The following article WILL contain spoilers for Squid Game 2. If you haven’t seen the season yet I’d advise that you skip this article until you have seen it.
It’s safe to say that after the first season of Squid Game that Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) didn’t learn his lesson as it’s clear that every 001 player in the game is a part of the entire charade.
Season 2 arrived as the story picks up with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who returns to the perilous competition years after claiming the 45.6 billion won prize. Fueled by a determination to end the brutal games once and for all, Gi-hun focuses on dismantling the mysterious Front Man, the mastermind orchestrating the horrors.
Having spent two years training in weapons and tactics, Gi-hun hatches a plan to infiltrate Squid Game. He partners with Detective Hwang Jun-ho (more on him later) relying on a hidden tracker embedded in a fake tooth to stay connected. However, the guards uncover the tracker upon Gi-hun’s entry into the game, complicating their mission.
Player 456 returns along with a whole new set of challenges for participants despite familiar surroundings.
Player 001 on this occasion is Hwang In-ho who was revealed in the first season to be the Front Man of the Squid Game and half-brother to detective Hwang Jun-ho. The second he is recognised in the second season we know it’s only a matter of time before things start to unravel in Seong Gi-hun’s plan as In-ho befriends him with a fabricated story about joining the games and they become quite close as a result.
Hwang In-ho is the overseer of the Squid Game and was originally invited to compete in Oh Il Nam (from the first season) competition in 2015 and won. He then went on to become Il-nam’s right-hand man and in 2020 oversaw the games whilst his sudden disappearance bewildered his half brother leading him to conduct a police investigation to find him in the first season.
After he comes face to face with his half-brother in the first season it is revealed that In-ho gave Jun-ho his kidney to keep his brother alive and he orders the masked soldiers not to kill him upon learning of his identity. He reveals his face to Jun-ho to try and persuade his half-brother to join him to ensure his safety.
After refusing, he shoots Jun-ho non fatally proving to the audience that he still cares about his brother and with a certain twist involving the sea captain in Season 2 it is also implied that the sea captain was instructed to save Jun-ho from the water after his fall.
Squid Game 2 also features a scene involving Thanos who insults In-ho by mentioning a comment about his child. It is revealed that In-ho had a pregnant wife but he became disillusioned after his death.
Inside the game, mounting tensions spark an armed rebellion among the players. With 100 contestants remaining, a divisive vote splits the group between those wanting to continue and those demanding to leave. The conflict escalates as players turn to violence to sway the outcome.
As chaos reigns, Gi-hun and his allies craft a daring plan to infiltrate the headquarters of the masked spectators. Pretending to be dead, they ambush the guards, seizing weapons and disabling surveillance cameras. However, betrayal strikes when Young-il, an ally, fakes his own death to alert the guards and sabotage the rebellion.
Meanwhile, the Front Man sheds his Player 001 persona, donning his signature black cloak and mask to reassert control over the escalating crisis with deadly consequences resulting in the heartbreaking finale of the second season where we say goodbye to one beloved character and the only character in the games that Seong Gi-hun could trust.
Season 3 is set up to be released in 2025 but will play out as a direct sequel to the second series as opposed to a separate game and story like how Season 2 started.
After the tragic death, it is unclear what will happen in season 2 but it is clear that The Front Man has compassion and a weakness for his brother, could this weakness become his downfall?
As the story hurtles toward its conclusion, the final season promises an intense showdown between Gi-hun and The Front Man, with creator Hwang teasing dramatic twists to come.
It was great to witness Player 001 with the entire audience knowing his real identity. We’re in on the secret yet the participants within the Squid Game are not. I loved how much depth the second season had compared to the first as we explored the contestants as well as the guards and other side stories along the way.
Check out our review of Squid Game 2
Squid Game Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.