What Happens Next In Squid Game Season 2?

What Happens Next In Squid Game 2? Photo: knowinsiders.

Warning: Major spoilers follow for Squid Game.

What the ending could mean for the show's future?

In the dystopian K-drama, citizens gamble away their lives in order to win a life-changing cash prize. Through a lineup of terrifying and brutal childhood games, players are fatally eliminated until there’s one left standing. Fans might have to wait a bit longer before returning to the games, however. “We are working on the script right now and making the form of the story,” executive producer Kim Ji-yeon tells Tudum. “But there’s definitely a lot of pressure on how to make [Season 2] even better. I know that a lot of the different fans and audiences have enjoyed the series very much, but really we’re focusing on how to make it even more joyful to the global audience.”

To gain a better understanding of where Squid Game might go next, let’s begin with a re-cap of what happens in the final game.

The Last Game

The final episode of “Squid Game” finds Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) as the two remaining contestants of the deadly competition, with Sang-woo having murdered Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) in an effort to get closer to the prize money.

The final game is, of course, Squid Game, and after a coin toss, Gi-hun takes the offensive position. The rules are explained that the winner is determined either by Gi-hun making it to the top of the squid drawn on the ground, or by one of the players killing the other. Gi-hun is enraged by Sang-woo’s cruel act of violence, and the two have a brutal fight that ends with Sang-woo on the ground and Gi-hun holding a knife. But Gi-hun refuses to kill Sang-woo, and also refuses to win the game, which would trigger Sang-woo’s death. He wants them both to walk away with their lives and without the prize money. But Sang-woo, now filled with regret, plunges the knife into his own throat, thus ending the game and determining Gi-hun the winner.

One Year Later

As promised, Gi-hun is allowed to leave with his life and with the prize money, but when he returns home, he’s almost in a daze. He gets to his house and discovers that in his absence, his mother has died. The story then flashes forward a full year later, with Gi-hun looking destitute. He hasn’t touched the prize money at all.

Then Gi-hun gets a mysterious note that leads him to an office building in the middle of the night, where he discovers that not only is Oh Il-nam (O Yeong-su) alive, but he’s the one responsible for creating the deadly games in the first place. Il-nam says he was being truthful about the tumor in his brain, and he decided to play the games himself one time before he died, having spent the rest of his life as an audience member, as thewrap.com reported.

Il-nam reveals that he’s a money lender, and he invented the games as a way to have fun. “Do you know what someone with no money has in common with someone with too much money?” Il-nam asks Gi-hun. “Living is no fun for them. If you have too much money, no matter what you buy, eat or drink, everything gets boring in the end. At some point, all my clients began to tell me the same thing: that they had no joy in life anymore. So we all got together and did some pondering. What can we do to have some fun?”

Gi-hun is visibly upset, wondering how Il-nam could be so callous. He asks Il-nam why he let him live, and Il-nam replies, “Because it was fun playing with you. Thanks to you, I got to remember things from the past I had long forgotten. It’d been so long since I had that much fun.”

Il-nam dies, and Gi-hun leaves the building.

The importance of KRW10,000

When he was released into the ‘real world’ by the gamekeepers, Gi-Hun withdrew KRW10,000 from his account and discovered that the prize money (around KRW49 million) was already in his savings too. He leaves it as it is. He then comes across Sang-Woo’s mother who was worried when she saw him in his bloodied state. She gave him some food and he tried to give her the KRW10,000 he got earlier but she refused. Before he left, she asked him about Sang-Woo but he was too traumatised to answer. He comes home to find that his own mother has passed away.

Photo: Noh Juhan/Netflix.

A year later, we see a bearded Gi-Hun looking even more disheveled than he was at the beginning of the story. He was summoned by the bank for inactivity in his account, saying that the huge amount of money in his savings isn’t earning much interest as it is. Through this we learn that Gi-Hun never touched his prize money. Instead of dealing with the request, Gi-Hun asks the bank manager for KRW10,000 with no explanation, to which the manager agreed curiously. Later we see Gi-Hun using the money to buy flowers from a street vendor.

Both instances were a callback to the first episode. In the pilot, Gi-Hun gambled the KRW10,000 he got from his mother and tried to win back the amount by accepting the challenge from The Salesman (Gong Yoo) who recruited him to the Squid Game.

It might be a metaphor for how much a small amount can change your life, either for better or worse, depending on what you spend it on. Back then, he used the money on senseless things instead of prioritising his mother or his promises to his daughter. Now that he has more money, he’s already lost them both (his daughter was taken away by his ex-wife to the U.S.). Not to mention he lost his childhood friend over it. This might explain why he was so hesitant to spend any of his prize money, considering that getting it brought him nothing but misery.

