Squid Game Season 2

squid end game

squid end game :D. instead using money to build community and become president of korea to fight against poverty. Our hero use money to join game again. he is completely a joke in this field.
this is not like jingsaw which people survive and go back because they didn't have any money beside their life.
our hero is not hero. he is just trash in society in the end. the producer make gamer controller like bad guy even he offer foods to people and yet they still paint him to be jerk. this is not good for society or relate to process to change anything. it is just become joke story unlike season 1.

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STAR STUDDED, YET UNDERUSED

this series cast a lot of big-name actors, yet their characters were very underdeveloped, leading to meaningless deaths (Lee Jin Wook’s character, for instance). i didn’t care about any of the characters, which shows just how disconnected they felt. there were also too many annoying, shallow characters this season.

the story was extremely underwhelming. the beginning was super slow, although it was interesting to see more of Gong Yoo’s character in episode 1. compared to season 1, there seemed to be more dialogue between characters when they were not in game, but somehow it felt boring and lacked anything heartfelt and meaningful. i skipped many scenes from the last two episodes and didn’t miss any important information. by the end of the series, i had even forgotten about the cop still out at sea, trying to locate and get into the island where the game was held.

it was nice to see glimpses of the soldiers’ perspectives. i’m sure they’ll explore more of that in the next season.

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Meh

This was a cash grab.

I rooted for Hyun-ju, Young-mi, and the halmeoni and no one else. While I appreciated that the show took out the really unnecessary sex scenes in the first season, that was the only improvement over the first season I noticed in s2. The plots all felt recycled, the character profiles felt like copies of the first season and, worst of all, there were several points where I felt like the writers were treating the viewers like they were stupid. Having seen that Netflix is trying to put out more content that allows for it's viewers to consume media without fully paying attention to it, this tracks with some of the shows they've released this year. A season 2 for this show was wholly unnecessary.

This only got somewhat interesting for me on the very last episode. The first episode was the most boring opener I've watched in a kdrama this year. This needed a very, very strong edit, but I fear, if they took out everything that didn't need to be here, the season would be 3 episodes long. The drawn out voting scenes when we know they're going to continue on, the tedious cuts to the detective searching for the island, etc. I also laughed at the concept of this many people treating Gi-hun like some sort of war general. I also hated the hive mind mentality the other players outside of the main cast had because they were indignant to the point of idiocy and it made them feel like NPCs.

I enjoyed Hyun-ju, Young-mi, and the halmeoni's story. While annoying at times, I thought the TOP character brought some life where there was way less levity this time around. The 001 character was an interesting addition this time around with the viewer knowing there was an inside man this time around. However, overall, Squid Game s1 was like a 7.5-8 for me and s2 was just an unnecessary addition.

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Pointless season...

Of course, this season was very anticipated after the huge success of the first season. In my opinion, the second season wasn't really necessary, but here we are. Apparently, the director admitted to shooting the second season just for the money, which is honestly noticeable. It also defeats the whole point of the show, which is that money is the cause of all suffering.

This season was very underwhelming and it felt very low effort. The first season didn't feel like a stereotypical kdrama and I think that's the reason why it became so successful outside of Korea, this one however had more of an actual kdrama feel to it. Some parts were even predictable unlike the first season and the cast of this season included a lot of famous and familiar faces, which is also why it felt more like a good ole kdrama.

The music also played a big role in my rating because it made everything seem less intimidating, and at some point, I even forgot they were brutally killing people.

The characters were also nice but because of the side plots we never really got to get attached to them so when people died it wasn't as heartbreaking as the first one (though I do admit I cried to one death).

In the end, you can really just tell how this season was shot just because of money and they ended it on a cliffhanger for season 3, again for money. They could've made this season 9 episodes like the last one and it would've been perfectly enough to wrap it up.

Overall very disappointing and I don't think I'll be watching season 3. And yes a big part of my thoughts on this show were shaped by the fact that the director is only doing this for money and you can really sense it too with the lack of creativity, enthusiasm, and spark.

