Squid Game 2 review: Lee Jung-jae show not just raises the stake but amplifies it

Squid Game Season 2 delivers on fan expectations with intense action and complex character development, pushing the boundaries of the deadly game. The season explores deeper themes of morality and choice, offering a psychological battle alongside the physical challenges.

In Short

• Season 2 introduces new, more creative, and deadly challenges that test endurance, intelligence, and morality.
• New characters add complexity to the narrative, with standout performances enhancing the emotional depth
• The season is now streaming on Netflix

Squid Game Season 2 is everything fans hoped for, and more. The highly anticipated continuation of the deadly game has arrived, and it more than meets expectations, delivering an exhilarating blend of intense, heart-pounding action and deeper, more complex character behaviour. From the very first episode, it's clear that Squid Game Season 2 aims to push the boundaries even further.

Season 2 doesn’t just raise the stakes; it amplifies them. The familiar children’s games like Red Light, Green Light and Dakkji return, but the show introduces new challenges that are as creative as they are deadly. The game design continues to evolve, testing the limits of endurance, intelligence, and morality. Creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk‘s masterful pacing ensures that one is constantly on edge.

However, the gore this time around doesn’t surprise. What sets the games apart this season, however, is not just their brutality but the way they are used to explore the characters' psyches. Each challenge feels like an extension of the larger themes of greed, desperation, and choice, reinforcing the idea that survival is as much a psychological battle as it is a physical one.

Watch the trailer of Squid Game season 2 here:

Season 2 introduces several new characters, each of whom brings complexity and depth to the overall narrative. Gong Yoo steals the show as the enigmatic 'Recruiter', a psychopath who revels in the power dynamics of the game. In one of the season's most simple yet chilling scenes, he offers bread and a lottery ticket to desperate individuals—a moment that encapsulates Squid Game’s exploration of human greed and choice. It’s a subtle yet powerful portrayal of how people, even in the most dire circumstances, will often choose hope in the form of a lottery ticket over basic survival. The scene also hints at the show’s core message -- “everyone has a choice.”

Lee Byung-hun returns as the cold, calculating Front Man, and this time, he’s not just a shadowy figure in the background. Byung-hun’s performance is masterful as he steps up to take a more active role, heightening the tension in every scene he shares with Lee Jung-jae (Gi-hun). The chemistry between the two seasoned actors is palpable, making their scenes together even more riveting.

Wi Ha-jun, who impressed audiences as Detective Hwang Jun-ho in the first season, unfortunately doesn’t get as much screen space this time around. While his character is integral to the plot, his role is more of a cameo than an active participant in the game, leaving the audience wanting for more. Yet, his presence adds an intriguing layer to the ongoing game.

One of the true surprises of Squid Game Season 2 is TOP (Choi Seung-hyun), who plays a former rapper-turned-contestant deep in debt. His performance is magnetic, bringing authenticity and rawness to the character that is both tragic and charismatic.

Park Sung-hoon delivers a standout performance as a queer character, offering an emotional and nuanced portrayal that adds a fresh layer of complexity to the season. Confident in her sexuality yet vulnerable in her actions, Sung-hoon’s character stands out as one of the most compelling arcs of the season. The exploration of gender and identity in Squid Game 2 is an unexpected but welcome addition, adding a poignant layer to the brutal world the show exhibits.

Yim Si-wan, as the self-absorbed and borderline narcissistic boyfriend, is another welcome addition. His character is so detestable yet relatable, providing a different kind of tension in the game. Similarly, Park Gyu-young and Kang Ha-neul shine in their roles, the latter adding an anchor of sanity and groundedness to an otherwise chaotic world.

The biggest shift in Squid Game Season 2 is the treatment of morality. In the first season, the audience was largely sympathetic toward the participants, but, in this season, the characters’ choices become far more morally complex. While many of the contestants are there because they want to be, the show forces us to confront our own judgements about who deserves to survive.

The narrative emphasises that the players are not merely victims of circumstance—they are active participants in their own fate. It’s no longer just about survival; it’s about understanding the motivations that lead people into the game, and whether those motivations are justifiable. In several pivotal moment, the show forces us to consider whether the players deserve our sympathy or scorn.

The moral complexity of the show is never more apparent than when it offers the audience the choice to either be a moral police of the circumstances or witness the game as a passive bystander. This echoes the show’s critique of the elite class, who watch the game from the sidelines, making us question our own role as spectators in this deadly drama.

Unlike Season 1, where empathy for the contestants was central to the experience, Season 2 intentionally lowers the emotional stakes. This shift makes each game feel less like an emotional rollercoaster and more like a strategic battle where each player must navigate the choices they have made.

The adrenaline rush is palpable. Each episode builds on the last, leaving one constantly on edge as the game progresses. The more one watches, the more they will realise that Squid Game 2 is less about survival and more about the price of survival—and what everyone is willing to sacrifice to make it to the end.

Squid Game Season 2 has seven episodes and is streaming on Netflix.

4 out of 5 stars.