001 (Squid Game Episode)

The second season of the new Korean dystopian survival thriller television series ''Squid Game'', marketed as ''Squid Game 2'', is created by Korean television producer and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk. It was released on Netflix on December 26, 2024.

Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, and Wi Ha-joon reprise their respective roles from the first season, with Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-wook, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-shim, and Jo Yu-ri joining the cast. It is set in 2023, 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, making life-or-death decisions with new participants gathered to win the prize of billion. A side-plot of the season sees Hwang Jun-ho trying to locate Gi-hun with help from hired mercenaries.

Within the first 72 hours 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. It garnered positive reviews from critics. The third and final season, which was filmed back-to-back with the second season, is scheduled to be released on June 27, 2025.

Cast and characters

Numbers in parentheses denote the character's assigned player number in the ''Squid Game'' universe.

Main cast

* Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun (, 456)
* Lee Byung-hun as Hwang In-ho / "Oh Young-il" / the Front Man (, 001)
* Im Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi (, 333)
* Kang Ha-neul as Kang Dae-ho (, 388)
* Wi Ha-joon as Detective Hwang Jun-ho ()
* Park Gyu-young as Kang No-eul ()
* Lee Jin-wook as Park Gyeong-seok (, 246)
* Park Sung-hoon as Cho Hyun-ju (, 120)
* Yang Dong-geun as Park Yong-sik (, 007)
* Kang Ae-shim as Jang Geum-ja (, 149)
* as Park Jung-bae (, 390)
* as Seon-nyeo (, 044)
* Jo Yu-ri as Kim Jun-hee (, 222)

Recurring

* Park Hee-soon as Masked Officer
* T.O.P as Choi Su-bong "Thanos" (, 230)
* Lee David as Park Min-su (, 125)
* Roh Jae-won as Nam-gyu (, 124)
* Won Ji-an as Se-mi (, 380)
* Kim Si-eun as Kim Young-mi (, 095)
* as Im Jeong-dae (, 100)
* Kim Byeong-cheol as Square
* Lee Sang-jun as Pink Soldier Manager
* Jeon Seok-ho as Choi Woo-seok
* Oh Dal-su as Sea Captain Park
*Kang Sung-wook as Gyeong-su (, 256)
* as Kim Yeong-sam (, 226)
* as Kwon Byeong-su (, 047)

Guest cast

* Gong Yoo as the Recruiter, a salesman who finds participants for the Game
* Park Hye-jin as Sang-woo's mother
* Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol, Kang Sae-byeok's younger brother
* Sung Do-hyun as the mercenary Kim
* as Mr. Kim
* Song Ji-woo as Kang Mi-na (강미나, 196)
* as Park Mi-hwa (박미화, 006)
* Seo Soo-chan as Player 004
* Kang Yi-eun as Player 009
* Lee Ha-nee as Seon Han-nam (선한남, 015)
*Shim Sung-hyo as Player 016
* Go Seong as Player 020
* Kim Joon-hwan as Player 023
* Jo Seong-jun as Player 024
* Byeon Ye-jin as Player 031
* Yoon Hyo-sik as Player 036
* as Player 039
* Choi Hee-do as Player 043
* as Player 045
* Kim Byeong-gi as Player 048
*Jeong Mi-ran as Player 049
* Jung Hwan-wook as Player 050
* Shin Min-ho as Player 056
* Jo Jeong-yeon as Player 058
* as Player 066
* Ryu Yeon-young as Player 067
* Han Dong-won as Player 072
* Park Sang-woon as Player 073
* as Player 096
* as Player 145
* Park Hyun-chul as Jang Do-yeong (장도영, 198)
* Choi Gwi-hwa as Kim Gi-min (김기민, 203)
* Park Bo-kyung as Player 254
*Lee Eun-mi as Lee Eun-ju (이은주, 283)
* as Player 296
* Park Jin-woo as Lee Seung-won (이승원, 336)
*Kang Hyun-Joong as Sim Jae-seok (심재석, 343)
*Kim Geum-soon as Player 349
*Lee Gyu-hoe as Kim Yun-tae (김윤태, 353)
* as Kim Nam-du (김남두, 444)
*Lee Joo-sil as Park Mal-soon, Hwang Jun-ho's mother and Hwang In-ho's stepmother

