You won’t find the this year’s best Christmas gift under the tree. Instead, you’ll see it on your TV. That’s right, folks—Squid Game’s highly anticipated second season returns with seven new episodes on December 26. It’s been three years since the original Korean drama became the most-watched Netflix series of all time, sending viewers into a frenzy around the high-stakes, fictional competition series.
Season 2 promises to dive even deeper into creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s themes of wealth inequality and desperation, as last season’s winner Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) somehow enters the games once again. According to the trailer (streaming above), it seems that he’s back to end the games from the inside. That means there’s a whole new cast joining for another round of games, including K-pop stars T.O.P. and Joo Yu-ri.
By now, you’re probably wondering how much you need to remember from the first season before diving into season 2. Luckily (or unluckily for them), most characters from the first season are dead. Police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) is one of the cast members returning, alongside Squid Game operatives such as the Front Man (Hwang In-ho) and the Recruiter (Gong Yoo). If you’re in need of a quick refresher before starting season 2, follow along below for the most important details.
Gi-hun wins the games at the cost of every other contestant’s life.
The first season followed Gi-hun, a gambler and a deadbeat father. He’s desperate for cash, especially since his daughter just immigrated to the United States with his ex-wife and her new husband. He asks his gambling buddy Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) for some help, but he rejects him. That same night, Gi-hun is offered by the mysterious Recruiter to compete in Squid Game for a chance to win some significant money.
Though Gi-hun doesn’t exactly know the rules of the contest, the first stage is a bizarre twist on the children’s game, “Red Light, Green Light.” Gi-hun and the rest of the contestants learn the cost of losing the game early, when elimination results in many of their deaths. The winning pot is increased every time a contestant is eliminated, with the winner receiving 45.6 billion Korean won (which converts to roughly $38 million dollars). After several rounds of children’s games remixed into grueling challenges, Gi-hun eventually walks away the winner.
Outside of the game, Gi-hun learns that Squid Game was created by an elderly man named Oh Il-nam (O Yeong-su). It’s one of the greatest twist reveals of the series, as Il-nam was originally a contestant in Gi-hun’s game. Before Il-nam dies, he tells that Gi-hun that created the game simply out of a twisted and morbid curiosity. Rich patrons also watch and bet on the games, which increased Il-nam’s wealth immeasurably. Gi-hun is far from the only player to ever win Squid Game, however, and the games continue even beyond their creator’s death.
The Front Man returns as Squid Game’s main villain.
There’s another person to remember—because he’s also out to stop the games. Police officer Jun-ho spent the entire first season working undercover as one of the game’s guards. He discovers much of the game’s mechanisms behind the scenes, including a scheme to harvest the eliminated player’s organs and resell them on the black market.
Jun-ho’s greatest discovery arrives in the finale. While the elderly Il-nam competes in the games, the operation is run by a mysterious man known only as the Front Man. After Jun-ho’s cover is blown, the Front Man reveals that he is secretly his estranged older brother who went missing years ago. The Front Man fires a gun at Jun-ho, sending him falling down a cliff.
Both characters will return in season 2. So, it stands that Jun-ho survives the fall somehow. Most likely, he’ll return to solve the mystery of how his brother became the new head of the games. He may also prove to be a great ally for Gi-hun. With no leads left, Gi-hun decides to meet up with his daughter in America at the end of the first season. However, a trailer for season 2 reveals that Gi-hun receives a phone call from the Front Man that ropes him back into the games.
The thrilling return of Squid Game will pick up right there at the airport on December 26. From there on out, your guess is as good as mine!
