The Netflix survival drama September release on Netflix, Squid Game became the most watched show on the streaming platform. And it’s likely that Netflix executives and the rest of the show runners will want to parlay Squid Game’s initial success into the development of a second season.
Squid Game’s final episodes served to close the overarching story arcs in the new death games series. In a final confrontation with the Front Man, police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) gets shot in the shoulder, falls off a cliff, and drops into the sea below. The man who shot him, the Front Man, is also revealed to be the long-lost brother he was looking for, In-ho (Lee Byung-hun). Meanwhile, only one of Squid Game’s 456 players survive. Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) wins the final game and gets to take home Squid Game’s 45.6 billion won prize. When Gi-hun meets Oh Il-nam (Oh Young-soo) on his deathbed, Il-nam reveals that he’s actually a billionaire, and that he founded and financed the games on the island. Gi-hun uses the money he wins to do right by North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) and disgraced businessman Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo). He does this by fetching Sae-byeok’s little brother from the orphanage, putting him in the care of Sang-woo’s mother, and giving them the money to have a decent life. It would seem that the loose ends are neatly tied up as Squid Game comes to an end.
However, as Gi-hun makes his way to the airport to see his daughter in the US, he sees The Salesman (Gong Yoo) recruiting a player for Squid Game through a game of ddakji – the same way he was recruited. While Gi-hun fails to confront The Salesman during the ending of Squid Game, he manages to snag his card from the potential recruit. As Gi-hun is about to board the plane, he uses the card to call Squid Game’s organizers and exchange threats with the person on the other line. He then turns around from his flight and hurries out of the airport, with an expression that seems determined to make do on his threats of putting an end to the games once and for all. Although Il-nam, Squid Game’s founder, is dead, this final scene confirms that not only are the games going to continue, but that Gi-hun is ready to do anything to stop them.
The Front Man Or Someone Else Could Step Up
The death of Il-nam creates a power vacuum in the Squid Game universe. However, there will be no shortage of VIPs vying for the top spot in the organization that Il-nam left behind. Similar to James Wan’s Saw movies, someone else could take up the mantle of the boss. And if it’s not the Front Man, also known as In-ho, a new character could be introduced to take on the role of boss in Squid Game season 2. After all, as Gi-hun himself learned during the ending, the death of one man isn’t enough to stop the long-term operations of Squid Game.
Hwang Jun-Ho Could Still Be Alive
Jun-ho, the largest threat to the continuation of the games, is presumed dead when he is shot by In-ho in the shoulder and falls into the sea. However, the shot isn’t fatal, and his corpse is never shown onscreen. Also, neither In-ho nor his workers was shown making sure that Jun-ho is actually dead. While the final scene confirms that Squid Game is back in full swing, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Jun-ho is dead and that his neo-noir detective story is over. If the evidence he gathered for the police was swept under the rug, Jun-ho could already be planning his next move – and he might even team up with Gi-hun in Squid Game season 2.
The VIPs Are Still Running Games Elsewhere
A small but interesting detail that could provide more clues about season 2 is when one of the VIPs remarked that the games in Korea are the best this year. This implies that other versions of Squid Game are happening in other places in the world. Focusing on a version of the games set elsewhere would be a great opportunity for Squid Game to expand on its themes of wealth inequality, but with children’s games from a different place and culture. And much like season 1, this could also allow showrunners to introduce a whole new cast of niche actors to Squid Game, but from a different country’s roster of talents. Furthermore, if Squid Game season 2 goes international, showrunners could also opt for a setting that’s very different, yet even more secretive and menacing, than season 1’s island.
Squid Game Season 2 Could Be A Period Piece
When Jun-ho infiltrates the Front Man’s inner chambers, it’s revealed that Squid Game has been going on for decades. This is when he finds out that his long-lost brother In-ho won the games at some point. Jun-ho also finds comprehensive files on Squid Game’s current and previous players, many of which are decades old. Disguised as one of the horror movies and series, there’s a lot of room for Squid Game to continue its unique take on the death games genre.