Episodes

Production

Development

In late October 2021, ''Squid Game'' creator Hwang Dong-hyuk stated he was in discussions with Netflix regarding a second season. He further stated in December 2021 that he was also discussing a third season with Netflix. Hwang wanted to produce another film first, as well as secure a contract with Netflix to release additional films he may create alongside further ''Squid Game'' seasons, so as to avoid becoming known only for ''Squid Game''. Hwang confirmed that he had begun conceptualization work on a second season during a press event in November 2021, with plans to bring back Lee Jung-jae to reprise his role of Gi-hun. Netflix stated in response to Hwang's comments that they had not yet officially greenlit a second season, but were in discussions with Hwang towards one. During an earnings call in January 2022, Netflix's Ted Sarandos said when asked about a second season "Absolutely...the ''Squid Game'' universe has just begun." Hwang said in April 2022 that he presently was working on ''Killing Old People Club'', an adaptation of a work called "Pape Satan Aleppe: Chronicles of a Liquid Society" by Umberto Eco, and anticipated that the second season of ''Squid Game'' would be completed and broadcast by 2024. Netflix confirmed that the second season was greenlit in June 2022.

Writing

Due to the stress of writing and producing the first series of nine episodes himself, Hwang initially had no immediate plans to write a second season to ''Squid Game'', and did not have well-developed plans for a follow-up story and said that if he were to write one, he would likely need a staff of writers and directors to help him. However, with the immense popularity of the first season, Hwang later opined about the possibility of a second season in 2021, telling CNN, "There's nothing confirmed at the moment, but so many people are enthusiastic that I'm really contemplating it." Hwang also said in an interview with ''The Times'' that a second season may focus more on the story of the Front Man as well as incorporating more about the police: "I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea. I see it on the global news that the police force can be very late in acting on things—there are more victims or a situation gets worse because of them not acting fast enough. This was an issue that I wanted to raise." He added that he also wanted to explore the relationship between the cryptic Front Man and his policeman brother Hwang Jun-ho, as well as the background of the salesman character (portrayed by Gong Yoo). Hwang said that a particular inspiration behind the decision to continue the ''Squid Game'' story was ''The Matrix'' film series, in which Neo chooses the red pill over the blue pill; Gi-Hun, similarly, chooses to go after those responsible for the game rather than go back to his life.

Speaking about the games that appear in the season, Hwang said "They are once again simple children's games that a lot of kids in Korea grew up playing. I remember being on set and being reminded of my childhood days." However, he also wanted the games to be more universally recognized this time: "In many different countries around the world, there will be some kind of version similar to these games that you probably have played as a child,...They're going to be both very easy to understand and play, and very fun."

Casting

In April 2022, Hwang confirmed that the characters of Gi-hun and the Front Man would return for the second season. During Netflix's Tudum: A Global Fan Event in June 2023, Lee Jung-jae was confirmed to reprise his role alongside Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo and Wi Ha-joon. On June 29, Netflix released more info on the new season's cast, which includes Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, Im Si-wan, Yang Dong-geun, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-wook, Won Ji-an, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-shim, Choi Seung-hyun, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won.