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Has Squid Game season two been confirmed?

Yes, it's official - season two is on the way.

In June 2022, a post shared via the show's official Twitter page read: 'On your marks. Get set. Greenlight. Squid Game continues, only on Netflix.'

In January 2021, as ELLE reported, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos opened up about the platform's plans for a second season of Squid Game and the 'Squid Game Universe', which he believes has the potential to involve live experiences, merchandise and mobile gaming.

Squid Game 2 Teaser:

'The Squid Game universe has just begun,' Sarandos said,' according to Marca. 'We're building those muscles steadily with our consumer products, both like the Squid Game tracksuits, and then we're making a big push on experiences that are mobile and portable.'

On November 9, 2021, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk spoke to Associated Press, and confirmed what we had all been lusting after, that new episodes of the hit TV show are indeed on their way.

Squid Game became one of Netflix's most talked about shows after its launch in 2021, which is unsurprising really - it's an emotional roller coaster that hooks you in almost immediately.

This resulted in season 1 becoming the most watched show at launch in the streaming service's history, with a staggering 111 million views in just a couple of months.

So, talk naturally turns to season 2 and, with a fairly open ending and unprecedented demand, you can be reassured that it will be on its way.

Hwang Dong-Hyuk writer, director, producer, and creator of @squidgame has a message for the fans. Photo: screenshot.

Squid Game 2: who would be in?

Although the second season is still in its early stages, Hwang confirms that there will be some familiar faces returning next season. Last year’s winner Gi-hun will be back with the Front Man, in addition to a brand-new character. Everyone’s favorite killer doll Young-hee is officially off the market and viewers will be introduced to her boyfriend Cheol-su. Maybe we’ll get a romantic duet from the couple right before they give you that deadly look. Will we see more of The Salesman slapping people in the face? “The man in the suit with ddakji might be back,” Hwang teases. It’s time to cue up the Pink Soldiers’ theme song because the game isn’t over yet.

This may be the easiest question fans can get answers on at the moment, as Squid Game killed off many of its characters throughout season 1. As of right now, the show's lead star Lee Jung-jae is the only one confirmed to be returning for Squid Game season 2. Hwang revealed this news in November 2021 but admitted that he didn't know the character's next move.

“I do think it’s too early to say when and how that’s going to happen," he told the Associated Press. "So I will promise you this, Gi-hun will come back. He will do something for the world.

As for the rest of the Squid Game season 2 cast, don't rule out anyone just yet. In a March interview with Deadline, Hwang had some ideas for the new season and it may just have old characters coming back in unique ways. "No, because most of them are dead,” Hwang said when asked about season 1 characters potentially making a reappearance. “I’ll try something to bring them back to Season 2.”

As goodhousekeeping.com reported, if there is a chance that the show's developers work in prequel scenes or flashbacks throughout season 2, here's who is likely to return:

-Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun

-Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man

-Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho

-Park Hye-jin as Cho Sang-Woo's mother

-Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol

Squid Game 2 release date

Netflix's co-CEO and chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, confirmed a second season of Squid Game will be happening during an earnings call in January 2022.

Squid Game's creator, writer and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, has since estimated that it will release at the end of 2023 or into 2024 at the latest, as pocket-lint.com reported.

He explained in a Vanity Fair interview in May 2022 that he's about to work on the scripts after forming three pages of ideas.

How and where to watch Squid Game 2

Actually, it could be a while before filming starts on Squid Game 2. However, when season 2 of Squid Game appears, it will be on Netflix exclusively - much like the first.

A second season of “Squid Game” was essentially a foregone conclusion after the superlative success of the Korean series on Netflix. By a long shot, the first season marked the streamer’s biggest TV show ever, logging 1.65 billion hours of viewing in the first four weeks of its release last fall, as Variety.com reported.

You can head on over to Netflix to watch season 1 of Squid Game. Anyone can stream the show through the Netflix website or the Netflix app, which works on a multitude of smart devices with streaming capabilities, including iPhone, Android, Roku, Apple TV or Amazon's Fire TV. If you're new to Netflix, sign up for a plan starting at $9.99 monthly.

How many episodes of Squid Game 2

The first season of Squid Game had nine episodes and six "games" within those nine episodes. We'd expect to see a similar amount for the next season.

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What happens next in Squid Game 2?

Photo: Instagram/Netflixkr.

What might the plot of season 2 be?

