Squid Sport 2: Episodes 1-7 (Sequence Assessment)
by SailorJumun
What, you thought playtime was over? After an preliminary first impression overview, we needed to check out all of the craziness that occurs in spherical two of Squid Sport. And belief me, there may be a lot craziness to speak about — from the inventive dying video games and its eccentric gamers to the gasp-worthy twists.
NOTE: This overview accommodates main spoilers, so proceed with warning.
SERIES REVIEW
I, personally, cherished the primary season of Squid Sport and thought it was completely definitely worth the hype. Due to that, although, its sequel had so much to stay as much as. I needed greater video games that had me on the sting of my seat, and I needed a compelling arc for our returning participant SUNG KI-HOON (Lee Jung-jae). From the primary episode, with Ki-hoon’s lengthy awaited reunion with the Salesman (Gong Yoo), there’s promise that I’ll be getting what I’m on the lookout for.
After an intense recreation of Russian Roulette, the Salesman accepts his loss and shoots himself — simply as police officer HWANG JUN-HO (Wie Ha-joon) busts in and finds them. Ki-hoon and Jun-ho are understandably hesitant to belief one another, however as soon as they set up their elements within the Video games and their mutual need to place an finish to them, they FINALLY be a part of forces. Jun-ho, in fact, leaves out the necessary element that his brother In-ho (Lee Byung-heon) is the Entrance Man… the primary of many unhealthy selections to return.
Ki-hoon and Jun-ho kind a small workforce, together with mortgage shark CHOI WOOK-SEOK (Jeon Suk-ho) and Jun-ho’s fisherman savior CAPTAIN PARK (Oh Dal-soo). They make what they suppose is a stable plan to shock the Entrance Man, however as at all times, the sport builders are at all times prepared. Nonetheless, Ki-hoon will get to talk with the Entrance Man through piggy-bank-shaped speaker and requests to be put within the subsequent Video games.
In the meantime, we get to know some new characters which can be down on their luck, due to this fact, certain to point out up within the Video games. There’s KANG NO-EUL (Park Kyu-young), a North Korean defector who’s desperately making an attempt to carry her youngster into South Korea. Being a mom, she appears to have a smooth spot for her co-worker KYUNG-SEOK’s (Lee Jin-wook) sick daughter.
The present units No-eul up in a well-known means, main us to consider that she’ll be a participant, solely to shock us together with her function as a pink soldier. Not solely that, however she’s a pointy shooter who’s been within the Video games for years.
Ki-hoon’s no beginner both, waking up within the Video games realizing what horror he’s in for. In reality, the primary recreation is the very same as final time: Purple Gentle, Inexperienced Gentle. He warns everybody concerning the shedding punishment being literal dying, and so they naturally suppose that he’s loopy till they see it for themselves. Ki-hoon takes on a frontrunner function to information as many individuals to security as doable, and it’s fairly freaking epic.
That’s the factor about this season — we get lots of the identical conditions and themes, with a twist. For one, the sport builders have modified the foundations on participation. Now, gamers get to vote on whether or not they can depart or keep after each recreation. In the event that they select to depart, they will cut up the sum of money that’s been gathered as much as that time.
Then there are the gamers, a lot of whom parallel these in Season 1. We’ve PARK JUNG-BAE (Lee Website positioning-hwan), Ki-hoon’s outdated work/playing buddy. Then there’s KANG DAE-HO (Kang Haneul), a loyal pet able to serve his hyungnims. And we’ve got the large unhealthy infiltrating as Participant 001, Mr. Entrance Man himself. Yeah, um… you actually screwed Ki-hoon over with that one, Jun-ho. Would’ve helped to have proven him an image.
