Whooooooboy, now we’re on the trolly! The pace of the story was something I loved about season one of Squid Game: we got to know Gihoon, discovered the nature of the games with him, went back to learn more about the characters and grew to care about them, then watched in abject horror as almost everyone we’d grown to love was brutally murdered. Delightful.
The nature of a sequel is different—we already know what we need to know about the premise of the show. Instead, we needed to be brought up to speed with what our intrepid doofus was up to, and boy was he BUSY. It’s quite nice seeing the change in Gihoon from season one. He’s not only prepared, he’s using his head, thinking logically, calling the shots with confidence, and his hair can’t be seen from orbit. Tangible growth!
Junho was staking out the motel (as one is wont to do) when he heard the gunshot and scampered up to where the action was. First he found our adorable gangster, who told him what room Gihoon and his guest were in. This led to some zany misunderstandings and a fire extinguisher to the head for Hot Cop. Classic romp!
Junho and Gihoon had a heart-to-heart where, after Junho revealed they’re actually old friends from the game, they also figured out they have a common goal: find the Front Man, for REASONS!
I bet both of these boys got their sharing badges in kindergarten because they immediately started spilling their respective information (in this house we stan efficient communication!) Granted, Junho left out the part about the man in the black mask being his (literal) flesh and blood (because of the donated kidney… yeah, you get it) but I’m sure that won’t become a problem with their bestfriendship later.
Gihoon gave them the tour of his love motel, including the giant slat of money, armoury, and shooting range. Awwww, he’s nesting.
Honestly, when he turned around in the last episode of season one, I was very proud, but also a bit… doubtful? He has a heart of gold, but perhaps not the brains to back it up? But this impressed me!! Our boy is PREPARED.
I asked about the kids in Gihoon’s life last recap, and then my query was immediately answered. Thanks, show! Turns out Gihoon creeps on Saebyeok’s brother with Sangwoo’s mom every so often, and has been trying to get their mother from North Korea. Way to follow through, my man!
He also called his daughter with the classic prank-call move of not speaking. The fact that she suspected it might be him means she doesn’t think he’s dead. Take the win, Gihoon!
Meanwhile, Hot Cop paid a visit to his mom on the anniversary of his sister-in-law’s death, which gave us quite the insight into the Front Man. Turns out he took bribes as a police officer in order to pay for his wife’s treatment, but then he got caught and was fired in disgrace, I think? And they both sort of blame themselves because instead he could have sold the kidney he gave to Junho. As far as awful Squid Game backstories go, this one doesn’t even breach top five, Front Man! Quit being such a murderer about it!
They put a fake tooth with a tracker into Gihoon, and the process looked VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. Moving on.
Adorable Gangster brought a bunch of mercenaries to the party, and my goodness this boy was EXCITED about all the potential violence. He’s so cute, please show, please don’t take him from me.
They came up with a fool-proof plan, which we knew would absolutely work out because it’s episode two, and the show probably wanted to wrap up all the conflict early so Gihoon could get to the part where he goes to his hometown and falls in love with a mall Santa agent and rediscovers the spirit of Christmas.
Halloween, babayyyyy!!! Gihoon and Adorable Gangster went into the party to hunt down the Front Man. While Gihoon was being led away by a guard, Adorable Gangster was tazed and left to snooze on a bar. Shenanigans!
Hot cop recognized the guards and tried to get to them, but he was just a smidge too late (story of this guy’s life, maybe?) and Gihoon was swept off his feet and whisked away in a limousine.
Gihoon tried for about seven and a half seconds to try and convince the Front Man to stop the games, but he knew going into this that Plan A was never going to work, so as his team of besties were getting quietly tire-sniped off the road, he skipped to Plan B.
He convinced Front Man to put him back in the games by pointing out how amused the gross rich dudes would be by it. Front Man had to have known he was up to something, but maybe he’s been afflicted with Rich People Ennui, too, because he agreed.
