Three years later, the long-awaited continuation of the sensational Korean series 'Squid Game' was released on Netflix. The first season made an indelible impression on viewers with its brutality, original setting, and engaging games in which charact...

– the first Korean series to top the weekly top 10 most-watched shows on Netflix worldwide. It ranked first in 90 countries, including the US and UK. Outside South Korea, the streaming service did not invest heavily in promoting the project, and its popularity was mainly driven by viral spread on social media. Such success is a strong reason for envy across the entire online cinema industry, as no project has come close to achieving the same result in three years.

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'Squid Game': Why the Whole World Is Watching the Korean Series

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After the stunning premiere of the first season, director and screenwriter Hwang Dong-hyuk faced a difficult task. First, he had to avoid repetition at all costs, which is often criticized in series sequels. Second, he needed to exceed the studio's expectations, which even last time seemed inflated. Realizing the responsibility placed on him, Hwang Dong-hyuk fell into depression and was ready to turn off his phone just to avoid communication with Netflix. This is not surprising, since the rough script for the first season was written long before the start of filming, in 2009, and the deadlines for working on the sequel were very limited. But now it has become clear that the fears were unfounded, because the second season also topped global viewership charts. To some extent, it may even surpass interest in the phenomenal start of the series three years ago.

After winning the deadly competition, Player 456 Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) lives with psychological trauma and spends his winnings searching for the creators of the game. Meanwhile, police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), who recognized his missing brother as the Masked Leader who shot him, does not give up trying to find the mysterious island. The paths of Gi-hun and Jun-ho cross when the former tracks down the game recruiter (Gong Yoo). Joining forces, they decide to stop the villains together, but for this, Player 456 must participate in the games again.

In the first season, actor Gong Yoo's character was given not much screen time, but he became so beloved by viewers that in the first episode, half the runtime was dedicated to him. The motivation of his character underscores the season's idea that people are often to blame for their own problems and tend to rely on luck rather than using real opportunities. This time, the series directly states that it is ready to explore new aspects of social issues, making it already unique in many ways.

In the first act, before the trials begin, viewers are introduced to a secondary character. Later we learn that she is one of the executioners in pink suits who carry out sentences. This adds extra intrigue to the plot and allows us to see the people who agree to such roles not just as soulless executors, but as individuals with their own characteristics. Each of them has their own motivation, which is either a conscious choice or caused by circumstances. The opportunity to look behind the scenes gives special meaning to the second season and encourages further viewing.

The series develops the theme of choice, started in the episode about the recruiter, throughout the season. Now participants have the opportunity to refuse further competition after each trial. This leads to them splitting into two groups within their social stratum: those who want to continue the games and those who are not ready to risk their lives. The trials continue each time the majority votes for such a decision. Thus, the series once again confirms the thesis demonstrated in the first episode that people tend to rely on luck.

At the center of the second season's plot are memorable characters that help reveal certain ideas and highlight important themes. For example, 'Squid Game' touches on issues of tolerance, as in the case of the character Cho Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), or family values, when a mother and son end up in the game. The project also explores the theme of military service, illustrated by the example of young marine Kang Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), who tries to look formidable but is clearly not happy about it deep down.

In one of the trials, players had to split into groups of five. During the tasks, participants, oddly enough, began to empathize with each other, which goes against the logic of a 'battle royale'. This episode essentially provided a plot twist, openly declaring the idea of unity and creating a contrast with the first season, which demonstrated the cruel nature of man.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to completely avoid all self-repetitions. For example, the authors often use even the brightest characters as expendable material, but perhaps this is due to the need to follow the brutal genre. Also in the sequel, as in the first season, there is Player 001, who turns out to be the Front Man, ingratiating himself with Player 456. The difference is that now we (the viewers) know about this in advance, and observing the behavior and psychology of the characters becomes doubly interesting.

The finale leaves us with a powerful cliffhanger, and overall it would be more correct to call these seven episodes not a second season, but a season and a half. Viewers hope to see the other half already in the summer (there has been no official announcement yet), but even if the leaked release date is not confirmed, you won't have to wait the promised three years, because the continuation will definitely be released in 2025. All that remains is to be patient and hope for an exciting denouement of the story while maintaining the high level of production set by the director.