On December 26 2024, Netflix released the second season of the highly anticipated thriller series, Squid Game. 

The first installment of this series released back in 2021, with fans caught in a chokehold from the intense episodes featuring the giant animatronic doll, iconic green tracksuits, and life-threatening honeycomb challenges. Season one ends with Seong Gi-hun winning the $45.6 billion. He still feels hollow on the inside from witnessing all the gruesome deaths in the past games and even discovers the mastermind behind the game.

Season 2 of Squid Game amassed a total of 152.5 million views when it was released and quickly became the third most watched series on Netflix. The series starts off with Gi-hun’s return to the game and, __. As the episodes progress, the history of the Squid Game is peeled back layer by layer. Behind this deadly competition of children’s games, there is a story of the Masked Man and his motivation.  

Gi-hun, traumatized from the prior events of his first Squid Game, tries to use his knowledge to help other players survive. A particularly empathetic moment is when he instructs other players to freeze each time Young-hee, the doll, turns around during the “Red Light, Green Light” game, which saves multiple players. 

This season also brings about new games and challenges for the new players, much to the despair of our main character, who hoped for that advantage. One notable game is the six-legged pentathlon, forcing six players to work together in order for the entire team to survive, forming alliances and enemies. 

Another notable change is the introduction of a new voting system, in which players get to decide whether they want to quit or continue to play the game. It offers a “hail mary” moment for the players to save themselves, in contrast to the first season where players are locked in till the end. 

This season also brings more inclusive representation to the LGBTQ+ community, as it features a trans woman player in the games. Themes of modern-day financial struggles are emphasized through the extreme stakes of the games along with the wealthy class’s grip on the lower class in society. The videography was different as there were more camera angles and increased color saturation for the sets. Overall, the second installment brings about new faces and motivations as players navigate the games to survive, driven by the desire to escape the shackles of poverty. Squid Game 2 provides a compelling continuation of the beloved first installment that made history on Netflix.  

I would rate this series a 4/5.