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Squid Game Season 2 hits on the red light.

Everyone knew that Squid Game was the talk of the town when it first aired, taking the world by storm. Hundreds of millions of people streamed it on Netflix, setting an all-time high record that no show has beaten to this day. So, when the second season was announced shortly after the first one ended, people were ecstatic, eager to have their questions answered when it finally aired.

Just to preface this "review," I personally did not like the first season. I understood why people found it fresh concept-wise, but for someone who has been consuming the "death game" genre for years, the idea was nothing original. It just boiled down to how the creators would put their own spin on it.

My main issue with the first season was its inconsistent writing. You could tell the writer had incredible ideas but struggled to integrate them smoothly into the plot. There were also unnecessary elements that dragged the show longer than necessary (one example being Il-Nam's ten-minute monologue at the end of the season).

That said, I did appreciate the character dynamics and the overall simplicity of the story. I genuinely believe that simplicity was the key factor in its success, especially considering Squid Game served as many people's first experience of the "death game" genre.

When the second season dropped during the holiday season, I decided to give it another chance. I thought perhaps I had been too harsh on the first season, as I only rated it two stars. Maybe the holiday spirit would help me enjoy the new season more.

Trust me, I really wanted to like it. I truly did. I focused on a few good things during the first two episodes, but as time passed, I realized that the one thing I genuinely liked about the first season—its memorable characters—was stripped off from this one.

Although the second season introduced a plethora of new characters, none of them were memorable. They lacked depth, making them utterly forgettable. To be honest, I couldn’t even remember a single name by the time it ended.

Plot-wise, it felt as though the creators sacrificed the show’s core focus to expand the narrative. This season felt rushed, with too many things happening at once, which negatively impacted both the quality of the storyline and the development of the characters.

As for the games, while most were new, they were colorful like those in the first season but lacked the shock factor that made the first season interesting.

Squid Game, like many other series bearing the "second season curse," unfortunately wasn’t safe from landing on the red light. I attribute much of this to the abrupt, and unfulfilling season finale. But who knows? Perhaps what this season lacked might become the strongest element of the next.

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...Bit frustrating at few points but it's alright.

I'll make it short and to the point. Even if they decided to release s2, i guess it was worth it, the story is good for revenge, but all of this mess should have ended in this season. I enjoyed watching this but imo s1 was damn good as this season, also first 2 episodes were really good, i mean the perfect starting...but it got a lil boring by mid episodes. Few deaths by the last episodes were really frustrating and not good but on the other hand few deaths were satisfying 😂😭. And if you ask me to say if it's worth watching, it is if you have watched s1 obviously. I mean it's NOT MUCH frustrating..it's okay, not good not bad...the wait was worth it but they could have ended in a better way. Loved the acting and cast. Episode 7 was not boring it was really good for me but the ending is neither satisfying nor bad bcz they gonna release s3, i never thought it would end like this but anyways, overall, it's good. At some points it was boring but at the end and beginning it was really good. You can give it a try atleast.

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A whole season to set up for a finale

I wasn't really planning on watching s2 of Squid Game, mostly because I thought the open ending of s1 was satisfactory. I ended up giving it a try and while it had me watching all the episodes back to back to figure out what happened, I was left unsatisfied by the end of it. This review will contain spoilers from here out!

I thought that the concept of Gihun returning to the games to shut it down was great - the first two episodes had me excited to see the plan unfold, and I was hopeful that things would work out. Going into this season, I knew that they were already planning a third, so I didn't expect everything to be wrapped up. However, the first section of the games was frankly underwhelming, with none of the deaths even feeling that meaningful. We spent less time with the characters and didn't get much backstory on them, so it felt like I was less invested than I was with s1. Also, I felt like I was constantly waiting for this big plan of ending the games and it took so long for it to happen. Instead, we just watched Gihun live through another set of games and learn the same lesson that he did in s1: people's greed is not stopped by reason. As I reached the end of the series, I could tell it was going to end on a cliffhanger, and it didn't even end in a good spot! It really felt like this entire season was just to set up for the next. The games felt less intense, the deaths less tragic, and the plot to stop them was nearly nonexistent. Frankly, I wish I waited to watch this until s3 came out so I could just watch them both back to back.

