Note: This story contains spoilers for season two of “Squid Game.”

If you thought the final duel in the Squid Game season 1 finale was stressful, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Season 2 of the Netflix original ups the ante in every way possible, adding more players, bigger personalities, wilder twists, and crazier games.

And that means the Season 2 finale is more intense than anything this series has ever done before. Whether you need to further analyze what you just saw or are the type of person who flips to the back of a book before you’ve finished reading it, you’ll find your guide to the Season 2 finale of “Squid Game.” As an added bonus, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk and stars Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun tell TheWrap what this emotional ending will mean for season three in 2025.

How does the second season of “Squid Game” end?

The beginning of the end began in the bathroom. After Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun) and Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won) were caught trying to change Min-su’s (Lee Da-wit) voice, a fight broke out between those who wanted to stay in the game , and those who wanted it ‘T. This battle ended with several deaths, and for many, that was the final straw. It’s one thing to see people die, but it’s another to kill people with your own hands.

This sick push was exactly what Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) needed. He convinced several other players that the game was evil and the only way to stop it for good was to attack those responsible for the operation. Gi-hun teamed up with his best friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan), as well as Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), and In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) to finish the guards. So began a shootout between the guards and several players.

In the middle of the standoff, the players devised a plan that involved Gi-hun and Jung-bae pushing deeper into the guard quarters in hopes of finding and confronting the game’s leaders while the rest of the players covered them. In the meantime, Dae-ho should return to the main room and search the corpses of the dead guards for as much ammunition as possible. The only problem with this master plan was that Dae-ho is a coward.

Although he made it to the main room, he froze as soon as he entered, wasting valuable time. Hyun-ju finally went after him and secured the ammunition. But Dae-ho’s detour proved costly. Since the players in the main shootout ran out of ammunition, they were overtaken by the guards.

His cowardice also proved fatal for Gi-hun and Jung-bae. With ammunition running low and no reinforcements available, it didn’t take long for the guards to overwhelm them. And as they took their final stand, In-ho took the opportunity to return to his original side and don the frontman’s mask and robe.

“Did you enjoy playing the hero?” In-ho asked his former friend Gi-hun. “Look carefully at the consequences of your little heroic game.”

With that, In-ho pointed his gun at Jung-bae and shot Gi-hun’s best friend right in front of him. Season 2 ended with Gi-hun screaming over Jung-bae’s bloody body while In-ho walked away.

Does Gi-hun know In-ho is the frontman?

Both “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk and star Lee Byung-hun were adamant on this point: No.

“Not at all. He has no idea,” Lee, the actor behind In-ho, told TheWrap.

“You’ll see it in Season 3,” Hwang teased.

How will Jung-bae’s death affect Gi-hun in Season 3?

“It’s a big shock that devastates him,” Lee Jung-jae, the actor behind Gi-hun, told TheWrap. “(Gi-hun) firmly believed that he could finish the game together with Jung-bae, but that is no longer possible.”

Hwang originally wrote the second season of Squid Game over a six-month period. But after the scripts for the second season became longer and longer, Hwang and Netflix decided to split the season into two parts. Jung-bae’s murder became a “good point” to split the seasons.

“After Jung-bae died at the end of season two, Gi-hun became a different person,” Hwang said.

This finale also marks a change for Jung-bae’s killer In-ho. Lee said that portraying this character was “mentally exhausting” during the series’ year-long filming process. But in the end, In-ho’s view of Gi-hun and the game as a whole changed.

“When In-ho first enters the Squid Game again, his goal is to break Gi-hun’s spirit. He believes that Gi-hun is this idiot who has a completely wrong view of the world. But as they go through the games together, they fight for their lives together. “In-ho starts watching Gi-hun and almost sees a part of his former self in him,” Lee said. “Subconsciously, In-ho might even support Gi-hun at the end of season two.”

Lee then clarified that In-ho doesn’t really support Gi-hun as a person. “It’s more like he’s saying, ‘I really hope you’re right.’ “I really hope that there is actually a tiny glimmer of hope for humanity in the world,” Lee said. “I think there’s still a part of In-ho that feels that at the end of season two.”

As for the future of season three, Hwang hinted that the series will continue to be as tense and unpredictable as ever. “Nobody is safe in Season 3,” Hwang teased.

The first two seasons of Squid Game are now streaming on Netflix.

The post Squid Game Season 2 Ending Explained: What’s Ahead for Season 3? appeared first on TheWrap.