These parallels virtually really feel repetitive, however the characters are likeable sufficient to let it go. We additionally get some new dynamics, just like the mother-son duo JANG GEUM-JA (Kang Ae-shim) and PARK YONG-SHIK (Yang Dong-geun), in addition to the broken-up couple however soon-to-be dad and mom KIM JUN-HEE (Jo Yu-ri) and LEE MYUNG-KI (Im Shi-wan). Essentially the most attention-grabbing characters are in all probability CHO HYUN-JOO (Park Sung-hoon), a candy but robust transgender girl, and THANOS (TOP), a hilariously over-the-TOP rapper who’s tremendous enjoyable to hate.
The additional we get into the video games, the extra we see these relationships develop. The second recreation is a six-legged race full of mini video games, and the characters get so overrated for one another that I can’t assist however cheer alongside. Our important groups work so effectively collectively, and later, after they’re bonding within the break room, their connections really feel earned and real. However everyone knows that the sport builders (and the Squid Sport author/director) simply looove to check these connections.
Because the Entrance Man “opens up” to Ki-hoon and the others, I’m conflicted. As a result of I do know that he’s enjoying them, but I’m beginning to see the human being behind his literal and figurative masks. Lee Byung-heon does an excellent job of portraying these nuances, making me genuinely query the place the Entrance Man’s coronary heart is. Like throughout Mingle, a merry-go-round/musical chairs kind recreation, he straight-up snaps a participant’s neck to save lots of Jung-bae. It’s one of many few instances that he lets his darkish facet slip, and it actually messes with my head.
Anyway, on the finish of the day, everyone knows what the Entrance Man is after. He’s making an attempt to show some extent, to point out Ki-hoon that he can’t change the world if the individuals gained’t change. It’s clear with this group of gamers which you could’t sway greed — so many wish to hold enjoying, even after every little thing they’ve witnessed, simply to win more cash. And like final time, when the gamers understand they will earn more cash by killing off individuals themselves, shit hits the fan.
That is when Ki-hoon loses me a bit. He truly sees the approaching bedtime assault as a chance, saying that it might function a distraction for an even bigger plan. The Entrance Man appears, dare I say, upset that Ki-hoon can be keen to sacrifice lives for “the larger good.” Nonetheless, Ki-hoon and his workforce undergo with it, and so they handle to get the weapons away from the troopers.
The finale is usually one huge shootout, as Ki-hoon tries to search out the management room. It’s past irritating, as a result of Ki-hoon’s plans at all times appear to be Soar in, say one thing profound, and hope it goes effectively? Like, dude, you want means higher techniques if you wish to carry this multi-billion greenback empire down — which he learns pretty shortly when his newest plan solely ends in additional harmless bloodshed.
In-ho fakes his dying to step again into the Entrance Man cloak, after which he kills Jung-bae proper in entrance of Ki-hoon. My jaw dropped, as I noticed, holy shit, the Entrance Man in all probability saved Jung-bae throughout Mingle simply to have this second. The final word checkmate, recreation over.
Whereas the primary storyline with the gamers is, in fact, probably the most thrilling, I used to be additionally intrigued by the facet plot occurring with No-eul. She experiences a battle of curiosity when she realizes Kyung-seok is within the Video games to win cash for his daughter’s therapy. A cool battle to have… that doesn’t actually go anyplace. Not but, at the very least.
Oh, and the place are Jun-ho and the remainder of the motley crew this whole time? Properly, they really don’t have a lot to do that season. After they fail to trace Ki-hoon’s location, we solely see them in snippets as they attempt to discover the mysterious island the place the Video games are held. Contemplating how pumped I used to be when Ki-hoon and Jun-ho teamed up, it was a bummer to have that fizzle out. Yet one more factor we’ve got to attend for.
I’d say that Squid Sport 2 is a stable continuation however not essentially robust sufficient by itself. Its sole function is to tease and lead as much as Season 3 — and I imply, it labored. I’m totally teased and anxious to see how all this chaos comes collectively. I do not know how Ki-hoon will succeed, or if he’ll succeed in any respect. It appears hopeless, however I’m nonetheless rooting for the underdogs to beat the inconceivable.
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