Prior to the season's release, the casting choice of Park Sung-hoon as transgender ex-soldier Hyun-Ju was controversial due to some wanting a trans person to authentically portray their experiences. Criticism fell on both the casting of a cisgender person for the role instead of a transgender person, as well as for casting a man in particular as opposed to a woman. Some argued in response to this criticism that South Korea is conservative with regards to LGBTQ rights, and that trying to find a transgender actress willing to put herself in the spotlight was not reasonable. People also opined that having a trans character in a South Korean series at all is an important step in representation. On December 18, 2024, during press day for ''Squid Game 2'', director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk spoke to a group of journalists, about why he wanted to include a trans character this time around:

The people who come to join the games in Squid Game are usually marginalized or neglected from society, and not just financially speaking, but people who would belong to marginalized groups. In season one, the representative character for that was Ali, who was a foreigner working in Korea, which is one of the most representative minority groups in Korea. Currently today, unfortunately, in the Korean society the gender minority is a group that is not as accepted widely within society. I wanted to create a character that would represent that. Acceptance of trans people has gotten better recently, but it's still not where it needs to be. In Korea, when you are a gender minority, it is not as widely accepted yet, unfortunately, and you are still seen to be very much out of the norm. And so by creating a character like Hyun-ju, through her choices, her actions, and the way she carries herself in the game, I hope that that could raise awareness of these issues that we face today.

Though Hwang wanted to cast a transgender actor for the role, it was difficult to find such an actor in Korea due to the above issues, and believed that Park's prior roles in ''The Glory'' and ''Queen of Tears'' made him capable of portraying the role.

Jo Yu-ri, who portrayed Kim Jun-hee (김준희, 222), is best known as a former member of the South Korean–Japanese girl group Iz*One. She first gained prominence after participating in Mnet's reality competition series ''Produce 48'' in 2018, where she finished in third place and debuted with Iz*One on October 29, 2018. Following Iz*One's disbandment in April 2021, Jo embarked on a successful solo career, releasing her debut single album '' Glassy'' in October 2021, which garnered her several nominations for Rookie of the Year at major music awards.

On December 4, 2024, T.O.P was revealed as a cast member through the official Netflix YouTube account in the form of a "Meet the Cast" video. He would play the role of a former rapper, Thanos, fallen from grace due to a crypto scam. The character was created before casting, T.O.P receiving the role after Hwang found his "serious" approach. Hwang explained that he wanted to cast someone who stopped working due to drugs, T.O.P retiring from the K-pop industry and leaving BigBang over a marijuana conviction. The casting of T.O.P received controversy in South Korea, with the actor's face being blurred on the Korean show ''Live This Morning'' when airing a segment about the show. The casting led some viewers to believe that Lee Jung-jae, who portrayed Seong Gi-hun and was close to T.O.P, had gotten him the role, a claim that Lee denied. Netflix and Hwang received criticism for this casting for possibly setting a bad precedent. T.O.P was absent for a time from promotional events with the cast. Responding to speculation that he was removed from promotional events over the controversy, Hwang said that they planned to not have him featured from the beginning, wanting T.O.P to be able to talk about his involvement at his own pace. He felt that he had "a lot of guts" for agreeing to do the performance considering his history with drugs, and was surprised that he had still not been forgiven. He also believed that the reaction to his casting would not be reflected outside of Korea due to different legality and opinions on marijuana use in some countries. He also believed that his character may prove popular with younger viewers in Korea.

Filming

Principal photography for the second season was scheduled to start in July 2023 and was expected to last for "at least 10 months". On July 10, staff members of the production faced a controversy involving allegations of mistreatment towards citizens during filming at Incheon Airport, Seoul. The production company issued an official apology on the matter. Filming was reportedly underway in August 2023. It took place at a film studio in Daejeon. Filming wrapped in July 2024 and was filmed back-to-back along with the upcoming third season.

Music

Composer Jung Jae-il returned to score the second season, with the soundtrack album being released on December 27, 2024, through Netflix Music. Jung confirmed his involvement in 2023, telling the BBC the second season would retain some elements from the score to the first season but have a "more bizarre and unique sound". The first episode features the aria " Nessun dorma" from Giacomo Puccini's ''Turandot'', sung by Paul Potts, and " Time to Say Goodbye" by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. The third episode features a cover of "Fly Me to the Moon" performed by Joo Won, a song which was also featured in the first season.

