Gi-hun finds himself back on the island and subject to the sadistic, brutal games once more. Here’s our review of Squid Game season 2 episode 3.
Spoiler warning! No big spoilers for this episode, but plenty for all previous episodes.
Dear readers and Squid Game fans. Episode 3 of Squid Game season 2 finally brings us back to the games. This is what we’ve been waiting for and let me tell you, the episode does not disappoint.
Seong Gi-hun wakes up in the great, big hall where he was imprisoned three years ago and is once again branded Player 456, which is a nice, petty touch on the Front Man’s part. Of course this time around, he asked to be put in the games and isn’t seeking the prize money. He’s after blood, preferably that of the Front Man.
The rules have changed a tiny bit since last season. This time, the players will vote after each game whether or not to continue in the games and they will also wear a patch that showcases their vote, which will inevitably divide the group into two camps after each vote essentially. If more people vote to leave, the players will still get a share of the big money pot, but just how greedy will this group of players get? We’ll find out, I suppose.
The first game is everyone’s favourite one: Red Light, Green Light. The giant doll with motion sensor eyes will prey on the players again, with snipers shooting anyone moving when they’re not supposed to. Gi-hun has, obviously, played the game before so he quickly becomes the unofficial leader of the group, trying to guide them as we already saw in the trailer.
Would you believe a crazy lad shouting about motion sensors and guns when trying to play a children’s game? No, you wouldn’t and neither do these people. It’s not exactly a spoiler to say that a lot of people die before they learn to listen to Gi-hun and make it past the finish line. After all, that’s what we want, right? Squid Game wouldn’t be Squid Game if everyone lived happily ever after.
Watching Gi-hun become a leader here is hugely enjoyable. Gi-hun was lost and down on his luck in season 1, but, weirdly, pursuing the people behind these games has given him a sense of purpose. You know, silver linings and all that. The character’s transformation overall is one of the driving forces of Squid Game season 2.
We also meet some of the other players in this episode. There’s Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) and Park Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun), a mother and son duo who are immediately among the most empathetic characters in this series. We also meet Thanos (played by rapper T.O.P), a former rapper who lost his money in bad crypto deals, thanks to Youtuber Lee Myung-gi (Im Si-wan) who is also part of the games. Myung-gi is having terrible luck because not only is he completely broke, his pregnant and very angry ex-girlfriend Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri ) is also playing.
This is just a snapshot of the characters playing for the prize money this time. If we listed all of them, you’d still be reading this review on New Year’s eve. We’ll go into more detail about their internal dynamics in our reviews, but straight away, some basic stereotypes begin to emerge here. Thanos is an obvious villain and a bit of a caricature as well, but Squid Game is definitely trying out new things by expanding the pool of characters we follow.
This season is definitely giving us a lot of perspectives and episode 2 also teased that we’d be getting a guard’s POV this season as No-eul was taken to the island to dress in that very fashionable pink onesie. It’s a lot to cram into one season, but three episodes in, Squid Game season 2 is very intriguing and has managed to change things up just enough so it’s not just a carbon copy of what came before.
All episodes of Squid Game season 2 are now streaming on Netflix
