The second season of Squid Game was epic, to say the least, and well worth the three-year wait. After being the sole survivor of the deadly games and watching 400-plus people, including his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-Soo, Time to Hunt 2020), meet their demise while trying to claw their way out of severe financial debt, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae, Hunt 2022) returns in an effort to take down The Frontman (Lee Byung-hun, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra 2009) and save as many lives as possible.
In many ways, Squid Game Season 2 ups the ante from the show’s inaugural episodes. The games are deadlier, the plot twists — like The Frontman entering the games as Player 001/Hwang In-ho — are more shocking, and the characters, especially the many new faces, are easier to root for.
Ahead of the Squid Game Season 3 premiere on June 27, let’s take a look at the top 5 moments from the Netflix series’ sophomore season.
5. The alliance of underdogs
Aside from Gi-hun and Kang Sae-byeok (Hoyeon), there aren’t a ton of likeable players to root for in Season 1. That’s certainly not the case for Season 2, which introduces an entire host of new and endearing characters. The self-formed team of Player 149/Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim, Supilreobeu 2021), Player 007/Park Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun, Ruler of Your Own World 2002), Player 120/Cho Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon, Into the Ring 2020), and Player 095/Kim Young-mi (Kim Si-eun) is incredibly wholesome and enjoyable to witness.
While Season 1 wasn’t without special bonds formed during the games, namely the one between Gi-hun and Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring 2003), none of those hold the level of trust, love, and nurture that’s found amongst this tight knit group. Geum-ja, a true maternal figure to more than just her son, Yong-sik, even promises to make the group dinner once they get out of the games. Young-mi sadly loses her life during Mingle, leaving behind a distraught Hyun-ju. But hopefully, the remainder of this group makes it out alive and to the dinner table.
4. Six-Legged Pentathlon
Why risk your life during one deadly game when you can do so in five? One of the most creative new challenges of Squid Game Season 2 is the Six-Legged Pentathlon, which tasks group’s of players with completing the children’s games ddakji, biseokchigi, gonggi, paengi chigi, and jegi in five minutes, all while having their legs shackled together.
The games in Season 1 are dog eat dog, with most players wishing for the demise of their competition. The Pentathlon marks the first time that the entire game room rallies around each other, especially when it’s time for our favorite group of underdogs to take their turn. Even The Frontman seemingly forgets his villainous ways for a moment and can’t help but loudly cheer for them alongside the rest. It’s a win-win — the support bolsters the group forward, while their success lets the rest of the room know that the Pentathlon is, in fact, beatable.
3. Thanos
Whether you love him or hate him, it’s undeniable that Player 120/Thanos (Choi Su-bong/T.O.P) is quite the force to be reckoned with in Season 2. With his purple hair, painted nails, and over-the-top demeanor, he’s unlike anyone from the inaugural season. While Squid Game can get pretty dark and deadly, every scene with Thanos brings a sense of much-needed hilarity.
Some of his top moments include his cringe-worthy “beauty flower” rap to impress a girl (T.O.P. is actually a real-life rapper and former member of the iconic K-pop band BIGBANG), his random outbursts of English (“Let’s gooo!”), and ability to have an absolute drug-induced blast, especially during Mingle, which sees him and his buddy, Player 124/Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won, Such a Close Traitor 2024), link arms and skip in a circle, despite their lives being very much on the line.
2. Mingle
The best new game of Season 2 is, hands down, Mingle, which is the perfect blend of sinister and sweet. At a glance, the game appears truly magical. The players stand on a massive carousel and, as it turns, the Korean children’s song “Round and Round” plays. It’s the catchiest song that you won’t be able to get out of your head for weeks. However, when the music stops, it’s not so magical. The players are tasked with breaking up into groups of a designated number and entering one of many tiny rooms before the clock runs down. If you don’t, you’re “eliminated.”
There are so many intricate layers to this. Larger alliances are forced to decide who to leave behind, while players who have stuck to themselves thus far have to make connections…fast. All the while, deep bonds are strained, strengthened, and formed, such as when Yong-sik gets dragged into a room, leaving his mother behind until Gi-hun and In-ho snatch her up.
1. The Recruiter
With his pristine suit, smirk, and set of ddakji envelopes, The Recruiter (Gong Yoo, Train to Busan 2016) is the one responsible for staffing the games. Viewers first meet him in Season 1, when he scouts out Gi-hun — and 400-plus other individuals who are down on their luck — and challenges him to a game of ddakji for the chance to win some cash (and eventually be invited to games). As charming as he appears, it’s clear from the get-go that there’s something off about this guy. For example, whenever his challenger loses ddakji, he slaps them across the face…and seems to take great joy in it.
Season 2 delves unexpectedly deeper into The Recruiter and just how dark he truly is. We first see him purchasing an absurd amount of bread and lottery tickets, and then approaching homeless people in the park. Seems charitable, right? Not exactly. He gives the homeless the option to choose either the bread or ticket, with the majority going with the latter. As for all of that unwanted bread, he tosses it on the ground and stomps all over it, a punishment for their greed that brings him much exhilaration. All the while, he still somehow manages to look put together, the smirk never leaving his face.
Gong Yoo absolutely shines in this brief but mighty role, especially as he plays Russian Roulette with Gi-hun. At one point, both sides of his face are entirely different — the left maintains that cool and calm demeanor, but the right is wide-eyed and fearful, an intentional choice by the actor. Beneath the smirk, The Recruiter is truly a troubled man, one who seemingly wants to feel something in life aside from being the “dog” of the powers that be. Getting such insight into this mysterious character was truly fascinating, with many fans wishing the show delved even deeper into his insanity before he used the final bullet on himself, with “Time to Say Goodbye” serving as the perfect farewell song.