Marketing

During Netflix Geeked Week in September 2024, a poster and a teaser for the season were released. Between October and December, Netflix promoted the series in fan conventions around the world, in which invited fans took part in simulated games from the series. The events took place in Lucca, Italy; Paris, France; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Seoul, South Korea; Los Angeles, United States; Sydney, Australia; São Paulo, Brazil; Warsaw, Poland; London, United Kingdom; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Famous streamer Ibai Llanos organized his own version of ''Squid Game'' with KFC in Madrid, Spain. Filipino journalist MJ Marfori attended the three-day event for the season and also interviewed Lee Jung-jae. McDonald's Australia ran a limited time "''Squid Game'' Meal" promotion, which came bundled with a Dalgona cookie for customers to extract a shape from, mirroring the first season. One form of the cookie included the shape of the companies signature Golden Arches where, if extracted successfully, customers could scan to enter a competition to win $100,000, alongside replicas of contestants' tracksuits from the series.

Release

The season was released on December 26, 2024, on Netflix.

Reception

Critical response

The publications noted that this season received more mixed responses from critics and viewers, with the BBC reporting that critical reaction ranged from "sensational" to "a letdown". On Metacritic, the second season has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Laura Martin from the BBC gave the season 4 stars out of 5 and said it rivalled the production quality of the first season. Annabel Nugent from ''The Independent'' also gave the season 4 stars out of 5 and said while it was not as shocking as the first season, it was still captivating in its violence. Rebecca Nicholson from ''The Guardian'' gave the season a less positive review due to issues she found with its plot development and pacing and rated it 3 stars out of 5. Kelly Lawler from ''USA Today'' gave the season 2 stars out of 4, calling the plot outlandish and the end unsatisfying.

''IGN'' writer Alex Zalben drew comparisons between Gi-hun and the people behind Squid Game, arguing that the way he commands the people he hires to find the Recruiter mirrors the controlling nature of the games. He also believed that Gi-hun's "seeming heroism" is self-centered, that it is done for redemption more than for the good of others. Gi-hun's development in season 2 was well-received by ''Gizmodo'' writers Germain Lussier and Cheryl Eddy, praising actor Lee Jung-jae for managing to capture his shift into a character with "darker intensity" who is struggling with survivor's guilt. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' writer Daniel Fienberg felt that, compared to his performance in season 1, where Lee acted with "live-wire dexterity" and being big in both his portrayal of Gi-hun's comedy and trauma, his "one-note haunted aspect" in season 2, while well performed, is less interesting than season 1.

Audience response

Of all the cast members of the second season, Sung-hoon's portrayal of the transgender ex-soldier Hyun-ju won significant praise from viewers.
Many viewers regarded Park's character as one of the most compelling characters in the second season, due to the character development and background of Hyun-ju and Park's dedication and depth in portraying Hyun-ju.

Gong Yoo's brief reprise of the recruiter character also received positive feedback from fans on social media.

T.O.P's casting was not well-received by viewers. Outside of South Korea, the negative reaction to his casting was criticized by some people, who found it excessive and unreasonable. Hwang argued against the claim that cartoonish characters were not limited to only season 1, comparing him to Jang Deok-su and Han Mi-nyeo from season 1, who he said both received similar commentary. Reception to Thanos and his performance was less negative than from South Korean viewers according to ''Korea Times''. A survey held by Netflix about the favorite new character was conducted, with Thanos winning 50 percent of the vote out of 700,000 people.

The season was boycotted in Vietnam due to a scene in the fifth episode, in which Jung-bae said that Dae-ho's father was "a good person" when he fought in the Vietnam War. This was interpreted by Vietnamese audiences as praising South Korean war crimes in Vietnam, and they demanded authorities "take necessary actions regarding this statement".

Viewership

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.

Accolades

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

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{{Squid Game

Squid Game
2024 South Korean television seasons
Battle royale (genre)
Criticism of capitalism
Television controversies in South Korea
Television shows scored by Jung Jae-il
Works about North Korean defectors
Internet memes introduced in 2024
Internet memes introduced in 2025