Squid Game came out of the blue as a force to be reckoned with when the Netflix exclusive dropped in September of 2021. The series revolved around Lee Jung-Jae‘s Seong Gi-hum and 455 players, all of whom are in deep financial hardship. They opt to risk their lives by playing a set of deadly games for a chance to win a huge cash reward that would change their lives forever.
The first season was a huge sensation because of how compelling the series was. The complex themes only added to the attention-grabbing narrative of watching desperate people trying to play silly (but often cool) games. The streaming service just dropped a new teaser for the upcoming second season.
Bringing back a show that could’ve had one season is tricky. The second season can be as good as the first. Hell, the second season can be better than it! However, these are things that season two must avoid to bring out the best of Squid Game.
Following The Same Structural Narrative As Season One
This one is a big “duh”, but a big part of the reason fans were so glued to their television series is the games themselves. Arguably, that’s Squid Game‘s bread and butter. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk doesn’t have to get rid of the games aspect. Except for the final competition, it would be best if he diversified the set pieces by showcasing a bunch of new games.
More importantly, the dynamic simply can’t be the same. Seong Gi-hum shouldn’t be competing for the same reasons. Nor should the new cast have similar personalities or plights of the first season. Everyone here is competing in the Squid Game due to their financial troubles. It’s okay to keep that same principle in the second season.
However, having similar moments such as Cho Sang-woo outsmarting Abdul Ali or the main protagonist of the second round refusing to kill his friend in the final game likely means that the creator doesn’t have anything new to say with his story.
But the reason that Squid Game was so compelling was the intimate moments we got during and in between games. If Hwang Dong-hyuk can still capture that magic without copying the first season then Squid Game 2 can be just as exciting and rich as its predecessor.
Relying On The American VIP’s Again
The purpose of the VIPs was important to the story. It showcased that the rich see the poor as nothing but pawns or “racehorses” in their eyes. It highlighted how sick the 1% can be overall. Still, the Americans were easily some of the worst parts of the series. The acting wasn’t particularly good. It would be best if the same cast members didn’t return to the series.
There are no issues with showcasing a different set of VIP’s again. Though, it would be best not to fall back into the same scenario as the first season as it’ll be a boring copy-and-paste situation. However, we as an audience understand how the rich view these contestants, and thus, the only reason a similar scene should be showcased is due to whatever Seong Gi-hum is doing to stop the latest set of Squid Games.
Only Focusing On The Squid Game
Focusing on the Squid Game for most of the season was a great idea because of how fresh and unique the premise was. Since we’re following Seong Gi-hum’s character, that doesn’t need to be the case this time around. While it’s likely that he’ll end up back on the secret island again, the perspective should change on whether he’s going to take down this twisted competition.
More importantly, it would be a great insight into how the constants are chosen, or how the Front Man knows about all the contestant’s lives. There’s nothing wrong with following the game per se, but opening up the world by exploring both the rich and poor sides would bring a fresh and intriguing perspective to the series.
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