Squid
Game
2
is
almost
a
rehash
of
the
earlier
season,
discovers
Deepa
Gahlot.
When
Korean
series
Squid
Game
came
out
in
2021,
it
went
on
to
become
the
most
watched
show
on
Netflix.
Soon
enough,
there
was
merchandise
on
sale,
spin-offs
and
simulations
that
invariably
follow
such
success.
The
show
was
popular
probably
because
it
was
a
reflection
of
the
world
we
live
in,
where
the
poor
and
vulnerable
are
considered
disposable
trash.
The
creator
of
the
brutal
games
in
the
show
makes
death
a
spectator
sport
for
the
amusement
of
the
rich.
Quite
like
war
coverage
on
television.
Writer-director
Hwang
Dong-hyuk
was
right
in
surmising
that
greed
can
turn
people
into
animals,
and
so
desensitised
have
we
become
to
images
of
massacres
on
screen,
that
people
dying
in
large
numbers
is
not
even
scary.
It
is
entertaining.
Social
media
flaunting
of
wealth
and
privilege
seems
to
declare
that
a
life
without
money
is
not
worth
living.
The
first
season
laid
out
the
setting
of
a
group
of
desperate
participants
being
taken
to
an
island
to
play
deadly
versions
of
traditional
Korean
children’s
games,
orchestrated
by
thrill-seeking
sadists.
If
they
win,
they
get
unimaginable
wealth.
If
they
lose,
they
die.
Reminiscent
of
William
Golding’s
survivalist
classic
Lord
Of
The
Flies,
Japanese
film
Battle
Royale
and
Hollywood’s
Hunger
Games,
the
show
boasts
of
terrific
production
values
that
raises
it
miles
above
what
it
could
have
become:
a
jumped
up
Bigg
Boss.
In
the
first
season,
Seong
Gi-hun
(Lee
Jung-jae),
after
losing
his
job
and
racking
up
gambling
debts,
is
approached
by
a
mysterious
stranger,
promising
him
a
bounty
that
will
solve
all
his
problems.
All
he
has
to
do
is
play
some
games
that
require
no
particular
skills.
Gi-hun
is
rendered
unconscious
and
taken
to
a
mysterious
location
with
sterile
walls
and
bunk
beds,
right
out
of
a
sci-fi
nightmare.
The
455
other
wretched
men
and
women,
hoping
to
rid
themselves
of
debt,
are
guarded
by
masked
and
armed
guards
in
magenta
costumes
resembling
PPE
kits
that
are
still
a
visual
memory
of
the
COVID
era.
They
are
told
the
rules:
If
they
are
not
able
to
keep
up,
they
are
eliminated.
In
the
first
game
itself,
the
participants
discover
that
elimination
means
death.
The
rules
state
that
players
can
vote
to
leave
any
time
they
want
but
a
majority
of
them
vote
to
stay
on
despite
the
risks.
The
masked
man
in
black,
the
Front
Man,
who
runs
the
show,
correctly
understands
that
greed
is
the
biggest
motivator.
For
money,
people
will
kill
or
die.
Gi-hun
miraculously
wins
the
games
and
returns
with
a
huge
sum.
But
instead
of
enjoying
his
fortune,
in
Season
2,
that
takes
place
two
years
later,
he
gets
obsessed
with
hunting
down
the
people
who
organise
the
games
and
stop
them
for
good.
Realising
that
he
has
been
dehumanised
by
the
games,
he
uses
his
money
to
trace
the
Recruiter,
who
lured
people
to
participate.
In
a
scene
early
in
the
show,
the
Recruiter
offers
a
bunch
of
homeless
a
choice
between
bread
and
a
lottery
ticket.
Most
choose
the
ticket
and
lose.
Rather
than
let
them
eat
the
food
they
rejected,
he
stomps
all
over
it.
Police
officer
Hwang
Jun-ho
(Wi
Ha-jun)
recovers
from
the
attempted
murder
by
his
older
brother,
In-ho
(Lee
Byung-hun),
the
search
for
whom
had
taken
him
to
the
island,
in
Season
1,
where
he
witnessed
the
diabolical
games.
He
joins
hand
with
Gi-Hun
to
destroy
the
masterminds
of
the
game.
It
takes
two
episodes
for
Gi-hun
and
Jun-ho
to
plan
their
attack,
which
immediately
goes
wrong.
Having
volunteered
to
participate
in
the
games
again,
Gi-hun
is
trapped
on
the
island,
with
the
rescue
team
misdirected
by
the
sinister
Front
Man
and
his
evil
crew.
Season
2
is
almost
a
rehash
of
the
earlier
season
with
the
same
games
and
the
same
display
of
greed
by
participants
who
vote
to
stay
on.
This
time,
they
don’t
get
detailed
back
stories
but
over
seven
episodes,
the
various
connections
between
characters
are
established.
But
the
characters
are
not
that
sympathetic
this
time
round.
The
addition
is
Gi-hun’s
knowledge
of
the
games,
enabling
him
to
save
as
many
lives
as
he
can,
and
the
undercover
presence
of
an
antagonist.
After
a
point,
before
the
blood-spilling
eliminations
even
take
place,
the
participants
reduce
themselves
to
savagery
to
get
a
larger
share
of
the
promised
billions.
It
is
a
microcosm
of
society
outside,
with
the
majority
bullying
a
weaker
minority
and
democracy
being
subverted
by
self-interest.
Season
2
ends
with
a
cliffhanger,
as
a
character
says,
‘The
game
will
not
end
unless
the
world
changes.’
The
world
is
not
suddenly
going
to
turn
Utopian
but
Season
2
is
just
a
cynical
manipulation
of
the
show’s
fan
base
(pink
jumpsuits
as
a
fashion
statement!),
rather
than
a
genuine
fleshing
out
of
the
plot.
It
was
the
stylish
production
design
(candy
coloured
sets),
superior
soundtrack
and
performances
that
made
Squid
Games
such
a
sensation.
But
if
Season
3
just
offers
more
of
the
same
artistically
choreographed
carnage,
there
is
disappointment
in
store
already.
Still,
Lee
Jung-jae,
the
first
Asian
star
to
win
an
Emmy
for
his
performance,
drives
Squid
Games
2
as
its
moral
core,
representing
the
small
but
strong
group
of
people
who
stand
up
for
what
is
right.
Squid
Game
2
streams
on
Netflix.
Squid
Game
2
Review
Rediff
Rating:
