The Exonian Reviews: The Return of Squid Game
By ISHAAN SINGH
DISCLAIMER: MAJOR SPOILER ALERT
Breaking multiple records and taking the world by storm in September 2021, season one of Squid Game is the most-watched Netflix show of all time, with an estimated 330 million views as of December 2024, or 2.8 billion hours of watchtime. A second season was released in December 2024, which has once again propelled the show to the top of Netflix charts.
The Korean drama series follows the story of Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father and gambling addict constantly on the run from loan sharks. After one day receiving a mysterious invitation to compete for a large cash prize, and in desperate need of money, Gi-hun accepts the offer. He is thus transported to the Squid Game island, where 456 players compete in several childhood games over a week, battling it out to claim the grand prize of 45.6 billion Korean won (nearly 40 million USD). The problem: when a player is eliminated, they are shot dead by the game guards. In the end, Gi-hun emerges victorious, winning the final game along with the prize money.
One of the common themes of the show that we see is the lack of trust among the players. For those in the games, despite alliances, it is truly impossible to trust anyone. After all, only one of the 456 players will emerge as the winner. This is perfectly demonstrated in the first season by the transformation of Cho Sang-woo, Gi-hun’s childhood best friend. Sang-woo assists Gi-hun during the first game, Red Light Green Light. He then joins Gi-hun’s alliance, along with others such as Kang Sae-byeok (a North Korean defector), Oh Il-nam (an elderly man), and Ali Abdul (an immigrant from Pakistan). However, as the show progresses, Sang-woo becomes increasingly ruthless, selfish, and aggressive. This eventually culminates in him betraying Ali during one of the games, which leads to Ali’s death. After advancing to the final game of the contest, alongside Gi-hun and Sae-byeok, Sang-woo kills Sae-byeok to ensure his survival (before ultimately sacrificing himself in the game to allow Gi-hun to win the contest). Following his victory, Gi-hun once again receives an invitation, this time for a meeting. At the meeting, Gi-hun finds Il-nam on his deathbed, and in his dying moments, Il-nam reveals that he is the original creator of the games. This comes as a major shock to Gi-hun, as Il-nam had been one of his closest friends throughout the season.
We also see Gi-hun’s moral compass play into his decision-making, as he initially refuses to spend the “blood money” he won from the games. After financing an unsuccessful police investigation to hunt down the player recruiter for the games, Gi-hun decides to enter the games again, but with a new goal in mind: to shut down the games for good. During the first game, Red Light Green Light, he serves as the mentor, guiding the other contestants to avoid their deaths, as he has “played these games before.”
The second season truly demonstrates the nature of human greed, along with betrayal. In a change from the first season’s edition of the games, players are now allowed to vote on continuing or ending the contest after each game. If players vote to end the contest, everyone will leave with an equal share of the prize money. Despite this, the players continually vote to stay in the competition (in spite of Gi-hun’s best efforts to convince people to leave) in the hope of an even larger share, effectively gambling with their lives at stake. Finally, Gi-hun and his alliance decide to organize a rebellion against the guards. The attempt proves to be successful at first, as they are able to hold them off and proceed toward the Front Man’s (organizer of Squid Game) room. However, as Gi-hun makes his way toward the room, he is confronted by his fellow contestant, Oh Young-il, who reveals himself to be the Front Man, thus betraying Gi-hun as the season ends on a cliffhanger.
Squid Game displays the powers of trustworthiness (or rather, lack thereof), betrayal, and greed, capturing it in a competitive setting with lives at stake. Its constant plot twists, suspensefulness, and extreme circumstances keep us on the edge of our seats while watching. As we wait for the third and final season of Squid Game, expected to release sometime in mid-2025, we are left to wonder about what will happen to Gi-hun: will he succeed in his mission to dismantle the games, or will the Front Man and his guards prove to be too much for him?