The Netflix series phenomenon Squid Game returns after three years. Fans have been waiting a long time for the story to continue but the wait is finally over. Courtesy of Netflix Malaysia, we watched the first episode of Squid Game Season 2. How was it? Read on to find out.

Press Start

The battle royale death game genre isn’t anything new. The Japanese movie Battle Royale (2000) launched it into mainstream popularity and while there’s been many that have delved into the genre, none of them have been as widely popular as Squid Game has been. I was one of those sceptical of the series when it was announced because I was afraid that it would just feature trope after boring trope.

To my pleasant surprise, it was one of the best examples of the genre, making everything feel new by incorporating cultural Korean games and featuring strong themes/subject matter such as the social disparity between the wealthy and the poor.

While I only watched the first episode of Squid Game Season 2, it already felt tense and compelling from the beginning. The first episode of the second season doesn’t waste any precious time, following where we left off from the previous season. I won’t spoil any details, but there is a time skip (of several years) that works in the show’s favour. It always feels more immersive and engaging when movies and shows acknowledge the long periods between releases as if they happened in real-time. Squid Game Season 2 hooked me in from the very first episode, with an amazing first hour that left me salivating for more. Fans of the series will definitely be happy with this first episode.

In addition, it’s interesting how Squid Game Season 2 Episode 1 features a game that’s not Korean for the first time. You’ve probably seen this game so many times before and while I initially groaned and felt wary, I was (once again) pleasantly surprised by how Squid Game manages to make this overused game feel intense and captivating, likely because the series successfully makes us care for the characters. That’s an important emotional aspect that sometimes other battle royale and death game movies/TV shows forget to do.

Last but not least, the first episode of Squid Game Season 2 also features some light-hearted and funny moments that lighten the tone without decreasing the stakes of the episode. It’s a balance of both light and dark elements that makes a series good, especially one that expects you to binge-watch the whole season in one go.

Red Light, Green Light

After watching the first episode of Squid Game Season 2, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the rest of the season play out. If this first episode is any indication of what to expect from the rest of the season, we can very likely expect a season that feels different and unique from Season 1. And that’s incredibly exciting.

Welcome back to Squid Game, hope we all survive the experience.

NOT-SO-FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We received an early screener of the first episode Netflix’s Squid Game Season 2 courtesy of Netflix Malaysia. All seven episodes of Netflix’s Squid Game Season 2 are slated to premiere on Netflix on 26 December 2024.