In 2021, Netflix unveiled a South Korean production promised to be moderately successful. No promotional campaign, no link with a known license and an anonymous creator on the international scene, Squid Game should only conquer the territory that hatched it. However, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s series is quickly becoming one of the most viewed of the moment. In a few weeks, it climbed the ranks until it established itself as the most viewed work in the history of the N rouge. As we write these lines, Squid Game has been seen more than 265 million times. For reference, Netflix has over 280 million subscribers worldwide. No other series has managed to surpass these results and the start of work on a sequel was not long in being made official. If we had to wait three years to see this second burst of episodes take over the Netflix catalog, the time has soon come to find Gi-Hun in his vengeful quest. A look back at events not to be forgotten.
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Gi-Hun: from loser to winner
The narration begins alongside Gi-Hun, a penniless unemployed man. Father of a little girl whom he rarely sees, he is addicted to games of chance and sought by creditors. He spends his day betting on horses but doesn’t really have a lucky hand. After another defeat, he is approached by a man in a suit who offers him to play Ddakji. Using an envelope, he must return that of his opponent who is on the ground. If he wins a round, Gi-Hun wins 100,000 won. If he loses, he owes the sum to the person we call “the seller”. Our hero takes a serious beating before winning a round and being offered a business card. He is invited to participate in strange games… Over the course of the episodes, this failure will gain consistency. More courageous, just, but also ruthless, he will manage to distinguish himself as the winner of Squid Game.
Hunger Games with a playground twist
From its first episodeSquid Game evolved in a colorful universe but where hemoglobin red is the dominant shade. Don’t be fooled by the very regressive aesthetic of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s creation, the series is not for everyone. 456 players are invited to participate in a secret competition in order to land a huge jackpot. They will have to confront each other around games inspired by childhooduntil there is only one left. At stake, a significant reward of 45.6 billion won or a little more than 33 million euros. This sum could greatly change the lives of participants who are drowning in debt.
1,2,3 sun, a revisited hopscotch or a game of marbles, the events follow one another… but are not alike. Nothing too bad at first glance, except that there are no second chances. Those who fail are shot by guards who wear red jumpsuits and masks with geometric shapes. These are the same guards who monitor the players between two events, when they are in the huge hangar which serves as their dormitory.
A leader and a mysterious sponsor
From the first moments, the Netflix series presents the person who oversees the games. With his black mask, the character supervises operations and ensures that the tests go smoothly. While his identity remains a secret for a long time, it is revealed during the season that his name is Hwang In-ho. Played by Lee Byung-hun, the character is an essential component of the series. He should also return for the second round of episodes, he is still alive when the first season ends. “Front Man” is not at the top of the hierarchysince he seems to be responding to the orders of a mysterious sponsor. We can also see spectators wearing golden masks. These are probably very rich men and women, ready to do anything to have fun.
It is also appropriate to take a brief overview of the different ranks within the “organizers” of these sadistic Olympics. Below the black masks, the henchmen of “Front Man” are divided into three castes. The squares are the highest ranking and supervise thetriangles and circles. The latter take care of the dirty work, such as collecting the bodies. The triangles march in the ranks to kill the losers.
Jun-ho, the policeman looking for his brother
Alongside the adventures of Gi-Hun and the other players, Squid Game explores the genre of investigation with a detective willing to do anything to find his brother. The latter has disappeared and left as the only clue a map similar to the one given to our characters before the game. Jun-ho will manage to infiltrate the island which hosts the games and pretend to be a guard. He discovers the player register from previous years. In 2015, his brother participated and won the competition. After several twists and turns, he finds him. It was he who hid under the mask and ensured that the tests went smoothly. Their confrontation will be particularly violent, the policeman is shot in the shoulder and falls into the void. We have not seen his body, suggesting a return in the second round of episodes.
We know who the big bad guy is!
From his first moments in the arena, Gi-Hun takes a liking to an old man suffering from a brain tumor. Number 1, also called Oh Il-nam, is doing particularly well for a player of his age and will manage to reach the marbles test. He sacrifices himself for Gi-Hun and is killed by one of the guards. But, while the series has never hesitated to show the bodies of deceased characters, his death takes place off-camera. The final episode will reveal that he survived and is even behind the games. Rich, but no longer finding anything to entertain himself, he had the idea of imagining a competition inspired by the games of his childhood and betting (with other bosses of large companies) on the fate of all the participants. Our hero is now determined to track down the organizers of this sordid competition.
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The appointment is made for December 26 on Netflix. Eight episodes are on the program for this second salvo, which will not be the last. The series, which was only supposed to have one season, will ultimately have three. Spectators can also rejoice since the wait should not be as long as between seasons 1 and 2. Netflix has promised a season 3 in 2025probably in December as well.
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