If you’ll allow me to get all the message of this show is great for a sec—the fact that Front Man argued that, “The game will not end unless the world changes,” um, YEAH, dude! It’s not the individual’s fault that they end up in the impossible circumstances that drive them to the game, it’s the structures of society. The fact that he recognizes that and still thinks the game simply ‘disposes of trash’ shows just how warped people’s perception of society can be. How can these two men believe the same thing and yet be on opposite sides? This isn’t Twitter! Just get your shit together and go do karate in the garage!
Looks like they’re all going on an adventure! Let’s hope that tracker survives Gihoon stress-grinding his teeth!
In a parallel story, we met Noeul, who didn’t seem to be having a great time with life. She was sleeping in her car, working in an amusement park in a huge character costume (those things can’t smell great) and generally rocking a very attractive sad-sack frown the entire episode.
Turns out she’s trying to get her daughter from North Korea, whom she had to leave after shooting her superior officer and defecting. I mean… if you’re going to walk into someone’s office for the purposes of revealing your backstory, better make it dramatic, right?? Take note, Front Man!
We can assume from the scars on her wrist that she previously tried to kill herself, and with the pills and booze, she seemed well on her way to a second (or third or fourth) attempt. But then she got the ol’ tippity-tap on her window with an alternative offer.
The daughter of the cartoonist at the amusement park has a blood disease that might only be cured with a new drug (ahem, we’ll be seeing him again, I assume). After quitting her job, our girl popped by the hospital to return the kid’s cute strawberry hat and give her tiny hand a sad li’l squeeze (IT’S FINE).
Oh man, they got me! This show got me so good. And they gave us all the hints, too. She was in the North Korean military, she knows how to handle herself (and weapons). Of COURSE they recruited her as a guard!
The fact that they transport them like cattle—yikes! It doesn’t matter what role they have in the games, they’re not considered human to the people in charge. What a fun mirror to society that’s not depressing at all!
Were you shocked? Did you see it coming? Were you too excited to get back to the murder game that you didn’t really care? I have to say, I appreciate that the show took two whole episodes before getting to the game, but I’m happy to be heading back. Which, yes, I *will* bring that up with my therapist, thank you for asking.
SOME STUFF
- Shows love to knock people out with blunt-force trauma to the head. Hot Cop has been through ENOUGH, he cannot afford to lose any more brain cells! I’m a little concerned about the amount of people who watch television and think you’ll just wake up in a bathtub and have a cute little bestfriend convo after being KNOCKED OUT WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER.
- How relaxing do you think it is to play a dead body in a scene? Good for you, Gong Yoo, get that rest.
- The reveal that Noeul will be a guard was very cool and it got me wondering how the game admin chooses the guards. Clearly they’re in the same kind of dire straights as the players. How do they decide who will be a guard versus who will be a player?
- Does this season seem a bit more positive than the last one? Yes, society is terrible and capitalism is the absolute worst, but at an individual level, the characters seem to be generally less awful. The gangsters coming through, the broker not taking the money, Sangwoo’s mother raising Saebyeok’s brother, the mermaid fisherman saving Hot Cop and starting a book club… there just seems to be a larger theme of individuals helping each other out, and OKAY FINE, I’LL STOP GETTING MISTY ABOUT IT, let’s move on.
- Do we think the fact that two guards showed up at a halloween party was a nod to the fact that in real life, half that party would’ve been Squid Game characters?
- Front Man wasn’t in the hospital room with them with Grampa 001 died, so when Gihoon started going off about looking out the window at a homeless man, I’m picturing Front Man in the passenger seat side-eyeing the driver like, “WTF is this guy talking about?”
- Is selling organs the first avenue to make quick cash? Is that the first thing people think to do?
- Front Man talking through a ‘piggy bank’ speaker… the touches!
- On a scale of one to BLOOD THIRSTY how excited were you that the next episode brings us back to the game?
OKAY THANKS FOR DROPPING BY HAVE A NICE DAY!
Toni Watches 