The second season of Squid Game, landed like Bump on Boxing Day. Whilst I was on leave, life was busy so this got left a little into the new year. But man this season was addictive. The episodes were long(ish) however they were action packed this time around, making them whiz past.
The second season, stars Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Wi Ha-joon, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-wook, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-shim, & Jo Yu-ri.
It picks up three years after Seong Gi-hun won the Squid Game, giving up on going to the United States and returning to the games with the intent of stopping them once and for all. He once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of ₩45.6 billion.
A side-plot of the season sees Hwang Jun-ho trying to locate Gi-hun with help from hired mercenaries.
The second season has proved the first run wasn't a fluke. Within the first three days of release, the second season had 68 million views, exceeding the highest premiere viewership for Netflix held by the first season of Wednesday at 50.1 million views during its premiere week.
According to Netflix, the season ranked at No. 1 in 92 countries.
One complaint though, with the third (and final season), filmed back-to-back with the second season, the last episode kind of just ended. Apparently the third season will be released this year.
Some spoilers below the trailer, so BEWARE!
In Friend or Foe/"Chinguwa Jeok" (Korean: 친구와 적) Captain Park of Jun-ho's team is revealed to be a double agent, having sabotaged their drone.
Following the bathroom brawl, players realise they can kill others to raise the prize pool and weaken the opposing voters. Gi-hun predicts there will be an attack that night by players who want to continue the game, but convinces a small group of "X" players to avoid attacking, arguing that the game's creators are the true enemies.
During the anticipated massacre, Gi-hun's group stays hidden as the rest of the group receives heavy losses, and they emerge only once soldiers arrive. Gi-hun's group baits the soldiers, killing all but one and taking their firearms.
They start a rebellion and force the surviving soldier to lead them to the control room. However, more soldiers open fire en route, and the rebellion starts to falter when the group runs out of ammunition; Dae-ho, tasked with retrieving more ammo, suffers a combat stress reaction and is unable to return.
Player 001 betrays the group by killing two players and faking his death, while other surrendering players are executed. Gi-hun and Jung-bae are captured. In-ho, now masked as the Front Man, executes Jung-bae in front of a horrified Gi-hun.
So where will we go in the third and final season? Will Seong Gi-hun get his revenge/happy ending with all that cash?
After a slower start with episodes one and two just building the story, then once the games started things accelerated fast!
This was a fun watch. Maybe Squid Game will go down as one of Netflix's biggest titles. With Cobra Kai ending next month, Emily in Paris (or Rome) a way off, the streamer really needs some new hits, not just forgettable fast TV like the Australian production, Territory or The Perfect Couple. Speaking of Australian series, Heartbreak High will also conclude with its third season later this year on Netflix.
Coming up tomorrow more TV our of Asia, it's HBO Max's Tokyo Vice.
