The popular Netflix series is back with more games and twists around every corner
By NATALIE SALTER—arts@theaggie.org
There is a moment in “Squid Game” season two that is almost exactly taken from its predecessor. After a bloody game of “Red Light, Green Light,” the surviving players — in various states of disbelief and horror — are alerted by a cheerful voice over the intercom that the pot of winnings has increased. Their eyes are drawn upwards to an oversized glass piggy bank suspended above their bunks which begins to fill with stacks of money. The camera turns to their faces, awash in warm golden light, utterly enraptured for the handful of seconds it takes to pour in the shares of their deceased competition. At that moment, there is no distinguishing their individual motives. The day’s horrors fade away, leaving only the awe and desire of witnessing the wealth they so desperately need, almost within reach.
Any fleeting solidarity the players shared in that moment is shattered the moment the next game begins and they become each other’s enemies once more. In repeating this scene across both seasons, “Squid Game” seems to remind us that despite the players needing the prize winnings for a myriad of reasons, the most important reminder is that the endgame is for each of them the same — money.
Many other aspects have stayed consistent from the show’s first season to its second. From the infamous opening challenge to the voting procedures which may either end the game or continue it, the setting is more or less the same. It’s Gi-hun, the gambling addict turned unexpected winner from the season prior, who has changed — and now, he seeks to put an end to the dehumanizing games that he was once a victim to. Riddled with survivor’s guilt and deeply traumatized from the sheer mass of deaths he witnessed (and was even partly responsible for), he willingly re-enters the games, determined to dismantle them from the inside.
“Squid Game” season two also introduces a new diverse cast of players. A young pregnant woman, a transgender ex-soldier seeking gender-affirming treatment and a cocky YouTuber are some of the most memorable amongst them. Brought together and driven apart by the various games, their relationships with one another produce a variety of emotional and amusing interactions. The show once again attempts to depict the underrepresented communities of South Korean society and carefully explores the circumstances driving them to desperate measures.
Likewise, a series of terrifying new games amp up the stakes and keep viewers and players alike on their toes. The second season’s latest challenges require the players to depend on one another as they compete, with it being impossible to win each one alone, generating the perfect environment for alliances to bloom.
One of the most masterful details of the show’s sophomore season is its blurring line between the games and the real world. Most of the show takes place on an isolated island wholly cut off from the outside — the impression generated by this setting is that the games exist in a bubble that can be escaped. But there is no escaping the horrors within its walls. Literally speaking, the deadly game of rock, paper, scissors meets Russian Roulette within which the elusive Recruiter entraps two of Gi-hun’s affiliates makes it clear that nowhere is safe, but figuratively speaking, the games happen every day in thousands of ways.
Consider Gi-hun’s struggle to end the games: Despite his best efforts, he finds himself facing steep opposition from even several of the game’s players — its victims — themselves. He is forced to reckon with the fact that the games are just one instance of a phenomenon that will never go away so long as the conditions of modern capitalistic society persist. The rich stay rich while the poor are encouraged to fight tooth and nail for mate
rial gains, promising that they can have it all at the expense of those around them.
The image of the piggy bank might return to your mind. Players enamored by the promise of freedom and luxury are in those moments distracted from the fact that they are being promised this fantasy by the same people who subjugated them to begin with.
What then does “Squid Game” propose to do in resistance to these conditions? It is the solidarity between the players trapped in the games that become their rebellion. Their decision to radically support one another allows them to break the game’s constraints.
For all of its nightmares and bloodshed, “Squid Game” season two is also rather inspiring. Despite a cliffhanger ending, the bonds built up throughout the season are stronger than ever, leaving a shred of hope in the darkest of times.
Written by: Natalie Salter—arts@theaggie.org
