Warning - this article contains major spoilers for Squid Game season 2.
The much-anticipated second season of Squid Game finally premiered on Netflix this Boxing Day, featuring seven brand-new episodes.
This latest instalment of the hugely popular South Korean drama sees Seong Gi-hun (portrayed by Lee Jung-jae) devising a plan to dismantle the deadly games that previously earned him 45.6 billion won after surviving a gruelling challenge three years prior.
Assisted by police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), Gi-hun infiltrates the games with the intention of bringing it down from within. However, his plan to guide the police to the island is thwarted, and he finds himself once again in the competition.
During the games, he forms alliances with his old friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) and Oh Young-il, unaware that the latter is actually the enigmatic Front Man Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) from the previous tournament.
In this season, after each round, the players are given the chance to vote on whether to proceed with the games. This creates a rift between the 'Xs', those who wish to quit, and 'Os', participants who want to continue in hopes of splitting the grand prize, reports the Express.
In the season's final episode, Friend or Foe, Gi-hun and several other Xs stage a revolt against the guards, ambushing them following a brawl that erupts the night after the third game and seizing their weapons.
Despite Gi-hun and Jung-bae nearly making it to the upper echelons, their insurgence meets a calamitous end when Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), alleged ex-Marine, is dispatched to collect more ammo but instead ends up being discovered by Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon) hiding out in the sleeping quarters.
Simultaneously, In-ho, along with two other participants, outflank the guards encircling Gi-hun and Jung-bae, only for In-ho to turn the tables, shooting his cohorts and feigning his demise over the radio communication.
The suspenseful finale of episode seven presents Gi-hun face-to-face with In-ho, who's now donned his Front Man attire to conceal his identity for the final showdown.
After questioning whether Gi-hun relished "playing the hero", In-ho tragically puts an end to Jung-bae's life right before him, leaving Gi-hun in an abyss of despair. Gi-hun's life, however, is momentarily spared, encapsulating his destiny in an enveloping enigma as we segue into the onset of the forthcoming series.
Over at the dormitories, Hyun-ju is swayed by Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) to abandon the struggle for what appears to be a futile endeavor.
Capping off the season is a peek into the future instalment, with a scene likely extracted straight from a chapter in the third season, unveiled subsequent to the majority of the closing credits.
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SkyWe glimpse three contenders stepping into another contest area, facing off against mechanized schoolchildren, one girl opposite a boy, equally unsettling.
The inclusion of red and green traffic signals intimates that Gi-hun and fellow contenders are slated to face a twist on the classic Red Light, Green Light challenge.
With his strategies allowing a greater number of players to advance to the next round, two motion-sensing robots positioned at each end of the arena could guarantee that the upcoming game will be utterly brutal.
It seems the games are set to continue when Squid Game makes its comeback next year, but the question remains: can Jun-ho locate Gi-hun in time?
Squid Game season 2 is available to stream on Netflix. Season 3 will be released in 2025.
