"Assessment of Squid Game Season 2: The Games Deliver, Yet Other Aspects Fall Short"
"Assessment of Squid Game Season 2: The Games Deliver, Yet Other Aspects Fall Short"
After three years, Netflix's most renowned series of all time has resurfaced in the form of Squid Game season 2. It appeared almost impossible for the follow-up season to replicate the viral allure of the original, and while viewer hours are yet to be determined, it turns out that indeed, this is a fairly commendable season, albeit arguably less so than the original, which is no great surprise.
Squid Game season 2 excels in certain areas and falls short in others, swollen up with content that feels like empty filler, which is not ideal for a season comprising only seven episodes. Most of this extra material seems to be nothing more than setup for the third and final season, and once you reach the end, you realize that this is essentially one long season divided into two parts. Spoilers will follow in this review.
Seong Gi-hun has been employing his billions to identify the games' brutal recruiter to lead him to the masterminds behind the games, namely the "Front Man" in the black mask. Simultaneously, Hwang Jun-ho is doing the same thing, voyaging in search of the island to reunite with his brother (who is, in fact, the Front Man).
The two team up, and their plan eventually becomes that Gi-hun will be abducted and return to the island embedded with a tracker, with a mercenary team led by Jun-ho following him to infiltrate the island. Unsurprisingly, things do not go as planned. Gi-hun's tracker is removed, and he finds himself thrown back into the games once again, as we all knew this was inevitable.
Although the season starts rather slowly, once it returns to the games, one could argue that aspects of this portion of the season function better than even the original. Season 2 does a remarkable job of introducing a large ensemble cast of characters, each with their unique motivations and personalities, in a manner that season 1 did not quite achieve. Memorable characters include an elderly woman and her loser son, a rapper who continues to take drugs and party through the games, a trans woman searching for funds for surgery and relocation outside of Korea, and a woman about to give birth with her deadbeat boyfriend also competing in the games separately.
The most significant addition is the arrival of In-ho, who we know is secretly the Front Man himself, but Gi-hun never figures this out throughout the entire season. Through the conclusion of the season, I was still not entirely clear on why the Front Man would participate in these games, and it seems to mirror the season 1 storyline with the terminally ill old man embarking on the same endeavor. Here, during an eventual uprising of the players, In-ho betrays some of his fellow players and dons the mask once more, but I still do not quite understand the purpose of this, as he could have easily perished at any point before this, or at least could not have survived without giving himself away. Is this merely for excitement, or was there an actual reason present? We do not discern the answer by the finale.
There is also an intriguing dynamic introduced here that was not present in season 1—the ability for players to vote to leave the games after each round, which results in several dramatic sequences and ultimately wild moments like sides killing each other in order to secure their numbers. Ultimately, continuing the games may seem like a foregone conclusion, but it's an intriguing mechanic that has revitalized things to some extent, as well as the introduction of new games (and they are all new, except for the introductory Red Light, Green Light).
Everything that is not the games in season 2 does not work well at all. This includes the aimless storyline of Jun-ho and the mercenary team sailing aimlessly around searching for the game island now that Gi-hun's tracker has expired. This does not become engaging until the very last second when it's revealed the captain of the boat appears to be a traitor hired by Squid Game, but even then, it felt like a waste of 10 minutes per episode.
Similarly, the season began with an intriguing idea presenting the story of a North Korean defector behind one of the guard masks, rather than focusing solely on the players. The guard, No-eul, finds herself at odds with other guards, including the new manager, as she stands in the way of an organ harvesting side-gig that prefers injured but not dead players, so they can extract valuable parts from them. She keeps killing the injured ones before they can be harvested, which results in threats on her life. Then it just...stopped. While I'm sure more is planned for her in the next season, it was perplexing to witness this grand "players versus guards" finale battle unfold, and she had no role in it whatsoever. Another plotline that again, felt like a waste of 5-10 minutes an episode. And these add up.
Although the A-plot is substantial in season 2, having completely redundant B and C plots does bring the season down and makes it feel overstuffed despite only consisting of seven episodes. I do not think it's a bad thing the show returned, as this certainly does not feel like some catastrophic follow-up. It's most definitely good enough, and I'm curious to see how it all concludes. But yes, a lot of that initial fascination has waned.
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In the context of the Squid Game season 2 review, a potential sentence could be: "Despite the inclusion of extraneous B and C plots, many viewers find the new ensemble of characters in season 2 to be memorable and engaging."
Another sentence could be: "Critics have noted that while Gi-hun's character arc in season 2 is compelling, the development and purpose of the Front Man remain unclear, leaving some curious about his motivations."