that seem so different, shake the tropes of their character types and become more nuanced and dynamic, but initially, it feels pandering.
However, one new element of the series that really works is the increased interest in who is behind the games. It’s no longer about just surviving the tasks and winning the prize money, it is about uncovering the network of billionaires who run the games. It is about seeing why the masked soldiers agree to carry out the swift consequences that make the games deadly. That mystery makes the season fresh and helps it build to something bigger.
The best part of Squid Game will always be the games. The games deliver drama, excitement and colorful whimsy. Audiences will feel the physical weight of the numbers: the timers, the votes, the dollar signs, their identities. It’s a special show that will get viewers to watch with conviction, on the edges of their seats, feeling the stress alongside the characters, and Squid Games delivers that better than any other show currently airing. People new to the series should go back and watch season one; fans should watch this season, knowing that it feels less like its own story and more like the precursor to the next chapter, due to air in July of 2025.
Rachel’s Rating: 6.5/10
Squid Game, season two (Netflix) struggles to recapture the magic of its groundbreaking first season, shifting focus from the contestants’ personal stories to a broader conspiracy involving the billionaires behind the games. The high-stakes games remain the show’s strongest feature, keeping viewers on edge, but this season feels more like a setup for the next chapter rather than a standalone story.