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Squid Game Season 2: Bigger, But Not Better

Squid Game Season 2 had a few issues that made it not as impactful as the first season. One of the main problems was how the show seemed to try too hard to shock the audience. For example, the new games were sometimes cool, but other times they felt forced. Some scenes, like the one where contestants are put through a maze like trap involving extreme physical challenges, felt more disturbing for the sake of it rather than serving the plot. Instead of adding tension, it almost felt like the show was trying to one up itself in a way that didn’t quite hit the mark. The games themselves didn’t have the same emotional stakes as in Season 1. In fact, a lot of the tension was lost because the games felt predictable, and there were fewer moments where I really didn’t know what was going to happen next.

The pacing was another big issue. The beginning of the season felt incredibly slow, and it took a long time before the action really kicked in. I was expecting the usual high stakes and excitement right from the start, but it dragged for quite a while. The first few episodes were so slow that it felt like I was just waiting for something to happen. The lack of urgency in the early episodes was frustrating because, in the first season, the sense of dread and suspense was there from the start. When things finally did pick up, it didn’t feel as intense or gripping as the first season’s moments. I found myself losing interest during some of the drawn out sequences, like when contestants are simply talking or forming alliances, instead of diving straight into the tension that the show is known for. These moments lacked the edge that made the first season such a thrill to watch.

Another big problem was the new characters. They just didn’t leave the same impression as the original cast. I didn’t feel as connected to them, and their backstories or development weren’t as strong. Some of their storylines felt underdeveloped, especially when compared to characters like Seong Gi-hun from the first season. For instance, the character who leads one of the new games felt a bit too exaggerated and one dimensional, which made it hard to take their motivations seriously. Because of this, when emotional moments happened, they didn’t hit as hard. The stakes didn’t feel as personal as in the first season, where each contestant’s backstory was fleshed out and connected to the greater themes of the show. Here, a lot of the characters felt like they were just there to play the games, with no real emotional arc to follow.

Despite these issues, I have to say the show still had its moments. There were scenes that brought back some of the intensity and excitement from the first season, but they were fewer and farther between. For example, the final game in the season, while visually impressive, lacked the emotional weight of the first season’s finale. The show tried to be bigger and bolder, but in doing so, it lost a lot of what made the first season so unique and gripping. It almost felt like the show was more concerned with shocking the audience with graphic scenes, like the sudden violence in a few moments, than delivering a well rounded and emotionally compelling narrative.

There was also a specific scene I didn’t enjoy where the contestants are put through a psychological test that feels out of place. It wasn’t just about the physical challenges; it was also about how they were mentally tortured, and while this might sound intense, it seemed more like a way to add shock value than to push the story forward. The whole ordeal dragged on, and I found it hard to care about the outcome since it didn’t feel as organic to the story or as emotionally raw as previous tests. This scene, along with a few others that relied too much on pure violence rather than tension building, really took away from the suspense.

Overall, Squid Game Season 2 didn’t live up to the hype. While it was still fun to watch and had some exciting moments, it didn’t have the same impact as the first season. The pacing, predictability, and lack of strong character development kept it from being as memorable, and in some ways, it felt like a letdown after the groundbreaking success of the first season. It was an okay continuation, but definitely not a must see for anyone hoping for another season that would blow them away. The magic from the first season was missing, and while it tried to be bigger and more shocking, it didn’t deliver the same gripping, emotional experience. waited 3 years for this and it turned out to be the biggest disappointment

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A Fun Ride with Missed Opportunities

Was it bad?? No. Was it that good?? Not exactly. Was it underwhelming?? Kind of.

