‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Review: The Games Work, Everything Else Doesn’t

Squid Game: Season 2 – A Tale of Intrigue, Unresolved Subplots, and Filler Content

The highly anticipated second season of Netflix’s Squid Game has finally arrived, bringing with it a mix of reactions from fans and critics alike. While some elements of the new season shine brightly, others falter, leading to a split opinion on whether Season 2 lives up to the expectations set by its predecessor. At only seven episodes long, the season feels more like a transitional piece, setting up future narratives rather than delivering a self-contained arc.

A Season of Two Halves

Building upon the chilling premise of the first season, Squid Game: Season 2 begins with an enticing promise of delving deeper into the world of the deadly competition, exploring the lives of the players and the enigmatic network behind the games. However, as the episodes unfold, it becomes apparent that much of the season is dedicated to laying the groundwork for the third and final chapter. This narrative choice has left some fans feeling underwhelmed, as the tightly woven tension and focus of Season 1 give way to sprawling subplots and uneven pacing.

One of the most glaring issues lies in the filler content that occupies a significant portion of the season. With only seven episodes, each moment feels precious. However, a recurring theme in Season 2 is its tendency to meander, focusing on tangential storylines that fail to carry the same weight or urgency as the central narrative.

Outside the Games: A Mixed Bag

While the games remain a core element of the series, much of Season 2 focuses on events taking place outside the arena. Among these is the subplot involving police detective Jun-ho and a mercenary team searching for the game island. This thread follows Jun-ho after Gi-hun’s tracker is destroyed, and the group’s search becomes an ongoing storyline. Yet, despite its promising premise, this arc often feels directionless.

Over the course of several episodes, the narrative follows the mercenary team and their increasingly desperate attempts to find the island, only to reveal near the finale that the boat captain may be a traitor hired by Squid Game. This twist injects some intrigue into the storyline, but the arc overall is drawn out unnecessarily, with repetitive sequences and underdeveloped tension. Fans have noted that the subplot occupies 10 minutes per episode, which could have been better utilized to enhance other aspects of the story.

Another major subplot introduces a new character, No-eul, a North Korean defector who becomes one of the guards. Her storyline is one of the more intriguing additions to Season 2, as it delves into the hidden dynamics and power struggles among the guards. No-eul’s discovery of an illegal organ-harvesting operation targeting injured players is a gripping development, leading her to take matters into her own hands. By killing wounded players before they can be harvested, No-eul sets off a chain of events that puts her at odds with her fellow guards, particularly the new manager.

However, this promising storyline comes to an abrupt halt without resolution. No-eul is inexplicably absent during the climactic players-versus-guards showdown, leaving viewers puzzled and dissatisfied. While the setup hints that her storyline may play a larger role in Season 3, its abrupt ending in Season 2 leaves it feeling incomplete and somewhat disconnected from the broader narrative. Critics have described No-eul’s arc as “another wasted 5-10 minutes per episode,” further highlighting the season’s struggle to balance its many moving parts.

A Continuation in Two Parts

One of the challenges facing Squid Game: Season 2 is its identity as the middle chapter of a trilogy. Rather than offering a self-contained narrative with its own stakes and resolution, the season feels like a continuation of Season 1, split into two parts. The lack of narrative closure is keenly felt by the end of the seven episodes, as many of the season’s key threads remain unresolved, clearly setting up the events of the final season.

While this structure may be intentional, reflecting the overarching story that director Hwang Dong-hyuk aims to tell, it has nonetheless left some viewers frustrated. Fans who were hoping for a tightly paced, high-stakes continuation of the first season’s success may find themselves disappointed by the uneven pacing and focus of Season 2.

What Still Works

Despite its shortcomings, Squid Game: Season 2 retains some of the qualities that made the first season a global phenomenon. The games themselves remain a standout feature, combining suspense, strategy, and moral dilemmas in ways that captivate audiences. The visuals and set design are once again striking, creating a world that feels both surreal and terrifyingly believable.

The performances from the cast also continue to shine, with returning and new actors delivering compelling portrayals of their characters. The interplay between the players, their alliances, and betrayals brings emotional depth to the games, even as some of the external storylines falter.

A Love-Hate Relationship

Overall, Squid Game: Season 2 has proven to be a polarizing installment in the series. For some, its flaws lie in its ambition, attempting to expand the narrative and explore new facets of the Squid Game universe. For others, these same ambitions come at the expense of the tightly focused storytelling that defined the first season’s success.

As fans eagerly await the third and final season, the hope is that the lingering threads from Season 2 will lead to a satisfying conclusion that ties together the series’ complex web of characters, themes, and mysteries. While Season 2 may not fully hit the mark, it serves as a crucial stepping stone toward the series’ ultimate resolution.