Proceed fastidiously; spoilers for the tip of “Squid Sport” season 2 lie forward.
The second season of writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s acclaimed — and unbelievably common — Netflix collection “Squid Sport” is formally right here, and the third season, based on Hwang, will premiere someday in 2025. Based mostly on the season finale, “Buddy or Foe,” what can viewers count on … and what about that huge cliffhanger?
Let’s again up for a second. Originally of season 2, the winner of the video games seen on display screen in season 1, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), stays in South Korea regardless of the sport’s Entrance Man, Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun), urging him to decamp to America and go away his time within the recreation behind. He would not — and because the collection jumps two years forward, we be taught that Gi-hun has spent that complete time making an attempt to suss out the Entrance Man and cease the video games as soon as and for all (on account of all of the homicide concerned). After his plan involving a GPS tracker inside a false tooth goes awry, Gi-hun is simply caught within the video games, however has one benefit: he is finished this earlier than.
Similar to in season 1, there’s loads of petty squabbling amongst the 456 contestants over the large quantity of prize cash, however amidst that, Gi-hun is ready to corral a small and constant group of fellow gamers to revolt towards the guards and, within the course of, the Entrance Man himself. Because the gamers break up into two factions — those that need to preserve enjoying and those that need the sport to finish — Gi-hun and some others suppose they’ve overtaken a handful of guards, just for your complete mission to finish in utter catastrophe. So the place does Gi-hun find yourself, and the way does this arrange the present’s third season?
Gi-hun ends season 2 of Squid Sport in critical hazard
On the finish of season 2 of “Squid Sport” — which is comprised of seven episodes — pandemonium breaks out within the participant quarters between the “X” faction (who need to go away the sport and which incorporates Gi-hun) and the “O” faction, who need to keep and end … and right here, “pandemonium” signifies that all of them begin combating to the loss of life. (That is partly out of sheer rage and partly as a result of each participant is aware of that as you whittle down the variety of contestants, the prize pot grows.) Gi-hun and his small military all conceal underneath the bunks and mainly let different gamers duke it out, all of the whereas ready for guards to come back in and break up the large battle. When the guards arrive, Gi-hun and his pals subdue a couple of guards and steal their weapons, opening fireplace on the pink suit-clad masked oppressors.
There’s one huge drawback with this plan, unbeknownst to Gi-hun. Certainly one of his “allies,” who’s masquerading as Participant 001, is really In-ho, also called the Entrance Man. (Followers of “Squid Sport” will recall that the present mainly did this very same factor in Season 1, in order that’s … neat.) All through the battle, In-ho acts like he is on Gi-hun’s facet, however when he components methods with Gi-hun, In-ho fakes his personal loss of life, dons his masks once more, and kills Gi-hun’s closest buddy Jung-bae (Lee Search engine optimization-hwan) proper in entrance of Gi-hun. The present then cuts to black (apart from a post-credits scene), so it is comparatively protected to imagine that season 3 will choose up proper the place season 2 left off.
Season 3 of Squid Sport will see Gi-hun grapple with an enormous discovery
It is affordable sufficient to imagine that, as season 3 of “Squid Sport” will get going, Gi-hun will be taught that the Entrance Man is definitely the man who’s been his ally within the recreation itself up till this level. That would mimic the twist in season 1 fairly instantly (though the present already repeated mentioned twist verbatim, so something goes, apparently), nevertheless it actually appears like season 2 was constructing as much as this massive reveal. However, possibly the Entrance Man finds a special option to punish Gi-hun and retains him at nighttime about his id — apart from Jung-bae, Gi-hun’s different pals within the recreation are nonetheless alive (so far as we all know) — so the Entrance Man might keep masked, not reveal that he is really Hwang In-ho, and easily choose off the remainder of Gi-hun’s allies. (This might be actually merciless for audiences, however that is “Squid Sport,” in order that would not precisely be unprecedented.)
There’s additionally the matter of In-ho’s brother as Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), a detective who’s trying to find In-ho and the precise location of the video games. He is not precisely getting anyplace, however hopefully, his lackluster storyline will put him again within the motion in season 3. At this level, one factor feels considerably sure: Gi-hun will not be casually becoming a member of the video games as a brand new participant for a third time, and the collection undoubtedly feels prefer it’ll shift its battle to a showdown between Gi-hun and the Entrance Man.
“Squid Sport” season 2 is streaming on Netflix now.