I wont lie, i enjoyed this season of Squid Game but it still felt underwhelming considering the immense hype surrounding it. This was certainly the best sequel Netflix Korea has produced recently especially after the disappointing Sweet Home 2, Gyeongseong Creature 2 and others. However there are quite a few reasons why it left me feeling unsatisfied.

While it didnt reach the heights of Season 1, it was engaging enough to keep me watching till the end.


Here is what i liked and disliked about it:

What I Liked:
1. Front Man’s Direct Involvement in the Game:
I appreciated Lee Byung hun’s larger role in this season. After his brief cameo in S1, it was great to see him step into a main role. Having him directly participate in the games added much needed tension and intrigue.

2. Hyun Joo & Player 149 – The Heart of the Show:
Park Sung hoon and Kang Ae shim absolutely stole the spotlight. Their characters were well written with depth and emotional weight making them easy to root for. They were undeniably the standouts of the season.

3. Gong Yoo’s Extended Cameo in Episode 1:
I loved Gong Yoo’s performance in the first episode. His charismatic yet paychpathic portrayal left a lasting impression. Honestly his psychopathic energy made me wish he would star in a serial killer thriller. I also hoped his character would stick around longer, at least for a few episodes in S3.

4. New Games:
While most of the new games werent as thrilling, the carousel game in Episode 6 stood out. I appreciate the effort to introduce fresh challenges but i felt they lacked the intensity and depth of S1’s games. A bit more focus and creativity could have elevated them further.

5. Favorite Episodes - E1 & E6:
Although some found Episode 1 slow, i personally enjoyed it because of Gong Yoo. His presence carried the episode. Episode 6, featuring the brutal carousel game was another highlight for me.

6. Solid Acting Across the Board:
Even though several characters were underutilized, the entire cast gave strong performances.



What I Disliked:

1. Wasted Potential of Big Actors:
This was one of my biggest frustrations. Talents like Im Si wan, Kang Ha neul and others were severely underused. This seems to be a recurring issue with Netflix’s survival thrillers, bringing in big names for secondary roles without giving them enough material to shine.

While it wasnt as bad as Sweet Home 2, it still felt disappointing. Some annoying side characters received more screen time, while stronger actors were left with little to do. Im holding out hope that S3 will give these characters the attention they deserve.

2. Slow Start:
Despite enjoying Episode 1, i cant ignore how much the story dragged into Episode 2. I felt the content of both episodes could have been condensed into one allowing the games to start sooner in Episode 3.

3. Flat New Characters (Except Hyun Joo & 149):
Most of the new cast members felt one dimensional. It was hard to connect with them, they were just there. Hyun Joo and Player 149 were the only exceptions.

4. Annoying Characters Getting More Screen Time:
Some characters who should have been explored further were sidelined, while others, like Thanos were unnecessarily prominent. Lee Jin wook’s character arc felt incomplete and since he died in S2, there is no room for his development in S3. This imbalance was frustrating.

5. Gi hun & Front Man Felt Bland:
Gi hun occasionally came across as cringey, while the Front Man’s storyline lacked the twists we saw in S1. The big reveal about the old man in the first season packed a punch but there was nothing surprising about the Front Man here.

6. Lack of Game Exploration:
While the carousel game stood out, the others felt rushed and underdeveloped. S1’s games were meticulously crafted and filled with tension but S2 lacked that same level of care, possibly because more main characters survived diminishing the stakes.

7. Missing Intensity & Seriousness:
The emotional weight and tension of S1 were noticeably absent. The sense of dread when characters faced death just wasnt there.


Overall Thoughts:

I did enjoy S2, it was engaging for the most part and i watched it from start to finish with interest. However compared to the S1, it felt underwhelming. Still it far exceeded Sweet Home 2 and other recent disappointments.

Im hoping S3 will bring back the intensity and depth that made the first season what it is today.

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good plot twists but lame strategy..?

