Squid Game Season 1 Recap: 10 Things You Need To Remember Before Season 2

Dec. 19, 2024, 10:20 a.m.

Movies

Squid Game Season 1 Recap: 10 Things You Need To Remember Before Season 2

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With Squid Game season 2 set to premiere on Netflix on December 26, 2024, it is imperative that audiences remember what went down during the first season of this iconic South Korean thriller series. Released in 2021, Squid Game became an overnight hit on Netflix, quickly becoming the streaming service's most-watched TV show of all time. With its mix of shocking horror and a uniquely dark premise, Squid Game captivated all sorts of viewers. Now, the series is finally coming back with a second season that looks to be just as horrifying and mind-blowing as the first.

Based on the trailer, Squid Game season 2 seems to be a direct continuation of the first season, wherein down-on-their-luck people are convinced to join the Squid Games without realizing the life-threatening consequences of this decision. Notably, the show's protagonist, Seong Gi-hun, is returning not only to the show, but to the games as well. His intention seems to be to take down these games, regardless of what his peers want. Beyond that, it seems likely that the new installment will answer more questions about how and why the games function. This is what Squid Game has explained so far:

10 The Main Character Of Squid Game Is Seong Gi-hun

Why Gi-hun's Background Is Important

Season 1 of Squid Game begins with the main character, Seong Gi-hun. From the start, audiences learn that Gi-hun is divorced with a daughter he rarely sees. He also lives with his elderly mother, whom he rarely gets along with, and he struggles with a gambling addiction that has put him in enormous debt. Altogether, Gi-hun is living a rather bleak and disappointing life, and at the start of Squid Game, he seems to be in a very tough spot financially. For better or worse, his introduction to the games changes his fate.

Gi-hun's beginnings are important because they offer hints about his motives and personality for the remainder of the season. Because of his debt, Gi-hun desperately needs money that the Squid Games can provide if he wins. Gi-hun could not only pay off his debts, but he could also use the money to see his daughter again. Where other characters might pass on joining the Squid Games because they don't want to leave behind their families, Gi-hun has very little left in his life, so leaving does not bother him.

9 The Salesman Manipulates People In Need

Why The Squid Games Target Specific People

Gi-hun is introduced to the Squid Games by a mysterious man simply known as the Salesman. This figure approaches Gi-hun and offers him a chance to get rid of his debts and become a billionaire. Although this situation seems undoubtedly shady and too good to be true, Gi-hun takes him up on it. Money definitely has a lot to do with it, but there is also a sense that the Squid Games will be easy. Presumably, Gi-hun and the others assume that it won't be too hard to win a few games, without realizing the reality of the situation.

The Salesman approaches these people, knowing they are in debt and have addictive personalities, and draws on these weaknesses to get them to join the games.

The Salesman is Squid Game's core, even if he only appears for a brief time. The Salesman's interaction with Gi-hun showcases how people who are in need are manipulated into unintentionally giving their lives away for the Squid Games. The Salesman approaches these people, knowing they are in debt and have addictive personalities, and draws on these weaknesses to get them to join the games. It is not just the debt that gets Gi-hun to go, but his addiction to making risky gambles that also pushes him to participate.

8 The Squid Games Are Deadly Children’s Games

The Other Rules Of The Squid Games

Once Gi-hun arrives at the undisclosed location of the Squid Games, audiences learn what this competition is truly about. 456 players are put in distinctive green tracksuits and are kept in a windowless room. They are escorted out by faceless guards to compete in children's games, yet these are not as simple as they might seem. During a game of Red Light, Green Light, those players who move during a red light are shot by a massive baby doll. As it turns out, every game comes with a deadly price, and the winner must be the last one to survive.

Related Squid Game Season 2 Officially Adds A Dark Twist To The First Season’s Most Famous Game In the trailer for Squid Game season 2, audiences see the return of the first season’s most memorable game but with a super disturbing twist.

If this wasn't bad enough, the Squid Games become more ruthless due to their violent rules. The players learn that every contestant who dies adds $100 million to the overall jackpot. More than that, players do not have to be killed during the games, and can be murdered by their peers. This creates an incredibly dangerous system where Gi-hun and the rest of the contestants must watch their backs at all times so that they are not killed by those around them.

7 Gi-hun Meets Other Pivotal Contestants

How Squid Game's Characters Add To The Story

Because of the high stakes of the Squid Games, Gi-hun finds himself looking for allies. He eventually forms bonds with other contestants who were also manipulated into the game. Cho Sang-woo is Gi-hun's childhood best friend who participates in the games to escape an embezzlement charge. Kang Sae-byok is an immigrant who wants to win the money to get her family out of North Korea. Finally, Oh Il-nam is the oldest contestant in the game, making Gi-hun feel responsible for protecting him.

Related This Squid Game Character Will Be Way More Important Than Gi-Hun In Season 2 While Gi-hun is Squid Game’s protagonist, one other character is also expected to be front and center in season 2 of Netlfix’s K-drama phenomenon.

Squid Game centers on Gi-hun, but these characters add some serious depth to the story. By learning about these people, audiences come to understand just how badly everyone wants to win, and what they have had to give up to be here. Furthermore, these backstories show that the contestants in Squid Game may not be the best people. Overall, they raise the stakes of the games and offer some insight in the greater story.

