Squid Game pushed the limits of storytelling while also building something many can connect to: Capitalism is the real monster. And when you combine it with the game, you end up with a toxic sludge of people who believe in this process wholeheartedly and those destroyed by it. That leads to plenty of shocking moments in Squid Game season 2 that we still can’t stop thinking about.
1. The Salesman killing himself
Even though we’ve barely seen The Salesman on Squid Game, his mark on the show is undeniable. That’s why it was so shocking that he killed himself. He believed in what he did so much that death didn’t scare him. And that right there makes me even more terrified of those in charge of the game. They don’t value human life, especially if you’re poor. For them, you’re expendable. The Salesman was willing to die than refute that.
2. No-eul actually being a soldier and not a contestant
Coming into Squid Game season 2, I truly thought I knew what I was getting into. No-eul proved me wrong. She’s not a contestant. Instead, she’s a soldier who has been at this for several years. And that right there blew me away. Because I get the rich and powerful VIP’s and how they look down on the poor. But I’d never figured the soldiers into this and why they actually do it.
MORE: Have you read our review? Check out our spoilery season 2 review of Squid Game!
3. The house taking out Gi-hun’s tracker
There’s that in-between moment where the game takes you and you wake up in the actual game. And I knew they changed you into your green tracksuit uniform. But I’ve never really realized how they check you for everything this season. They actually found the chip in Gi-hun’s mouth, removed it, and then let him think he was ahead of them. He isn’t. He never has been. It also makes sense why they put that tracker behind his ear. The house wants to make sure they know where there winners are. It also makes sense why the mom Geum-ja had that weapon in her hair and Thanos had drugs. They were both inspected and the items with them were deemed as possible entertaining chaos.
4. The Front Man being Player 001
It makes sense that The Front Man would enter the games. But still, I really didn’t see it coming. I thought he was going to play the game from behind the scenes. Maybe even send some of his own people to be spies for him because surely he wouldn’t go in the game and risk possible death? WRONG. He’s so sure that he can survive and take down Gi-hun he’ll put his life on the line. And it was disturbing but also deliciously evil how he pretended to be Gi-hun’s friend while manipulating him continously.
5. Young-hi’s death in episode 6
Anytime I see an edit on TikTok about Young-hi, I burst out crying. It’s especially true if it’s this scene in particular. Because in her moment of desperate, she called out for her “unnie” aka “older sister.” And her seeking out comfort like that, especially after her earlier breakdown during the vote, made me want to break down that door and protect. Because she was a kid. And she just wanted to go home. When she realized she wasn’t ever going to do that, she kept looking at her sister, ignoring what she knew was happening behind her.
MORE: The Young-hi moment was also included in our 7 most heartbreaking scenes from Squid Game season 2!
6. Player 001 killing that additional person
If Gi-hun knew about this moment, things could’ve gone a little differently in Squid Game season 2 episode 7. But Gi-hun never found out. Instead, Jung-bae witnessed “Player 001” killing Player 343 before being killed by him in episode 7. He didn’t know it was Player 001, of course. But we know. And Gi-hun will know in season 3. There’s no way you create shocking moments like the one below, and kill off the man who witnessed it, for it not to be used as fuel in the future.
7. Thanos being stabbed with that fork
As soon as Gi-hun unwrapped that fork, I was thrown back to Squid Game season 1 episode 8. In that episode the players had an elaborate dinner and were allowed to keep their dinner knives. Now in season 2, the forks were casually given out, with Gi-hun understanding what they were for and Myung-gi using it against Thanos. And while it wasn’t the killing blow, it made us wince and grab our own chins, because the visual was too much.
8. The player fake out with the soldiers
For a split second I thought my favorites were dead. That in itself would be a plot twist to end all plot twists on Squid Game. But it became apparent that the show had another twist in mind, with the players faking out the soldiers and staging their own coup. It didn’t go as expected and things got squashed. But still, 10/10. The soldiers have been getting complacent and it shows.
MORE: The players for the sophomore season of Squid Game were so different than season 1. Read our Squid Game season 2 review here!
9. The Captain being a traitor
Sea Captain Park being a traitor wasn’t on my bingo card for Squid Game season 2. But as soon as it happened, it gave me perspective on why this season spent so much time showing Jun-ho searching for the island. He’s The Front Man’s weakness. That’s why I believe they, aka the games, rescued Jun-ho after he got shot. They rescued him, on their own boat, by their own paid man. And they let Jun-ho “think” he was doing his best at trying to find the island months and months after his hospital release. He wasn’t. Because his own brother was trying to protect him and keep him away from the pain on that island. But there’s no doubt that season 3 will see him come face to face with his brother again. And I don’t think things are going to go as expected, for both of them.
Squid Game season 2 is now available on Netflix.
