As brutal as "Squid Game" Season 1 is I have watched it over and over and have become obsessed with the characters and the story. It took 3 years to finally release this second season and after so much hype I was afraid Season 2 would be disappointing. I was pleasantly surprised instead. First, I think it did a great job of recapturing the intensity of the original without trying to repeat it. I knew I would miss certain characters and may not connect to these new characters as deeply, which was true, but with so many familiar KDrama faces in new roles (like Kang Ha Neul and Si-Wan) and knowing how Hwang Dong Hyuk is mindful of the tiniest story details, I trusted I would become invested in these new people who volunteered to join the Squid Game Universe, and I absolutely did. The returning cast and new cast live up to the hype, but unlike Season 1 where everything was packed into 9 episodes, we are left with so much more to learn about so many by the end of Season 2, and Season 3 thankfully comes in 2025.

So yes, you must watch Season 1 to understand everything in Season 2 and eventually Season 3. Think of the movie musical "Wicked" but with more guns and less singing, besides Thanos' cringy rap verses courtesy of T.O.P.

Lee Jung Jae is back to revise his role as #456 Seong Gi Hun. He is still as bitter and mournful as he was at the end of Season 1 and he is obsessed with and determined to end these games once and for all. It's also not a spoiler if you watch any trailer to know that Wi Ha Joon is back as Officer Hwang Jun Ho as well. He too is just as obsessed and determined as he was in Season 1 although clearly the inspiration for his motivation has changed. Other returning characters that I was happy to see and see more screen time from in Season 2 are Lee Byung Hun as "Front Man" In Ho, and Gong Yoo as the recruiter. There are a couple more side characters from Season 1 who make a big reappearance in Season 2 but I won't spoil their reveals if you missed them in the trailer. I actually loved how all of the characters evolved over the 3 years in a way that stayed true to them and their story.

I was not as emotionally invested in the new characters as much as I was in Season 1 but I believe that is because of the direction of the story not because of the performances. T.O.P as "Thanos" is entertaining. The Mom and Son duo and Baby Mama Drama is a nice dynamic to add to the plot. With more time and episodes to tell the story I believe we will learn more about many of the cast we've only seen glimpses of in Season 2 in Season 3, but the roles that impacted me the most so far are Park Gyu Young as Kang No Eul who is so different from Dali in "Dali and the Cocky Prince" and has such an interesting character perspective from any of the characters in the first season which surprised me, and Park Sung Hoon as Cho Hyeon Ju, who I just watched in "Queen of Tears" and I didn't even recognize him at first because he is so different and this time very likable. Talk about range!

Would I watch this again? Of course. I binged it in one day on the release day and I will likely watch it a bunch before the release of Season 3. I can already tell that this is the kind of season that has details I may have missed since we know some of the clues for what will happen next are literally written on the walls. The way the Squid Game story takes a look at humanity in a philosophical way is still super entertaining, reflecting people who vote against their own self-interests as well as those willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. The games still inspire a "what would you do?" feeling with morally gray characters that make you both empathetic and frustrated. The story hits familiar plot beats from Season 1, Like 'red light green light', without making it feel redundant or predictable. The only part of the story that I couldn't really vibe with was the last episode. I don't think it is badly written, it just switches the tone we are used to so much that it feels like a normal action drama which was less interesting than diabolical kid's games. But by the end of the final episode, we are back to the same kind of suspense that kept me eagerly waiting and excited for Season 2 for these past few years, but this time I'm glad we only have to wait one year (or a few months).

I like that this season came at it from the perspective of putting together all the pieces of the game that we already know. As an audience, we have seen a lot but each individual character only has their limited perspective which is fascinating to see when you realize what they still don't know. I also love that the true question is still the blue pill red pill dilemma that questions whether it is important to play the hero even if most of the odds are against you or just enjoy living under the delusion that everything is ok with as many comforts as you can get.

Overall, "Squid Game" is still a well-done dystopian spin on capitalistic greed, and human nature/survival instincts. It does a good job of reflecting society without doing any finger-wagging. It's still visually iconic with a soundtrack that is haunting and campy and will remain burned into my brain (I love the 'red light green light' game remix). I can see people not liking it as much as the original but for me it's like comparing Star Wars to The Empire Strikes Back (iykyk). I can tell this was a compromise where they chose to tell a longer well-developed story and break it up rather than just come up with a quick formulaic sequel and I think they pulled that off. I may not have cried the way I did in the first season but I was shocked many times, touched by a few moments, and even plot points I could see a mile away got me hyped and yelling at the screen. Everyone has their taste but Squid Games is my "Hunger Games" and I'm all in for the thrills, sacrifices, betrayals, heroism, and unlikely teamwork. I see a lot of reactionary low scores for this season and that just makes me think many people still prefer 'blue pill' entertainment, which is fine. Personally, I am now once again invested in Gi Hun's journey and curious about how he will evolve in Season 3. Hwang Dong Hyuk is a great storyteller and dare I say it's been fun to be a viewer of these games. Does that make me a low-key VIP? I don't know, but I can't wait to see who ultimately "wins" in this series.