6 What Happens To The Other Squid Game Characters

Who Is Returning To Squid Game Season 2

It should come as no surprise that, as a result of the games, almost all the supporting characters end up dying by the end of Squid Game. However, their deaths are far from anticlimactic. For example, Sae-byeok is killed by Sang-woo during a Squid Game challenge when he stabs her. Sae-byeok presumably bleeds out and dies. After that, Sang-woo is killed by Gi-hun in the final round of the Squid Games. Finally, Il-nam dies during the marbles challenge.

As a result, the only character who was in the Squid Games returning to season 2 is Gi-hun. In some ways, this is disappointing because the previous characters brought such interesting stories, and audiences may have become attached to them. On the other hand, Squid Game season 2 has the chance to introduce even more wonderful characters, and perhaps this time, some of them will actually survive.

5 Hwang Jun-ho Is Looking For His Brother

Why Hwang Jun-ho's Story Is Integral

In the midst of Gi-hun's journey through the Squid Games, there is another storyline that is also unfolding. It centers on Hwang Jun-ho, a police detective whose brother went missing. He believes that his brother was taken by the Squid Games, and thus, he attempts to infiltrate the mysterious site where the games take place. Jun-ho's story is just as high-stakes as Gi-hun's, and it ends with a shocking plot twist that many did not see coming.

Related Squid Game Confirms What Happened To The Detective 3 Years After The Front Man’s Identity Reveal Squid Game season 2 has finally released its first trailer, confirming the return of a major character and raising even more questions.

As it turns out, Jun-ho's brother was not dead or missing, but is actually the Front Man in the Squid Games. The Front Man is a leader of the Squid Game who dresses in all black, wears a mask, and occasionally appears to the contestants. As his name suggests, he seems to be some sort of host or emissary for the games. Jun-ho discovers that his brother is in on the games, then is stabbed by him. Yet, Jun-ho seemingly survives the attack, as he is set to return for season 2.

4 What Is Actually Happening Behind The Games

Will Squid Game Season 2 Show More Of The VIPs?

One more big reveal that occurs during the course of the games is that the competition is not happening in secret. During season 1, viewers learn that a number of wealthy people, referred to as the VIPs, watch the Squid Games from afar as entertainment. Notably, the VIPs wear golden animal masks, and seem to have no issue with watching people kill and die. This revelation shows that the Squid Games are much darker than previously thought, and someone is pulling the strings.

The end of Squid Game season 1 reveals who is behind the games, but it would be interesting to see more about the VIPs in season 2. Although these men do not run the games, they are likely to support them financially. Plus, their participation in general sheds light on the kind of people they are. Assuming that these men have important positions in the world, taking them down is almost as important as destroying the games in general.

3 Oh Il-Nam’s Role In The Squid Games

Il-Nam & Gi-hun's Final Bet Explained

Of all the twists and turns Squid Game season 1 takes, the most surprising moment of all is when audiences learn that Oh Il-nam never died during the marble challenge and is actually the creator of the Squid Games. As it turns out, Il-nam was an incredibly wealthy man who became so bored with his riches that he wanted to spice things up by developing this horrifying competition. Upon learning that he was dying of a brain tumor, Il-nam joined the games for one last adventure before his death. Gi-hun learns all this as Il-nam is on his death bed.

The final scene between Gi-hun and Il-nam is a tense one. Gi-hun is obviously betrayed and hurt by Il-nam's revelation. His feelings only worsen when Il-nam makes a bet with him that the homeless man on the street outside their window won't get any help by midnight, causing his death by frostbite. The man does eventually get help, but Il-nam's sentiment remains. Wealthy people are in control of the world and can manipulate it at their whims through the Squid Games.

2 Gi-hun Won The Squid Games (But At What Cost?)

How Gi-Hun Will Take Down The Games In Season 2

In the end, Gi-hun wins the Squid Games. The final challenge sees Gi-hun and Sang-woo play the children's game that gives the show its name: the Squid Game. The game does not end until one contestant cannot play anymore. Thus, the men essentially have to fight to the death. Because of Sang-woo and Gi-hun's shared background, the battle is difficult, but Gi-hun ultimately wins. Of course, this is a relief but also a horrible reality. Gi-hun has become a billionaire, but at the cost of 455 lives.

Gi-hun's season 1 story ends with him discovering Il-nam's plans and deciding that, rather than seeing his daughter in the US, he will stay in South Korea and try to dismantle the Squid Games. With the help of Jun-ho, Gi-hun is going to reenter the games with the intention of getting revenge on the Front Man. Although he will try his best to save the lives of the new Squid Game contestants, it is more than likely that more blood will be shed.

1 Squid Game Is Really About Class Struggles

How Squid Game Season 2 Can Continue This Story

At the end of the day, Squid Game is a thrilling TV show, but it is also a thoughtful one. The series explores class, and the ways in which the wealthy can control the world at the expense of the poor. Although the Squid Games do not actually exist, they make for an interesting reflection on our society. That is likely why the show is so lauded. Audiences are just as eager to see these issues played out on-screen as they are to watch deadly children's games.

Hopefully, Squid Game season 2 can continue the trends that the first season started. With an array of new characters and a different plot, the new installment can delve into even more interesting themes. There is no guarantee that Squid Game season 2 will be as good as season 1, but either way, audiences should get excited for this highly-anticipated release.