Things Squid Game Season 1 Did Better Than Season 2

After the entire world waited for more than three years, Netflix finally released Season 2 of Squid Game, the critically acclaimed and immensely popular dystopian thriller series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Even though many viewers criticized this decision, claiming that it didn’t need a second season, it ended up being surprisingly good, maybe even on the same level as the first season. It could even be argued that it surpassed it in a lot of different ways.

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Squid Game: 5 Things Season 2 Does Better Than Season 1

Season 2 of Squid Game provides several notable improvements compared to the previous season, as the following examples illustrate.

Nevertheless, and although everybody involved in its production did an excellent job, several other elements of the new season of Squid Game couldn’t stand up to the first one, and these are some of the most noteworthy examples.

Warning! Spoilers Ahead!

1

Season 1 Was More Refreshing And Surprising

It Was Impossible To Catch Lightning In A Bottle Twice

Back when Squid Game came out in 2021, it immediately gained notoriety and went viral because its premise was unique and shocking: regular citizens dealing with financial hardships participating in a twisted game where they are brutally killed if they fail. It was a ruthless critique of capitalism and a brilliant new take on the battle royale genre that kept viewers hooked and intrigued for nine whole episodes.

Naturally, Season 2 of Squid Game brought back the concept of the titular games, and the writers even implemented new types of games to keep things fresh and surprise audiences. Despite their efforts, it was almost impossible for Season 2 to replicate the impact of Season 1, and most viewers were undoubtedly aware of that when they started watching it.

2

Season 1 Spent More Time On The Real World

It Was Important To Contextualize The Harsh Reality Behind The Games

Another key aspect of Squid Game was the circumstances that forced everyone to participate in the games, even after they were given the option to leave. Season 1 had a relatively slow start because it carefully showed viewers how everyone was struggling financially and had no way to escape their horrible lives. This was a clever narrative device that made the deadly games feel like the only way out for both the characters and the audience.

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In comparison, Season 2 is much more direct. Viewers spend one and a half episodes following Seong Gi-hun’s mission to find the Front Man and put an end to the games before he’s quickly forced to participate in them once again. While it’s perfectly understandable why the writers did this – as some viewers may have grown impatient if the games didn’t start as quickly as possible – this made them feel a lot less necessary and poignant when compared to the ones from the first season.

3

The Original Cast Of Characters Was Much More Relatable

Viewers Knew A Lot More About The Lives Of The S1 Contestants

One of the biggest concerns about Squid Game’s second season was its cast of characters because, aside from Seong Gi-hun, every single other important character was dead, due to the deadly nature of the games. However, and much to everybody’s surprise, Season 2 did the impossible and managed to introduce yet another cast of memorable and likable characters, including Thanos, Park Yong-sik, Jang Geum-ja, Cho Hyun-ju, Lee Myung-gi, and more.

But there’s one crucial aspect about the contestants in which Season 2 paled in comparison to Season 1, and it’s their backstories. Back then, viewers spent a lot of time, not only with Seong Gi-hun but also with the other important characters, like Cho Sang-woo, Kang Sae-byeok, and Ali Abdul, which later made their eventual deaths a lot more shocking. Season 2 barely covers the backstories and motivations of its participants, and thus, it feels like Gi-hun is the only main character.

4

Seong Gi-hun Was More Likable Back In Season 1

He Still Is A Solid Lead, But He’s A Lot Less Sympathetic

As the winner and sole survivor of the original season’s games, Seong Gi-hun went through some major character development before the start of the second season. What was once a clumsy and irresponsible man with a heart of gold now became a serious and moody multimillionaire obsessed with his goal of stopping the games.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Gi-hun became a bad protagonist, because his change is completely reasonable, not to mention that some scenes in Season 2 show that he is still quite considerate and that he doesn’t want the people around him to die. But having a main character that was explicitly kind and a bit goofy made Season 1 a lot more lighthearted, and turned Gi-hun into a beacon of hope in a show with such a dark atmosphere. Season 2 severely lacks this element, and it feels a lot more bleak and pessimistic as a result.

5

Hwang Jun-ho Actually Had Something To Do

The Detective’s Subplot Was One Of The Biggest Disappointments Of Season 2

One of the most notorious aspects of Squid Game’s first season was the sub-plot surrounding Hwang Jun-ho, a detective who goes undercover to infiltrate the games and find his missing brother, only to discover that he was the Front Man all along. This part of the show was admittedly a lot less engaging than the actual games and its participants, but it worked well with the narrative because it showed viewers how the games worked in the background and who was responsible for them.

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Season 2 sadly didn’t do the character of Hwang Jun-ho justice. After it’s revealed that he survived the encounter with his brother at the end of Season 1, he briefly meets with Seong Gi-Hun at the very beginning of the new one, only to spend every subsequent episode stuck on a boat, looking for the location of the games and getting tricked by the Front Man. This will most likely be fixed in Season 3, but Hwang Jun-ho did so little this time around, that it’s easy to forget that he was supposed to be one of the main characters of this story.

6

Season 1 Was A Complete Story

The Original Season Had A Clear Beginning And End

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote the original season as a contained story that wasn’t intended to have a continuation. This is quite evident in the final result because Season 1 of Squid Game has a clear beginning and a clear ending, with a small loose plot thread that was left open in case Netflix and/or Dong-hyuk wanted to produce a second season. Viewers can watch Season 1, ignore Season 2 in its entirety, and they will still have a complete and satisfying experience.

But Netflix “lied” to its users, because what it has labeled as Season 2 of Squid Game feels more like the first half of the season, while the upcoming Season 3 will be its second half. This is an incomplete story that feels like it stops around the middle, just when it was getting interesting. This will cease being an issue when Season 3 releases later in 2025, but this strange decision resulted in Season 2 being a lot less accessible and captivating than Season 1.

Release Date

September 17, 2021

Directors

Hwang Dong-hyuk

Showrunner

Hwang Dong-hyuk