As usual like all other season 2 shows, this season focuses more on the backstories and the crossfire moments between the two parties. They were things the show did well and things that were not so good…

Firstly, there were some really good plot twists. Number 11, number 001 and the initial battle strategy (won’t go into details). The one point that made this s2 different from other shows and their s2, there was some unexpected moments, so it was not all so predictable. I liked the part where they showed the life of the guards as well. They were also just people desperate for money.

If you watch carefully, they dropped so many "hints" or sneak peaks but never covered it in this season...to be honest, having multiple seasons doesnt always mean a good thing. Dragging for so long can get repetitive. Like i felt there were so many filler scenes which they just had to add.

However, the games…were really quite boring. They spent a lot of time on the pre-game and post game situations which showing once is enough but they showed it so many times it got draggy. This time it isn’t has gruesome as last time its very mild actually.

I honestly, did not expect him to reveal his identity that fast which I thought was very lame cause I expected him to have a better plan since he’s been doing this for 2 years…

There wasn’t any memorable character this time it was very lead focused. They spend so long introducing so many new characters but gave then really little screentime in the actual situation.

The plot twists kinda saved the show. The ending was....not good as well. To leave an opening for S3 they of course couldn't just end everything so...

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Precursor to the final season

I will start off by saying the cast was great and it was fun to go back into the story. I enjoyed seeing how they expanded the world.

Overall this season felt like a precursor to the final one. In the end my friends and I found ourselves saying, "Oh, that's it. Alright well..." One of my friends voiced that they should have released this season and the 3rd season as one season in two parts and I agree. It feels to long of a time.

I will save my opinions on the ending since I don't want spoilers on this review.

I would recommend going into the show with no expectations. With that I feel as though you can enjoy the show more. Or better yet, waiting until the next season drops next year.

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very much the bridge to get to the finale but i still had fun

not as entertaining as the first season but then, how could it be? we already know the gag so i guess the challenge for this show was to sustain it and i acknowledge that that's hard. i think it still had its charm and fun moments but i did feel like it is very much the middle season. the bridge to get to the climax which means the pacing here really started slow for me. we didn't get new insights to the game or story. we're still almost at the same place we were when the first season ended... pretty much? i mean we got a new perspective with park gyuyoung's character as one of the pink-tracksuit army but again, not enough insight.

we got a bunch of new characters. acting-wise, i have no complaints here. they delivered in that category alright but these characters are mostly unforgettable. i think it's a mistake not to give them some sort of background stories just like what they did in the first season, even just a little. instead, a lot of the character are already connected somehow and the background stories are just off the screen. the conflicts and fights didn't feel as impactful and this resulted in me not caring much who dies next. well, i do care (especially to that mom who is also a senior! my queen!) but not as intensely as i wanted to. i want to be moved emotionally and to feel hurt and sad. i guess kang haneul's character might be my favorite one but shout out to TOP (man, i haven't seen this guy in years!). and the controversial one which is park sunghoon's trans woman character. i acknowledge this is a step forward in korean media but overall, they really didn't do much with that storyline so there's nothing much to say anyway. both things can be true.

back in season 1, my favorite parts where the games to be honest because it was just entertaining to watch and fun. the betrayals, the desperation, when characters suddenly switched, the drama and conflicts and chaos etc. that was just fun to watch for me back then (hey it was 2020. i needed entertainment lol). i'm glad they changed some of the games but of course, that first one remained. i get it, it was iconic. i just think this was all creative how they incorporated children's games. and i just love the sets and visuals of it all. but i think i'm in the minority because from what i gathered, the part where the contestants vote whether they continue the game or not is the more popular one because that scenes really got a lot of screen time.

but they did leave some mystery with whatever's happening on that boat with junho and i did like the twist with player 001 being there in the trenches with them. i wish he played more mind games with them to be honest lol still... it had its fun moments despite losing the shock factor. i am still gonna be seated for that third season so

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