‘Squid Game’ season 2 review: Red Light, Green Light is still the scariest game yet

After three years, Squid game is back with more deadly games to play. The seven-episode second season premieres today on Netflix. By all accounts, it’s just as good as the show’s first outing. This isn’t a season 1 rehash, though, and that’s due to Seong Gi-hun’s (Lee Jae) return to the gauntlet that nearly killed him.

Why would Gi-hun (aka Player 456) even come back after the violence he experienced before? Still, he won the race and left the island a billionaire. One would think that he would put this forever in his hindsight and move on with his life. When it comes to the lasting impact of trauma, that’s easier said than done.

When the audience is first introduced to Gi-hoon, he is an isolated pauper with a gambling habit struggling to pay off huge debts. In short, he had a clear detachment from any meaningful responsibilities. In Season 2, Gi-hun is a changed man. A hardened shell of his former self, his sole purpose has shifted from paying off debtors to taking down the entire mysterious operation altogether.

Instead of starting a new lavish life with his racing winnings, he spends huge sums of money to find people related to gaming. He wants revenge and nothing will stop him from getting it.

Or, to paraphrase Michael Corleone from The Godfather: Part III: Just when we thought he was out, he jumped right back in.

This is the part of the review I warn you about Squid Game Season 2 spoilers. If you haven’t seen the new episodes, tread lightly or come back now.

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Gi-hun coming back to the games isn’t a spoiler; this detail was important in the trailer. At first glance, this new installment looks a lot like the first. People who need money are forced to play childish games for big money while putting their lives on the line. A shadowy figure runs the show with an army of masked, hooded henchmen doing his bidding.

Although all the contestants are together in this life-threatening situation, bonds are forged and conflicts arise. Once again we are presented with a Lord of the Flies style scenario showing how easy it is for humanity to tear itself apart from within.

Gi-hoon’s determination to end this operation and save as many lives as possible puts him at odds with a number of competitors. His tenacity and knowledge of the games also bring him new friends, introducing the audience to a collection of new faces, each with their own flaws and nuances.

As expected, Jung-jae delivers another remarkable performance. Every player in the expansive ensemble delivers on all fronts, from Lee Byung-hun — whose sinister return as Front Man brings some unexpected new layers to the evil role — and Wi Ha-jun, who returns as detective Hwang Jun-ho, to Gong Yoo’s delightful revenge for his role as a sociopathic recruiter, everyone does a fantastic job raising the emotional stakes. And this is a necessity.

Let’s remember where we were three years ago when Squid Game premiered on Netflix in 2021. At the time, there was a global lockdown and millions of people were stuck at home, looking for entertainment to take the pain out of the pandemic realities they live through on a daily basis. The Korean series was a hit out of the gate and quickly became the streamer’s most watched series.

Emmys were won and careers were made. Series lead Lee Jung-jae got the Star Wars kick with Disney Plus Series The Acolyte. The spotlights were indeed well received. But after a three-year wait, one has to wonder if the second season of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s global hit is scratching the same kind of itch.

That does it. But it also doesn’t work. And that’s a good thing.

Squid Game is not the first pastime to pit people against each other in a bloody battle for monetary gain. Titles like Running Man or Battle Royale come to mind. However, the deadly competition here is not a means of popcorn-munching fun for a home crowd. No, that would be too easy. This deadly gauntlet of childhood games may happen at the whims of a sociopath hiding behind a black mask – but it’s the contestants themselves who bear the brunt of the trauma.

Season 2 gives everyone a proverbial get-out-of-jail-free card by letting the contestants vote on whether to stay or leave. Like the first season, however, humanity’s greed outweighs common sense and once again sends the series into a bloodbath. Adding an election theme to the mix creates a violent polarity that feels a little close to home given our reality today.

Squid Game has changed over time more than enough to keep it interesting. It’s as terrifying as it is funny, heartfelt and dramatic. Like Gi-hun, audiences everywhere are already familiar with this bloody competition — Red Light, Green Light is still the scariest game to be honest. So, to hold our attention, the story must enter a new phase.

The Front Man and his henchmen have had a blast in season 1. Now it looks like the Squid Game is in the unraveling stage and I can’t wait to see what’s next.