Squid Game season 1 ending explained and season 2 predictions

What could happen in Squid Game season 2?

The nine episodes of Squid Game season 1 end on a cliffhanger. Just before boarding a plane to the U.S. to see his daughter, Gi-hun calls the Squid Game phone number and speaks to an operator.

"Listen carefully. I’m not a horse. I’m a person. That’s why I want to know who you people are… and how you can commit such atrocities against people. That’s why… I can’t forgive you for everything you’re doing.     — Gi-hun"

When he turns away from the plane, it’s clear that he has a mission: to find out more about how Squid Game was created, and how to take them down. He’s not quite sure how, but he’s ready to commit his life to Squid Game if it means he can stop what they’re doing.

It’s unlikely that Gi-hun would be able to infiltrate the games as a worker, because the facility will be on high alert after the incident with Jun-ho, and that Gi-hun has already sent them a threat. We don’t know whether players are allowed to participate multiple times, but this is also unlikely as it would go against the equality that Il-nam was intent on preserving.

We also already saw that Gi-hun attempted to tell the police about the games, but he was shut down when he had no evidence. The game-makers clearly know what they’re doing after decades of experience and have done all they can to protect the existence of Squid Game.

Although In-ho shoots his brother in the shoulder and causes him to fall off a cliff into the sea, Jun-ho’s death is not shown on camera. The other death not shown on camera was Il-nam’s during the marble game, leading to his reappearance in the final episode. There’s a chance that Jun-ho is still alive and will return in season 2, though not in good condition.

In-ho is haunted by his decision to “kill” his brother after all these years of being apart. His resolve seems to be shaken, so it’s possible he could have a redemption arc in trying to take down the institution from the inside. He could even team up with Gi-hun, since he knows that the former player is intent on taking down their system.

A sequel to Squid Game could also take a different direction and follow a new group of players in a new game. This would be an opportunity to meet new characters and experience new relationships, which was a part of the success in keeping the audience hooked. Gi-hun’s mission to take down the Squid Game organization would become a side-plot, similar to Jun-ho’s mission in season 1.

Will there be a second season of Squid Game?

At this point, season 2 of Squid Game has not been announced. The director Hwang Dong-hyuk said in an interview with Variety that he plans to return to creating feature films, as Squid Game was an intense project from creation to execution. In fact, it took the director six months just to write the first two episodes.

Because of it’s international success, Netflix will probably push for a second season of Squid Game. However, because of how unique the story is, Netflix will hopefully wait for director Hwang to return to the project on his own time. It could be upwards of two years before we get another season of Squid Game.

Rushing such an incredible series to satisfy their audience would only harm their reputation as a streaming service. We’ve all been invested in at least one show that went downhill after season 1, leaving the audience with a bitter aftertaste.

For now, we will have to settle with fan theories and other dystopian works, Korean or otherwise. A few other international series on Netflix with similar vibes are Alice in Borderland and Sweet Home, about survival in unsurvivable worlds.

Do you have theories about season 2 of Squid Game?