We know for sure we'll see Squid Game winner Seong Gi-hun again. Hwang said in the November video that Gi-hun would return and "do something for the world." He reiterated that in the June 12 tweet.

Where did we leave our hero? According to Cnet.com, at the end of the first season, Gi-hun hasn't shown a desire to spend his huge winnings, understandably too destroyed by the experience of seeing his friends die. But he was set to fly to Los Angeles to see his beloved daughter when he realized the game was continuing, and he got off the plane with plans to somehow stop it. How he gets back into the game will undoubtedly be a huge part of the second season. It doesn't seem possible he could compete again, but will he sneak in as one of the red-suited guards?

Meanwhile Hwang In-ho won the game in 2015 and somehow decided to become the Front Man, running the tournament for the mysterious host (spoiler) who turns out to be the elderly Oh Il-nam. In-ho definitely shot his brother, police officer Hwang Jun-ho, but we never saw his dead body, and the brotherly conflict would make for a juicy season 2 plotline. What if Jun-ho survives and the two brothers set out to take down the game?

We won't know for sure what will happen if Squid Game returns for a second season but the final scene sets up a huge potential storyline for Gi-hun. Other aspects of the series could see the show branch out even further to other countries or time periods.

With the knowledge of everything that happens during the games, and who the host was, Gi-hun is now in a better position to attempt to take the games down. Alongside his billions, and all the evidence that was (hopefully) sent to the police by Hwang Jun-ho before he was shot by the Front Man, it looks like the Korean games could be in trouble.

We know that the games also take place in other countries too, thanks to a comment by one of the VIPs in episode 7. Could Gi-hun's mission to stop the games lead him to another version in a different location?

There's also the identity of The Front Man, who ascended to the role after winning the 2015 games. Squid Game season 2 could feature flashbacks to previous Korean games as far back as the files suggest, and reveal how Hwang In-ho came to be in the black mask, popbuzz.com reported.

Squid Game season 1 also leaves viewers with a handful of unanswered questions that could possibly be answered within a potential second season. What happens to the players that pick the red square? How are the red jumpsuit people recruited?

Squid Game 2 plot predictions: Will Gi-Hun re-enter the Squid Game?

The final sequence shows Gi-Hun finally ready to restart his life (complete with a matching hair makeover). After his conversation with Il-Nam, it seemed like he had more clarity about what went on and decided to become someone better. We see him about to go to the airport to go see his daughter in the U.S. However, he crosses paths with The Salesman again. He stops the person The Salesman is currently recruiting and gets the Squid Game calling card from The Salesman’s new victim. Gi-Hun ends up turning his back away from his flight, putting the finale to a close, as thebeaulife.co reported.

Director Hwang Dong-Hyuk told the Associated Press that while it's still early to tell what will happen in the sequel, Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae) "will come back" and that he "will do something for the world".

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director also said that while Gi-Hun's "humanity" (a.k.a. kindness and compassion) showed in the first season, it was manifested in a very "passive manner". This is probably because Gi-Hun's drive to survive the games came first, which is understandable given the most basic human instincts. However, Hwang claimed that in the second season, Gi-Hun's values and personality, along with everything he learnt from the games, will be showcased in a more "active manner". Intriguing, right?

Squid Game 2 more plot rumours

Photo: ontop.vn.

Jung Hoyeon recently won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for playing the quick-witted and mysterious North Korean player Sae-Byeok in Squid Game. Her character was a fan favourite but was unfortunately killed off in the eighth episode of Season 1. However, rumours suggest that the show will have her come back in the second season as her original character's twin.

We don't know how to feel about this news since Sae-Byeok's backstory never implied that she had a twin. In fact, it focused on her relationship with her younger brother and how she joined the games for him because they had no one else to fend for them. This makes the idea of a twin a bit ridiculous and created for fanservice. We'd much rather see Jung Hoyeon in Season 2 as Sae-Byeok in a flashback.

This makes more sense plotwise if the series protagonist Gi-Hun a.k.a. Player 467 (Lee Jung-Jae) chooses to reconnect with Sae-Byeok's brother from time to time, especially since Gi-Hun still feels sorry about not being able to save Sae-Byeok in the game.

In Netflix's latest post about the series, Hwang Dong-Hyuk also teased the return of The Front Man (Lee Byung-Hun), the possible reappearance of the man with the red and blue paper tile (Gong Yoo), and the introduction of Cheol-su, the 'boyfriend' of Young-Hee (the creepy robot doll in the first game). Could this signal the repeat of events from Season 1? Or does this mean the games in Season 2 will be something completely unexpected? We're even more hyped now!

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