Squid Game returns to Netflix in all its gory (sorry, glory)

There has never been a show quite like the Netflix hit, Squid Game. To say that fans of the show are excited for season 2 would be a gross understatement. Not as gross as some of the action you'll see in the show, granted.

The first season of the show debuted on Netflix on September 17th, 2021. It garnered a few views; oh, sorry, make that 2.8 billion hours watched by 330 million viewers overall. The Korean drama easily became the number-one hit of all time for the streaming service. So it's no surprise that Netflix ordered a second season.

Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk first conceived the story in 2009, but no studio saw its potential. I mean, how could a series about a dystopian society featuring characters mired in absolute financial desperation miss, right? Add that to win, they had to slaughter all 455 of their competitors, and you have the feel-good hit of the decade.

Squid Game season 2 promises more mayhem within the morality play

If you want a taste of season 2 along with a quick synopsis of what to expect, look no further. Yes, Player 456 is back. As the moral center of the story, the show heavily depended on the performance of lead actor Lee Jung-jae. Season 1 ended with a teaser that even though he survived - sorry, spoiler alert for a three-year-old show - Player 456 wasn't finished with the diabolical creators of the game.

For a quick recap of all the action of season 1's madness, Variety's Matt Minton has all you need. If you don't feel like making all the effort to click the link, allow me to sum up. A lot of people in South Korea desperately needed money. A corporation recruited them for a televised contest that would award one winner the spectacular sum of $45.6 billion won - that's about $31 million in U.S. smackaroos.

What they weren't told is that they'd have to survive they would have to be the only survivor of 456 contestants. Oh, and they'd have to do a lot of the un-aliving themselves. Hence the morality aspect, which is what truly made the first season so fascinating. That, and the extremely creative violence. If you're into that sort of thing, like the other 330 million people who watched it.

The fun won't stop with season 2, either. Filming has already wrapped on season 3, as Hwang shot seasons 2 and 3 back-to-back. As much as I enjoyed season 1 - you can also read that as survived the trauma - I can't wait to dive into season 2. I'll be back with a review of all seven episodes just as soon as I recover.

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