We’ve been waiting a long time for this.
Netflix has just added the hotly-anticipated second season of its biggest show ever – Squid Game.
Having premiered in 2021, the South Korean thriller’s first season told the story of a group of cash-strapped people who accept a strange invitation to compete in what’s revealed to be killer children’s games for a massive prize.
Despite little buzz before its release, the series went on to become a massive runaway hit, both critically and commercially.
This was thanks to its instantly iconic visuals, its brilliant performances, its emotionally hard-hitting story, its nail-bitingly tense set pieces and its satirical undertones.
Squid Game season one picked up multiple awards, including at the Emmys and Golden Globes.
Plus, with 2,205,200,000 hours viewed, it remains Netflix’s most-watched show ever.
As such, all eyes are on season two to see if it can replicate the first season’s magic.
The seven-episode new season opens with survivors, Squid Game winner Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and cop Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), seeking to take down the killer game for good – despite very few people believing their claims that it exists.
Part of Gi-hun’s plan to do this is to locate the mysterious recruiter for the tournament (Gong Yoo).
Currently holding an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score, the general critical consensus is that the new batch of episodes are a worthy successor to the hit first season.
You can check out some of these glowing reviews for Squid Game 2 below:
Decider: “Squid Game Season 2 may not be as innovative as Season 1, but it’s still fantastic TV. [Creator] Hwang Dong-hyuk doubles down on his philosophy that humanity is sick, but worth saving.”
Independent (UK): “But while this season of Squid Game successfully stretches beyond the confines of the first, it excels for many of the same reasons as before, namely its ability to portray our worst qualities – and to really twist the knife when it counts.”
JoySauce: “The show is as thematically rich as it ever was (perhaps even more so) while providing some novel visual panache.”
San Francisco Chronicle: “Season 2 is smart, provocative and twisted. It deepens characters, steps up the action and moves the story forward while retaining the first season’s dark absurdity.”
Vogue: “Granted, it’s slightly lacking in the emotional gut punches of season one, but it more than makes up for it with its boundless, sadistic imagination, relentless brutality, and a refreshing, deeply unserious kind of mischievousness.”
The first two seasons of Squid Game are streaming on Netflix now.
A third and final season is also on the way.
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