Squid Game 2 reverses one of Season 1's biggest twists

Octopus game entered his second season with sky-high expectations. The first season was a runaway success for its mix of dark humor, sharp commentary and surprisingly brutal violence. With all the hype, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had a seemingly impossible task with his return: to give the audience all the elements that made the first season such a sensation, without falling into repetition.

The answer seems to be to split the difference. Season two of Octopus game provides the colorful brutality while telling a story that focuses less on the games and more on the characters trying to survive them. And rather than ending the season with a big twist like in season one, Hwang instead turns the element of surprise on its head and gives the audience information that the characters lack. Essentially, Hwang reverses one of the first season's biggest twists.

Spoilers ahead too Octopus game seasons one and two.

Season One's Big Twist

In the last episode of Octopus game Season one, one year after protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) wins the grand prize by being the last one standing, he receives an invitation to a seemingly empty office complex. There he finds Oh Il-nam (O Yeong-su), the friendly old man he befriended during the games and whom he thought was killed. As it turns out, Il-nam wasn't just any contestant—he was the man behind it all. On his deathbed, Il-nam tells Gi-hun that he created the games to entertain bored, wealthy elites like himself, participating mostly out of youthful nostalgia.

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Looking down over the snowy streets of Seoul, the two play another game. Il-nam bets that no one will stop to help a homeless man lying on the street below before the clock strikes midnight. A helpful citizen proves him wrong, but Il-nam dies moments later, and it's unclear whether or not he knew the truth before passing away.

This was a pretty massive twist at the end of the first season, toying with the audience by revealing the true nature of a character they had come to care for and sympathize with. It also put viewers on shaky feet for the upcoming games. If the creator could participate undetected, who knows what other tricks the games might have up their sleeves?

How Season Two Reverses Season 1's Twist

In season two, this question is answered for the audience, but not for the characters. After Gi-hun's quest to end the games by capturing the frontman fails, he makes a final decision to rejoin the games to take them down from the inside. At first, there is no reason to believe that anyone from the games will try to stop him. That is, until the end of episode three, “001.”

After the first game costs almost a hundred lives, the players vote whether to continue playing or not. In reverse order, the last contestant to vote is contestant 001, who casts the deciding vote to continue the games. The camera zooms in on his back until he turns around to reveal himself to be none other than the frontman himself, Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun). Having never seen him without his mask, Gi-hun doesn't recognize him. In-ho manages to gain Gi-hun's trust and friendship, and even sides with him to try to end the games in subsequent votes.

Throughout the rest of the series, Hwang is able to steadily increase the dramatic irony, where the audience has crucial information that the characters do not. Instead of revealing the existence of a mole player with a twist at the end of the season, season two reveals it to the audience early on, while the characters are completely unaware. This has the effect of adding even more tension to the story. The viewer is constantly forced to question In-ho's motives and speculate on what he might be trying to do to manipulate Gi-hun and thwart his quest to bring down the Games.

This is not to say that one narrative choice is better than the other; rather that the two simply create different effects on the overall season. Saving the reveal of Il-nam's identity for the end, the season one finale makes the viewer question every previous interaction with the character, and maybe even go back to see if there were hints they missed along the way. At the beginning of season two, revealing In-ho to the audience but not the characters creates a more immediate effect, where the viewer can see the manipulation unfold in real time.

Dramatic irony is one of the oldest tools in the drama playbook, dating back to the days of Greek tragedies that Oedipus Rex and beyond. It's also a smart choice on Hwang's part, a way to go Octopus game season two a distinct but complementary experience to season one. The season ends on a real cliffhanger, and viewers will have a lot to think about before season three takes them back to the games for the final time.

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Release date

September 17, 2021

Throw

Wi Ha-joon , Anupam Tripathi , Oh Yeong-su , Heo Sung-tae , Park Hae-soo , Jung Ho-yeon , Lee Jung-jae , Kim Joo-ryoung

Seasons

2

Showrunner

Hwang Dong-hyuk

Directors

Hwang Dong-hyuk

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