Squid Game gets even darker

When Squid Game premiered on Netflix in 2021, it became an unprecedented global sensation. The brutal yet brilliant South Korean satire, crafted by Hwang Dong-hyuk, explored class warfare through a Parasite-meets-Battle Royale concept, with deadly childhood games offering the lure of a life-changing cash prize. The show remains Netflix’s most-watched series to date. Now, as Lee Jung-jae’s Prisoner 456, Gi-hun, prepares to re-enter the deadly arena in Squid Game Season 2 on Boxing Day, one question looms large: How do you follow up the biggest show in Netflix history?

According to Hwang Dong-hyuk, crafting the sequel has been both a creative triumph and a gruelling challenge. Speaking to Empire magazine, Hwang admitted to feeling the immense pressure but believes he’s delivered something extraordinary. “Season 2 is a deeper, more advanced story,” he says, hinting it could surpass the first. However, the process took its toll. “Physically, mentally, it was not easy. Some sequences were the hardest of my career. It was... hell.”

The new season picks up where the first left off, with Gi-hun choosing not to board that plane. Hwang explains the show continues to reflect a worsening world: “Climate change, wars, more people dying. Our lives haven’t improved since 2021. Things are worse.” 

This darker reality informed the new season’s tone, which Hwang describes as even crueller and more terrifying. “I even wondered, ‘Is this too much for people to handle?’”

But fans are ready. With promises of heightened tension, scarier twists, and even more gruesome challenges, Squid Game Season 2 is poised to delve deeper into the despair of its dystopian universe. As Hwang says, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Let the games begin.