On December 26th on Netflix, one of the main series premieres of the year took place — the release of the second season of the sensational South Korean show «Squid Game», which became a true sensation and a viral cultural phenomenon. In this review, we dig into what the second season of the deadly children’s games looks like.
Pluses:
the presence of deadly games, which still manage to captivate; the evolution of the protagonist's character, as well as the contradictory character of Lee Byung-hong, were beneficial (plus both gave good acting performances); the authors make you feel for the protagonists and disgusted with the villains, even if it's through primitive manipulations; the corporate style, with helmets with triangles and squares like buttons on a Sony PlayStation gamepad, green suits, etc. hasn't disappeared;
Minuses:
a lot of time dragging and overloading with unnecessary characters and storylines that lead nowhere (at least for now); not enough games for 7 episodes; superficiality and predictability; the ending that cuts the story short, and it's disappointing;
«Squid Game»
Genre survival thriller, action
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk
Starring Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Lee Byung-hun, Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Hoon, Choi Sung-hoon, Lee David, Lee Soo-hyuk, Gong Yoo
Premiere Netflix
Release Year 2024
Website IMDb
Following the events of the last season, the winner of the children’s games, Seong Gi-hun, is determined to put an end to the bloody games once and for all. Now, with a solid financial foundation, instead of living a luxurious life on blood money, Seong sets up in a hideout with the inconspicuous name Pink Hotel. He buys weapons on the black market, and hires a team whose task is to track down the oddball in a severe business suit who accosts people in the subway with an offer to play a simple game.
However, to avoid nasty spoilers, let’s just summarize — in his attempts to implement his plan and get closer to the mysterious game organizers, the protagonist is forced to wear the silly green suit with number 456 and play again. So, as they love to shout in another show with ridiculous games, «Bets» — let the game begin!
Considering the reviews from critics and viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, opinions are somewhat divided. At the time of writing this text, the first holds a rather generous 86% positive feedback according to 44 reviews, while the latter gives the project a much more modest 63%. Seems like the truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle.
Obviously, «Squid Game 2» no longer has the refreshing effect of an unexpected sensation and the hypnotic magic inherent in the first season. No one expected anything from the show back then, and it became a massive global hit. Given this status, the second season, on the other hand, was expected to deliver another screen-shaking experience, but to some extent, it became a victim of these expectations.
Unfortunately, the sequel turned out to be somewhat clumsy and derivative compared to its predecessor. Still interesting and engaging enough to not waste a couple of evenings in front of the screen, but with noticeable annoying nuances that hinder the enjoyment of the story to the fullest.
Particular disappointment awaits those who primarily craved bread and circuses and had already missed the girl from «red light, green light» and other bizarre concoctions with lethal consequences.
If Ridley Scott in «Gladiator II» wasn’t too worried about the depth of plot conflicts (and even less about historical accuracy), aiming all efforts to create a lavish cinematic attraction, the creators of «Squid Game 2», with the same narrative superficiality, take a different path and simply drag out time. This manifests in adding extra characters and plot lines that ultimately lead nowhere, all backed by a high percentage of predictability and simple, even primitive manipulations.
It’s worth noting again that even with such arrangements, paradoxically, it’s still quite interesting to watch. But the games only start in the third episode, considering there are only 7 episodes in the season compared to 9 in its predecessor. Plus, the games themselves do not always intrigue equally.
We’re already familiar with the smiling girl, although the presence of an experienced player in the form of Seong Gi-hun brings appropriate adjustments to the local suspense. Here, understand that the main character is toughened not only by previous trials but also by helpless Jedi-ism within the Hollywood capitalist machine, so he’s no longer easily frightened. The second game appears the most interesting as it requires teamwork. The next one, however, seems more like a banal attempt to thin out the dense rows of the crowd rather than make the viewer clutch the edge of their seat in excitement.
Side quests, such as searching for the notorious island where terrible competitions are held, or voting after each round, also don’t work properly. The former still lacks enough development to not consider it mere floundering, the latter takes up too much space and at the same time lacks intrigue. In any case, the show must go on at least until the season finale. Not to mention the presence of dubious characters, such as the girl working for the sinister gaming company, or the local mad shaman — the most nonsensical character.
In terms of content, the second season doesn’t say anything new, except that the question of choice is more acute (it is not without reason that «The Matrix» is directly mentioned here). It voices the same old truths about class inequality, irredeemable human nature, boundless greed, the inability to agree, to compromise. They are mostly conveyed through archetypal scoundrels who mysteriously never face elimination from the game, at least in the early stages. Whether it’s a rapper with the telling nickname Thanos, or a mad old man with excessive appetites — we’ve seen this stubborn one-sidedness before.
In conclusion, the creators of «Squid Game 2» scatter on unnecessary things instead of confidently moving the story forward. Interesting and tense moments here are neighbored by blatantly boring and weak ones, and noteworthy characters coexist with those that evoke at most indifference.
The cliffhanger ending, cutting off the story mid-sentence, seems like a trademark mockery and confirms the fact that the second season is just a waypoint on the path to the real climax, planned for the final, third season. There, something more powerful than children’s songs, sounding contrapuntally among shootings, a new batch of triangles on helmets, and a bunch of further degenerates, for whom all the money in the world is the price of human lives. This should definitely surprise us.
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