The second season of Netflix’s “Squid Game” has sparked mixed reactions among critics and viewers. While many are thrilled to see the continuation of the iconic story, others have expressed disappointment with certain elements.
On December 26, the second season of the South Korean series “Squid Game 2,” a mix of survival drama, action thriller, and adventure, premiered on Netflix. Like the first season, it was directed by Hwang Dong-Hyuk, with Lee Jung-jae reprising his lead role.
This show was dubbed the most anticipated release of 2024, with high expectations placed on continuing the bloody story where the ultimate stake is life itself. After its release, both critics and viewers shared their opinions. VNK News gathered perspectives from both sides.
What is the second season of Netflix’s “Squid Game” about?
At the beginning of the second season, Seong Gi-hun, three years after his victory in the deadly competition, teams up with Detective Jun-ho to track down the organizers of the lethal game and put an end to it once and for all. Gi-hun hires mercenaries to locate the recruiters enlisting participants for the next round. Throughout the game, the protagonist attempts to expose the Front Man, the mysterious host of the game who constantly eludes capture.
This time, the contestants include a cryptocurrency influencer, former soldiers, a transgender woman seeking funds to complete her transition, a mother with her gambling-addicted son, and others. The director admitted that through the participants of the deadly clash, he aimed to portray a cross-section of modern society and its needs.
The series ends on a cliffhanger, clearly hinting at a continuation. Production of the next season has already been confirmed, with a release planned for 2025. The third season is expected to be the final installment.
What do critics say about the series “Squid Game 2”?
“’Squid Game’ cannot shake its obsession with repeating the same exhausting lessons about greed and human nature, which weighs down the narrative rather than elevating it,” writes Therese Lacson for Collider.
According to her, despite a promising start, the show relies too heavily on the same archetypes that made the first season predictable.
“Often, it feels like the show is afraid its audience might not grasp what’s happening, so everything must be spelled out. Every dramatic scene feels emotionally manipulative—slowed-down moments seem almost lethargic in forcing viewers to scrutinize every small detail on screen before magnifying those details.
Each vote repeats the same dynamics as previous ones in a tiresome manner, wasting time on identical scenes of characters hesitating between staying or leaving. By the end of the season, it feels like a lot of time was squandered on repetition,” the critic argues.
Nick Schager from The Daily Beast notes that, after the first season’s record-breaking debut, which garnered numerous awards, the second season starts with a lackluster opening.
The good news, however, is that it eventually finds its footing to deliver more of the tense, character-driven “do-or-die” drama that fans crave, complete with several thrilling twists in its now-iconic formula.
“So long as it focuses on deadly children’s games, which are its bread and butter, the South Korean hit by writer/director Hwang Dong-Hyuk remains an entertaining sci-fi thriller. However, it too often forgets what drives it, and just as frustratingly, fails to resolve its many storylines by the end of its overly short seven-episode run,” the review states.
He points out that the creators seemed in no rush, as they didn’t aim to tie up loose ends or conclude on a note that resolves the fates of countless characters.
The second season doesn’t explore much new thematic ground but skillfully expands the “Squid Game” universe, delivering a thriller that plays out like an even more brutal remix of the original, says Andrew Webster of The Verge.
“Season 2 may not be as much of a surprise as the original, but it makes up for that with clever twists on the formula and plotlines that strike even bloodier notes. Even better: the promise of a conclusion that knows where it’s heading,” he remarks.
James Poniewozik of The New York Times raises a thought-provoking question: if the series is merely a vehicle for more of the same high-design slaughter, are we collectively just a cheap version of the VIPs? After yet another stabbing or machine-gun execution, he finds himself asking whether this is meant to be entertaining and at what point the social critique of the series simply devolves into fatalism.
“You’ll hear what is essentially what you heard in the first season. You’ll see what you saw in the first season. And if you happen to hear or see something new, it’s likely coming from a character who looks an awful lot like someone you saw dying—or killing someone—the first time around. You could assume that’s intentional. This ‘Squid Game’ is a delivery system for ‘things you’ve already seen before,'” the author remarks.
Among the show’s strengths, Poniewozik highlights its visual imagination. Its themes of class struggle shared with Korean films like “Parasite” and “Snowpiercer”, are delivered with elegance, not just in the pastel carnage of the game’s set designs.
Netflix’s Squid Game 2: Viewer Opinions
As for viewers, they’ve been actively sharing their impressions, which range from enthusiastic praise to profound disappointment.
“Season 2 is much duller than Season 1,” “Very disappointed. A cliffhanger. A strange subplot involving a man confusing genders. And not enough time to explore everything else. It felt like the season was rushed,” “The second season started strong but quickly lost its way. The story dragged on, introduced plotlines that went nowhere and left both the main narrative and side stories unresolved. Unlike the tightly woven Season 1, this season ends on a lackluster note with a dull finale that feels more like filler than resolution,” write some critics.
On the other hand, others are more positive: “A thrilling continuation that delivers both excitement and thought-provoking drama! The much-anticipated second season of Squid Game is finally here, and it doesn’t disappoint,” “A different focus compared to the first season, but still highly enjoyable. It resists the temptation to fall into cliches with its deaths, and each one feels well-crafted,” users write.
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