The following contains spoilers for Squid Game Season 1
It’s been three long years since Squid Game’s protagonist Seong Gi-Hun (also known as player 456) doubled back on an airplane jet bridge and decided to end the murderous competition once and for all. In the ensuing time, we’ve been left to wonder exactly how Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) would carry out his vendetta and if he would once again emerge victorious.
Now Squid Game Season 2 is upon us, and if you haven’t watched the first season lately, we’ve got you covered. IGN recently sat down with Lee, Writer / Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, and much of the cast to reveal which pivotal moments from Season 1 are essential to watch again.
Hwang Dong-hyuk (Writer / Director)
Squid Game’s creator reveals two pivotal scenes from early in Season 1 he considers worth a rewatch. The first occurs just a few minutes into the premiere episode and sets up the truly dire circumstances that lead to Seong Gi-hun’s decision to join the game. The second ties a seemingly minor character into the main plot of Season 2.
Hwang Dong-hyuk: Because I killed off nearly the entire cast and all of your favorite characters from Season 1, there aren’t many characters that continue on from the first season to the next. But there are two, one being Jung-bae, Gi-hun’s friend. The second one (is) Kim, who’s the loan shark. And so (there are) two scenes I recommend watching again before going into the second season.
The first one (is) in the bathroom when Kim is beating Gi-hun up. And then the second scene (is) where Gi-hun goes and tries to borrow money from Jung-bae outside of his pub that he runs. I think it’d be really fun for you to check them out before you go into the second season.
Where to watch it:
- Season 1, Episode 1: Red Light, Green Light (Gi-hun gets beat up by the loan shark)
- Season 1, Episode 2: Hell (Gi-hun asks to borrow money from Jung-bae)
Lee Jung-jae (Player 456 / Seong Gi-hun) & Lee Seo-hwan (Player 390 / Park Jung-bae)
Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun and Lee Seo-hwan as Park Jung-bae in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix © 2024
Both Lee Jung-jae and Lee Seo-hwan agree with Hwang Dong-hyuk that the scene in which Seong Gi-hun asks his friend, Park Jung-bae, for money is key to understanding Season 2. Jung-bae only appears briefly in Season 1, but fully enters the game in upcoming episodes.
Lee Jung-jae: So it just really naturally progresses from Season 1 to Season 2, but one thing to keep in mind is the character of Jung-bae. He is going to appear more in Season 2, so look out for him.
Lee Seo-hwan: I would have to talk about my character Jung-bae. In Season 1, there is a scene where Gi-hun tries to get money from the ATM. He forgot the birthday of his mom, so he’s struggling to get that money out of the ATM. And I was cursing at him standing behind him, “how can you not know the birthday of your mother?” And I used a very strong curse word then. So I was at home in my bathroom trying to figure out which curse word would really fit my situation and I was practicing the curse word. And when I met with Gi-hun again in Season 2, I kind of wanted to use the same curse, but it’s quite a strong word in Korean, so I decided to use a more common curse word that we usually use with our friends.
Where to watch it:
- Season 1, Episode 2: Hell
Lee Byung-hun (Front Man / Hwang In-ho)
Lee Byung-hun as Front Man in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix © 2024
At the end of Season 1 Lee Byung-hun’s Front Man, the masked mastermind charged with overseeing the game, is revealed to be the long-lost brother of Detective Hwang Jun-ho. Front Man is back in Season 2, and Lee insists that his character’s unmasking is key to what comes next.
Lee Byung-hun: For me, I would have to say the scene on top of the cliff when the mask comes off Front Man and he’s standing face to face with his younger brother. I think in that scene not a lot of people probably relate to or even understand the kind of emotions that he’s going through. You might have (been) left wondering “why is he making that face?” and “what’s with the hand gesture?” And I feel like after you watch the entire second season, you will get to understand a little bit more as to what went on inside his head and what emotions he was going through.
Where to watch it:
- Season 1, Episode 8: Front Man
Jo Yu-ri (Player 222 / Kim Jun-hee) & Yim Si-wan (Player 333 / Lee Myung-gi)
Jo Yu-ri as Kim Jun-hee and Yim Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix © 2024
In addition to returning castmembers, Squid Game Season 2 is full of new faces. Yim Si-Wan plays a young man who gets caught up in a disastrous crypto scheme that affects numerous other players, including his ex-girlfriend played by Jo Yu-Ri.
Jo Yu-ri: First of all, I was a big fan of Season 1. That’s why I was so happy and also feel honored to join Season 2. And from Season 1, I would say if the fans remember the relationships or the dynamics that were built between Gi-Hun and other characters, that would help them understand why (he developed) such anger (and) resentment. So much so that he decided to go back to the game.
Yim Si-wan: I think the key from Season 1 is of course this protagonist character Gi-Hun. So the fans can explore the reason for Gi-Hun not (getting) on the plane, which was the end of Season 1, to understand his ultimate motive (to go) back into another round of Squid Game in Season 2.
Where to watch it:
- Season 1, Episode 9: One Lucky Day
Kang Ae-sim (Player 149 / Jang Geum-ja) & Yang Dong-geun (Player 007 / Park Yong-sik)
Yang Dong-guen as Park Yong-sik and Kang Ae-sim as Jang Geum-ja in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix © 2024
Also new to Season 2 are mother / son contestants played by Kang Ae-sim and Yang Dong-geun. Both were fans of Season 1 and think the key to understanding upcoming episodes is diving back into scenes featuring the repulsive VIPs who bankroll the game.
Kang Ae-sim: There’s so many great scenes in Season 1, but one that comes to mind is a scene where we see the VIPs and their approach and their understanding of the game. And I think if the audience thinks about that scene, they’ll be very curious and interested to see what happens in Season 2.
Yang Dong-geun I would say that it’s the same scene, where the VIPs are talking. In-ho’s brother (Detective Hwang Jun-ho) is able to sneak in and kind of see what is happening here. And I think this is a really interesting scene because it’s Director Hwang shedding light into this world that most of us may not have access to or really can even imagine. And as an audience you realize, wow, this is really how the upper echelon of the world operates. And I think this is important context to have (while) watching Season 2.
Where to watch it:
- Season 1, Episode 7: VIPs
These quotes have been edited for clarity.
