Review of the second season of “The Squid Game”: more violent, political and less original

Series Game “Squid”released in 2021 and still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, defied all of Netflix’s predictions. The company has spent the last decade trying to find a formula that will make the game successful. They tried big budgets, lots of advertising, themed events and finally updated content almost weekly. And yet, the Korean project, which received little publicity and almost immediately, became a huge success – it is the most viewed product in the history of the platform – and also controversial. After all, this was a competition in which hundreds of participants had to kill or be killed in order to win a juicy cash prize. The social commentary was obvious. And this was one of the moments that surprised me the most from the very beginning.

Season two Game “Squid” It takes into account the success itself and the reasons why it happened. Thus, he returns to the competition arena without changing the formula much. Again, the underlying premise is one of hostility, class resentment, and greed. But this time there is a counterbalance to this. A group of players who, even in the midst of deadly games, are ready to prevent them from continuing and stop them at any cost. A kind of idealistic crusade that turns every test into a demonstration of values, ethics and how all of the above can be found. dense symbolism of gunshots, fatal falls and spilled blood.

It’s clear that creator and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk has the same concerns that led him to conceive the series in the first place. In other words, the brutal struggle of a system that favors the privileged and oppresses every citizen of the world. Only this time, without the surprise factor, the plot moves into grayer areas. So each game can be used in different ways – and there are dozens of different variations of what was seen in the first season – to send a message. If in the initial episodes the whole plot had a sense of urgency – you had to win in order not to die – now there was a little second meaning. Yes, you must stay alive. But also demonstrate the injustices and inequalities that drive gaming in the first place.

From the starting point onwards

As announced in the season finale of Part 1, Song Ki Hoon (Lee Jung Jae) has decided to return to the arena on his own. However, this time it is not about greed or stinginess. The first chapter of the series is used to delve deeper into the transition of time and the main character’s point of view. Thus, he explores a point that was clear in the previous part, but which is worth remembering. Gi Hoon earned 45.6 billion won ($31.5 million) in a brutal competition that showed him that poverty was the least of his problems.

Especially when it caused him to become a murderer – by action or inaction – and then find that his fundamental interests had changed. In the first two episodes of the new season Game “Squid” It’s hard for him to remember that his star player lost more than he won. Worse, he feels guilty and, in fact, as hateful as the organizers of the games. So the decision to return is not so much revenge as a way to restore justice.

This may seem like a subtle nuance, but it’s not so subtle when the series manages to establish a new configuration among its players. If previously there was a smaller price for a murder for a large prize, now a certain line has appeared that divides the competition into two parts. While everyone wants to succeed and of course avoid death, there are two specific groups. On the one hand, there is X, who will try to stop the game at any cost, among whom is Gi-hoon. The other extreme is the “O” who only want money and Of course, let the game continue, whatever the reasons.

Complicating the story prevents the release of the second season of the series. squid game It seems to be the same as last season. It’s a risk when the fundamentals don’t change. However, this time the arena is much more sadistic, because most of the tournaments and twisted challenges have the sole purpose of betrayal. Winning is no longer part of the physical or mental strength of one’s opponents. Or at least not only that. And also how much they are willing to lose as people, moving from stage to stage.

A story that gets deeper and more complex

Of course, much of the show’s focus is on Gi-Hoon, which helps put a more human face on what could only be a murder-filled scenario. With the vision of a man aware of the dangers he faces, the character is more cautious in alliances and much less compassionate. In turn, he is determined to stop and destroy the system to the ground.

So, season two Game “Squid” He devotes time and interest to delving into his mythology. Whereas in the first it was barely clear that the whole thing was a depraved scheme created for the amusement of a privileged group, this time the infrastructure of something similar is shown. This allows the script to explore all sorts of complex precautions to avoid detection and to cover up crimes occurring on the island.

Even more interesting is the idea that the series suggests the possibility that this is one of many arenas. It’s not something that’s explored head-on – it’s obviously an issue that the third and final season will delve into – but it does help drive home the gravity of the horror. What is shown is more than just a gaming arena for private use. It is an increasingly confusing, twisted and sophisticated system. to make a profit and turn death into entertainment.

A good argument that sometimes fails

If there’s one thing that’s missing, it’s that the show has more logical explanations for the events it depicts. The arrival of players, which was already discussed in the first season, this time seems to be a more complex selection process. There are also not many explanations for some situations both in the arena and what happens behind it. The script fails with inaccuracies and holes in logic – pay attention to the game the fifth chapter – which makes everything seem more tragicomic than dramatic.

Despite this, the production of the series strives to make everything related to the tests larger, more detailed and better. The aesthetics aren’t much different – ruthless, death-defying versions of children’s games – and essentially the problem is the same. Only if previously poverty and despair were a general trend, now this gives rise to economic insecurity and moral breakdown. All the really serious and complex themes that the show hints at but doesn’t explore with much depth.

With a third season confirmed, the show has no problem airing the story with a traumatic scene that changes the scope of the plot. But, nevertheless, Game “Squid” For all its rudeness, it cannot overcome the pessimistic vision of our time of its already historical first part. The most difficult point that we have to solve in new chapters is not always achieved.