Warning: Spoilers ahead Squid game

If a second season of Squid game After the huge success of the first film gave it the green light, it was unclear whether the story warranted an extension. Writer and director Hwang Dong-yuk, previously best known for feature films such as the 2017 historical war epic The fortressHe didn’t plan a sequel. And much of the first season relied on the novel horror of watching the barbaric, exploitative Squid Game, hoping that protagonist Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) could retain his humanity in the face of it all. Could a second season truly recapture the profound emotions that this unpredictability creates?

Well, naysayers needn’t have feared. While Squid game Season 2 contains some of the same storylines as the first season. This is a very different story, ending in a very different place, driven by a protagonist very different from the Gi-hun who played the Squid Game in Season 1. Let’s break down everything that’s most violent, action-driven end of happened Squid gameis the second season and what it could mean for the upcoming third season.

Why does The Front Man come into play?

Much of the dramatic tension in Squid game Season 2 is propelled forward by the addition of Hwang In-ho – aka the frontman, aka Oh Young-il, aka Player 001 – as a participant in the Squid Game. While the frontman is a previous winner of the game, when we meet him in Season 1, he is higher up in the organization behind the scenes of the game.

The frontman’s decision to join Season 2 stems from Gi-hun’s own desire to participate in the game. While Gi-hun’s commitment is probably good for the game’s behind-the-scenes betting business (everyone likes a defending champion), it is also unpredictable. In contrast to the other participants, he has previous knowledge of the game and has different motivations. While others are in the game to win the money, Gi-hun tries to ruin the whole operation. The frontman could Try to control Gi-hun as a behind-the-scenes force, but as a competitor and eventual ally, he has much greater mobility. As the season progresses, we see the frontman slowly gain Gi-hun’s trust and then use that trust to subtly manipulate him.

The tension between the “X”s and the “Os” reaches massive heights in the season two finale

One of the most interesting changes to the competition rules in Season 2 of Squid game is the vote that players have after completing each round. If a majority of players vote to leave, the game ends and the surviving players can share the prize money they have accumulated so far.

Players vote to continue after the first two rounds, but voting after the third round ends in a tie. In the season finale, contestants are informed that they will vote again the next day to resolve the tie. The violence escalates: First, there is a bloodbath in the men’s toilet approved by the guard, which gives the “X” a slight numerical advantage. Then, once the dorm lights go out for the night, the “O”s attack the “X”s to wipe out their numbers and ensure an “O” victory in the vote. For each person who participates in these “special games,” more money is added to the prize pot, encouraging this behavior even further.

Gi-hun leads an uprising against Squid Game’s guards

Most participants in the Squid Game only see two options. They can either stay in the game and fight to survive and win more money, or they can leave with the money they have accumulated and survive. However, Gi-hun sees a third option. He wants to risk his life to win the game. Gi-hun knows that the guards will eventually intervene after some of the participants kill each other. He instructs his small group of fighters to avoid combat, leaving their “X” colleagues to be slaughtered and instead using their energy to overwhelm the unsuspecting guards. They collect the guards’ weapons and make their way to the control room.

Gi-hun loses and Jung-bae dies

Was this attempt doomed from the start? Not only do the guards outnumber the participants, but the frontman is also a mole. Once the fight begins, he uses his influence to subtly manipulate the outcome (specifically does shoots and probably kills some of his employees). When player 388 Kim Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), who claims to be a former Marine, freezes in battle and is unable to bring the rebels more ammunition, they are easily taken out one by one.

Gi-hun’s friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) is the last to die in the failed rebellion. He is shot by the frontman (who puts on his boss mask again) right in front of Gi-hun’s eyes. It’s a slap in the face, both to the viewer and to Gi-hun. In many ways, Jung-bae is this season’s Gi-hun: a divorced father who hopes to get his life back on track but isn’t willing to kill anyone to do it. His death resonates thematically in the finale and presumably in the next season as well.

The frontman knows exactly how devastating this is for Gi-hun. While Gi-hun values ​​all life, Jung-bae isn’t just another contestant; he is an old friend. They went on strike together years ago, a time that marked a major turning point in Gi-hun’s life. In a conversation the frontman overhears between Gi-hun and Jung-bae at the beginning of the season, we learn that Jung-bae was responsible for Gi-hun’s entry into horse racing betting. In the same scene, Jung-bae expresses his regret that he couldn’t give Gi-hun money when he stopped by his pub before the Squid Game began in Season 1.

Gi-hun ends the season in complete despair. Not only did he fail in both of his stated goals (to beat the game and get everyone out alive), he also lost an old friend – someone who trusted him with his life and who died because of it. Before they went into battle, the frontman asked Gi-hun, “Are you suggesting we make a small sacrifice for the greater good?” When Gi-hun agrees, the frontman smiles. It’s a happy ending for him.

Who does the fishing boat captain work for?

In the season finale, the fishing captain on whom the detective character Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) relies in his search for the Squid Game island turns out to be a spy. When one of Jun-ho’s hired musclemen catches the captain tampering with a search drone, the captain ruthlessly stabs him and pushes him overboard. Presumably the captain works for the people running the game, and his “rescue” of Jun-ho three years ago was anything but a happy accident. Could he have been specifically sent by In-ho, aka Front Man, to save the brother he shot from certain death?

Who dies in Squid Game season 2?

So many people are dying as it is Squid gameThe way. Among the characters eliminated in the toilet fight is rapper Thanos (played by real-life rapper TOP), who is sure to be a fan favorite if only for his rich source of season two memes. Another wave of killings comes as soon as the lights go out and the “O”s attack. This includes player 380, Se-mi (Won Ji-an), who was reluctantly drawn into Thanos’ orbit. Although timid Player 125 Min-su (Lee David) tries to help her, Se-mi is killed by Player 124 Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won).

We see Player 246, also known as Gyeong-seok (Lee Jin-uk), get shot by one of the guards as the uprising fails. However, we also know that No-eul (Park Gyu-young), a North Korean defector who works as a security guard, sympathizes with his cause as the father of a sick girl. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gyeong-seok somehow makes it to Season 3.

Who survives Squid Game Season 2?

Those left behind include: trans woman and formidable fighter Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon) and Dae-ho, who were back in the dorms when the guards dispatched the remaining rebels. Mother-son duo Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim) and Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun), pregnant contestant Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri) and fellow crypto YouTuber Myung-gi (Yim Si- wan). And of course Gi-hun and the frontman.

Outside the island, Jun-ho is still searching for the squid, unaware that the fishing captain he trusts is a mole. However, he still has the good-natured gangster Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho) at his side.

Will there be a season 3?

Netflix has already filmed a third season of Squid gamewith plans to release it in 2025.

What does the post-credits scene mean in the season 2 finale?

The last scene in season 2 Squid game shows a group of participants (including players 100, 096 and 353) going into a game, for example the next round. While viewers recognize the giant girl doll from the Mugunghwa games (the Korean version of Red Light, Green Light) in Seasons 1 and 2, there is a second giant doll in the scene. Both dolls are based on characters from a classic Korean children’s book series. Young-hee is the girl and Cheol-su is the boy. What does Cheol-su’s arrival mean for the next game? It can’t be anything good.