Top 10 Things to Remember Before Squid Game Season 2

The unique concept of “Squid Game” was certainly a major factor in its rise to global phenomenon status. Through the lens of a survival drama, the series explores themes of class struggle, social inequality, and the harsh realities of capitalism. It’s essentially a dark commentary on societal hierarchies - all using children's games to expose the desperation and moral conflict. The series sees 456 debt-ridden participants engage in brutal, psychological battles orchestrated by a group of wealthy elites who observe for their own entertainment. The winner receives a grand prize of 45.6 billion won (around $38 million US dollars). Season two will delve even deeper, using the explosive concept to further highlight worldly inequalities.

The first season of “Squid Game” showcased a series of twisted contests, where each challenge transformed familiar childhood games into life-or-death trials. “Red Light, Green Light” saw a robotic doll direct players to move on "green light" and freeze on "red light.” However, any mistaken movement meant death. “The Dalgona Honeycomb Challenge” featured contestants carefully cutting a shape from fragile sugar honeycombs. Breaking the shape signaled literal elimination. “Tug of War” was a typical test of team strength, only the losing side fell to their doom. In “Marbles,” paired players competed in classic marble games. The losers faced immediate eradication. “Glass Bridge” forced contestants to cross a suspended bridge of glass panels, some of which could hold their weight, while others shattered. The final “Squid Game” involved offense and defense, with the goal of reaching a designated space. The two remaining players faced off in a brutally physical match.

Season 1 introduced several key players, each bringing their unique backstory and motivations into the twisted competition. Seong Gi-hun[a], our main protagonist, is a struggling gambler and father who joins the game to escape his obscene debt. Cho Sang-woo, Gi-hun's childhood friend, is a disgraced businessman who, despite his intelligence, makes ruthless choices, doing whatever it takes to win. Kang Sae-byeok is a North Korean defector hoping to reunite her family. She makes it to the final rounds but is tragically killed by Sang Woo. Ali Abdul, a kind-hearted migrant worker, is also betrayed by Sang-woo, despite his trust in him. Jang Deok-su, a gangster known for his brutality, eventually meets his end courtesy of Han Mi-nyeo in a chaotic round of the “Glass Bridge.”

Unlike the contestants, the VIPs in “Squid Game” are wealthy and powerful elites. These mysterious figures watch and wager on the brutal survival games, all while wearing elaborate golden animal masks to conceal their identities. Treating the games as mere sport, they show little empathy for the players, instead taking sadistic pleasure in the violence. Their role in the series highlights the dehumanizing effects of wealth and privilege, revealing how the powerful can manipulate and exploit the vulnerable purely for their own amusement. They are the extreme gap between the ultra-rich and the desperate contestants who, unlike them, have been forced to risk their lives for financial salvation.

Just who won the game in the first Season? Well, the intense finale came down to Seong Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo. The titular final challenge proved to be a violent and emotional struggle for both men. But, when Gi-hun gains the upper hand, he’s not able to kill his friend. Instead, he decides to forfeit, ultimately choosing mercy over victory. However, Sang-woo declines Gi-hun’s offer to leave together, and, overcome with guilt and a sense of failure, takes his own life. His dying wish is for Gi-hun to take care of his mother. Sang-Woo’s tragic fate left Gi-hun as the last remaining contestant and thus, by default, the ultimate winner.

In “Squid Game”, the instantly recognizable masked guards serve as merciless enforcers, imposing the rules and punishing all forms of disobedience. Their faceless identities—marked by circles, triangles, and squares on their masks—reflect a strict hierarchy, with each shape representing a different role in maintaining order - be it manager, soldier, or worker. Beyond their position as guards, Season 1 hinted at a more sinister motivations, as some of the workers and soldiers were involved in organ trafficking, selling body parts of deceased players on the black market.

In one of the most surprising twists of the first Season, we learn that Oh Il-nam, the elderly player who Gi-hun befriends, is actually the creator of the lethal games. A year after winning the 33rd Squid Game, Gi-hun meets Il-nam on his deathbed, where the elderly man reveals all. Il-nam explains that he secretly orchestrated the competition for the amusement of the elite, claiming he saw the games as both a service to the participants and as a test of humanity’s goodness. His recent participation as player 001 allowed him to experience the thrill of survival before his impending death.

Fans are naturally eager to learn more about intriguing minor characters from the first season of “Squid Game” - this includes “the man in the suit,” or Salesman. The unnamed suit-clad man is the one who recruited Gi-hun and other contestants through a game of Ddakji[b], where players attempt to flip an envelope and either win money or get slapped in the face. However, after winning, players are offered a card, inviting them to join that year’s games. Serving as the friendly yet unsettling face of the operation, the suited salesman preys on desperate individuals, using the lure of money while hiding the deadly reality that awaits them.

When detective Jun-ho[c] set out to find his missing brother Hwang In-ho, few could have guessed that he’d be revealed as the Front Man – the mysterious overseer of the Squid Game. Formerly a police officer and a past winner of the games himself, In-ho stands as the head staff member in charge of the dire competition. The revelation is especially shocking given In-ho’s betrayal of his law-enforcing principles, not to mention his own family. To make matters worse, the shocking confrontation with Jun-ho sees the Front Man ultimately shoot his brother, leaving him for dead. Afterwards, he is haunted by a vision of Jun-ho, demonstrating that this family matter is still front of mind.

In Season 1's final moments, Gi-hun makes a bold choice to abandon his trip and face the Squid Game once again. On his way to board a flight to the United States to reunite with his daughter, he spots the mysterious salesman recruiting another player. Realizing he must break the cycle, Gi-hun decides to stay behind. It’s clear he’s ready to take matters into his own hands and plans to take down the diabolical competition from the inside. However, Gi-hun’s approach will be entirely different than before. This time, he’s playing his own game within the Squid Game.

How do you think you’d fare in “Squid Game?” Share your perceived chances in the comments below!

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