Second seasons are hard. Great TV shows establish familiar rhythms and ensemble chemistry in their initial runs that then gets uprooted and can take time to reestablish. At least with Squid Game, the Netflix hit has the luxury of returning to a sadistic premise that structured its first batch of episodes. Will season 2 embrace tradition just to break it?
That’s certainly the takeaway from Squid Game season 2’s new trailer. Released ahead of the show’s return to Netflix on December 26, the new story teaser tries to explain why Seong Gi-hun, otherwise known as Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae), would return to the hellish social experiment he barely escaped the first time around. “I’m trying to put an end to this game,” he says. “You still don’t see, do you?” responds the Front Man. “The game will not end unless the world changes.”
Will the world change? That seems like the central question that will be driving season 2. Toward the end of the trailer we get a few flashes of what seems like an attempt at a mini-uprising. But if Squid Game has taught us anything, it’s that noble intentions alone aren’t enough. In fact, they might even be a liability.
Squid Game was a major breakthrough for Netflix when it arrived back in 2021, giving the streaming service a burst of energy when its creative slate and subscription numbers seemed to be flagging. Season 2 arrives with the company a clear winner in the streaming platform wars and set for a Boxing Day victory lap. We don’t know how many episodes the new season will be just yet, but season 3, which will be the show’s final one, is already locked in for 2025.
If you weren’t one of the millions who binged Squid Game the first time around, the Thanksgiving break is a perfect time to catch up. Its violent game show antics are the perfect palette cleanser before heading into the holiday season.
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